Abstract: A webbing retractor for a vehicle includes a webbing take-up shaft which winds up an occupant restraining webbing with a relatively weak biasing force from a spiral spring, thus reducing the pressure applied to the body of an occupant from the webbing. When the occupant unfastens the webbing and a predetermined amount of webbing is rewound on the take-up shaft, a controller activates a motor to rotate the take-up shaft so as to rewind the whole of the unwound webbing with a relatively strong driving force.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing webbing wind-up force has a ratchet which rotates together with a take-up shaft for winding up a webbing, a rocker arm with a pawl engageable with the ratchet, a bidirectional solenoid for causing the rocker arm to pivot, and a snap action spring. When an occupant has the webbing fastened, the bidirectional solenoid is activated for a predetermined period of time so that the pawl is engaged with the ratchet, and thereafter, the rocker arm is held in its engagement position by the action of the snap action spring. When the occupant unfastens the webbing, the bidirectional solenoid is activated for a predetermined period of time in the direction opposite to that in the above operation so that the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet, and thereafter, the rocker arm is held in its disengagement position by the action for the snap action spring. Thus, it is possible to reduce the amount of electric power consumed by the bidirectional solenoid.

Abstract: A controller for automatically effecting disengagement of a buckle device includes a moving means which moves a lock plate engaged with a tongue plate. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the acceleration acting on the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value, the controller controls the moving means such that the tongue plate and the lock plate are automatically disengaged from each other. It is possible to automatically disengage the tongue plate from the buckle device in an emergency situation, such as collision or overturn, of the vehicle.

Abstract: A webbing retractor has a take-up shaft for winding up a webbing. The take-up shaft is biased in the direction in which the webbing is wound up, by a spring having such a biasing force that there is no slack in the webbing when it is wound and yet the occupant feels no pressure from the webbing when he has the webbing fastened. When the webbing is unfastened and wound up onto the take-up shaft, a motor is activated, and the rotational force thereof is transmitted to the take-up shaft through a centrifugal clutch so that the take-up shaft is rotated, winding up the webbing.

Abstract: A lock-type seat belt retractor including a ratchet mechanism, an inertia member which senses shock to the automobile, and a transmitting mechanism which transmits a movement of the inertia member to a pawl of the ratchet mechanism. The inertia member senses the shock by its relative motion to the transmitting mechanism. The transmitting mechanism includes a rod which moves in response to movement of the inertia member and pushes up a lever to raise the pawl. When the pawl engages with a tooth of a ratchet wheel, the seat belt is locked. The transmitting mechanism further includes a member which supports the rod and the inertia member. The support member swings relative to the automobile body so that this retractor can be locked reliably regardless of its angular position.

Abstract: A webbing retractor is provided with a first variable resistor detecting a moving amount of an inner end of a spiral spring biasing a webbing takeup shaft in a direction of webbing winding, a second variable resistor detecting a moving amount of an outer end of the spiral spring and a drive control unit controlling a motor to move the outer end of the spiral spring in the direction of webbing winding or in a direction of webbing unwinding in response to signals outputted from the first and the second variable resistors. Accordingly, a tension of a webbing can be made comfortable for an occupant of a vehicle.

Abstract: In a webbing retractor, a webbing takeup shaft is coupled on to a worm wheel through resilient means and a worm engaged with the worm wheel is connected to a drive means, whereby a biasing force of the resilient means is adjusted to decrease a webbing tension acting upon an occupant by a rotation of the drive means.