Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – With spring motor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-03
2001-06-12
Jillions, John M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
With spring motor
C192S038000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244531
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clutch mechanism and a webbing winding device, for example, a webbing winding device having a pretensioner for rotating a spool in a webbing winding direction at a time when a vehicle suddenly decelerates, and a clutch mechanism used in this webbing winding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional webbing winding device
310
is shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18
.
In this webbing winding device
310
(see Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 2-10743), rolling bodies
320
are mounted in supporting pins
314
projecting from a cover
312
. The rolling bodies
320
are inserted into notches
318
of a pulling member roller
316
. Each rolling body
320
is normally spaced apart from an intermediate bush
324
and a belt shaft
322
is freely rotated independently of the pulling member roller
316
.
When the pulling member roller
316
is rotated in the direction of arrow B when, for example, a vehicle suddenly decelerates, the supporting pins
314
are sheared by the rotating force of this pulling member roller
316
, and the pulling member roller
316
and the intermediate bush
324
are connected to each other through the rolling bodies
320
. Thus, the rotating force of the pulling member roller
316
is transmitted to the bel t shaft
322
and a pretensioner is operated so that slackening of the belt is removed.
Accordingly, shearing force for shearing the supporting pin
314
is required when the pretensioner is operated in this webbing winding device
310
. However, this shearing force gives resistance to the rotation of the pulling member roller
316
and the torque for rotating the belt shaft
322
is reduced as a result.
In contrast to this, in a webbing winding device
350
(see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-133015) shown in
FIG. 19
, a sliding portion
354
is connected to base plate portion
352
by a thin, breakable connecting portion
356
. Further, a roller pin holding portion
358
is disposed perpendicularly to the sliding portion
354
. No roller pin
360
held by the roller pin holding portion
358
comes in contact with a sleeve
362
at a normal time. Accordingly, the possibility of the roller pins
360
influencing the pulling-out, winding, or the like of the webbing
364
is low.
When a large deceleration occurs in the vehicle and clutch outer teeth
366
are rotated in the direction of arrow C via a planetary gear device, the roller pins
360
bite into portions between an outer circumferential face of the sleeve
362
and cam faces
368
of the clutch outer teeth
366
due to the deformation of the roller pin holding portions
358
. Thus, the clutch outer teeth
366
and the sleeve
362
are connected to each other and rotating torque of the clutch outer teeth
366
is transmitted to the sleeve
362
so that the pretensioner is operated. Further, when the clutch outer teeth
366
are rotated, the rotating drive force of the clutch outer teeth
366
are transmitted to a holder
370
through the roller pin
360
and the connecting portion
356
is broken. Accordingly, the clutch outer teeth
366
further rotate the sleeve
362
in the direction of the arrow C via the roller pin
360
so that a winding shaft
372
is rotated and the webbing
364
is tightened.
Accordingly, the connecting portion
356
is also broken when the pretensioner in this webbing winding device
350
is operated and this breaking gives resistance to the rotation of the clutch outer teeth
366
and torque for rotating the winding shaft
372
is reduced as a result.
Such a problem is not limited to the above webbing winding devices
310
,
350
, but is generally caused in a clutch mechanism for transmitting the rotating force of a rotating member to a member to be rotated by moving and nipping a transmitting member between the rotating member and the member to be rotated by breaking one portion of the transmitting member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of such facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a clutch mechanism capable of transmitting the rotation force of a rotating member to a member to be rotated without causing resistance in the rotation of the rotating member or wasting the rotation force for rotating the member to be rotated, and a webbing winding device capable of transmitting the rotation force of a pretensioner to a spool without causing resistance to the rotation of the pretensioner at its operating time or wasting the rotation force for rotating the spool.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a clutch mechanism comprises: a rotating member capable of transmitting rotation force to a member to be rotated; a supporting member for rotatably supporting said member to be rotated; a transmitting member nipped between said member to be rotated and said rotating member and able to be moved between a transmitting position for transmitting the rotation force of said rotating member to the member to be rotated and a nontransmitting position spaced apart from at least one of said member to be rotated and said rotating member; holding means for holding said transmitting member in said nontransmitting position in a state in which said rotating member is not rotated with respect to said supporting member; and moving means for moving said transmitting member to said transmitting position when said rotating member is rotated with respect to said supporting member in a state in which the holding of said transmitting member using said holding means in said nontransmitting position is released.
The transmitting member can be moved between the transmitting position and the nontransmitting position. However, the transmitting member is held by the holding means in the nontransmitting position in a state in which the rotating member is not rotated with respect to the supporting member. Therefore, the member to be rotated can be freely rotated relatively with respect to the rotating member.
When the rotating member is rotated, the holding means does not hold the transmitting member in the nontransmitting position so that the transmitting member can be moved between the nontransmitting position and the transmitting position. Further, when the rotating member is rotated with respect to the supporting member, the moving means moves the transmitting member to the transmitting position. The transmitting member is nipped between the member to be rotated and the rotating member in the transmitting position so that the rotating force of the rotating member is transmitted to the member to be rotated and the member to be rotated is rotated.
Thus, the transmitting member can be move d in advance between the transmitting position and the nontransmitting position. The transmitting member is held by the holding means in the nontransmitting position in a state in which the rotating member is rotated with respect to the supporting member. When the rotating means is rotated, the holding means does not hold the transmitting member in the nontransmitting position. Since the transmitting member is not moved from the nontransmitting position to the transmitting position by breaking the transmitting member, etc., the rotation force of the rotating member can be transmitted to the member to be rotated without causing resistance in the rotation of the rotating member or wasting the rotation force for rotating the member to be rotated by breaking the transmitting member.
In a second aspect of the present invention, the clutch mechanism of the first aspect is characterized in that said holding means is constructed from at least one of either said rotating member or said supporting member, or a combination of said rotating member and said supporting member, and the transmitting member is held in the nontransmitting position by setting said transmitting member so as to be unable to be moved in at least a diametrical or axial direction of said rotating member.
Accordingly, the transmitting member can be held by a simple structure in the nontransmitting pos
Hori Seiji
Nagata Tomonori
Cole Thomas W.
Jillions John M.
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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