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:
May. 28, 1996
Filed:
Feb. 22, 1994
Gerald A Doty, Auburn Hills, MI (US);
William G Drinane, Auburn Hills, MI (US);
Takata Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides an intentionally set or overt comfort system to be employed in a vehicle seat belt retractor for rewinding a seat belt. The system requires an overt activation by the occupant through a predetermined sequence of deliberate belt manipulations for activating the intentional set comfort system and subsequently actuating the tension-relieving mode. The preferred intentional set comfort system comprises primarily two major components which include a belt sensing activation mechanism and a tension-relieving mechanism. The belt sensing mechanism senses a deliberate protraction of the belt beyond a distance of normal occupant use for shifting the tension-relieving mechanism to an activated state. In response to the belt sensing activation mechanism, an actuator arm shifts the tension-relieving mechanism to its activated state. The tension-relieving mechanism includes a disc, having a plurality of grooves, mounted for rotation with the reel shaft and a spring biased blocking finger mounted for pivotal movement that is initially spaced from the disc. Upon activation of the tension-relieving mechanism, the finger is moved into the grooves and cooperates with the grooves to initially remove belt slack. In order to actuate the tension-relieving mode, the occupant, subsequent to removal of the belt slack, makes a slight protraction of the belt to cause the tension-relieving mode. However, belt protraction beyond the predetermined distance will result in automatic disengagement of the belt from the tension-relieving state and thereby causing reversion to the tension mode under the retraction spring force.