JP2006035931A - Tongue and seat belt device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tongue which can be easily handled and compactly formed, even if an operation member for releasing is provided. <P>SOLUTION: While the tongue 1 and a buckle 11 are engaged, if a push button 7 provided on the tongue 1 is pushed in, the push button 7 moves in a direction diagonally intersecting with a longitudinal direction of a locking piece 2, and approaching the locking piece 2. Therefore, a power transmitting member 8 and a buckle side releasing operation member 19 move to the right side. The buckle side releasing operation member 19 relatively moves a lock plate 17 to the right side in regard to a latch plate 16, and pushes a vertical wall 16b of the latch plate 16. So that, the latch plate 16 is rotated in a clockwise direction, and a protrusion 16a thereof escapes from an opening 2a of the locking piece 2 to release engagement with the locking piece 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a tongue used in a safety belt device and a technical field of a seat belt device which is installed in a seat of an automobile or other vehicle and uses the tongue.

  Conventionally, a safety belt device is used to protect a vehicle occupant, a worker at a work site, and the like. As one of the safety belt devices, seats of various vehicles including automobiles are equipped with a seat belt device for protecting passengers in an emergency such as a collision. In general, this type of seat belt device latches (engages) a tongue slidably supported by a webbing that protects the occupant to a buckle so that the webbing can easily restrain the occupant. Yes.

In such a seat belt device, conventionally, a seat belt device in which an operation button, which is an operation member for releasing the engagement between the tongue and the buckle, is provided on the tongue has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). As described above, by providing the operation button on the tongue, the release operation can be easily performed when, for example, a buckle is provided in a relatively narrow gap between the seat and the center console. Improved operability.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-27452.

  By the way, in the seatbelt device disclosed in this publication, the through hole through which the webbing passes is provided in the tongue so as to open in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the operation button and is formed in a U-shaped cross section. ing. The through hole is provided in a portion between the support end of the tongue plate insertion piece and the end opposite to the support end. Furthermore, an operation button provided on the tongue moves in parallel with the locking piece of the tongue latched on the buckle (that is, in the same direction as the direction of insertion and removal of the tongue on the buckle).

  However, if the through hole through which the webbing passes is formed in a U-shaped cross section so as to open in the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tongue operation button, when the webbing is passed through the through hole, the webbing is bent twice. It becomes the state. Therefore, the friction between the tongue and the webbing increases, and the tongue cannot be moved smoothly with respect to the webbing. For this reason, handling of the tongue is not easy, and improvement in operability of the seat belt device cannot be expected so much. Moreover, since the through hole is provided in a portion between the support end of the insert piece of the tongue plate and the end opposite to the support end, the tongue cannot be moved more smoothly with respect to the webbing. .

  Therefore, it is conceivable to form the through hole in a straight line so as to open in a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the tongue operation button and to provide it at the end opposite to the support end of the insertion piece of the tongue plate. In this way, the tongue moves smoothly with respect to the webbing as in a conventional general seat belt device using a tongue without an operation button.

However, if the through hole is simply provided at the end opposite to the support end of the tongue plate insertion piece, the operation button provided on the tongue moves in parallel with the locking piece of the tongue. When the operation button is operated (that is, pushed), the webbing that penetrates the through hole becomes an obstacle, and this time, the operation of the operation button becomes troublesome.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tongue that can be handled easily even if an operation member for release is provided.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the tongue of the invention of claim 1 is disengaged from the buckle in the tongue having a locking piece that is slidably supported by the webbing and engageable with the buckle. The operation member is provided to be movable in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece.

The tongue of the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the tongue is provided so as to be movable in a direction approaching the locking piece when the operating member is pressed.
Furthermore, the tongue of the invention of claim 3 has a through hole through which the webbing penetrates, and the through hole is formed as a hole extending linearly in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece. It is a feature.

  Furthermore, the seat belt device of the invention of claim 4 comprises at least a webbing to be mounted on an occupant, a tongue movably supported by the webbing, and a buckle to which the tongue is locked. In a seat belt device in which the webbing is attached to an occupant by being engaged with a buckle, the tongue is the tongue described in claim 1 or 2.

  According to the tongue of the invention of claims 1 to 3 having such a configuration, the operation member for releasing the engagement between the tongue and the buckle is provided so as to be movable in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece. Therefore, when operating the operating member for releasing the engagement, the webbing penetrating through the through hole of the tongue hardly disturbs the operation of the operating member. Therefore, even if an operation member for release is provided on the tongue, handling of the tongue can be simplified.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, since the tongue operating member is moved in the direction approaching the locking piece during the engagement release operation between the tongue and the buckle, the operating force from the operating member is It is possible to further reduce the force transmission structure of the tongue that transmits the buckle to the buckle.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 3, since the through hole of the tongue through which the webbing penetrates is formed as a hole extending linearly in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece, a conventional general sheet The tongue can be smoothly and reliably moved with respect to the webbing in the same manner as in the case of the tongue provided with no operation member for release in the belt device. This makes the handling of the tongue even easier.

