Abstract: A reinforced spool assembly has a shaft, a spool member coaxially mounted around the shaft, and two ratchets mounted on two axial ends of a combination of the shaft and the spool member. Each one of two ratchets has a body having an inner surface. The two inner surfaces of the two bodies face each other. In each one of the ratchets, the body has a reinforced supporting structure. The reinforced supporting structure is located between the shaft and the spool member and is offset from the inner surface of the body. A reference plane is defined on and extends along the inner surface of the body, is perpendicular to a central axis of the shaft, and passes through the reinforced supporting structure. Mechanical strength of the reinforced spool assembly is increased by the reinforced supporting structure.

Abstract: A latching mechanism is applied to be mounted on a webbing of a seat belt system. The latching mechanism has a tongue assembly and a slider mounted on the tongue assembly. The slider has a bridge located at a side of the tongue assembly. The webbing passes through a bottom end of the bridge and is inserted through the slider and the tongue assembly. The webbing has a shoulder belt located at a side, which has the bridge, of the latching mechanism. When the slider is located in an unlocked position, the latching mechanism is capable of freely moving along the webbing. A tension of the shoulder belt acts on the bridge for driving the slider to move from the unlocked position to a locked position, such that the webbing is clamped and locked by the slider and the tongue assembly.

Abstract: A latching mechanism is applied to be mounted on a webbing of a seat belt system. The latching mechanism has a tongue assembly and a slider mounted on the tongue assembly. The slider has a bridge located at a side of the tongue assembly. The webbing passes through a bottom end of the bridge and is inserted through the slider and the tongue assembly. The webbing has a shoulder belt located at a side, which has the bridge, of the latching mechanism. When the slider is located in an unlocked position, the latching mechanism is capable of freely moving along the webbing. A tension of the shoulder belt acts on the bridge for driving the slider to move from the unlocked position to a locked position, such that the webbing is clamped and locked by the slider and the tongue assembly.

Abstract: A tensioning device used to improve the retention of a child seat after its installation in an auto seat using its installed seat belts. After the child seat is placed on the auto seat and the auto seat belt is engaged about the child seat in a desired manner, the device increases tension in the auto seat belt to improve retention of the child seat. The device uses an open-end slotted and rotatable spool around which the auto seat belt is wrapped. Lever means connect with rotating and locking means, which in turn connect to the rotatable spool to wind the spool in a direction such that would result in effectively shortening of the automobile seat belt.

Abstract: A tensioning device used to improve the retention of a child seat after its installation in an auto seat using its installed seat belts. After the child seat is placed on the auto seat and the auto seat belt is engaged about the child seat in a desired manner, the device increases tension in the auto seat belt to improve retention of the child seat. The device uses an open-end slotted and rotatable spool around which the auto seat belt is wrapped. Lever means connect with rotating and locking means, which in turn connect to the rotatable spool to wind the spool in a direction such that would result in effectively shortening of the automobile seat belt.

Abstract: A seat belt tensioning apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes, among other elements, (1) a main body portion having a head or top portion at one end and a winding member at the opposite end, and (2) a crank handle being connected to the head or top portion of the main body portion. The winding member of the main body portion has a plurality of winding extensions. In the preferred embodiment, the winding member includes two winding extensions. The winding extensions are sufficiently spaced apart to form a belt reception space to receive a seat belt webbing. After the seat belt is inserted into the belt reception space, the crank handle may then be turned to cause the seat belt to wind around the winding extensions, thereby removing excess slacks in the seat belt.

Abstract: A safety belt webbing emergency locking apparatus has clamping means for selectively clamping safety belt webbing against further movement relative to the clamping means and an inertia responsive means for operating the clamping means independently of webbing movement to a webbing clamp position in response to changes in vehicle inertia, the clamping means including a wedge shaped clamp member having a high strength, resilient and high coefficient of friction material provided for engaging the webbing portions to be clamped, biasing means for normally biasing the wedge member toward a webbing clamping position, releasable retaining means for normally holding the wedge member against movement under its bias and tripping means operated in response to changes in vehicle inertia for releasing the retaining means to allow wedge movement under its bias to the webbing clamping position.

