US3700183A - Novel automatic locking device for safety belts - Google Patents

Novel automatic locking device for safety belts Download PDF

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Publication number
US3700183A
US3700183A US191171A US3700183DA US3700183A US 3700183 A US3700183 A US 3700183A US 191171 A US191171 A US 191171A US 3700183D A US3700183D A US 3700183DA US 3700183 A US3700183 A US 3700183A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cover plate
rotor
locking
arm
shaft
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US191171A
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English (en)
Inventor
Gert Ingmar Rex
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Autoindustri AB
Original Assignee
Autoindustri AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Autoindustri AB filed Critical Autoindustri AB
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3700183A publication Critical patent/US3700183A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R22/00—Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles
    • B60R22/34—Belt retractors, e.g. reels
    • B60R22/36—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency
    • B60R22/405—Belt retractors, e.g. reels self-locking in an emergency responsive to belt movement and vehicle movement

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT An automatic locking device for a safety belt for retaining a person in a vehicle comprising a rotor shaft rotatable in a casing for reeling up the belt and a rotor rotatable together with the shaft and means to lock the rotor to the casing in response to centripetal forces produced by withdrawal of the belt.
  • the device includes a two-armed locking member mounted on a horizontal shaft carried by a cover plate substantially transversally to the shaft of the rotor and adapted on acceleration or deceleration forces exceeding a predetermined value actuate a swingable element which is suspended pivotably relatively to said cover plate to take a position releasing the means locking the rotor relative the casing.
  • the swingable element By mounting the swingable element at an upper point freely pivotable on the cover plate and formingit on both sides of one arm of the two-armed locking member with cam surfaces, the force necessary for actuating the swingable element is reduced and the weight of the locking device is a reduced weight and its reactivity and reliability is improved.
  • the two-armed locking member can be mounted on a shaft extending in other than the horizontal direction.
  • NOVEL AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICE FOR SAFETY BELTS FIELD OF THE INVENTION being adapted to cooperate with one or several locking pawl teeth in the casing and a two-armed locking member which is mounted in a bearing on a horizontal shaft carried by a cover plate substantially transversally to the shaft of the rotor, said locking member having a first arm and a second arm, which second arm cooperates with a swingable element suspended pivotably relatively to said cover plate and adapted on occurrance of acceleration or deceleration forces exceeding a predetermined value to swing the second arm so as to cause the first arm to be swung into a releasing position actuating the locking pawl, in which position the locking pawl engages a pawl locking tooth for locking the rotor relative the casing, cam surfaces being formed on a swinging movement of the swingable element in a plane substantially parallel to that of the cover plate to bring about said swinging movement of the arms.
  • One main object of the invention is thus to provide a device which allows that the automatic locking device can be installed in any position relative the vertical line without any other change being required to be effected but a turning of the cover plate proper and to provide such a structure of the swingable element that no energy will be consumed for lifting the element proper during the swinging movement whereby the improved device reacts more rapidly and furthermore the swingable element can be reduced in weight.
  • FIG. I is a side view of the automatic locking device with one side cover removed;
  • FIG. 2 is a sectional view following the line ll-II of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a side view taken from the opposite side of the automatic locking device with the other side cover removed;
  • FIG, 4 is a view of the automatic locking device viewed from the same side as in FIG. 1 but with the swingable mechanism removed;
  • FIG. 5 is a front view of a cover plate formed according to the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a representation of the cover plate viewed from one side
  • FIG. 7 is a front view of the swingable element formed according to the invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a sectional view following the line VIII- VIII of FIG. 7;
  • FIG. 9 is a sectional view following the line IX-IX of FIG. 7;
  • FIG. 10 is a partly sectional view of an embodiment of the cover plate when the locking device is mounted inclined relatively to the vertical line.
  • reference numeral 1 denotes a U-shaped casing for an automatic locking device generally denoted 2 for a safety belt 3.
