Patent ID: 7354014

Claim:
A seat belt retractor for winding and unwinding a seat belt, comprising: a spool for winding and unwinding the seat belt, a locking mechanism having a locking member attached to the spool to be rotatable therewith in a normal state and capable of locking the spool in an emergency state, a torsion bar disposed between the spool and the locking member for absorbing kinetic energy of a passenger when the spool rotates in a direction that the seat belt is withdrawn relative to the locking member in an emergency situation, a stopper screwed in a shaft of the locking member to be movable in an axial direction along the shaft of the locking member when the spool rotates relative to the locking member, said stopper locking the spool not to rotate when the locking member locks the stopper not to move in the axial direction, and an energy-absorption pin member disposed in one of the stopper and the locking member and situated between the stopper and the locking member, said pin member being configured for shear-deformation proximate a periphery of the one of the stopper and locking member in which the pin member is disposed, when the stopper moves in the axial direction along the shaft of the locking member.