Retractor with a clamping mechanism for use in a seat belt device

Abstract

In a retractor with a clamping mechanism for holding a webbing directly in a vehicle emergency, the retractor provides a retractor base, a lower plate fixed to the retractor base, and a movable clamp member for holding the webbing between itself and the lower plate, in which the clamp member includes on a webbing opposing surface thereof a plurality of substantially conical-shaped clamp teeth for biting into a surface of the webbing to hold the webbing, and the clamp member is so structured that a webbing pushing force of both end portions thereof are weaker than the pushing force of a central portion thereof. Accordingly, even if a strong tensile force is applied to the webbing held by the clamp member to bend the respective central portions of the lower plate and the retractor base in an outwardly projecting manner, the clamp teeth formed on both the end portions thereof in the webbing width direction are prevented from pushing against the lower plate because the webbing pushing forces thereof are weaker than that of the central portion thereof. Therefore, the clamp teeth can bite into the surface of the webbing sufficiently, so that the clamp member holds the surface of the webbing uniformly.