Abstract: A centrifugal brake assembly comprises a pawl and a rotor. The rotor includes a receiving portion configured and arranged to receive a portion of the pawl. The pawl is movable relative to the rotor between an engaged position and a disengaged position. One of the pawl and the rotor has a curved slotted portion, and another of the pawl and the rotor has an elongated curved protrusion. The elongated curved protrusion at least partially extends within the curved slotted portion and moves generally along the curved slotted portion when the pawl moves between the engaged position and the disengaged position.

Abstract: There is provided an acceleration sensor enabling precise positioning of a sensor lever of the acceleration sensor, for ensuring a stable operation of the acceleration sensor, and a seat belt retractor including the acceleration sensor. Shafts of a sensor lever projects from a base. The sensor lever is supported between supports of a sensor holder so as to be rotatable and shiftable in a rotation axis direction. The sensor lever is rotated by displacement of an inertia mass. A limiting portion of the sensor holder is brought into contact with contact portions of the sensor lever. The limiting portion limits shifting of the sensor lever in the rotation axis direction, so as to avoid contact between the base and the supports.

Abstract: In a reel 24 of a lanyard, a cam 46 is rotatable to change an orientation among a free orientation, a locking orientation, and a waiting orientation. The free orientation represents an orientation in which the cam 46 can be rotated in any of directions. The locking orientation represents an orientation in which a locking engagement portion 82 engages with a latching portion 96 of a cam receiver 52. The waiting orientation represents an orientation in which a waiting engagement portion 84 engages with a plate spring 48. When the bobbin rotates in one direction, the cam 46 changes from the free orientation to the waiting orientation. When the bobbin rotates in the other direction, a tip 82a of the cam 46 in the waiting orientation is guided by a guiding surface 100, to change the cam 46 from the waiting orientation to the locking orientation.

Abstract: A centrifugal brake assembly comprises a pawl and a biasing member. The pawl includes a base from which a circular portion and a triangular protrusion extend. A rotor includes a receiving portion having a notched portion. The notched portion is configured and arranged to receive the circular portion. One of the pawl and the rotor has a slotted portion, and the other of the pawl and the rotor has a protrusion. The slotted portion is configured and arranged to receive the protrusion and the biasing member. The pawl is pivotable about the circular portion relative to the rotor and the triangular portion of the pawl is configured and arranged to engage a stop member when the pawl is in an engaged position. The base contacts the rotor in the engaged position to reinforce the pawl.

Abstract: A webbing take-up device that is both capable of promoting reductions in size and weight and capable of excellently maintaining coupling strength between a pawl member and a ring portion. A clutch plate and a lock ring of this webbing take-up device are coupled by plural teeth provided at the clutch plate meshing with plural teeth provided at the lock ring. This lock ring is specified to have a lower material strength than the clutch plate. A tooth height H2 of the plural teeth of the lock ring is specified to be lower than a tooth height of the plural teeth of the clutch plate. Thus, when the lock ring and the clutch plate mesh, tooth tips of the plural teeth of the clutch plate come into contact with tooth bottoms of the plural teeth of the lock ring.

Abstract: A self-locking safety belt retractor has a blocking apparatus for a belt shaft mounted rotatably in a housing. The blocking apparatus includes a pawl inserted into a recess of the shaft front of the belt shaft which can be pivoted radially outward into engagement with the blocking apparatus. A blocking gearing (12) is oriented with respect to stop surfaces of the pawl (16) and to force transmission surfaces (25, 32) of the recess (15) such that, when the gear teeth of the pawl (16) are engaged in the blocking gearing (12) under normal load, a force acts between the blocking gearing (12) and the belt shaft (13) in a radial direction. If the load increases in a crash case, a force is transmitted in the circumferential direction due to plastic deformation of at least one housing gear tooth (28, 26) of the blocking gearing (12).