  On the other hand, according to the seat belt device of the invention of claim 4, the operation of the operating member provided on the tongue is simplified, and the tongue can be handled easily by smoothly and reliably moving the tongue with respect to the webbing. Therefore, the webbing can be easily attached, and the operability of the seat belt device can be further improved.

  Further, according to the seat belt device of the present invention, the force transmission structure of the tongue that transmits the operating force from the operating member to the buckle can be reduced, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in the thickness of the buckle itself, The thickness can be equal to or less than that of the buckle. This makes it possible to effectively reduce the size of the buckle.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an embodiment of a tongue according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IB-IB in (a). Note that the upper, lower, left, and right used in the following description represent the upper, lower, left, and right, respectively, in each figure.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the tongue 1 of this example includes a tongue main body 3 having a locking piece 2 that can be engaged with a buckle in the same manner as a conventional general tongue. The locking piece 2 is formed with an opening 2a with which a latch plate of the buckle can be engaged.

  The tongue body 3 is provided with a through-hole 5 through which the webbing 4 passes in the same straight line as the straight line in the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2 and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The size of the through-hole 5 is set to be relatively larger than the cross-sectional area of the webbing 4, and the tongue 1 can easily slide on the webbing 4. Accordingly, the webbing 4 penetrates through the through-holes 5 in the orthogonal direction, thereby supporting the tongue 1 so as to be smoothly slidable by only one bend.

  The tongue main body 3 is provided with a release operation means 6 for releasing the engagement between the tongue 1 and the buckle. The release operating means 6 is offset from the locking piece 2 to the tongue body 3 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) and obliquely intersects with the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2. A push button (corresponding to the operating member of the present invention) 7 slidably provided in a direction approaching the locking piece 2 along the guide hole 3a of the tongue main body 3, and the locking piece on the tongue main body 3. 2 is a force transmission that is offset by an offset amount s in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from 2 and is slidable in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2 and transmits a pressing force (operation force) from the push button 7. It comprises a member 8 and a return spring 9 that presses the push button 7 to the non-actuated position.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the push button 7 has both side walls 7a and 7b, and these side walls 7a and 7b are respectively in the vertical direction in FIG. 2 (b). The same long holes 7c and 7d extending in a straight line are formed. Further, projecting shafts 8c and 8d are provided on both side edges 8a and 8b of the force transmission member 8, respectively, and these projecting shafts 8c and 8d are slidably fitted into the long holes 7c and 7d, respectively. Yes.

  One end of the return spring 9 is supported by a spring support portion 7e erected at the center of the right end of the push button 7, and the other end is supported by the tongue body 3 as shown in FIG. The button 7 and the tongue body 3 are contracted.

  When the push button 7 is not in operation, the push button 7 is substantially flush with the edge surface 3b forming the opening 10 formed so as to communicate with the through hole 5 in the tongue main body 3 as shown in FIG. Held in a non-actuated position. At this time, the protruding shafts 8c and 8d are located at the lower end positions of the long holes 7c and 7d.

  When the push button 7 in the non-actuated position is pressed, the push button 7 is guided in the guide hole 3 a and moves in the diagonally lower right direction approaching the locking piece 2 against the urging force of the return spring 9. Then, due to the interaction relationship between the projecting shafts 8c, 8d and the long holes 7c, 7d, the force transmitting member 8 moves to the right in parallel with the locking piece 2 and projects from the tongue body 3 to the right. At this time, since the long holes 7c and 7d move downward, the projecting shafts 8c and 8d move relatively upward along the long holes 7c and 7d. When the protruding shafts 8c and 8d reach the upper end positions of the long holes 7c and 7d, the force transmission member 8 protrudes to the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line and stops at this operating position.

  When the pressing of the push button 7 is released from the operating position of the push button 7, the push button 7 is moved in the diagonally upper left direction away from the locking piece 2 by being guided by the guide hole 3a by the urging force of the return spring 9. Then, the force transmission member 8 moves to the left parallel to the locking piece 2 and is pulled into the tongue main body 3 due to the interaction between the projecting shafts 8c, 8d and the long holes 7c, 7d. At this time, since the long holes 7c and 7d move upward, the projecting shafts 8c and 8d move relatively downward along the long holes 7c and 7d. When the projecting shafts 8c and 8d reach the lower end positions of the long holes 7c and 7d, the force transmission member 8 stops at the initial inoperative position.

