GB1200265A - Multi-tongue buckle mechanism for a vehicle safety seat belt assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

1,200,265. Buckles. JIM ROBBINS SEATBELT CO. 24 April, 1968 [24 April, 1967], No. 19272/68. Heading E2A. A buckle mechanism for a vehicle safety seat belt assembly comprises a first tongue 20, a second tongue 22, a housing 24 having first and second guideways for receiving the first and second tongues in latching positions latching means 42 mounted in the housing for engaging the first and second tongues when they are in latching positions in the housing, interference means 56 mounted in the housing for preventing the reception of the first tongue in the latching position unless the second tongue is in the latching position said latching means being operable for releasing said tongues. In the construction shown the housing 24 is stamped from a single sheet of metal and includes a lower plate section 26 and an upper plate section 28 arranged in parallel relation and connected by side walls of the housing; carried by the side walls is a guide roller 32 adjacent an open end 30 of the housing, the first tongue 20 being receivable in the housing between the roller 32 and the plate section 28 and the tongue 22 being receivable in the housing between the roller 32 and the plate section 26. The plate section 28 has a pair of laterally spaced-apart abutments 34, the tongue 20 having a pair of rectangular laterally spaced apart apertures to receive the abutments 34 when the tongue 20 is in its latching position; the plate section 26 has a centrally located abutment 38 and the tongue 22 has a centrally located rectangular aperture which is engageable with the abutment 38 when the tongue 22 is in its latching position. The latching means 42 is slidable in the housing and it has a pair of flanges 46 which slide adjacent the side walls of the housing and support a pin 48 about an axis transverse to the direction of insertion of the tongues 20 and 22 into the housing. A pair of rollers is carried by the pin 48 and these have the same diameter as the. guide roller 32 and in the latching position of the latch member 42 and the tongues 20 and 22, the rollers are disposed between the tongues and prevent their release from the abutments 34 and 38. Attachment to the member 42 is a handle 44 and this extends through an elongated slot in the plate section 28. The member 42 is biassed to its latching position by spring member 52 disposed between the member 42 and the pair of inwardly directed flanges of the housing. The interference means is supported on the pin 48 between the rollers and it is ibiassed by a spring member 62 to a position wherein an arm 60 abuts the plate section 26 and an arm 58 lies is an interference position with respect to the tongue 20 so that the tongue 20 cannot be inserted sufficiently to permit its apertures to register with the abutments 34; however when the tongue 22 is inserted into its latching position the leading edge of tongue 22 comes in to abutment with the arm 60 and pivots the interference means so that the arm 48 moves to a non-interfering position with respect to the tongue 20. The plate section 28 is covered by a cover made of plastics material and which is oonnected to the section 28 by upturned tabs and a pair of pins.