Abstract: A lifeline system includes a lifeline and a drum assembly around which the lifeline is coiled. The drum assembly is rotatable about a first axis in a first direction during extension of the lifeline and in a second direction, opposite of the first direction, during retraction of the lifeline. The lifeline system further includes a tensioning mechanism in operative connection with the drum assembly to impart a biasing force on the drum assembly to bias the drum assembly to rotate about the first axis in the second direction. The lifeline system further comprises a braking mechanism in operative connection with the drum assembly. The braking mechanism includes a catch that is rotatable relative to the drum assembly about a second axis that is not concentric with the first axis. The second axis is operatively connected to the first axis so that the second axis rotates about the first axis in the same direction as the drum assembly when the drum assembly is rotating about the first axis.

Abstract: A preferred embodiment self-retracting lifeline (100) includes a centrifugal clutch assembly (121) having a pawl (128) and a spring (131). The pawl (128) and the spring (131), which do not require any fixed attachment to any other component of the device, are held in place and pivotable within a plate (143). The plate (143) is rotatable within a cavity (120) of a brake hub (118) including teeth (141) extending into the cavity (120). When a centrifugal force is applied, the pawl (128) compresses the spring (131) and moves away from the plate (143) to engage the teeth (141) thereby activating a brake assembly within the self-retracting lifeline (100).

Abstract: In a webbing retractor, a stopper plate is mounted to a belt insert-through hole of a spool. In this mounted state, a restricting wall of the stopper plate extends further outward in a radial direction of a spool main body than an outer peripheral portion of the spool main body. From between a pair of leg plates of a frame, the restricting wall opposes the leg plates along an axial direction of the spool. Thus, when force displacing the spool in the axial direction of the spool is applied, the leg plates interfere with the restricting wall, and indirectly interfere with the spool so as to restrict displacement of the spool.

Abstract: A guide pin is provided erect at a lock plate of a webbing retractor. A guide hole is formed in a V gear in correspondence with the guide pin. The guide hole is formed from a first hole portion, a second hole portion and a third hold portion. A state in which the guide pin is positioned in the first hole portion is an initial state. When relative rotation between the V gear and a spool arises, the guide pin moves from the first hole portion and reaches the second hole portion. In this process, the guide pin pushes the V gear so as to rotate reversely, and locking is cancelled. When a pushing force causing a V gear reverse rotation angle to exceed a set value is applied from the guide pin, the guide pin escapes into the third hole portion such that excessive pushing force is cancelled.

Abstract: In a webbing retractor, when a pawl engages with an internal tooth, a lock plate is guided, via a V gear, to a position at which engagement with a ratchet tooth is possible, and thereafter, the lock plate self-locks. When the V gear reversely rotates by a predetermined amount in accordance with this self-locking, engagement of the pawl and the internal tooth is cancelled. An engagement surface of the internal tooth corresponds to a locus of swinging of the pawl. Engagement with the pawl is cancelled at a smallest V gear reverse rotation angle.

Abstract: An inexpensive webbing retractor is obtained by making a pretensioner and a lock device small and reducing the number of parts. A plurality of protrusions are formed on an inner peripheral portion of the bearing body, which pivotally supports a clutch portion. These protrusions are brought into linear contact with an outer peripheral portion of the clutch portion, whereby the bearing body pivotally supports the clutch portion indirectly via the protrusions. Since the protrusions are brought into linear contact with the clutch portion, the contact area becomes quite small. Hence, the protrusions are easily plastically deformed due to friction resistance with the clutch portion. Therefore, resistance that obstructs the rotation of the clutch portion becomes small, and gas pressure can be efficiently supplied for the rotation of a take-up shaft.

Abstract: There is provided a webbing take-up device of which weight can be reduced while maintaining lock strength. A single lock plate which is engaged with an internal gear ratchet at the time of sudden deceleration of a vehicle is held in an accommodating portion formed in a holding portion of a base lock. At the time of sudden deceleration of a vehicle, the lock plate is moved by being guided in a guide hole of a V gear and is engaged with the internal gear ratchet. Further, reaction force generated in the above-described engagement is utilized and the holding portion of the base lock is caused to contact by pressure the internal gear ratchet and the base lock plastically deforms and is thereby engaged with the internal gear ratchet. Accordingly, the base lock and the internal gear ratchet are in a locked state at two facing locations on the base lock in a radial direction of the base lock.