Next, an example of a seat belt apparatus having the tongue 1 configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 3 schematically shows a buckle used in the seat belt device of this example, wherein (a) is a sectional view showing a non-latching state where the tongue is not engaged, and (b) shows a latching state where the tongue is engaged. It is sectional drawing.

  In the seat belt device of this example, the buckle 11 includes the buckle disclosed in FIGS. 4 to 5 (a) and (b) of Japanese Patent No. 3116077 and the description relating to these drawings, and the following. Except for the point, it is basically the same. That is, in place of the push button for releasing the engagement between the buckle and the tongue provided in the buckle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3116077, the buckle of this example releases the engagement between the buckle and the tongue. An operating member is provided. Moreover, components such as a light source and a switch relating to the light source provided in the buckle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3116077 are not provided.

Since the detailed configuration and operation of the buckle in this example can be easily understood with reference to Japanese Patent No. 3116077, the configuration and operation of the buckle will be briefly described here.
The buckle 11 may be any buckle as long as it is conventionally known and can be released from engagement with the tongue by pressing an operation button.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the buckle 11 of this example includes a base 12 having a U-shaped cross section (in FIG. 3, both side walls are omitted and only the bottom is shown). , An ejector 13 provided on the bottom wall of the base 12 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the base 12, a spring holder 14 attached to the base 12, and one end supported on the left surface of the lower end of the spring holder 14, A push-out spring 15 whose other end is in contact with and supported by the right surface of the ejector 13 and a latch that is rotatably mounted on the base 12 by being rotatably supported by a side wall opening (not shown) of the base 12. The plate 16, the lock plate 17 that holds the latch plate 16 in the latched state, the tension spring 18 spanned between the latch plate 16 and the lock plate 17, the buckle 11, and the tongue 1. A buckle side release operation member 19 for releasing the engagement of the spring, a tension spring 20 spanned between the buckle side release operation member 19 and the latch plate 16, and one end abutting against the left surface of the spring holder 14. The other end is provided with a compression return spring 21 in contact with the right surface of the buckle side release operation member 19.
Other configurations of the seat belt device of this example are the same as those of a conventional general three-point seat belt device or two-point seat belt device.

  In the seat belt device of this example configured as described above, when the tongue 1 is not engaged with the buckle 11, the ejector 13 of the buckle 11 is in the left limit position as shown in FIG. In this state, the latch plate 16 is in a state where the projection 16a provided on the lower surface thereof and engaged with the opening 2a of the locking piece 2 of the tongue 1 is pushed up against the upper surface of the ejector 13, and the lock plate 17 Is in the right limit position against the tension spring 18.

  Next, when the locking piece 2 of the tongue 1 is inserted into the buckle 11, the ejector 13 is pushed by the right end of the locking piece 2 and moves to the right against the push-out spring 15. At this time, as the ejector 13 moves to the right, the opening 2a of the locking piece 2 also moves to the right. When the right edge of the opening 2a passes through the lower surface protrusion 16a of the latch plate 16, the lock plate 17 tries to move leftward by the tension spring 18, and the counterclockwise movement of the lock plate 17 is counteracted. The left side of the latch plate 16 is pushed down by the force, and the latch plate 16 rotates counterclockwise. Then, the protrusion 16a on the lower surface of the latch plate 16 enters the opening 2a of the locking piece 2, and when the tongue 1 is released in this state, the ejector 13 pushes the right end of the locking piece 2 by the spring force of the push-out spring 15. Since it is pressed to the left, the edge of the opening 2a of the locking piece 2 is engaged with the protrusion 16a of the latch plate 16, and the tongue 1 is engaged with the buckle 11 as shown in FIG. Retained.

  When the push button 7 of the tongue 1 is pushed to remove the tongue 1 from the latched state of the tongue 1 shown in FIG. 3 (b), the force transmission member 8 moves to the right as described above and the tongue body 3 It protrudes and presses the buckle side release operation member 19 of the buckle 11 to the right. Then, the buckle side release operation member 19 moves to the right as indicated by a two-dot chain line, and a lock plate abutting portion (not shown) of the buckle side release operation member 19 abuts on the lock plate 17 and this lock plate 17 Press to the right. As a result, the lock plate 17 moves to the right relative to the latch plate 16 against the tension spring 18, and becomes the latch state holding release position of the latch plate 16. At substantially the same time, the right end of the buckle side release operation member 19 hits the vertical wall 16b of the latch plate 16 and pushes it, so that the latch plate 16 rotates clockwise as indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the latch plate 16 The protrusion 16a escapes from the opening 2a of the locking piece 2 and the engagement with the locking piece 2 is released. Then, since the ejector 13 presses the locking piece 2 to the left by the urging force of the push-out spring 15, the tongue 1 is pushed out from the buckle 11. Thereby, the engagement between the tongue 1 and the buckle 11 is released, and the buckle 11 is brought into the original non-latching state shown in FIG.

