Buckle device for safety belt

• US 4,237,586 A
• Filed: 10/20/1978
• Issued: 12/09/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nsk-Warner Kabushiki Kaisha (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nsk-Warner Kabushiki Kaisha (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Morinaga, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Byers, Jr., Nile C.
• Application Number:
  US05/952,989
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 24/230 A, 24/230 AK, 362/100, 362/103, 362/155, 362/800
• US Class Current: 24/641
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2523 acting parallel to the main plane of the buckle and in the same direction as the fastening action
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2565 Illuminated buckles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45665 for shifting pivotally connected interlocking component

Abstract

A buckle device for safety belts having a latch member pivotally mounted to a base member which serves as a load member and engageable with notches of a tongue member when the tongue is inserted into the base member so as to latch the base member and the tongue member together, resilient member for biasing the latch member in notches engaging direction, and a manually operable member for moving the latch member against the bias of the resilient member to unlatch the tongue member. Either of the latch member and the operable member has camming surfaces which engage engaging portions of the other of the above two members, whereby the sliding movement in the tongue insertion direction of the operable member is transformed to the substantially pivotal movement of the latch member.

Claims

1. A buckle device for a safety belt, comprising a casing having an entrance slot for receiving a tongue member, a latch member supported for pivotal movement in the casing at a position past which said tongue member moves as it enters the casing through said entrance slot, said latch member being engageable with said tongue member to hold the tongue member in the casing, first biasing means for biasing said latch member into engagement with said tongue member, a manually operable member supported for movement inwardly of said casing, second biasing means for biasing said manually operable member outwardly of said casing, said manually operable member and said latch member having cooperable elements integral therewith, respectively, one of said elements having a cam surface and the other of said elements having a surface that moves along said cam surface when said manually operable member is moved inwardly of said casing to transform that movement to pivotal movement of said latch member that disengages said latch member from said tongue member.

2. A buckle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said latch member is a lever having a pivotal axis at a forward portion thereof adjacent to said entrance slot, having an intermediate portion that engages said tongue member, and having one of said cooperable elements at a rear portion thereof.

3. A buckle device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said cam surface is integral with said manually operable member and moves the cooperable element integral with said latch member to disengage the latch member from the tongue member when the manually operable member is moved inwardly of said casing.

4. A buckle device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said cam surface is a sloping surface that lifts the cooperable element integral with the latch member when the manually operable member is moved inwardly of said casing.

5. A buckle device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said cam surface is integral with said latch member and is moved by the cooperable element integral with said manually operable member to disengage the latch member from the tongue member when the manually operable member is moved inwardly of said casing.

6. A buckle device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the cam surface is a curved surface that is lifted by the cooperable element integral with the manually operable member when the manually operable member is moved inwardly of said casing.

7. A buckle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first biasing means comprises a plate spring, one end of which is fixed in said casing and the other end of which presses upon said latch member.