WO1991006231A1 - Seat belt buckle - Google Patents
Seat belt buckle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1991006231A1 WO1991006231A1 PCT/GB1990/001681 GB9001681W WO9106231A1 WO 1991006231 A1 WO1991006231 A1 WO 1991006231A1 GB 9001681 W GB9001681 W GB 9001681W WO 9106231 A1 WO9106231 A1 WO 9106231A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- locking member
- latch plate
- slider
- bar
- side walls
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44B—BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE
- A44B11/00—Buckles; Similar fasteners for interconnecting straps or the like, e.g. for safety belts
- A44B11/25—Buckles; Similar fasteners for interconnecting straps or the like, e.g. for safety belts with two or more separable parts
- A44B11/2503—Safety buckles
- A44B11/2507—Safety buckles actuated by a push-button
- A44B11/2523—Safety buckles actuated by a push-button acting parallel to the main plane of the buckle and in the same direction as the fastening action
Definitions
- the present invention relates to seat belt buckles for seat belts in motor vehicles.
- One form of such seat belt buckle involves a latch plate having an aperture therein, engageable on one part of the seat belt, and a buckle having a rigid frame including a base having an opening therein and upstanding side walls adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame .
- the latch plate can be inserted against the action of a spring loaded ejector and when in the fully inserted position a locking member is pivoted to a lower latching position in which a locking element engages in the aperture in the latch plate.
- a push button is used to release the locking member which pivots back to an unlatched position.
- seat belt buckles should have an easy and effective latching of the latch plate and should easily release the latch plate by operation of the push button. It is most important to retain the latch plate in a latch position in the buckle even when the latch plate and buckle are subject to a very heavy impact load.
- a seat belt buckle adapted to releasably engage a latch plate having an aperture therein
- said buckle comprising a rigid frame including a base having an opening therein, upstanding side walls adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame, a bar extending transversely of the frame between said side walls, said bar being spaced above the base, a locking member pivotally mounted on the frame and pivotal between a lower latched position and an upper unlatched position, said locking member carrying a downwardly projecting locking element engageable in said aperture in the latch plate to retain the latch plate in place and passing into said opening, a slider slidable longitudinally of the locking member between a first position in which it is located under said bar, to retain the locking member in the lower latched position and a second position in which it is resiliently engaged against the rear of the bar to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position, a push button to push the slider from its first position to its second position, a slider spring to
- each stop member extends laterally from the locking member forwardly from the wings and may comprise a pair of arms engaging, at least in the lower latching position of the locking member, against abutments in the side walls. In a simple construction these abutments are in the form of open-topped notches in the upper edges of the side walls into which the arms move in the lower latching position.
- the locking element in the lower latching position of the locking member has its forward edge spaced from the forward edge of said opening by a given distance under normal conditions.
- said at least one stop member has its forward edge spaced from its associated abutment by a spacing less than said given distance, whereby the load bearing capacity of the or each stop member and its associated abutment are enhanced by engagement of the forward edge of the locking element with the rearward edge of the opening.
- the rearward edge of said bar and the forward edge of said slider are cooperatingly chamfered to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position when said forward and rearward edges are inter-engaged by said slider spring.
- Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of buckle according to the invention shown in the latched position;
- Figure 2 is a similar view in section in the unlatched position;
- Figure 3 is a plan view, half in section, of the buckle illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
- the buckle includes a rigid frame 10 having a base plate 12 having two upstanding side walls 14 extending from each side edge thereof.
- a bar 16 extends between the side walls 14 and is spaced from and parallel to the base plate 12.
- An opening 20 is formed in the base plate 12 and is provided with a front edge 22 ( Figure 2) .
- a locking member 24 Pivotally mounted between the side walls 14 is a locking member 24, which includes a forwardly extending body 26 and downwardly extending legs 28.
- the body is provided with two laterally extending wings 30 engaging in rear notches 32 in the side walls 14. Extending parallel to these wings 30 are arms 34 which can, in the lower latched position as illustrated in Figure 1, engage in forward notches 36 in the side wall.
