US 7,571,873 B2
Webbing retractor
Hitoshi Takamatsu, Aichi (Japan)
Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho, Aichi-ken (Japan)
Filed on Jan. 03, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/322,657.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-001723 (JP), filed on Jan. 06, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0186250 A1, Aug. 24, 2006
Int. Cl. B60R 22/353 (2006.01); B60R 22/28 (2006.01); B60R 22/405 (2006.01); B60R 22/46 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 242—382.2  [242/374; 242/379.1; 242/383.4; 242/384.6] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A webbing retractor comprising:
a spool to which a base end of a long strip-shaped webbing belt is engaged, and that takes up and stores the webbing belt, and rotates when the webbing belt is pulled out to feed the webbing belt out;
a pressing member having a projection that moves along a circular path in conjunction with the rotation of the spool; and
an engaging lever that can move in an engaging direction to directly or indirectly engage with the spool and also in the opposite direction thereto; wherein
the engaging lever is pressed by the pressing member moving in conjunction with the spool, and moves in the engaging direction, when the spool rotates until just before the webbing belt is entirely pulled out, and
an elongated slot portion forming a grooved longitudinal path in the engaging lever for receiving the pressing member projection along a length of the grooved longitudinal path and opening toward the pressing member side in the moving state of the engaging lever in the engaging direction, the longitudinal axis of the slot being at least partially tangentially oriented with respect to the circular path of the projection; and
when the spool rotates until the webbing belt is entirely pulled out such that no webbing is wound around the spool, the projection of the pressing member moving in conjunction with the spool enters inside of the slot portion of the engaging lever and slidably engages an edge of said slot portion along the longitudinal axis of said slot portion to move said engaging lever in said engaging direction but in a non-engaging position with respect to the spool, and
whenever the spool rotates to re-wind the webbing belt after it has been entirely pulled out, the projection of said pressing member slidably disengages said edge of said slot portion and said engaging lever directly or indirectly engages with the spool.