US3564672A

US3564672A - Multiple harness strap quick release buckle

Info

Publication number: US3564672A
Application number: US779110A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert G Mcintyre
Original assignee: McDonnell Douglas Corp
Current assignee: McDonnell Douglas Corp
Priority date: 1968-11-26
Filing date: 1968-11-26
Publication date: 1971-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-23

Abstract

A MULTIPLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE FOR FIRST RELEASING THE SHOULDER STRAPS AND THEN THE RESTRAINT BELT AROUND THE WAIST OF THE USER. THIS BUCKLE COMPRISES PAIRS OF PIVOTED, SPRING-BIASED LOCKING DOGS HAVING CAM PORTIONS WHICH ARE OPERATED BY STRAP INSERTIONS TO MOVE THE DOGS TO LOCKED POSITION. AS THE DOGS GRAP THE STRAP INSERTIONS, SPRING ACTUATED SADDLES MOVE DOWN BEHIND THE DOG

TO PREVENT THEM FROM UNLOCKING. TO MOVE THE DOGS TO UNLOCKED POSITION, A FIRST UNLOCKING DEVICE MUST BE OPERATED PRIOR TO THE OPERATION OF A SECOND UNLOCKING DEVICE FOR RELEASING THE LOCKING DOGS WHICH THEN ARE SEQUENTIALLY UNLOCKED.

Description

R. G. MCINTYRE 3,564,672

MULTIBLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. Z3, 1971 Filed Nov. 2e; 196e' I NVENTOR.

Feb. 23, i971 R, G, MolNTYRE 3,564,672

MULTIPLE HARNESS STRAP QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE Filed Nov. 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 24-205.19 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multiple harness strap quick release lbuckle for rst releasing the shoulder straps and then the restraint belt around the waist of the user. This buckle comprises pairs of pivoted, spring-biased locking dogs having cam portions which are operated by strap insertions to move the dogs to locked position. As the dogs grap the strap insertions, spring actuated saddles move down behind the dog to prevent them from unlocking. To move the dogs to unlocked position, a rst unlocking device must be operated prior to the operation of a second unlocking device for releasing the locking dogs which then are sequentially unlocked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many present day military aircrew seats incorporate a single point harness strap buckle which may be quickly operated to release the crewman from his seat and/or his parachute and survival equipment. Such existing buckles, however, are heavy, bulky and dilicult to operate.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The multiple harness strap quick release buckle cornprising the present invention is a restraint device comprising a buckle having three springs actuated dual locking dogs for holding the fittings of three straps. As the dogs grap the insertions, spring actuated saddles move down behind the dogs to prevent them from unlocking. The unlocking means of the device comprises a locking lever and a release lever. When it is desired to release the strap from the buckle, the locking lever is depressed and the release lever is raised. Raising the release lever cams an intermediate lever downward which in turn pivots the retaining saddles away from the locking dogs. This frees the harness strap end fittings which are pushed free of the buckle by spring force. The device permits the two shoulder straps to become free prior to or without freeing the waist strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a perspective View of the buckle with locking and release levers shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view with a portion of the release lever broken away to more clearly show the relationship of the various parts;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view takenalong the line 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective View illustrating how the retaining saddle secures the locking dogs in locked position;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the relationship of the locking dogs on the buckle base plate;

3,564,672 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7 7 in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown the multiple harness strap quick release buckle 10 including an upper buckle plate 12 and a lower buckle pate 14 spaced by a stop 16, a block 18, a spacer 20 and a connector 22, sandwiched therebetween and held together by appropriate rivets, of which rivets 24, 26 and 28 are shown. Other connecting rivets are shown in other views. The upper plate and base plate are spaced in this manner to permit the insertion of strap insertion elements to be held by the buckle. Connector 22 has a loop portion 30y extending outwardly from the buckle plates and has an elongated aperture 32 therein through which a seat belt strap 34 may be fixedly secured. Stop 16 and block 18 are spaced apart to permit the insertion of a strap insertion element from a seat belt strap, not shown. Also, spacer 20 is spaced from block 1S and connector 22 to permit the insertion of a pair of shoulder straps insertion elements, also not shown. Upper buckle plate 12 has a pair of

upstanding edge portions

36, 38 across which a pair of

pivot pins

40, 42 extend. Pivot pin y40 pivotally connects a locking lever 44, shown in phantom, to the upper plate and pivot pin 42 pivotally connects a release lever 46 to the buckle. As will be explained hereinafter with reference to FIG. 6, the locking lever 44 must first be pivoted in order to permit release lever 46 to be actuated in the release of the strap insertion elements.