- a locking element 38 At the forward end of the body 26 of the locking member is a locking element 38 which, in the latched position, passes through an aperture 40 in a latch plate 42 to retain the latch plate in place.
- longitudinally slidable on the locking member 24 is a slider 44 having a chamfered leading edge 46. The slider is urged towards the front (the left in the Figures) by a slider spring 48 engaged over a projection 50 on the body 26 of the locking member 24.
- a push button 52 Longitudinally slidable on the side walls 14 is a push button 52 which has rearward projections 54 engaging forward projections 56 on an ejector 58 longitudinally slidable in the opening 20 in the base plate 12, and urged to the forward position by an ejector spring 60.
- a latch plate 42 In use, starting from the position illustrated in Figure 2, a latch plate 42 is inserted in the guide channel formed by the base plate 12 and the side walls 14, it causes the ejector 58 to move rearwardly, that is to the right, against the action of its spring 60. This movement continues until the ejector is moved so far rearwards that it engages on the bottom of the leg 28 of the locking member 24. The resulting couple rotates the locking member/slider system causing the slider 44 to move down and return under the bar 16 to the position illustrated in Figure 1. When the plate 42 is unloaded, the aperture 40 therein abuts the locking element 38 which retains the latch plate 42 in place so that the buckle cannot unlatch.
- both the wings and the main body of the locking member recover elastically to restore the clearances 64, 66 ( Figure 3) between the locking member 34 and the frame sufficient to allow the front face 70 of the locking element 38 to sweep past the frame edge 22, when the locking member is released to the unlatched position and in particular with the release preformed whilst specific test loads are being applied longitudinally through the latch plate.
Landscapes
- Buckles (AREA)
- Automotive Seat Belt Assembly (AREA)
Abstract
A seat belt buckle adapted to releasably engage a latch plate (42) having an aperture (40) therein, said buckle comprising a rigid frame (10) including a base (12) having an opening therein, upstanding side walls (14) adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame, a bar (16) extending transversely of the frame between said side walls, said bar being spaced above the base, a locking member (24) pivotally mounted on the frame and pivotal between a lower latched position and an upper unlatched position, said locking member carrying a downwardly projecting locking element (38) engageable in said aperture (40) in the latch plate (42) to retain the latch plate in place and passing into said opening, a slider (44) slidable longitudinally of the locking member between a first position in which it is located under said bar (16), to retain the locking member in the lower latched position and a second position in which it is resiliently engaged against the rear of the bar to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position, a push button (52) to push the slider from its first position to its second position, a slider spring (48) to urge the slider towards its first position, a pair of wings (30) extending laterally from said locking member and engaging in said side walls to pivotally and resiliently mount the locking member for movement between its upper and lower positions and at least one stop member (34) extending laterally along said member, said at least one stop member engaging abutments on said rigid frame to prevent flexing of said wings beyond their elastic limit.
Description
SEAT BELT BUCKLE
The present invention relates to seat belt buckles for seat belts in motor vehicles. One form of such seat belt buckle involves a latch plate having an aperture therein, engageable on one part of the seat belt, and a buckle having a rigid frame including a base having an opening therein and upstanding side walls adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame .
The latch plate can be inserted against the action of a spring loaded ejector and when in the fully inserted position a locking member is pivoted to a lower latching position in which a locking element engages in the aperture in the latch plate. A push button is used to release the locking member which pivots back to an unlatched position.
It is important that such seat belt buckles should have an easy and effective latching of the latch plate and should easily release the latch plate by operation of the push button. It is most important to retain the latch plate in a latch position in the buckle even when the latch plate and buckle are subject to a very heavy impact load.
