The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 06, 1976
Filed:
Jun. 13, 1974
Akira Tanaka, Northridge, CA (US);
Avraham Ziv, Sepulveda, CA (US);
American Safety Equipment Corporation, Encino, CA (US);
Abstract
In an emergency locking safety belt retractor, a locking bar is operated by inertia responsive means which includes an inertia responsive mass and a locking bar for locking with teeth of the ratchet wheel associated with the belt winding wheel of the retractor. The inertia responsive means has been improved by the provision of having resilient means in force transmitting relation between the lock bar and the mass for receiving and storing energy imparted thereto by movement of the mass and for thereby urging the lock bar toward locking engagement with the ratchet wheel through a pawl bounce condition. The pawl bounce condition is defined as the condition that occurs when the lock bar initially bounces off the tooth of the lock wheel before attaining a locking engagement with the wheel. The resilient means may take the form of several different embodiments. In one embodiment, an actuator is mounted between the mass and the lock bar. A resilient stem is connected between the mass and the actuator, and the resilient stem may either be a spring wire or a coil spring. In another embodiment, the resilient means is mounted between the actuator and the lock bar and may either take the form of a diaphragm or a elastomeric material which absorbs energy in either stretching or compressing, or it may comprise a spring mounted on the lock bar for engagement with the actuator to absorb energy from the lock bar to the actuator.