Abstract: A locking apparatus for use with safety belts of the type protracted and retracted on a spool which is locked by inertia forces in an emergency. The safety belt passes through a clamping assembly which is activated upon sliding movement of the retractor reel from protraction forces in the locked state greater than a pre-established threshold amount.

Abstract: A safety belt webbing emergency locking apparatus having one or more wedge shaped clamp members for clamping directly upon the safety belt webbing to prevent further safety belt protraction has biasing means for normally biasing the clamping means to a webbing clamping position, releasable retaining means for normally holding the clamping means in a webbing release position against the bias of the biasing means, vehicle inertia sensor means for sensing changes in vehicle inertia and operating the releasable retaining means to release the clamping means to clamp the webbing under the urging of said biasing means when the sensor means experiences a change in vehicle inertia of more than a predetermined amount and automatically operating reset means for resetting the retaining means after a belt webbing clamping mode whereby the clamping means is moved back to a webbing release position and held in such position against the bias of the biasing means, the automatically operating reset means operating in response

Abstract: A dual spool safety belt retractor having first and second ratchet means on first and second spools, respectively, is provided with an improved dual locking pawl emergency locking means including an action pawl for engaging only the ratchet wheel means of the first spool in response to actuation by inertia sensing means and reaction pawl means separate from the action pawl means for reacting in response to movement of the action pawl on its engagement with the first spool to cause locking of the second spool by the separate reaction pawl. Resilient connecting means are illustrated between the action and reaction pawl means for resiliently urging the reaction pawl into locking engagement with the ratchet wheel of the second spool in a continuing manner to overcome false locking conditions, exemplary embodiments of the resilient connecting means including a flexible linkage, a resilient rubber-like body, a leaf spring, a coil spring and a right angle leaf spring.

Abstract: An improved dual tension retractor mechanism for emergency locking safety belt retractors which allows application of main spring rewind bias without the necessity of an initial low tension belt rewinding. Application of the main spring rewind bias for belt retraction from low tension use mode is controlled independently of retractor reel winding or unwinding movements. The improvement includes a ratchet ring which is selectively rotatable relative said housing to allow reapplication of main spring rewind bias to the belt when the belt reel is in the low tension mode. Retractive rotation of the ratchet ring applies power rewind bias to the belt reel even though a bias blocking pawl remains engaged with the ratchet ring.

Abstract: An emergency spool release for use with a seat belt retractor mechanism is shown wherein the seat belt mechanism includes a spool for storing a belt which restrains the passenger of a vehicle during an emergency. The belt is urged into a retracted position by spring means while the protracted position of the belt is restrained in an emergency by the automatic engagement of a locking pawl against ratchet teeth found on the periphery of the spool. The automatic engagement is accomplished by an inertia locking system. In some situations, the automatic inertia locking system does not disengage thereby making it difficult to accomplish further protraction of the seat belt in a post emergency situation. The locking pawl in the seat belt mechanism of this invention is capable of a rotational motion to engage the ratchet teeth under the urging of the inertia locking device. It is also capable of a transverse motion under the urging of a manual unlocking device for post emergency release.

Abstract: A selectively manually operable tension-relieving mechanism with memory is disclosed. The improved tension-relieving mechanism is nominally disengaged from the retractor spool assembly to allow frictionless operation thereof and is manually engageable. An actuator lever causes the mechanism to become engaged with a seat belt retractor by engagement of a pair of ratchet disks. A pawl and groove assembly then cause operation in a tensionless mode upon a subsequent slight belt protraction. A latch retains the actuator in an engaged condition until override by the occupant or substantial subsequent protraction. Orienting means restores the mechanism to its initial condition upon disengagement.

