Allied Chemical Corporation

Allied Corporation

William R Fox

Robert L Stephenson

James A Gavagan

Yogendra Singh Loomba

A dual spool seat belt retractor including a housing and lap and shoulder belt retractors mounted therein. An electric switch is provided for controlling an electric signal device, preferably used in conjunction with tension relieving means. The switch is preferably placed in its electrically conductive position in response to a predetermined number of revolutions of the lap belt retractor in the rewind direction.

Seat belt retractor with electrical switch

A dampening device is provided for a seat retractor associated with a passive seat belt system to reduce the rewind speed of the webbing in response to closing of a door of the vehicle. The dampening device is inoperable when the door is opened. The seat belt webbing may be maintained in a non-restraining position and automatically released to its restraining position under a slow rewind speed in response to a condition indicating that the vehicle is operable for locomotion. The dampening device may alternatively be actuated in response to a condition indicating that the vehicle is operable for locomotion.

Passive seat belt system with dampening means

A passive seat belt system for a vehicle comprising a seat belt retractor mounted in the vehicle, seat belt webbing have one end attached to the retractor and another end attached to the vehicle, a thin elongated flexible element attached at one end to the vehicle and at a second end to a ring attached the webbing, and a button on the webbing for moving the ring and the webbing in response to motion of the vehicle door.

Passive seat belt system

A switch assembly is provided for use in sensing a seat belt spool condition in a seat belt retractor assembly. Features of the switch assembly are a switch housing in which is mounted a conductive member which forms both a fixed contact and a male terminal at its respective ends, a movable contact element which is supported for selective wiping contact with the fixed contact end of the conductive member, and actuating means which moves the movable contact element into wiping contact with the fixed contact end of the conductive member in response to a predetermined amount of seat belt webbing being stored on the spool of the seat belt retractor and which permits the movable contact element to move out of wiping contact in response to a predetermined amount of seat belt webbing being removed from the retractor.

Web-sensitive switch assembly

A release means for a safety belt tension-relieving apparatus of a safety belt retractor includes: a sensing means, a locking means, an actuating means, and a baising means. The sensing means is located in a door-jam of a vehicle door for sensing a condition when the door is open and when the door is closed. The locking means is disposed on the retractor. The sensing means causes the locking means to move to its unlocking position when the door is open. The actuating means is mounted on the retractor adjacent to the locking means. The actuating means is mechanically coupled to a portion of the locking means and electrically coupled to the sensing means. The actuating means moves the locking means to its unlocking position, thereby allowing a rewind mechanism of the retractor to operate when the door is opened. The biasing means biases the locking means in a ready position, wherein the locking means may be operated by the tenson-relieving apparatus to block the rewind mechanism and relieves tension on the shoulder belt when the door is closed.

Growing community of inventors

Warren, MI, United States of America

William R Fox