  • the safety belt 3 consists of a strap which in known manner by means of a coil spring 4 is wound up on a shaft 5.
  • the ends of the shaft 5 are mounted in bushings 6, which are rotatably mounted in recesses in the casing 1.
  • the bushings 6 In spaced relation to, and parallel with, the shaft 5 the bushings 6 in addition support a rod 7 which between the discs forms an interior attachment for the inner end of the strap 3 and outside of the one bushing 6 the interior attachment for the spring 4.
  • coil spring 4 is encased in a lateral cover plate 8, which is attached onto the casing l.
  • the outer end of the spring 4 is connected to an attachment means 9, which here is constituted by an aperture in the lateral cover plate 8.
  • this rotor 10 is formed with a wedge-shaped recess 11 within which a locking pawl 12 is mounted pivotably.
  • a locking pawl 12 is mounted pivotably.
  • the top of the wedge-shaped recess 11 is directed approximately towards the center of the rotor 10.
  • FIG. 4 shows the automatic locking device in locked position with the locking pawl 12 engaging a locking tooth 13 of a ratchet member 14, surrounding the rotor 10, which is in rigid connection with the casing 1, the locking surface 15 on each locking tooth extends in the embodiment shown in the radial direction of the rotor, the recess 11 having an also radially extending contact surface 16 for the locking pawl 12.
  • the rotor 10 is formed with a central cylindric portion 19 which constitutes a guide or journal for an inertia-responsive disc 21 the function of which is explained in more detail in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,942.
  • the inertia-responsive disc 21 is freely pivotable about the cylindrical journal 19.
  • a washer 22 which rests on a shoulder of the central journal and which allows the disc 21 to rotate about the central journal 19.
  • a plate 23 covering the rotor 10 and the inertia disc 21 and having an opening 24 (FIG. 5) is fixed onto the ratchet member 14.
  • the opening 24 leaves space for a locking member 25 formed as a two-armed lever, the pivot axis 26 of which is fitted in the central portion of the lever, and in the operative position of the locking device extends substantially horizontally, and is mounted between two cars 27 located in spaced relation from one another and projecting from the central portion of the cover plate 23.
  • the upper arm of the locking member 25 is preferably heavier and/or longer than the lower arm thereof and located so much outside the rotating shaft 26 that it is normally retained in the counterclockwise inclined position shown in FIG. 2.
  • the upper arm of the locking member 25 is provided with a resilient locking hook 28 devised when in clockwise inwardly turned position resiliently to engage locking teeth 29 which project radially on the outer surface remote from the rotor 10 of the disc 21.
  • an arcuate groove 39 (FIG. 4) into which a pressure spring 40 has been inserted.
  • a pin 41 bearing against the one end of the spring 40 is a pin 41, projecting from the inertia-responsive disc 21, into the groove 39 within which the pin 41 on a relative turning movement between the rotor 10 and the disc 21 is freely movable against the action of the spring 40.
  • the critical acceleration on which the locking pawl is released is defined by the force acting on the disc i.e. in the embodiment shown, the spring tension of the spring 40 and means may be provided to adjust said spring force and therewith the critical acceleration.
  • the above-described locking on rapid acceleration is effected as a consequence of too a rapid withdrawal of the belt entirely independently of the locking member 25.
  • This locking member has for its object to bring about a locking of the disc 21 in those cases where great accelerations which act on a person secured in the belt may not result in a corresponding acceleration of the belt 3 and the rotor 10, which situation can be imagined to be brought about when the vehicle is impacted laterally, and furthermore the locking member 25 constitutes an additional security means on great accelerations even in such cases where the disc 21 will become operative.
  • the novel feature of the invention resides in the improved swingable element and the attachment of the cover disc on the side plate of the rotor.
  • Formed by punching on the upper portion of the cover plate 23 is an outwardly bent pin 30 from which a swingable element 31 is suspended for free pivotable movement in both axial and the radial directions of the rotor 10.
  • the swingable element 31 which constitutes an additional locking element has a plane extending substantially transversally to the axis of the shaft 5 and has at its top a bent end portion 46 (FIG. 9) which is formed with an aperture 47 in which the pin 30 is positioned.
  • the swingable element 31 has a central opening 32 for the locking member 25, said opening 32 having a lower element portion 33 located between the cover plate 23 and the lower arm 34 of the locking member 25.
  • This lower portion 33 of the element 31 is bent out from the main plane of the generally disc-shaped element towards the cover plate 23 as is evident most clearly from the FIG. 8 and forms a central sliding surface 42 which is defined by cam surfaces 35, 36 directed