Aiiixed to the outer face of upper knuckle plate 12 are mounting

brackets

48, 50 and 52 upon which are pivotally mounted locking dog retaining

saddles

54, 56 and 58 respectively. These saddles have pairs of spaced legs, such as

legs

60, 62 from saddle 58, which extend downwardly through openings in the upper base plate 12, such as through openings 64 and 66 for

legs

60, 62 of saddle 58. Springs 68, and 72 bias the saddles in such manner that the legs extend downwardly through these openings. These saddles have actuating

tabs

74, 76 and 78 which may be pressed downwardly in order to lift the saddle legs from their locking position between the

buckle plates

12, 14. In a manner to be explained hereinafter, the legs of the saddles engage and retain locking dogs, not shown, which in turn hold the strap insertion elements in locked position, all of which will be explained hereinafter.

A rocker assembly 80 is pivotally mounted to pivot pin 40 and has pins 82, 84 and 86 extending downwardly therefrom for contact with actuating

tabs

74, 76 and 78, respectively. By making pins 82 and 84 longer than pin 86,

saddles

54 and 56 will pivot before saddle 58 when the rocker assembly 80` is pivoted downwardly. Although not shown in FIG. l, a camming surface underneath release lever 46 causes the downward movement of roc-king assembly 80 when the relase lever is pivoted upwardly. In this manner, the release lever 46 may be moved upwardly to a rst position that will cause the release of the shoulder strap and a further upward pivoting movement to cause the release of the seat belt strap.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 showing in plan View the buckle with seat belt strap 34 rxedly connected to connector extension 30 of the buckle. Lap belt 88 is connected to strap insertion element 90 and

shoulder straps

92, 94 are connected to strap insertion elements 96 and 98, respectively. These strap insertion elements, 90, 96 and 98 are positioned and xedly retained by the buckle 10. Here it can be seen that the locking lever 44 and rocker assembly 80 are both pivotally mounted by pivot pin 40 to the

upstanding edge portions

36 and 38 of the upper buckle plate 12, and release lever 46 is pivotally connected by pivot pin 42. The innermost edge 100 of locking lever 44 and innermost edge 102 of release lever 46 are in abutting relationship between the pivot pins `40 and 42 so that locking lever 44 must first be pivoted to free edge 100 from edge 102 of the release lever 46 before the release lever, in turn, can be pivoted. Although the undercarnming surface of release lever 46 is not shown, it causes the rocker assembly 80 to depress when the release lever 46 is raised. Depression of rocker assembly 80 causes the actuating

tabs

74, 76 and 78 of the

saddles

54, 56 and 58, respectively, to be depressed. This raises the legs on these saddles which were retaining the locking dogs in locked position to prevent removal of

strap insertion element

90, 96 and 98. In this manner the raising of release lever 46 frees the

strap insertion elements

90, 96 and 98 from the buckle 10.

The sectional view in FIG. 3 is taken along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3 there is shown the base plate 14 spaced from upper plate 12 to which mounting bracket 52 is aixed, such as by rivets 104. Saddle 58 with downwardly extending

legs

60 and 62 is pivotally mounted to bracket 52 by pivot pin 106 and spring 72 biases the saddle with the legs extending downwardly, as shown.

The relationship between the retaining saddle and the locking dogs can lbest be understood with reference to FIG. 4. Here there is shown in dashed lines the retaining saddle 58 with its actuating tab 78 and

legs

60 and 62. Saddle 58 pivots on pivot pin 106 such that a downward depression on the actuating tab 78 raises the

legs

60 and 62. Locking

dogs

108 and 110 are pivotally connected to the base plate, not shown, by

pivot pins

112 and 114. These dogs have

rearward extensions

116 and 118 with an interconnecting tension spring 120 to draw these extensions together and thus urge the

forward portions

121, 123 of the

dogs

108, 110 outwardly. Strap insertion element 90 has a narrowed neck portion 126 and an enlarged end portion 128 which is retained within the buckle and between the

dogs

108 and 110 by the dogs inwardly directed

edges

130 and 132.

Dogs

108 and 110 also have inwardly directed closure projections 134 and 136 which move the legs of the dogs inwardly when tongue 128 of the strap insertion element 90 is urged against these projections 134 and 136. Once this locking operation has been achieved, then the saddle 58 can be released and

legs

60 and 62 dropped down on the outer sides of the locking dogs to retain them in locking position until such time as a downward depression on the actuating tab 78 of saddle 58 again releases the dogs for outward movement to unlock and permit the strap insertion element 90 to be removed.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which is the plan view of the base plate 14 with dogs mounted and with the upper buckle plate removed. Here it can be seen that stop 16, block 18, spacer 20 and connector 22 are mounted to the top surface of base plate 14. They are so spaced, and have such a configuration, that sets of locking dogs may be positioned inbetween. In addition to their function of maintaining suitable spacing between the bottom and upper buckle plate, they serve to limit the outer movement of the locking dogs.

