GB2238077A

GB2238077A - Safety belt fastener arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2238077A
Application number: GB9024723A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans-Otto Kock; Holger Harenberg
Original assignee: Autoflug GmbH
Current assignee: Autoflug GmbH
Priority date: 1989-11-16
Filing date: 1990-11-14
Publication date: 1991-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2010-11-14
Also published as: GB9024723D0; DE3938066A1; FR2654397A1; IT1246722B; DE3938066C2; GB2238077B; IT9022081A0; IT9022081A1

Abstract

In a safety belt fastener arrangement for a safety belt system having a belt-tightening device (not shown), a fastener tongue 13 can be plugged into fastener body 11 which has a locking mechanism (not shown) for the tongue 13; a release button 12 acts on the locking mechanism, and both are in a common housing 10. The release button 12 is arranged separately from the movable fastener body 11 and is coupled with the locking mechanism of the fastener body 11 by way of an arrangement comprising a bar 17 fixedly connected to button 12 and an unlocking lever 20 operable by movement of the bar 17 against spring 18 to release the unlocking mechanism. As shown, bar 17 is toothed and in a belt-tightening process lever 20 slides along bar 17 - at the end of each belt tightening movement (see Figure 2) between fastener body 11 and toothed bar 17 subsequent pressure on button 12 which has remained fixed, releases lock tongue 13. The arrangement allows release button 12 to stay within reach of a person strapped in. In Figure 3 bar 21 is not toothed and unlocking lever 20 is guided by a clamping ring 22. <IMAGE>

Description

SAFETY BELT FASTENER 11' e ú 1 1 The invention relates to a safety belt

fastener for a safety belt system having a belt-tightening device which causes the belt to act on the wearer of the belt, having a lock tongue which can be latched in the fastener, having a locking mechanism for the lock tongue and a release button which acts on the locking mechanism, the release button being arranged separately from the movable fastener body and in a fixed manner and being coupled with the locking mechanism of the fastener by way of an actuating portion.

A safety belt system having a belt-tightening arrangement which causes the belt to act on the wearer of the belt is shown, for example, in EP-A- 0 300 469 which proposes that during tightening the wearer of the belt is drawn by way of a mechanical drive in the direction of the underbody of the motor vehicle, whereby the belt portion of the safety belt system which acts on the fastener tongue is tightened. In so far as, in the case of such a safety belt system, there is used a standard safety belt fastener with a lock tongue which can be latched in the fastener, a locking mechanism and a release button acting on the locking mechanism, it follows, as a disadvantage, that the safety belt fastener as a whole at the end of the belttightening movement is concealed, for example, within the seat pad of the vehicle seat or between a bracket and the vehicle seat and is no longer accessible for release by freeing of the fastener tongue, because the release button provided on the fastener for the passenger, who is strapped in, is no longer within reach after a belt-tightening process has been carried out.

The underlying object of the invention is therefore to make available a safety belt fastener for a saf ety belt system with a belt-tightening device which causes the be7. t to act on the wearer of the belt, the release button of which fastener is accessible at the end of the belt-tightening movement, as an 5 operating element.

The solution to the problem of achieving this object, including advantageous arrangements and developments, follows from the content of the claims which are placed after this description.

According to the present invention there is provided a safety belt fastener for a safety belt system having a belt- tightening device which acts on the wearer of the belt. having a lock tongue which can be latched in the fastener, having a locking mechanism for the lock tongue and a release button which acts on the locking mechanism, the release button being arranged separately from the movable fastener body and in a fixed manner and being coupled with the locking mechanism of the fastener by way of an actuating portion, the release button being connected with an actuating bar which is arranged so as to be longitudinally displaceable against spring action and on which the fastener body, with an unlocking lever for the locking mechanism arranged thereon, is guided in a movable manner in the belt-tightening direction and is arrested in opposition to the belt-tightening direction. The advantage of the provision of the actuating bar connected with the release button is that the release button, despite the movement of the fastener body, on account of its fixed position and coupling with the fastener body effected in another way, remains in the operating position usual for the person strapped in so that the person who is strapped in is able to actuate the release button even after a belt-tightening process has occurred, and by so doing can easily undo the fastener and thus take off the 1 -3 safety belt. As a result of the free mobility of the fastener body on the actuating bar in the belttightening direction and its arrest in opposition to the belt-tightening direction, it is ensured that a relative movement of the fastener body in relation to the actuating bar occurs, in which case, at the same time, however, in each position occupied by the fastener body the displacement of the actuating bar by means of pressure upon the release button, by way of a correspondingly effected transmission of this displacement movement to the unlocking lever provided on the fastener body, brings about the unlocking of the fastener.

in this connection the actuating bar can be provided as a toothed bar, the tooth construction of which is inclined in the belt-tightening direction and thus in the direction of movement of the fastener body, so that a sliding-off of the unlocking lever, connected to the toothed bar in a form-locking manner, is ensured in the direction of movement of the fastener body.

Alternatively, it can also be provided that the actuating bar be formed as a push bar in which case the unlocking lever, which is arranged in a movable manner on the fastener body, slides by way of a clamping ring on the push bar, the linear displacement of the push bar resulting in a tilting of the clamping ring and thus in a frictionally engaged connection between the push bar and the unlocking lever. The linear movement of the push bar can thereby be converted into an unlocking movement for the locking mechanism of the fastener body.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a safety belt fastener shown in normal functional position, Figure 2 shows the fastener of Figure 1 after belt-tightening movement of the fastener body has occurred, and Figure 3 is an enlarged representation of a cutaway portion of another form of safety belt fastener.

