Illuminated safety belt buckle

• US 4,933,818 A
• Filed: 02/13/1989
• Issued: 06/12/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoflug Gmbh (Autoflug Gruppe GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Autoflug GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugtechnik
• Inventors: Eckmann, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hagarman, Sue
• Application Number:
  US07/310,355
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 362/32, 362/61, 362/191, 362/83.3
• US Class Current: 362/511
• 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: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00

Abstract

An illuminated safety belt buckle, especially for a motor vehicle, having a buckle housing and a key to actuate a securing device that is disposed in the housing. When an associated buckle tongue is inserted into the insertion slot formed in the housing, the securing device interlocks with the tongue. To provide illumination for the key and the insertion slot, a single light source is disposed in the buckle housing beyond these functional components. A light-conducting path of light-conducting material couples the light source with the key and the insertion slot.

Claims

1. In an illuminated safety belt buckle having a guasi-static light-conducting system with which movable cables and leads are completely eliminated, especially for a motor vehicle, having a buckle housing and a sliding key to actuate a securing device that is disposed in said housing to one side thereof and that, when an associated buckle tongue is inserted into a funnel-like insertion slot that is formed in the housing to the other side thereof, interlocks with said tongue, with a source of light being disposed in said buckle housing to provide illumination for said sliding key and said funnel-like insertion slot for said buckle tongue, including the improvement therewith wherein:

said source of light is a single light source that is disposed directly longitudinally to one side in said buckle housing beyond said sliding key and said funnel-like insertion slot as functional components that are to be illuminated by said single light source in particular; and

a light-conducting path of highly transparent material is provided to couple said light source with said sliding key and said funnel-like insertion slot, with said light-conducting path comprising prefabricated material portions that are to be placed in said buckle housing, and with said light-conducting path having at least one tap that branches off between said light source and said sliding key on the one side and said funnel-like insertion slot on the other side.

2. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which interposed in said light-conducting path is at least one transfer location where said material portions are disposed next to one another without contacting each other.

3. A safety belt buckle according to claim 2, which includes a transfer location between a material portion that is disposed on said key and a portion of said light-conducting path that is disposed in said buckle housing.

4. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said light-conducting path deviates from a linear path, with the involved material portions being embodied with a minimum radius for clustered deflection of a light beam.

5. A safety belt buckle according to claim 4, in which surfaces of said material portions in the vicinity of said radii are polished.

6. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said light-conducting path deviates from a linear path, with bent portions of said material portions being provided with reflector surfaces designed for clustered deflection of a light beam.

7. A safety belt buckle according to claim 6, in which surfaces of said material portions in the vicinity of said bent portions are polished.

8. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said common light source for illuminating said key and insertion slot is provided with portions that lead to these parts.

9. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, which includes only two functional components that are connected specifically to said light source.

10. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said material of said light-conducting path is acrylic glass.

11. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said light source is a light diode.

12. A safety belt buckle according to claim 1, in which said light source is a bulb.