Abstract: An air bag device in which an internal acceleration sensor is prevented from operating a main body of an air bag device is mounted on a vehicle. The device is provided with a stopper for interlinking a fixing bolt for mounting the main body of the air bag device on the vehicle with a canceling screw for canceling the state of preventing the actuation of the acceleration sensor. Before the main body of the air bag device is threadingly inserted into the vehicle by means of the fixing screw and is thereby secure, the stopper keeps the canceling screw from being threadingly inserted.

Abstract: A lock mechanism for a webbing retractor prevents an occupant restraining webbing from being wound off from a webbing takeup shaft when a vehicular emergency occurs. The lock mechanism is provided with a member to which the rotational force of the takeup shaft is transmitted through frictional contact and which cancels the locked state of the lock mechanism when the takeup shaft rotates in the webbing wind-up direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the webbing from being gradually wound up when the vehicle is running thus avoiding any possibility of causing the webbing to undesirably tighten against the body of the occupant.

Abstract: A mechanism for mounting an air bag assembly on a steering wheel. Before the air bag assembly is firmly screwed to the steering wheel, claws projecting from the air bag assembly engage with claws of the steering wheel so as to temporarily fix the air bag assembly to the steering wheel. Subsequently, the air bag assembly is screwed to the steering wheel, and the air bag assembly does not move inadvertently without being manually pressed firmly at the time of screwing, thereby rendering the mounting operation speedy and accurate.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor for detecting a horizontal acceleration on the basis of a displacement of the mass bodies is arranged to have a plurality of mass bodies disposed closely to each other. A partition wall is disposed between these mass bodies so that the displacement of the mass bodies in the direction toward the partition wall can be prevented.

Abstract: A webbing retractor which, when a webbing is drawn out instantaneously, prevents the drawing out of the webbing by operating a lock mechanism. In addition, when a vehicle is decelerated suddenly, the drawing out of the webbing is also instantaneously prevented by causing a pawl to engage with a lock wheel preventing the lock wheel from rotating. The webbing retractor includes a lever which is swung in such a manner as to be movable between a first position in which the pawl is made unengageable with the lock wheel and a second position in which the pawl is made engageable with the lock wheel. The webbing retraction also includes a lever swing member which causes the lever to be located in the first position as the take-up shaft rotates in a webbing taking-up direction and to be situated in the second position as the take-up shaft rotates in a webbing draw-out direction. Accordingly, the pawl is prevented from engaging with the lock wheel at a take-up limit of the webbing.

Abstract: A webbing retractor for winding a webbing which is fastened around a seat occupant of a vehicle is arranged such that a claw member is engaged with a ratchet wheel fixed to a webbing take-up shaft and rotation of the take-up shaft in a direction in which the webbing is drawn out is thereby prevented when the speed of the vehicle suddenly reduces. Engagement of the claw member with the ratchet wheel is achieved by engaging a rotary wheel which is rotated in the same direction as that in which the take-up shaft is rotated with a driving plate which drives the claw member to cause it to be engaged with the ratchet wheel through a cam ring and an engaging lever. In consequence, the rotational force of the rotary wheel is reliably transmitted to the driving plate by means of the cam ring and the engaging lever.

Abstract: A locking mechanism for looking a winding shaft wound a webbing to prevent the winding shaft from rotating at excessive movement more than a predetermined amount of acceleration in a horizontal direction. The locking mechanism has an operating member which is inclined at the excessive movement more than the predetermined amount of acceleration in the horizontal direction to lock the winding shaft. The operating body has a pair of plate-like inertia portions extended symmetrically with respect to the axis of the winding shaft in the direction to approach an outer periphery of the webbing wound around the winding shaft. The operating body is inclined by the inertia portions when the acceleration is exerted. Thus, the locking mechanism locks the winding shaft by means of these inertia portions and the locking mechanism can be made small in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A webbing retractor in which a retracting shaft for winding up a webbing is urged by a pair of resilient members connected in series through a ratchet wheel to cause the webbing to be wound around the retracting shaft, and a pawl is disengageably meshed with the ratchet wheel by a friction spring which is transmitted a rotation of the retracting shaft through a frictional force so that an urging force of one of the resilient members is prevented from transmitting to the retracting shaft during engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel, wherein a reduced condition of the webbing retracting force is able to be maintained over a wide range.

Abstract: A locking mechanism applied to a retractor for winding up on a take-up shaft a webbing which fastens an occupant of a vehicle is designed to prevent the unwinding of the webbing when the vehicle suddenly decelerates. A lock wheel, that follows the rotation of the take-up shaft, maintains movable lock members rotating together with the take-up shaft at a position where the movable members are separated from fixed lock members. Upon sudden deceleration of the vehicle the lock wheel creates a rotational lag with respect to the take-up shaft, whereby the lock plates are engaged with the fixed lock members by the lock wheel, thereby preventing the rotation of the take-up shaft in a webbing unwinding direction.The movable lock members are pressed in the direction of the axis of the take-up shaft by an elastic body projected from the lock wheel, whereby clatter due to the vibrations of the vehicle is abolished.

Abstract: A seat belt system provided with a take-up apparatus for taking up a webbing to be placed around an occupant in layers around a take-up shaft comprises high-friction portions which are provided in a portion remaining wound around the take-up shaft when the webbing is placed around the occupant and which each have a larger coefficient of friction than that of the webbing. It is therefore possible to reduce tightening of the portion remaining wound around the take-up shaft when the webbing is placed around the occupant.

