Abstract: A belt reel journaled on the retractor frame carries a ratchet plate having teeth including a front face and a back face. A pawl mounted on the frame is movable from a normal disengaged position to a position engaging either the unwinding facing front side of a tooth or engaging with the winding facing side of a tooth. A normally stationary clutch member is connected to the pawl by a cam and is selectively rotated in response to a sensed condition so that the cam moves the pawl to engage the unwinding facing side of a tooth to lock the reel against belt unwinding rotation. A manual operating handle is provided to rotate the clutch member independent of occurrence of the sensed condition so that the pawl is moved into engagement with the winding face side of a ratchet tooth to block belt winding reel rotation by a reel windup spring and hold the belt at a tension free slackened length about the seat occupant.

Abstract: The invention provides an inertia locking seat belt retractor for winding a shoulder belt having one end mounted on the vehicle door so that door movement moves the belt between stowed and restraining positions. The retractor has a winding prevention mechanism including a pawl and ratchet operable by a prior known control means to selectively lock the retractor against belt winding to hold the belt extended at a set slackened length with respect to the occupant. The improvement is comprised of a cam member which is rotatably mounted and has a cam surface which blocks movement of the pawl to the locked condition irrespective of the control means. The cam member also has a notch which allows the pawl to move to the locked condition with the ratchet. The cam member is coupled to the reel by a reduction gear set which causes the cam member to revolve less than one revolution during a plurality of reel revolutions upon movement of the belt between the fully wound and fully unwound conditions.

Abstract: According to the invention, a shoulder belt has its inboard end mounted on the vehicle body generally adjacent the hip of the occupant and an outboard end mounted on the roof rail by a shoulder belt retractor. A track extends longitudinally along the roof rail and movably mounts a carriage which slidably receives the shoulder belt intermediate the inboard and outboard ends thereof. A drive cable of fixed length has its rearward end attached to the upper rear corner of the door and a forward end attached to the roof rail adjacent the forward end of the track so that the drive cable assumes a position generally coincident with the track when the door is closed and assumes a position angularly divergent from the track when the door is opened. The drive cable extends slidably through the guide loop to permit rearward retraction of the carriage by the belt retractor as the drive cable converges with the track during door closing movement to establish the belt in the restraining position.