GB1044881A - A buckle section - Google Patents

Abstract

1,044,881. Safety belt buckles. A. G. CARTER. Jan. 23, 1964 [Feb. 1, 1963], No. 2934/64. Heading E2A. A buckle section includes a frame; belt receiving means; shaft means mounted on said frame; means engageable with the shaft means to fix the shaft means non-rotatably with respect to said frame; first and second members mounted on the shaft means rotatably with respect to each other and to the frame; spring means surrounding the shaft means and having portions thereof non-rotatively fixed with respect to the shaft means and having two portions thereof engaging the first member and the second member, respectively, the spring means applying opposite biasing to the members, respectively, the first member being movable to a releasing position in the direction of release of the buckle section when in engagement with another buckle section. In a first embodiment a shaft 44, Fig. 5, is mounted in a frame constituting one section 30 of a safety belt buckle. The shaft carries a spring 59 urging a first member in the form of handle lever 42 anti-clockwise, and a spring 52 urging a second member in the form of a cam member 48 clockwise. The cam member serves to maintain apertures 25, 26 in a tongue portion 27 of a second buckle section 20, in engagement with abutments 28, 29 on the section 30. Engagement of the buckle sections is effected as shown in Fig. 5, the portion 27 moving the member 48 anti-clockwise against the action of the spring 52 until the apertures engage the abutments when the member 48 returns to its normal position (Fig. 3, not shown). Release of the buckle sections 20, 30 is effected. by rotating the handle lever 42 clockwise through an angle of just over 90 degrees, against the action of the spring 59. This causes the member 48 to rotate clockwise under the action of the spring 52, or by contact with the edge 72 of the handle lever, to free the tongue portion 27. In a second embodiment, Fig. 9, a weight 87 is inserted in the handle lever so that inertia forces created in a crash which would tend to throw the lever to its releasing position are minimized. In a third embodiment Fig. 10, the handle lever and cam member are mounted on separate shafts 96, 99 respectively and are urged to the position in which the cam member retains a tongue portion 101 by springs 97, 100 respectively. The portion 101 is freed by rotating the handle lever 104 clockwise, a rod 106 thereon engaging extensions 107 on the cam-member 98 to rotate the latter anti-clockwise. In each embodiment the length of the safety belt is adjusted by a terminal assembly which is integral with one or other of the buckle sections or is a separate member and comprises a fixed generally cylindrical bar 33, Fig. 5, and a generally rectangular bar 34 slidable in grooves 31, 32, Fig. 1, the bars clamping a portion of the belt end between them.