Takata Corporation

Takata Seat Belts, Inc.

Erick Michael Anderson

Richard M Grabowski

Gerald A Doty

Mark Lynn Wilsey

A vehicle-sensitive retractor is provided that can be mounted in a reclinable seat back which has a nominal position inclined to the vertical and that is actuated to a locked position in each of three mutually-perpendicular planes. The retractor has a universal acceleration sensor that compensates for different seat back inclinations so that it does not lock until a threshold vehicle acceleration condition is detected, and so that it will lock regardless of the sensed acceleration when the seat back and retractor are shifted to specified inclinations forward and rearward from the seat back nominally inclined position. The sensor preferably includes a weighted basket that supports an inertia member. At the rearward inclination position, the inertia member operates an actuating mechanism to lock the retractor. A stop engages and prevents adjustment of the support at the seat back's forwardmost inclined position so that at a predetermined angular distance forward therefrom, e.g. 22&deg;, the inertia member causing locking of the retractor before reaching the specified forward inclination position from the design position where the retractor must be locked.

Seat belt retractor for reclinable seat backs

A seat belt restraint system is provided including a retractor and an optical inertia sensor therefor. The optical inertia has a sensor body with a light emitter and detector recessed in bores therein. A frame support having inclined walls with a base opening at the bottom of the walls support an inertia ball so that it is positioned at the opening to reflect light from the emitter to the detector when vehicle accelerations are within a predetermined range. The inertia sensor is incorporated into circuitry which controls a locking mechanism, e.g. solenoid, at the retractor so that when the detector is sensing light, the retractor stays unlocked. During excessive vehicle acceleration, such as brought on during accident conditions, the ball will roll along the wall so it no longer reflects light from the emitter breaking optical communication between the emitter and detector and locking the retractor. The optical inertia sensor is advantageous in that it uses very few moving parts in contrast to mechanical remote sensors and avoids the reliability problems faced by switch contacts in prior inertia sensors. In addition, the sensor body including the emitter and detector is a commercially available portion of the sensor which utilizes well proven optical components for good reliability in sensor operation and lower costs in fabricating the present sensor.

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Lake Orion, MI, United States of America

Erick Michael Anderson