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:
Feb. 23, 1988
Filed:
Nov. 17, 1986
Gregory S Ches, Mt. Clemens, MI (US);
Richard D Loose, Birmingham, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A door mounted seat belt retractor includes a pendulum having a support foot which is a generally planar surface having an elongated elliptical foot print with a major dimension and a minor dimension. A pendulum support member carried by the retractor has a planar support surface upon which the foot of the pendulum rests. The pendulum is oriented with the major dimension of its foot extending laterally of the vehicle body and the minor dimension extending longitudinally. The locking sensitivity of the retractor is varied so that a relatively smaller acceleration impulse experienced in the longitudinal direction will lock the retractor and a relatively higher acceleration impulse in the lateral direction will be required to lock the retractor. Thus, the retractor will not be locked by the level of acceleration experienced during routine door opening movement. The pendulum support member preferably has a planar support surface located at the bottom of an elongated elliptical well. The well has a major imension extending laterally of the vehicle and a minor dimension extending longitudinally of the vehicle and receives the elongated elliptical foot of the pendulum so that the pendulum is maintained in its proper orientation with the major dimension extending transversely of the vehicle.