It is now proposed, according to the present invention, to provide a seat belt buckle adapted to releasably engage a latch plate having an aperture therein, said buckle comprising a rigid frame including a base having an opening therein, upstanding side walls adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame, a bar extending transversely of the frame between said side walls, said bar being spaced above the base, a locking member pivotally mounted on the frame and pivotal between a lower latched position and an upper unlatched position, said locking member carrying a downwardly projecting locking element engageable in said aperture in the latch plate to retain the latch plate in place and passing into said opening, a slider
slidable longitudinally of the locking member between a first position in which it is located under said bar, to retain the locking member in the lower latched position and a second position in which it is resiliently engaged against the rear of the bar to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position, a push button to push the slider from its first position to its second position, a slider spring to urge the slider towards its first position, a pair of wings extending laterally from said locking member and engaging in said side walls to pivotally and resiliently mount the locking member for movement between its upper and lower positions said wings being capable of elastic flexing, upon axial loading of said locking member by said latch plate, and at least one stop member extending laterally from said member, said at least one stop member engaging abutments on said rigid frame to prevent flexing of said wings beyond their elastic limit.
The provision of the bar extending over the slider assists in the withstanding of heavy loads and prevents inadvertent release of the buckle. More importantly, however, the provision of the stop member or members prevents excessive flexing of the wings, which acts as the pivot for the locking member, so that the wings never are distorted beyond their elastic limit. The stop member may take a number of forms but advantageously each stop member extends laterally from the locking member forwardly from the wings and may comprise a pair of arms engaging, at least in the lower latching position of the locking member, against abutments in the side walls. In a simple construction these abutments are in the form of open-topped notches in the upper edges of the side walls into which the arms move in the lower latching position.
Preferably the locking element in the lower latching position of the locking member, has its forward
edge spaced from the forward edge of said opening by a given distance under normal conditions. Desirably said at least one stop member has its forward edge spaced from its associated abutment by a spacing less than said given distance, whereby the load bearing capacity of the or each stop member and its associated abutment are enhanced by engagement of the forward edge of the locking element with the rearward edge of the opening. Advantageously the rearward edge of said bar and the forward edge of said slider are cooperatingly chamfered to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position when said forward and rearward edges are inter-engaged by said slider spring.
In order that the present invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of buckle according to the invention shown in the latched position; Figure 2 is a similar view in section in the unlatched position; and
Figure 3 is a plan view, half in section, of the buckle illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
Referring first to Figure 1 the buckle includes a rigid frame 10 having a base plate 12 having two upstanding side walls 14 extending from each side edge thereof. A bar 16 extends between the side walls 14 and is spaced from and parallel to the base plate 12. An opening 20 is formed in the base plate 12 and is provided with a front edge 22 (Figure 2) .
Pivotally mounted between the side walls 14 is a locking member 24, which includes a forwardly extending body 26 and downwardly extending legs 28. The body is provided with two laterally extending wings 30 engaging in rear notches 32 in the side walls 14. Extending parallel to
these wings 30 are arms 34 which can, in the lower latched position as illustrated in Figure 1, engage in forward notches 36 in the side wall.
At the forward end of the body 26 of the locking member is a locking element 38 which, in the latched position, passes through an aperture 40 in a latch plate 42 to retain the latch plate in place. It will be noted that longitudinally slidable on the locking member 24 is a slider 44 having a chamfered leading edge 46. The slider is urged towards the front (the left in the Figures) by a slider spring 48 engaged over a projection 50 on the body 26 of the locking member 24.
Longitudinally slidable on the side walls 14 is a push button 52 which has rearward projections 54 engaging forward projections 56 on an ejector 58 longitudinally slidable in the opening 20 in the base plate 12, and urged to the forward position by an ejector spring 60.
In use, starting from the position illustrated in Figure 2, a latch plate 42 is inserted in the guide channel formed by the base plate 12 and the side walls 14, it causes the ejector 58 to move rearwardly, that is to the right, against the action of its spring 60. This movement continues until the ejector is moved so far rearwards that it engages on the bottom of the leg 28 of the locking member 24. The resulting couple rotates the locking member/slider system causing the slider 44 to move down and return under the bar 16 to the position illustrated in Figure 1. When the plate 42 is unloaded, the aperture 40 therein abuts the locking element 38 which retains the latch plate 42 in place so that the buckle cannot unlatch.
