Buckle component for a vehicle occupant restraint belt system

• US 3,941,419 A
• Filed: 11/21/1974
• Issued: 03/02/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Blom, Hubert Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, James T.
• Application Number:
  US05/525,968
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 297/389, 297/388, 297/385, 24/193, 24/170, 24/191, 24/196, 24/78, 280/150.5 B
• US Class Current: 297/475
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/10 sliding wedge
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3405 having separate disconnect means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4077 Looped strap
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4084 Looped strap

Abstract

A buckle component of a vehicle occupant restraint belt system is slidably disposed on a restraint belt of the system in an improved manner. The buckle component may take the form of a female buckle or a male D-ring that secures the belt in an occupant restraining position. The buckle component includes a housing with an outwardly facing rectilinear locking portion extending transversely with respect to the elongated direction of the belt. An external lock bar extends alongside the locking portion with the belt received therebetween. The lock bar has a slightly greater length than the width of the belt and has end portions extending about the side edges of the belt and back toward each other in generally U-shaped configurations. These end portions are pivotally mounted on the housing of the buckle component. When the buckle component secures the belt in an occupant restraining position, two sides of the belt extend from the lock bar alongside each other and a manually applied tension on one of these sides pivots the lock bar away from the locking portion to permit sliding adjustment of the belt through the buckle component so that the other side is tensioned. This tensioning of the other side of the belt pivots the lock bar toward the locking portion and clamps the belt against the locking portion so that the buckle component is located along the belt and enables the belt to provide its occupant restraining function. The buckle component may be used in the restraint belt system to define the belt into angularly disposed lap and shoulder belt portions. Due to the external condition of the lock bar, the width of the housing may be the same as or less than the width of the belt, and the angularly disposed lap and shoulder belt portions may extend from their common juncture at the lock bar with rectilinear configurations.

Claims

1. In a vehicle occupant restraint belt system including a flat belt with an elongated configuration extending between upper and lower portions of the vehicle on one side of an associated seat, the belt having a predetermined width between opposite side edges thereof, a belt retractor receiving the upper end of the belt so as to store the belt and permitting withdrawal of the belt therefrom for use, and a fixed buckle component secured adjacent the other side of the seat, an improved sliding buckle component slidably disposed along the belt comprising:

a metallic housing including an attachment portion for selectively securing the sliding buckle component to the fixed buckle component so the belt defines angularly disposed lap and shoulder belt portions, the housing also including a downwardly projecting rectilinear locking portion extending transversely with respect to the elongated direction of the belt with approximately the same length as the width of the belt, the housing having upwardly extending flange portions defining a slot at each side of the housing, an external lock bar having a rectilinear portion extending alongside the locking portion of the housing with the belt received therebetween, the lock bar having a slightly greater length than the width of the belt and the housing and having end portions extending from the rectilinear portion about the side edges of the belt back toward each other in generally U-shaped configurations, the end portions of the lock bar being loosely engaged in the slots at each side of the housing and having first and second side edges which alternatively provide a pivot axis for pivotal movement of the lock bar relative the housing so that a manually applied upward pull on the shoulder belt portion when the buckle components are secured to each other pivots the lock bar about the first side edge of the locking bar end portions and away from the locking portion and slides the belt through the buckle component between the lock bar and housing to tension the lap belt portion, this tension of the lap belt portion pivoting the lock bar about the second side edge of the locking bar end portions toward the downwardly projecting locking portion of the housing to clamp the belt at the juncture between the angularly disposed lap and shoulder belt portions, and the configuration of the lock bar and the manner it extends about the edges of the belt permitting the lap and shoulder belt portions to extend in generally rectilinear configurations from their juncture at the rectilinear portion of the lock bar as well as permitting the housing to have a width equal to or less than the width of the belt.

2. In a vehicle occupant restraint belt system including a flat belt with an elongated configuration extending between upper and lower portions of the vehicle on one side of an associated seat, the belt having a predetermined width between opposite side edges thereof, a belt retractor receiving the upper end of the belt so as to store the belt and permitting withdrawal of the belt for use, and a fixed female buckle secured adjacent the other side of the seat, an improved D-ring slidably disposed along the belt comprising:

a metallic housing having a flat configuration with an apertured tongue that is received by the female buckle so the D-ring defines the belt into lap and shoulder belt portions that are angularly disposed with respect to each other, one side of the housing having a rectilinear surface extending transversely with respect to the elongated direction of the belt to provide a locking portion, the housing also including a pair of flange portions adjacent the opposite ends of the locking portions, the flange portions extending away from the plane of the housing in a direction opposite to the direction in which the one side of the locking portion faces, an external lock bar having a rectilinear portion extending alongside the locking portion of the housing with the belt received therebetween, the lock bar having a slightly greater length than the width of the belt and having end portions extending from the rectilinear portion about the side edges of the belt back toward each other on the other side of the housing, the end portions of the lock bar defining generally U-shaped configurations, and means pivotally interconnecting the end portions of the lock bar and the flange portions of the housing so the lock bar is pivotally movable toward and away from the locking portion of the plate, a manually applied upward pull on the shoulder belt portion when the D-ring is secured to the female buckle pivoting the lock bar away from the locking portion and sliding the belt through the D-ring to tension the lap belt portion, this tension of the lap belt portion pivoting the lock bar toward the locking portion of the housing to clamp the belt at the juncture of the lap and shoulder belt portions, and the configuration of the lock bar and the manner it extends about the edges of the belt permitting the lap and shoulder belt portions to extend in generally rectilinear configurations from their juncture at the rectilinear portion of the lock bar as well as permitting the housing to have a width equal to or less than the width of the belt.