  • the sliding surface 42 of the swingable element 31 abuts against the edge 45 of the cover plate 23, and as the breadth of the abutting surface can be made little in the radial direction, the friction forces breaking the swinging movement of the swingable element 31 become very small. It is possible to make the sliding surface 42 of said element very narrow and cause it to slide against a cover plate 23 having no recess 38 and further it is possible, if desired, to cause the sliding surface 42 to bear against any other arbitrary, fixed portion of the side plate of the rotor.
  • the cover plate 23 is fixed by driving home screws 51 (FIG. 1), whereupon a fine adjustment of the cover plate 23 is rendered possible by the grooves 50 so that the pin 30 can be brought into a position substantially in alignment with the central line of the shaft 5 whereby the swingable member 31 is caused to take a predetermined centered position relative the locking member 25 mounted swingably on the cover plate 23.
  • the grooves 50 may be replaced by circular holes fitting to the dimensions of the screws.
  • the element 31 will slide or freely swing in said plane so that the lower arm 34 of the locking member, which bears against or is positioned immediately adjacent the outwards facing surface of the lower element portion 33, to slide upwardly on that of the cam surfaces 35 or 36, respectively, of the element which is moving towards the arm 34, and thereby the arm 34 will be swung outwards and the locking hook 28 of the locking device establish engagement with one tooth on the disc 21 whereby the rotor is locked.
  • the element 31 In this swinging movement of the arms of the locking member, the element 31 will be actuated only by the small friction forces acting on its sliding surface 42 and of the insignificant force required to effect the swinging or pivoting movement of the light-weight locking member, and, consequently, the swinging movement of the element 31 will not be disturbed to a noteworth degree, whereby it is ensured that a full extent swinging movement of the locking member is obtained.
  • this element can be made very light and highly sensitive. In those cases where the vehicle is exposed to forces which force the swingable element 31 outwards from the cover plate 23, the lower portion 33 of said element will force the arm 34 in outward direction and bring about the required locking effect.
  • FIG. illustrates an embodiment of the cover plate 23 intended to be used in that case when the automatic locking device can not be mounted with the rotor shaft 5 extending horizontally. It is obvious that the pivotable member must be suspended vertically and the invention renders possible by use of the specific cover plate to allow by a simple correction an inclined mounting of the locking device.
  • the locking device is intended to be mounted in the vehicle so that the ratchet member 14 is inclined by an angle relatively to the vertical plane.
  • the central portion of the cover plate 23 which carries the pin 30 and the ears 27, has been bent out with the same angle from the peripheral portions of the cover plate bearing against said ratchet member so that upon installation of the locking device the pin 30 and the ears 27 will be positioned in the same vertical plane.
  • the invention has provided a device which can be mounted in any desired position relative the casing of the automatic locking device, which permits divergation of the rotor shaft from the horizontal plane, and which responds very rapidly and in a reliable manner on occurring accelerations and decelerations.
  • an automatic locking device for a safety belt for retaining a person in a vehicle comprising a rotor shaft (5) mounted rotatably within a casing for reeling up the belt and a rotor (10) rotatable together with the shaft, on the circumference of which rotor at least one locking pawl (12) is disposed movable outwardly in response to centripetal forces coming into existence when the belt is withdrawn, said locking pawl being adapted to cooperate with one or several locking pawl teeth (13) in the casing and a two-armed locking member (25) mounted on a horizontal shaft (21) carried by a cover plate (23) substantially transversally to the shaft (5) of the rotor, said locking member having a first arm and a second arm (34) which second arm cooperates with a swingable element (31) suspended pivotably relatively to said cover plate and adapted on acceleration or deceleration forces exceeding a predetermined value to swing the second arm (34) so as to cause the first arm to be swung into a releasing position
  • the swingable element (31) is suspended from an outwards bent pin (30) formed by punching from the cover plate (23) made of sheet plate material.
  • the swingable element (31) is disc-shaped and has a central opening (32) for the locking member (25) and that a portion (33) of the swingable element located between the second arm (34) and said cover plate (23) is bent towards said cover plate to form a sliding surface (42) bearing against a fixed surface and the two cam surfaces (35, 36) defining said sliding surface (42).

