Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.

Key Saftey Systems, Inc.

Patrick J Gorman

Phillip D Yee

Kenneth Herbert Kohlndorfer

David R Arnold

Mark Francis Gray

Mark F Gray

Timothy L Wilcox

Gerald R DeMeyer

William K King

An apparatus that secures a hunter to a tree while in a tree-mounted hunting stand that includes a safety harness assembly () having a belt retractor () and a body harness (). The belt retractor is configured to be removably secured about the tree and removably secured to the body harness. The belt retractor along with energy-absorbing materials improves the hunter's safety while in tree stand and provides a sufficiently large range of motion about the stand.

Hunter's safety harness for tree stand

A safety belt retractor (10) comprised of a spool (28), a belt (40) wound on the spool (28), a ratchet wheel (48), and a torsion bar (44) interconnecting the spool (28) to the ratchet wheel (48) and capable of yielding in response to loading exerted on the belt (40) when the ratchet wheel (48) is locked against rotation. The safety belt retractor (10) also includes a holdout mechanism (18) which is normally operable in an ELR mode to permit operation of an emergency locking mechanism (16) and which can be selectively shifted into an ALR mode for locking the ratchet wheel (48) against rotation to prevent further payout of the belt (40) after a predetermined length of the belt (40) has been withdrawn from the spool (28). A timing assembly (124) functions to determine when the predetermined length of the belt (40) has been withdrawn or retracted for controlling engagement and disengagement of a latch mechanism (110). A timing clutch mechanism (20) interconnects the torsion bar (44) to the timing assembly (124) and is normally operable for driving the timing assembly (124) in response to withdrawal and retraction of the belt (40). The timing clutch mechanism (20) is further operable to permit relative movement between the torsion bar (44) and the timing assembly (124) for resetting the timing assembly (124) to a predefined set position in response to full retraction of the belt (40) after the torsion bar (44) has yielded. As such, the timing clutch mechanism (20) functions to maintain the predetermined length of the belt (40) required for selective actuation of the holdout mechanism (18) in a manner which is independent of yielding of the torsion bar (44).

Automatic locking retractor with timing clutch mechanism

A buckle (20) for a vehicle seat belt system (22) comprises a base (102) at least partially defining a cavity (100) for receiving first and second tongues (64, 66) of the seat belt system along respective first and second insertion paths (P1, P2). A first latch plate (106) supported by the base (102) is movable between a latched position connecting the first tongue (64) with the base when the first tongue moves a fully inserted distance into the cavity (100) and a release position in which the first tongue is disconnected from the base. A second latch plate (128) supported by the base (102) is movable between a latched position connecting the second tongue (66) with the base when the second tongue moves a fully inserted distance into the cavity (100) and a release position in which the second tongue is disconnected from the base. A first blocking member (162) has a portion (166) located in the second insertion path (P2) for blocking movement of the second tongue (66) the fully inserted distance into the cavity (100) until the first tongue (64) moves a predetermined first distance. A second blocking member (172) has a portion (176) located in the first insertion path (P1) for blocking movement of the first tongue (64) the fully inserted distance into the cavity (100) until the second tongue (66) moves a predetermined second distance.

Buckle for vehicle seat belt system

Growing community of inventors

White Lake, MI, United States of America

Patrick J Gorman