WINDING OR RETRACTOR DEVICE

摘要

Disclosed is a cable retractor (9) having a spring loaded reel (11; 21, 26) for winding a cable (8) thereonto. The tension applied to the cable by the cable retractor is made to change as the drawn out length of the cable changes, either by changing the effective radius of the reel (21, 26) or the effective spring constant of a spring member (12, 17) biasing the reel. Such a cable retractor can be advantageously applied to a rear shelf structure which lifts a rear shelf (5) cooperatively with the opening action of the tail gate (1) of a three-door or five-door car by attaching the cable retractor to either the tail gate or the rear shelf and the free end of the cable drawn out from the cable retractor to the other of the tail gate and the rear shelf. Thus the rear shelf will not droop due to the increase in the tension of the cable when the tail gate is fully open, and the cable retractor will not apply undue resistance to the tail gate in the early phase of opening the tail gate. Part of the cable may be still left wound on the reel when the tail gate is fully open so that the rear shelf may be moveable even when the tail gate is fully open.