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)
  • Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
  • Automotive Seat Belt Assembly (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
  • Seal Device For Vehicle (AREA)
US191171A 1970-10-27 1971-10-21 Novel automatic locking device for safety belts Expired - Lifetime US3700183A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE14490/70A SE348646B (cs) 1970-10-27 1970-10-27

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3700183A true US3700183A (en) 1972-10-24

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ID=20299189

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US191171A Expired - Lifetime US3700183A (en) 1970-10-27 1971-10-21 Novel automatic locking device for safety belts

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (1) US3700183A (cs)
AU (1) AU449300B2 (cs)
BR (1) BR7107191D0 (cs)
CA (1) CA958690A (cs)
CH (1) CH529567A (cs)
CS (1) CS167952B2 (cs)
ES (1) ES200865Y (cs)
FR (1) FR2113170A5 (cs)
GB (1) GB1359189A (cs)
NL (1) NL7114702A (cs)
SE (1) SE348646B (cs)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4148446A (en) * 1976-05-12 1979-04-10 American Safety Equipment Corporation Dual sensitive retractor
US4189170A (en) * 1978-04-05 1980-02-19 American Safety Equipment Corporation Three-point passive safety belt system
US5839790A (en) * 1995-06-06 1998-11-24 Takata Inc. Remote mechanical sensor and seat belt retractor operated thereby

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE396287B (sv) * 1975-09-02 1977-09-19 Holmberg Gote Eskil Yngve Bandrullare for bilbelten

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2979282A (en) * 1959-04-15 1961-04-11 American Seating Co Automatic reel
FR1375072A (fr) * 1963-07-05 1964-10-16 Perfectionnements à un appareil intervenant lors de l'apparition d'une vitesse de mouvement prédéterminée, notamment pour ceintures de sécurité
US3593942A (en) * 1968-11-05 1971-07-20 Autoindustri Ab Automatic locking device for safety belts

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2979282A (en) * 1959-04-15 1961-04-11 American Seating Co Automatic reel
FR1375072A (fr) * 1963-07-05 1964-10-16 Perfectionnements à un appareil intervenant lors de l'apparition d'une vitesse de mouvement prédéterminée, notamment pour ceintures de sécurité
US3593942A (en) * 1968-11-05 1971-07-20 Autoindustri Ab Automatic locking device for safety belts

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4148446A (en) * 1976-05-12 1979-04-10 American Safety Equipment Corporation Dual sensitive retractor
US4189170A (en) * 1978-04-05 1980-02-19 American Safety Equipment Corporation Three-point passive safety belt system
US5839790A (en) * 1995-06-06 1998-11-24 Takata Inc. Remote mechanical sensor and seat belt retractor operated thereby
US6244663B1 (en) 1995-06-06 2001-06-12 Takata, Inc. Remote mechanical sensor and seat belt retractor operated thereby

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES200865Y (es) 1976-01-16
DE2149961A1 (de) 1972-05-10
GB1359189A (en) 1974-07-10
CA958690A (en) 1974-12-03
BR7107191D0 (pt) 1973-04-19
CH529567A (de) 1972-10-31
CS167952B2 (cs) 1976-05-28
DE2149961B2 (de) 1973-11-08
NL7114702A (cs) 1972-05-02
FR2113170A5 (cs) 1972-06-23
AU449300B2 (en) 1974-06-06
SE348646B (cs) 1972-09-11
AU3479971A (en) 1973-05-03
ES200865U (es) 1975-09-01

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