Abstract: A sensor is used in a retractor of a seat belt apparatus of a vehicle for winding a webbing to be fastened on an occupant of the vehicle and serves to prevent a webbing take-up shaft from rotating in the direction where the webbing is wound out. A bracket which supports an inertial body is mounted on the retractor through mounting means which allow the angle at which the bracket is mounted on the retractor to be selectively altered. Therefore, a constant acceleration response characteristic can be maintained even if the retractor is mounted on the body of the vehicle at different angles.

Abstract: A lock mechanism for a webbing retractor prevents an occupant restraining webbing from being wound off from a webbing takeup shaft when a vehicular emergency occurs. The lock mechanism is provided with a member to which the rotational force of the takeup shaft is transmitted through frictional contact and which cancels the locked state of the lock mechanism when the takeup shaft rotates in the webbing wind-up direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the webbing from being gradually wound up when the vehicle is running thus avoiding any possibility of causing the webbing to undesirably tighten against the body of the occupant.

Abstract: A webbing wind-up force limiting apparatus for use in a webbing retractor wherein a pair of webbing take-up resilient members are connected together through a gear wheel and the webbing wind-up force is reduced by locking the rotation of the gear wheel. The apparatus includes a rotary member whose diameter is enlarged by an inertia member in response to the rotation of the gear wheel when the occupant unfastens the webbing, and a ring which comes into contact with the rotary member when its diameter is enlarged. Accordingly, when the occupant unfastens the webbing, the gear wheel is prevented from rotating rapidly.

Abstract: A lock mechanism for a webbing retractor employed in a seatbelt system for a vehicle designed to protect an occupant in an emergency situation of the vehicle. A ratchet wheel is provided coaxially with a lock ring adapted for stopping, when an emergency situation of the vehicle occurs, the rotation of a webbing take-up shaft in a direction in which the webbing is unwound. A lever which is activated by the action of an acceleration sensor is engageable with both the ratchet wheel and the lock ring. The rotation of the take-up shaft is transmitted to the ratchet wheel through friction. When the vehicle is in a normal state, the ratchet wheel is rotatable together with the take-up shaft and gives no resistance to the rotation of the take-up shaft. When the webbing is wound up in a state wherein the lever is engaged with the lock ring, the ratchet wheel pushes out the lever so as to disengage from the lock ring.

Abstract: A webbing lock apparatus for use in a vehicle has a U-shaped frame, and a webbing take-up shaft rotatably supported by a shaft carriage. The carriage is pivotally mounted on the frame and biased toward one direction. When an emergency situation of a vehicle occurs, a ratchet is activated so as to lock the take-up shaft and to cause the shaft carriage to pivot on the frame in another direction as a result of the webbing tension. This movement causes the webbing wound around the take-up shaft to abut against a fixed pressing member also mounted on the frame. In consequence, the amount of webbing wound off of the take-up shaft in an emergency situation of the vehicle is minimized.

Abstract: A webbing tension adjusting apparatus for use in a webbing retractor employed in a seatbelt system for a vehicle which is arranged such that one end of an occupant restraining webbing is secured to a door of the vehicle and such that it is possible for an occupant of the vehicle to be automatically secured by the webbing simply by closing the door. When the door is opened, a resilient member for winding up the webbing is disengaged from a takeup shaft by a clutch means, whereby the biasing force of the resilient member which has been applied to the takeup shaft is cancelled. There is therefore no possibility that the webbing which is being wound off from the webbing retractor in response to the door opening operation may rub strongly against the body of the occupant.

Abstract: A retractor is employed in a seatbelt system designed to protect an occupant of a vehicle when an emergency situation occurs, and is adapted to wind up an occupant fastening webbing. A winding drum of a resin for winding up the webbing is disposed on the outer periphery of a metallic core member. Thus, it is possible to increase the outer diameter of the winding drum without a substantial increase in the weight. A compressive force generated by a webbing pulling force is transmitted to the core member, so that it is possible for the winding drum to endure a relatively large pulling force. A ratchet wheel and the winding drum are reliably connected together by means of a retaining portion of a synthetic resin which is disposed outside the ratchet wheel and is integrally connected to the winding drum through a bore which is formed in the ratchet wheel.

Abstract: In a mounting construction of a webbing retractor on a panel of a vehicle body, one of engaging means of the webbing retractor is latched to one of engaging holes from the back side of the panel and, thereafter, the other of the engaging means is forced into the other of the engaging holes from the front side of the panel.Accordingly, the webbing retractor can readily be mounted on the panel of the vehicle body without use of such a mounting member as a bolt.

Abstract: In an acceleration sensor for use in an automobile seatbelt system comprising a rolling body which moves when subjected to an acceleration, a cup-like receptacle member for supporting the rolling body on a sloping surface rising towards an outer periphery of the receptacle member, and a pivotally mounted actuator over the rolling body for triggering a web halting mechanism, wherein the sloping surface is formed with a plurality of radially disposed ribs, so that the rolling body is prevented from rolling around the sloping surface even when subjected to vibration from rough roads. The invention prevents the web belting mechanism from being triggered spuriously without diminishing the sensitivity of the acceleration sensor in a bona fide vehicular emergency situation.

Abstract: In a locking mechanism for a webbing retractor in which a plurality of lock plates rotated together with a takeup shaft winding an occupant-restraining webbing are moved in tangential directions of the takeup shaft in an emergency situation of a vehicle and teeth portions of the lock plates come into mesh with an internal gear ratchet wheel, whereby a webbing-unwinding rotation of the takeup shaft is stopped, the teeth portion of one of the lock plates is disposed nearer to the internal gear ratchet wheel than the teeth portion of the other lock plate, so that the teeth portion of the one of the lock plates comes into mesh with the internal gear ratchet wheel earlier than the teeth portion of the other lock plate.