In this condition, if an accident or the like occurs, and a very great strain is put on the buckle, then the latch plate 42 will be urged forward and will move with it the locking element 38, thereby closing the gap 64 illustrated in Figure 2, so that the front face of the
locking element 38 abuts the front face 22 of the aperture 20. During this movement, the wings 30 will flex rearwards but the arms 34 engaging the front of the notches 36 will prevent anything more than a limited flexing so that the wings are not stressed beyond their elastic limit.
With the reduction of load (after impact) both the wings and the main body of the locking member recover elastically to restore the clearances 64, 66 (Figure 3) between the locking member 34 and the frame sufficient to allow the front face 70 of the locking element 38 to sweep past the frame edge 22, when the locking member is released to the unlatched position and in particular with the release preformed whilst specific test loads are being applied longitudinally through the latch plate.
Claims
1. A seat belt buckle adapted to releasably engage a latch plate having an aperture therein, said buckle comprising a rigid frame including a base having an opening therein, upstanding side walls adapted to guide the latch plate longitudinally of the frame, a bar extending transversely of the frame between said side walls, said bar being spaced above the base, a locking member pivotally mounted on the frame and pivotal between a lower latched position and an upper unlatched position, said locking member carrying a downwardly projecting locking element engageable in said aperture in the latch plate to retain the latch plate in place and passing into said opening, a slider slidable longitudinally of the locking member between a first position in which it is located under said bar, to retain the locking member in the lower latched position and a second position in which it is resiliently engaged against the rear of the bar to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position, a push button to push the slider from its first position to its second position, a slider spring to urge the slider towards its first position, a pair of wings extending laterally from said locking member and engaging in said side walls to pivotally and resiliently mount the locking member for movement between its upper and lower positions said wings being capable of elastic flexing, upon axial loading of said locking member by said latch plate, and at least one stop member extending laterally from said member, said at least one stop member engaging abutments on said rigid frame to prevent flexing of said wings beyond their elas_ic limit.
2. A buckle according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stop member extends laterally from said latching member forwardly of said wings.
3. A buckle according to claim 2, wherein said at least one stop member comprises a pair of arms engaging, at least in the lower position of the latching member, against abutments in said side walls.
4. A buckle according to claim 3, wherein said abutments are in a form of notches in the upper edges of said side walls.
5. A buckle according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking element, in the lower latching position of the locking member, has its forward edge spaced from the rearward edge of said opening by a given distance under normal conditions.
6. A buckle according to claim 5, wherein said at least one stop member has its forward edge spaced from its associated abutment by a spacing less than said given distance, whereby the load bearing capacity of the or each stop member and its associated abutment are enhanced by engagement of the forward edge of the locking element with the rearward edge of the opening.