Since all three pairs of locking dogs operate in the same manner, reference need be had only to the one set for locking the seat belt strap insertion element 90 to the buckle. Here the insertion element has been moved 4 fully inwardly in the direction of the arrow 138 so that the end 128 is in contact with the inwardly directed actuators 134 and 136. This, in turn, urges the forward legs of

dogs

108 and 110` inwardly against the neck portion 126 and thus confine the head 128 inwardly of the

cammed surfaces

130 and 132 and thus prevent its dislodgement. As explained previously, the saddle has legs that drop downwardly and outwardly of the legs to retain them in this confined position. When the saddle has been moved upwardly, the tension spring 120 causes the forward legs of the dogs to pivot outwardly such as shown by dashed lines 140 and the inwardly directed closure proejctions 134 and 136 give the end portion 128 of the strap insertion element an outward nudge.

FIG. 6 is edge view which illustrates how the locking lever 44 and the release lever 46 may be used in the actuation of the buckle. Both levers are pivotally mounted to the

upstanding edge portions

36, 38 of the upper buckle plate 12. As can be seen, locking lever 44 is pivotally mounted to edge portion 36 by pivot pin 40 and release lever 46 is pivotally mounted on pivot pin 42. Positioning springs 138 and 140 releasably retain these levers in the position shown with edges and 102 of the two levers in abutting relationship. Lever 46 has a cam undersurface 142 which will depress rocker assembly 80 when lever 46 is pivoted upwardly. This, in turn, causes pin 86 on the end of the rocker assembly to depress actuating tab 78 on saddle 58 to, in turn, raise the legs of the saddle to permit the insertion or withdrawal of strap insertion element 90, not shown. Leg 60 is shown in its upper position by dashed lines 144. As stated previously, the pins on the undersurface of the rocker asembly may be of varied lengths whereby they will depress their corresponding actuating tabs in a desired sequence for selectively releasing certain of the strap insertion elements.

A safety feature has been provided to prevent the accidental pivoting of release lever 46. Release lever 46 cannot be pivoted when locking lever 44 is in the position shown whereby lever edges 100` and 102 are in abutting relationship. However, by first depressing locking lever 44 to remove its edge 100 from contact with edge 102 of release lever 46, then lever 46 may be pivoted to permit the cam surface 142 to depress the rocker assembly 80. FIG. 7 is an elevational view taken along the line 7 7 in FIG. 6. In this view, the upper buckle plate 12 is spaced from lower plate 14 by connector 22 and block 20.

Upstanding edge portions

36 and 38 on the top surface of upper plate 12 supports pivot pin 40` which provides for the pivotal movement of rocker assembly 80 and locking lever 44, with spring 138 maintaining the locking lever 44 in its locking position.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment, it is obvious that other variations will occur to one skilled in the art. For example, in the raising of release lever 46 a predetermined amount, certain of the strap insertion elements may be released by selective contact between the pints on the undersurface of the locking element and the actuating tabs of the locking saddles. The actuating taibs may be positioned vertically by selected amounts and the pins on the undersurface of the rocking assembly may be varied in length or of a uniform length. As the release lever 46 is further pivoted, then selected other strap insertion elements may be released.

What is claimed is: .1. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle comprising:

a plurality of pairs of locking dogs each adapted to receive a strap insertion element therebetween;

retaining saddles for releasably retaining said dogs in locked position, said saddles being pivotally mounted to release said dogs and permit their movement from locked position; and

means for pivoting selected saddles to thus release selected strap insertion elements from said buckle.

2. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle according to claim 1 wherein said saddles have actuating tabs and wherein said means contacts said tabs in predetermined sequence.

3. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle according to claim 1 wherein said means includes a pivotally mounted release lever having a camming undersurface for pivoting selected saddles as said release lever is pivotally moved.

4. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle as recited in claim 3 wherein said means includes a pivotally mounted rocker assembly actuable by said camming undersurface, said rocker assembly having contact pins thereon for engaging and pivoting said saddles.

5. A multiple harness strap quick release buckle in accordance with claim 4 wherein said pins are of varied length to release said saddles in a predetermined sequence as said release lever is raised.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,685,924 8/1954 Van Haaften 24-205.17WX

3,404,439 10/1968 Jones 24230.1TWX

FOREIGN PATENTS 540,759 12/1931 Germany 24-205.17

678,171 7/1939 Germany 2li-205.17

219,980 7/ 1924 Great Britain 24-205.17

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 24-230, 205.17