Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

James E Murphy

Kenneth H Reid

A seat belt retractor adapted for mounting on a vehicle door includes an inertia sensing pendulum for moving the lock bar into engagement with a belt reel to lock the reel against belt unwinding rotation. A feeler device, such as a plunger, is mounted on the door for sensing initial movement of the door away from the closed position. A flexible element, such as a chain, is connected to the pendulum and the feeler device. The flexible element has a normal slackened link when the door is closed so that the pendulum is free for movement to move the lock bar to the reel engaging position. Upon initial door opening movement, the plunger extends and tensions the flexible element so that the flexible element restrains the pendulum against movement from the normal position by an inertia stimulus induced by door opening movement.

Door mounted seat belt retractor

A belt clamping mechanism for a seat belt retractor having a belt reel rotatably journaled on a frame and a locking means for locking the reel against unwinding rotation. The retractor frame is mounted on the vehicle body for limited movement in the direction of belt pull. A yieldable device such as a frangible member acts between the frame and the vehicle body to establish the frame at a normal position in which a belt clamping member carried by the retractor frame is spaced from a clamping abutment mounted on the vehicle body. When the reel is locked and an occupant restraint load is imposed on the belt, the yieldable device permits movement of the reel and the frame in the direction of belt pull so that the belt is clamped between the clamping member carried by the frame and the clamping abutment mounted on the vehicle body to fix the belt length against spooling down on the reel.

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Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

James E Murphy