In the exemplary embodiment represented in Figures 1 and 2, a fastener body 11 with a locking mechanism, which is not represented further, and a release button 12 are arranged in a common housing 10. A fastener tongue 13, carried by a safety belt 14, can be plugged into the fastener body 11. The fastener body 11 is connected with a belt-tightening device, whiCh. is not represented, by way of an anchoring portion 15 such that during belt -tightening, the fastener body 11 is movable in the housing 10. For this purpose, the anchoring portion 15 is guided out of the housing 10 by way of a cutout 16.

In a longitudinally movable manner, laterally next to the fastener body 11 and parallel to the latter's direction of displacement during belt-tightening there is arranged in the housing 10 a toothed bar 17 which is fixedly connected with the release button 12 at its upper end and is pretensioned into its initial position at its lower end by a spring 1 8. The tooth construction 19 of the toothed bar 17, facing the fastener body 11, has oblique tooth flanks which run in the belt- tightening direction of the fastener body 11 and ensure that a coordinated unlocking lever 20, which acts on the fastener body 11 and is connected with the locking mechanism, slides off in the direction of the belt-tightening movement of the fastener body 11.

In the normal position of the safety belt fastener which can be seen in Figure 1, the fastener tongue 13, in each case, is plugg-d into the fastener body 11 and It is locked by way of the locking mechanism which is not represented. Pressure on the release button 12 results in a longitudinal movement of the toothed bar 17 against the action of the spring 18. on account of the form-locking connection acting to arrest in opposition to the belt- tightening direction of the fastener body 11 moVement between the unlocking lever 20 and the toothed bar 17, the movement of the toothed bar 17 results in a swing of the unlocking lever 20, which is converted, in a manner not represented, in the fastener body 11, into a release of the locking mechanism so -o the housing that by pressing the release button 12 int 10, freeing of the fastener tongue 13 from the fastener body 11 results.

In the case of a belt-tightening process, the fastener body 11 is moved downwards in the housing 10 relative to the toothed bar 17 which remains fixed, the unlockina lever 20 then sliding along the toothed bar 17 on account of the formation of the tooth flanks of the tooth construction 19. In each position, thereby reached at the end of the belt-tightening movement, between fastener body 11 and toothed bar 17, subsequent pressure on the release button 12, which has remained fixed, in the manner described, is converted into an unlocking movement for the lock tongue 13.

Figure 3 shows another formation of the sliding and actuating bar, where instead of the toothed bar in Figures 1 and 2 there is now provided a push bar 21 on which the unlocking lever 20 is guided by means of a clamping ring 22 embracing the push bar. The unlocking lever 20 is thereby mounted on the fastener body 11 in a movable manner such that in the event of a belttightening movement of the fastener body 11 in relation to the push bar 21 with the clamping ring 22, the lever 20 loosely embraces the push bar 21 and can thus slide along the push bar. If a longitudinal movement of the 1 push bar in relation to the then fixed fastener body 11 results, a longitud4 nal movement of the push bar 21 by means of pressure on the release button 12 leads to a tilt of the unlocking lever 20 so that by way of the form-locking connection thereby established between push bar 21 and unlocking lever 20 in turn, the release of the locking mechanism of the fastener body 11 is brought about.

1 i 1 i

Claims

1 A safety belt fastener for a safety belt system having a belttightening device which acts on the wearer of the belt, having a lock tongue which can be latched in the fastener, having a locking mechanism for the lock tongue and a release button which acts on the locking mechanism, the release button being arranged separately from the movable fastener body and in a fixed manner and being coupled with the locking mechanism of the fastener by way of an actuating portion, the release button being connected with an actuating bar whi ch is arranged so as to be longitudinally displaceable against spring action and on which the fastener body, with an unlocking lever for the locking mechanism arranged thereon, is guided in a movable manner in the belt-tightening direction and is arrested in opposition to the belt- tightening direction.

2. A fastener according to claim 1, wherein the actuating bar is formed as a toothed bar with a tooth construction which is inclined in the belt-tightening direction and into which the unlocking lever of the fastener body engages in a form-locking manner and which, in the event of action by the toothed bar in the belt-tightening direction of the fastener body, actuates the locking mechanism for the purpose of opening the fastener.

3. A fastener according to claim 1, wherein the actuating bar is formed as a push bar on which the unlocking lever of the fastener body is guided with a clamping ring, the unlocking lever of the fastener body is guided with a clamping ring, the unlocking lever with the clamping ring being mounted on the fastener body so as to be movable between a displacement position and an unlocking position.

4. A fastener acccr-ing to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the faste.,:r body and the release button are arranged in a common housing.

5. A safety belt fastener for a safety belt system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 3, of the accompanying drawing.

n Pubhshed 1991 at The Patent Wice.Statr House. 66171 High Holborn. LondonWCIR4TP- Further copies may be obtained from Saks Bninch. Unit

6. Nhx Mile Point. Cwmielinfach. Cross Keys. Newport. NPI 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd. St Mary Cray. Kent-