  According to the tongue 1 of this example, since the push button 7 is provided so as to be movable in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2, when the push button 7 is pressed to release the engagement, the through hole 5 is formed. The penetrating webbing 4 hardly disturbs the operation of the push button 7. Moreover, since the through hole 5 is simply formed as a hole extending linearly in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2, the tongue of the conventional general seat belt device without a release push button is provided. As in the case, the tongue 1 can be smoothly and reliably moved relative to the webbing 4. Thereby, handling of the tongue 1 becomes easy.

Further, when the engagement between the tongue 1 and the buckle 11 is released, the push button 7 of the tongue 1 is moved in a direction approaching the locking piece 2, so that the force from the push button 7 is applied to the buckle 11. The force transmission member 8 that transmits to the buckle side release operation member 19 can be offset from the locking piece 2 by a small amount s. Thereby, the tongue main body 2 can be formed more compactly.
Thus, even if the release push button 7 is provided on the tongue 1, it is possible to obtain a tongue 1 that is easy to handle and compact.

  On the other hand, according to the seat belt device of this example, the operation of the push button 7 provided on the tongue 1 is simplified, and the tongue 1 is moved smoothly and surely with respect to the webbing 4 to easily handle the tongue 1. Therefore, the webbing 4 can be easily attached, and the operability of the seat belt device can be further improved.

  Further, according to the seat belt device of this example, since the force transmission member 8 can be offset from the locking piece 2 by a small amount s, the increase in the thickness of the buckle 11 can be suppressed, which is equal to or less than that of the conventional buckle. (The thickness in the vertical direction in FIG. 3). Thereby, the buckle 11 can be effectively downsized.

  In the above-described example, the force transmission member 8 of the tongue 1 pushes the buckle-side release operation member 19 of the buckle 11. However, the buckle 11 is provided on the buckle 11 instead of the buckle-side release operation member 19. It is also possible to press a release button for releasing the engagement between the buckle 11 and the buckle 11. By doing in this way, it can be applied as it is to a conventional general buckle having a release button.

  In the above example, the force transmission member 8 is moved in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2 by the interaction relationship between the projecting shafts 8c, 8d and the long holes 7c, 7d. Is not limited to this, and the buckle side release operation member 19 of the buckle 11 or the like by a force in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2 so as to approach the locking piece 2 from the push button 7 Any force transmission structure may be used as long as the release button of the buckle 11 can be moved in parallel with the insertion direction of the locking piece 2 of the tongue 1. In that case, the push button 7 does not necessarily need to move in a direction approaching the locking piece 2 when pressed, and it only needs to move in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 2.

  Furthermore, in the above-described example, the push button 7 is provided on the lower surface side 3c in FIG. 1B of the buckle body 3, but the push button 7 is provided on the upper and lower side edges 3d in FIG. , 3e can also be provided.

The tongue of the present invention can be suitably used for a tongue for a seat belt device mounted on a seat of an automobile or other transportation, or a tongue for a safety belt device used for an operator at a work site.
The seatbelt device of the present invention can be suitably used for a seatbelt device that is installed in a seat of an automobile or other transportation and protects an occupant by engaging a tongue and a buckle.

An example of an embodiment of a tongue concerning the present invention is shown typically, (a) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view which meets an IB-IB line in (a). The tongue release operation means of the example shown in FIG. 1 is shown, (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. 1 schematically shows a buckle with which the tongue of the example shown in FIG. 1 is engaged, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a non-latching state where the tongue is not engaged, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a latch state where the tongue is engaged. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tongue, 2 ... Locking piece, 2a ... Opening, 3 ... Tongue body, 3a ... Guide hole, 4 ... Webbing, 5 ... Through-hole, 6 ... Release operation means, 7 ... Push button, 7c, 7d ... Long hole 8 ... Force transmission member, 8c, 8d ... Projection shaft, 9 ... Return spring, 11 ... Buckle, 13 ... Ejector, 16 ... Latch plate, 16a ... Projection, 17 ... Lock plate, 19 ... Buckle side release operation member, s ... offset amount

Claims (4)

In a tongue having a locking piece slidably supported on a webbing and engageable with a buckle,
An operating member for releasing engagement with the buckle is provided so as to be movable in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece. The tongue according to claim 1, wherein the operating member is provided so as to be movable in a direction approaching the locking piece when pressed. 3. The tongue according to claim 1, wherein the webbing has a through-hole through which the through-hole is formed as a hole extending linearly in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the locking piece. . A webbing attached to an occupant, a tongue movably supported by the webbing, and a buckle to which the tongue is locked are provided. The webbing is provided to the occupant by engaging the tongue with the buckle. In the seat belt device to be installed,
The seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tongue is the tongue according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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