Insertion tongue

• US 10,315,616 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Betz, Hans-Peter, Knoedl, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US15/527,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20170355349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2561 Tongue elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1855 the means being sensitive to belt tension

Abstract

In a locking tongue (10) for a seat belt comprising an inserting portion (12) adapted to be inserted in a belt buckle and a deflecting portion (14) for webbing, wherein the deflecting portion (14) includes a webbing passage (20) as well as a clamping element (22) for the webbing and the clamping element (22) is movable between a home position in which the webbing is freely movable and a blocking position in which the clamping element is moved against a wall of the webbing passage so that the webbing is clamped between the clamping element (22) and the wall of the webbing passage (20), and wherein at least one spring element (34) is provided for forcing the clamping element (22) into the home position, it is provided that the spring element (34) is formed integrally on the deflecting portion (14).

Claims

1. A locking tongue (10) for a seat belt, comprising:

an inserting portion (12) adapted to be inserted into a belt buckle; and

a deflecting portion (14) for a webbing (16), the deflecting portion (14) including a webbing passage (20) through which the webbing (16) is guided and a clamping element (22) for the webbing (16), the clamping element (22) being movable between a home position in which the webbing is freely movable and a blocking position in which the clamping element (22) is moved against a wall of the webbing passage (20) so that the webbing (16) is clamped between the clamping element (22) and the wall of the webbing passage (20);

wherein at least one spring element (34) is provided for forcing the clamping element (22) to the home position, the at least one spring element (34) being formed integrally on the deflecting portion (14).

2. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring element (34) is formed integrally with an overmolding (18) on a base of the locking tongue (10).

3. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring element (34) is a leaf spring projecting with a free end (36) into a guideway (29) along which the clamping element (22) is movable between the home position and the blocking position.

4. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 1, wherein a retaining pin (32) is provided on which the clamping element (22) is supported.

5. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 4, wherein the clamping element (22) is inserted into a guideway (29) along which the clamping element (22) is movable between the home position and the blocking position, the retaining pin (32) being inserted into the guideway (29) to prevent the inserted clamping element (22) from egressing from the guideway (29).

6. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 5, wherein the guideway (29) has two guide passages (27) that each have an open end (28), the clamping element (22) being inserted into the guide passages (27) from the open ends (28), the retaining pin (32) being inserted into the guideway (29) to close the open ends (28) and prevent the inserted clamping element (22) from egressing from the guideway (29) and the guide passages (27).

7. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 3, wherein the at least one spring element (34) projects with the free end (39) from an overmolding (18) into the guideway (29), the overmolding (18) enclosing the deflecting portion (14).

8. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring element (34) is injection-molded to a base of the locking tongue (10) together with an overmolding (18) so that the at least one spring element (34) is formed integrally with the overmolding (18).

9. The locking tongue (10) according to claim 8, wherein the at least one spring element (34) and the overmolding (18) are made from plastic material.