The present invention pertains to a vehicle sensor device and a seat belt retractor employing same, the vehicle sensor device comprising: a body forming the outer appearance thereof; a cover coupled to one opened surface of the body; a sensor housing rotatably installed in the body according to the inclination of a backrest and the installation angle of the body; a ball installed in the sensor housing and detecting the inclination of a vehicle and the change of acceleration; and a sensor lever disposed over the ball and having one end rotatably coupled to the sensor housing, wherein the sensor lever is configured to allow a pilot lever provided in a locking device to linearly reciprocate by a rotational movement according to the movement of the ball so that the sensor lever is installed in the senser housing in which the ball is installed.

A seatbelt retractor includes a base, a spool, a cylinder, a transfer plate, and a cylinder lock. The spool is rotatably coupled to the base and has a piston portion. The cylinder is engaged with the piston portion and therewith defines a chamber. The piston portion is movable from a first position to a second position. The transfer plate is translateably disposed in the first chamber. The cylinder lock in a first condition rotatably fixes the cylinder to the base. Damping fluid is in the chamber.

A seatbelt retractor includes a base, a spool, a cylinder, a transfer plate, and a cylinder lock. The spool is rotatably coupled to the base and has a piston portion. The cylinder is engaged with the piston portion and therewith defines a chamber. The piston portion is movable from a first position to a second position. The transfer plate is translateably disposed in the first chamber. The cylinder lock in a first condition rotatably fixes the cylinder to the base. Damping fluid is in the chamber.

In a webbing take-up device, in a vehicle collision, pull-out of a webbing from a spool by an occupant is limited by a torsion shaft of a first force limiter mechanism, is limited by a wire of a second force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a build of an occupant, and is limited by a wire of a third force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a deceleration rate of the vehicle. This enables a load at which to limit the webbing from being pulled out from the spool in a vehicle collision to be a load suited to the build of the occupant and the deceleration rate of the vehicle.

In a webbing take-up device, in a vehicle collision, pull-out of a webbing from a spool by an occupant is limited by a torsion shaft of a first force limiter mechanism, is limited by a wire of a second force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a build of an occupant, and is limited by a wire of a third force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a deceleration rate of the vehicle. This enables a load at which to limit the webbing from being pulled out from the spool in a vehicle collision to be a load suited to the build of the occupant and the deceleration rate of the vehicle.

A seat belt retractor includes a housing including a pair of side walls facing each other, a winding drum configured to wind up a webbing, the winding drum being housed between the pair of side walls so as to be rotatable in a winding direction and a pull-out direction of the webbing, a lock member provided at a first end portion, of the winding drum, located on one side in an axial direction of the winding drum, a biasing member including one end portion attached to the first end portion of the winding drum, the other end portion attached to the lock member, and a connecting portion connecting the one end portion and the other end portion, a shaft member attached to the first end portion of the winding drum, and a cover member attached to the housing.

A vehicle occupant protection device (10) for helping to protect an occupant of a seat of a vehicle includes an inertia member (66) that engages an element (54). The inertia member (66) is movable relative to the element (54) from an unactuated position to an actuated position in response to at least one sensed vehicle condition for activating the occupant protection device (10). A vertical axis (83) extends through the center of mass of the inertia member (66) when the inertia member (66) is in the unactuated position. At least one of the element (54) and the inertia member (66) has at least one planar surface (80) that extends at an angle relative to the vertical axis (54). The inertia member (66) and element (54) are movable relative to one another along the at least one planar surface (80) to place the inertia member (66) in the actuated position to activate the occupant protection device.

A vehicle occupant protection device (10) for helping to protect an occupant of a seat of a vehicle includes an inertia member (66) that engages an element (54). The inertia member (66) is movable relative to the element (54) from an unactuated position to an actuated position in response to at least one sensed vehicle condition for activating the occupant protection device (10). A vertical axis (83) extends through the center of mass of the inertia member (66) when the inertia member (66) is in the unactuated position. At least one of the element (54) and the inertia member (66) has at least one planar surface (80) that extends at an angle relative to the vertical axis (54). The inertia member (66) and element (54) are movable relative to one another along the at least one planar surface (80) to place the inertia member (66) in the actuated position to activate the occupant protection device.

A belt retractor for a vehicle seat belt comprises a frame, a belt reel which is rotatably supported within the frame, a shell (16), a sensor (18) for vehicle-sensitive locking which includes a sensor lever (20), and comprising an idler arm (22) contacting a sensor (18) and being adjustable between an initial position in which the sensor lever (20) is locked and an extracting position in which the sensor lever (20) is released. The idler arm (22) is coupled to a damping element (26) having speed-sensitive damping characteristics.

A seat belt retractor includes a belt shaft pivot-mounted in a retractor frame, wherein the belt shaft shows an at least two-part design with a first and a second part. A load limiting device includes at least two parts, which can be moved relative to each other and have teeth, with which they alternately engage and disengage. Each of the parts of the load limiting device is allocated to a different part of the belt shaft. A tensioning device is located on the second part of the belt shaft and, upon activation, abruptly drives the belt shaft in the winding direction. One of the parts of the load limiting device, via a transmission device, is connected in a rotationally-fixed manner to the second part of the belt shaft through the first part, which is a hollow shaft.