Patent ID: 7442138

Claim:
A ratchet tensioner comprising: a tensioner body having a plunger-accommodating hole; a plunger slidable in a longitudinal direction in the plunger-accommodating hole and protruding therefrom, the plunger having a front end protruding from the plunger-accommodating hole and a rear end within the plunger-accommodating hole; a plunger spring urging the plunger in the protruding direction; a ratchet mechanism comprising a toothed rack having a set of rack teeth formed on the plunger and arranged in a longitudinal row, a pawl pivotably supported on the tensioner body for engagement with the rack teeth, and a spring biasing the pawl toward the rack teeth for limiting movement of the plunger in a retracting direction; and a recess formed in the plunger at a location between the toothed rack and the front end of the plunger, the recess having a bottom wall and being deeper than the tooth gap bottoms of the rack, whereby the pawl can enter the recess without engaging the bottom wall, and permit the plunger to move freely in both its protruding and retracting directions through a limited range; in which a protrusion engageable by the pawl is formed on the tensioner body to limit pivoting movement of the pawl, thereby preventing the pawl from contacting the bottom wall of the recess in the plunger when the pawl enters the recess.