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:
Mar. 29, 1994
Filed:
Sep. 28, 1992
Louis R Brown, Oxford, MI (US);
Steven G Corrion, Oxford, MI (US);
TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc., Lyndhurst, OH (US);
Abstract
A seat belt retractor has a low tension mode in which seat belt webbing engages an occupant of a vehicle with a reduced force. A frame supports a spool on which belt webbing is wound for rotation in belt withdrawal and belt retraction directions. A sun gear is rotatable with the spool. A planet carrier rotatable relative to the sun gear rotatably supports a planet gear in meshing engagement with the sun gear. A ring gear rotatable relative to the spool and to the planet carrier has internal teeth in meshing engagement with the planet gear and external ratchet teeth. A spring connected between the planet carrier and the frame biases the spool in the belt retraction direction. A pawl is engageable with the external ratchet teeth on the ring gear to block rotation of the ring gear in a belt retraction direction to place the retractor in the low tension mode. A cam is rotatable relative to the spool and is engageable with the pawl to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth of the ring gear to disengage the low tension mode.