7. A buckle according to any preceding claim, wherein the rearward edge of said bar and the forward edge of said slider are cooperatingly chamfered to retain the locking member in its upper unlatched position when said forward and rearward edges are inter-engaged by said slider spring.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2515392A JPH07112443B2 (en) | 1989-11-06 | 1990-11-02 | Seat belt buckle |
DE69006720T DE69006720T2 (en) | 1989-11-06 | 1990-11-02 | SAFETY BELT CLOSURE. |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8925036A GB2238074A (en) | 1989-11-06 | 1989-11-06 | Seat belt buckle. |
GB8925036.9 | 1989-11-06 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1991006231A1 true WO1991006231A1 (en) | 1991-05-16 |
Family
ID=10665816
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1990/001681 WO1991006231A1 (en) | 1989-11-06 | 1990-11-02 | Seat belt buckle |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0452464B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH07112443B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69006720T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2051523T3 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2238074A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1991006231A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0750862A1 (en) * | 1995-06-28 | 1997-01-02 | European Components Co. Limited | Seat belt buckle |
GB2313147A (en) * | 1996-05-14 | 1997-11-19 | Europ Component Co Ltd | Seat belt buckle |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
RU1837825C (en) * | 1991-04-03 | 1993-08-30 | Леонид Оскарович Тедер | Fastener for vehicle safety belt |
GB2317916A (en) * | 1996-10-07 | 1998-04-08 | Europ Component Co Ltd | Seat belt buckle |
GB2329214A (en) * | 1997-09-10 | 1999-03-17 | Europ Component Co Ltd | Seat belt buckle |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4064603A (en) * | 1976-09-29 | 1977-12-27 | Gateway Industries, Inc. | Safety belt buckle |
GB2010955A (en) * | 1977-12-07 | 1979-07-04 | Klippan Nv | Safety belt buckle with readily releasable latch |
GB1580726A (en) * | 1976-04-28 | 1980-12-03 | Peugeot Aciers Et Outillage | Buckle for a safety belt |
US4388746A (en) * | 1980-11-18 | 1983-06-21 | Autoflug-Stakupress Gmbh & Co. | Buckle for a safety belt |
EP0114332A2 (en) * | 1982-12-23 | 1984-08-01 | Autoliv Ab | A buckle |
US4550474A (en) * | 1983-11-21 | 1985-11-05 | Gateway Industries, Inc. | Safety belt buckle |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2509969A1 (en) * | 1981-07-27 | 1983-01-28 | Klippan Nv | PIVOTING LATCH SEAT BELT CLOSING LOOP |
GB2218458B (en) * | 1988-05-11 | 1992-04-15 | Gen Motors Corp | Seat belt buckle |
GB2218457B (en) * | 1988-05-11 | 1992-03-18 | Gen Motors Corp | Seat belt buckle. |
-
1989
- 1989-11-06 GB GB8925036A patent/GB2238074A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1990
- 1990-11-02 JP JP2515392A patent/JPH07112443B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-11-02 WO PCT/GB1990/001681 patent/WO1991006231A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1990-11-02 DE DE69006720T patent/DE69006720T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-11-02 ES ES90916769T patent/ES2051523T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-11-02 EP EP19900916769 patent/EP0452464B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1580726A (en) * | 1976-04-28 | 1980-12-03 | Peugeot Aciers Et Outillage | Buckle for a safety belt |
US4064603A (en) * | 1976-09-29 | 1977-12-27 | Gateway Industries, Inc. | Safety belt buckle |
GB2010955A (en) * | 1977-12-07 | 1979-07-04 | Klippan Nv | Safety belt buckle with readily releasable latch |
US4388746A (en) * | 1980-11-18 | 1983-06-21 | Autoflug-Stakupress Gmbh & Co. | Buckle for a safety belt |
EP0114332A2 (en) * | 1982-12-23 | 1984-08-01 | Autoliv Ab | A buckle |
US4550474A (en) * | 1983-11-21 | 1985-11-05 | Gateway Industries, Inc. | Safety belt buckle |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0750862A1 (en) * | 1995-06-28 | 1997-01-02 | European Components Co. Limited | Seat belt buckle |
US5718020A (en) * | 1995-06-28 | 1998-02-17 | European Components Co. Limited | Seat belt buckle |
GB2313147A (en) * | 1996-05-14 | 1997-11-19 | Europ Component Co Ltd | Seat belt buckle |
US5791027A (en) * | 1996-05-14 | 1998-08-11 | European Components Co. Limited | Seat belt buckle |
GB2313147B (en) * | 1996-05-14 | 2000-08-23 | Europ Component Co Ltd | Seat belt buckle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES2051523T3 (en) | 1994-06-16 |
JPH04506922A (en) | 1992-12-03 |
GB2238074A (en) | 1991-05-22 |
EP0452464B1 (en) | 1994-02-16 |
DE69006720D1 (en) | 1994-03-24 |
EP0452464A1 (en) | 1991-10-23 |
JPH07112443B2 (en) | 1995-12-06 |
DE69006720T2 (en) | 1994-07-07 |
GB8925036D0 (en) | 1989-12-28 |
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