Belt tongue comprising a torsion bar

• US 10,442,394 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hermann, Michel, Grikschat, Martin, Krambeck, Inga, Cord, Hans-Jorg
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Upchurch, David M
• Application Number:
  US15/513,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• 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

A belt tongue (1) having a tongue body (3) extending in an insertion direction (2), a clamping element (4) in the tongue body such that a belt strap (7) guided through a cavity (5) in the tongue body (3) and running through a gap (6) can be moved through the tongue body (3) in an unstressed free-running position and, in a stressed position brought about by a tensile force in the belt strap (7), is clamped on a clamping edge (8) of the cavity (5) by the clamping element (4) that is pivotally mounted in the tongue body (3). A pre-tensioning device exerts a retractive force on the clamping element (4), at least in the stressed position, the force being oriented in the direction of the free-running position of the clamping element (4). The pre-tensioning device is a torsion bar (13) that is non-rotatably secured in the tongue body (3) and non-rotatably connected to the clamping element (4).

Claims

1. A belt tongue for a motor vehicle seatbelt restraint system having a belt strap, comprising a tongue body extending in an insertion direction, wherein a clamping element is disposed such that the belt strap guided through a cavity in the tongue body and extending through a gap formed between the clamping element and the tongue body is movable in an unstressed pass-through position, and in a stressed position caused by a tensile force introduced in the belt strap, is clamped to a clamp edge of the cavity by the clamping element which is pivot-mounted in the tongue body and pivotable into the cavity, wherein in the stressed position, wherein a torsion bar exerts a restoring force on the clamping element directed toward the pass-through position of the clamping element, the torsion bar being a bar extending from a first end to a second end, wherein the first end of the torsion bar is secured in a first socket of the tongue body in a non-rotating manner and the second end of the torsion bar is placed in a second socket of the tongue body in a rotating manner, and wherein the clamping element is disposed between the first socket and the second socket of the tongue body and includes a channel having a first side and a second side, and a cross-section of the first side guides the torsion bar in a rotating manner and a cross-section of the second side corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the torsion bar for securing the torsion bar to the clamping element in a non-rotating manner such that a pivoting movement between the tongue body and the clamping element causes torsional deflection of the torsion bar.

2. A belt tongue according to claim 1, wherein the torsion bar is only fixed at the first end on the first socket of the tongue body and is connected to the clamping element at the second end on the second side of the clamping element which is not associated with the first socket of the tongue body associated with the torsion bar.

3. A belt tongue according to claim 1 further comprising guide sections disposed laterally on the clamping element, between which the belt strap extends so that in a lateral region of the cavity the belt strap does not arrive between the clamping element and the tongue body.

4. The belt tongue according to claim 1, wherein guide elements project laterally from the clamping element, which guide elements are at least partially surrounding guide depressions in the tongue body, wherein the guide elements and the guide depressions are formed such that the pivoting movement of the clamping element is guided by the guide elements.

5. The belt tongue according to claim 4, wherein a rectilinear assembly depression extending up to an edge of the tongue body connects to each of the guide depressions, by which the clamping element is linearly displaced during assembly with the guide elements, wherein the clamping element is secured against sliding-back by a subsequent pivoting.

6. The belt tongue according to claim 1, wherein the belt strap is pulled transverse to the insertion direction through the cavity in the tongue body.

7. The belt tongue according to claim 1, wherein the torsion bar in the unstressed pass-through position exerts a torsional force onto the clamping element directed opposite the stressed position while the clamping element is in the unstressed pass-through position.

8. The belt tongue according to claim 7, wherein the torsion bar is designed such that the first end of the torsion bar fixed in the first socket for securing to the tongue body, must be twisted with respect to the second end fixed to the clamping element, while the clamping element is located in the unstressed pass-through position.

9. The belt tongue according to claim 8, further comprising a first cross-sectional contour that corresponds in the cross-sectional shape to a second cross-sectional contour of the second end, wherein in the unstressed state of the torsion bar, the first and second cross-sectional contours are rotationally offset with respect to each other about an axis of rotation and a transition from the first cross-sectional contour to the second cross-sectional contour is continuous, while maintaining the cross-sectional shape, so that with the second end of torsion bar fixedly inserted in the clamping element for conjoint rotation, the torsion bar is torsionally deformed about the axis of rotation by insertion of the first end into the first socket of the tongue body.

10. The belt tongue according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the first side of the channel is configured for allowing the clamping element to be initially in a non-pass-through position when the torsion bar is pushed into the clamping element through the first socket on the outside of the tongue body.

11. A belt tongue for a motor vehicle seatbelt restraint system having a belt strap, comprising a tongue body extending in an insertion direction, wherein a clamping element is disposed such that the belt strap guided through a cavity in the tongue body and extending through a gap formed between the clamping element and the tongue body is movable in an unstressed pass-through position, and in a stressed position caused by a tensile force introduced in the belt strap, is clamped to a clamp edge of the cavity by the clamping element which is pivot-mounted in the tongue body and pivotable into the cavity, wherein in the stressed position a torsion bar exerts a restoring force on the clamping element directed toward the pass-through position of the clamping element, the torsion bar in the form of a unitary structure having a first end and a second end, and a first cross-sectional contour on the first end of the torsion bar corresponds in a cross-sectional shape to a second cross-sectional contour on the second end of the torsion bar, wherein in the stressed state of the torsion bar, the first and second cross-sectional contours of the torsion bar are rotationally offset with respect to each other about its longitudinal axis such that the torsion bar is torsionally deformed about the axis of rotation by insertion of the first end into a first socket of the tongue body with the second end secured to the clamping element for conjoint rotation, whereby a torsional force is applied onto the clamping element in the pass-through position.

12. A belt tongue for a motor vehicle seatbelt restraint system having a belt strap, comprising a tongue body extending in an insertion direction, wherein a clamping element is disposed such that the belt strap guided through a cavity in the tongue body and extending through a gap formed between the clamping element and the tongue body is movable in an unstressed pass-through position, and in a stressed position caused by a tensile force introduced in the belt strap, is clamped to a clamp edge of the cavity by the clamping element which is pivot-mounted in the tongue body and pivotable into the cavity, wherein in the stressed position a torsion bar exerts a restoring force on the clamping element directed toward the pass-through position of the clamping element, the torsion bar in the form of a unitary structure having a first end and a second end, and the torsion bar has a cross-sectional shape according to a longitudinal axis of the torsion bar, and wherein a first cross-sectional contour of the first end and a second cross-sectional contour of the second end are rotationally offset to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis of the torsion bar while maintaining the identical cross-sectional shape of the torsion bar.