Article: Japanese Inventors Develop Seat Belt Retractor

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 27 -- Masahiro Shiotani and Koji Hiramatsu, both of Shiga, Japan, and Tetsuya Hamaue of Hikone, Japan, have developed a seat belt retractor for winding and unwinding a seat belt.

According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A seat belt retractor includes a spool for winding a seat belt; a locking mechanism having a locking member rotating with the spool in a normal state and being locked not to rotate in a direction of unwinding the seat belt in an emergency state; and an energy absorbing mechanism provided between the spool and the locking member for absorbing impact energy applied on an occupant when the spool rotates in the direction of unwinding the seat ...

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