Abstract: An inertia switch resettably breaks an electrical contact upon a change in the momentum of the switch body above a predetermined level or upon inversion of the switch body. An inertia sensing pendulum detects momentum changes upon the switch body and upwardly moves an actuator shaft upon a momentum change above a level determined by a biasing mechanism. The actuator shaft is coupled to an electric contact mechanism, which resettably interrupts an electrical connection upon the upward movement of the actuator shaft. A moveable mass in a cylindrical cavity is coupled to the contact mechanism and causes the electrical connection to be broken in response to an inversion of the body. A reset mechanism coupled to the contact mechanism, reestablishes the interrupted electrical connection when manual force is applied to the reset means.

Abstract: An emergency release mechanism in a passive seat belt system provides a vehicle occupant with an extra section of belting material by which the occupant may extricate himself from the vehicle in emergency situations where the position of the vehicle or the condition of the system is such that the seat belt could not otherwise be slackened. In passive systems, the seat belt is retractably mounted either to the vehicle floor or door, passed over the upper torso of the vehicle floor or door, passed over the upper torso of the vehicle occupant and permanently attached to an anchor bracket attached to the door or floor, respectively. The emergency release portion of the system releasably attaches an intermediate portion of the seat belt to the anchor bracket, thereby defining an open loop of belting material between the permanently-attached end and the releasably-attached intermediate sections of the belt.

Abstract: An inhibitor intended for the prevention of early reel lock-up during door opening for passive vehicle safety belt systems incorporating door-mounted reels. In such systems where a high inertia mass moves a pawl into engagement with the take-up reel during emergency conditions thereby allowing freedom of occupant movement during other periods of time, biasing means are provided for resisting the movement of the high inertia mass/pawl combination when the vehicle door is in the process of being opened and closed. Embodiments disclosed include the use of a selectively activatable electromagnet, a movable permanent magnet, gravitational biasing of the pawl, spring biasing of the pawl, and spring biasing of the high inertia mass.

Abstract: A child safety seat restraint adapter for restraining a child safety seat on a vehicle seat in association with a preinstalled passive diagonal torso safety belt anchored at one end on the vehicle door, extending across the vehicle seat and being anchored at an opposite end inboard of the vehicle seat, has an auxiliary safety belt buckle and an auxiliary anchor for anchoring the buckle outboard of the vehicle seat to the vehicle floor, an auxiliary tongue plate for releasably engaging with the buckle and a connector for connecting the tongue plate in a fixed relation to the preinstalled safety belt intermediate its ends whereby the child safety seat may be restrained on the vehicle seat by passing portions of the safety belt inboard of the connector over the child seat, when positioned on the passenger seat, and engaging the tongue plate with the buckle.

Abstract: A safety belt retractor has an extended low tension range dual tensioning and rewind means including a reel rewind spring means for biasing the reel in a belt rewind direction under the urging of a first bias, tension reducing means for providing a second rewind bias of a lower value on said reel than the first bias to provide a reduced tension on a safety belt, activating means for activating the tension reducing means in response to reel rotation in a predetermined manner and means for deactivating such tension reducing means in response to reel rotation under the urging of the second bias including the provison of a spiral cam surface mounted to the retractor frame and presenting a spiral surface having an extent of more than one whole revolution about a spiral center, a cam follower provided to be moved along the spiral surface, means for driving the cam follower along such cam surface in response to rotation of the reel and means operated by radial displacement of the cam follower relative to the spiral

Abstract: In an emergency locking safety belt retractor, a locking bar is operated by inertia responsive means which includes an inertia responsive mass and a locking bar for locking with teeth of the ratchet wheel associated with the belt winding wheel of the retractor. The inertia responsive means has been improved by the provision of having resilient means in force transmitting relation between the lock bar and the mass for receiving and storing energy imparted thereto by movement of the mass and for thereby urging the lock bar toward locking engagement with the ratchet wheel through a pawl bounce condition. The pawl bounce condition is defined as the condition that occurs when the lock bar initially bounces off the tooth of the lock wheel before attaining a locking engagement with the wheel. The resilient means may take the form of several different embodiments. In one embodiment, an actuator is mounted between the mass and the lock bar.