Buckle for seat belt device

• US 5,584,108 A
• Filed: 07/27/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pleyer, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Sakran, Victor N.
• Application Number:
  US08/508,183
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 24/641, 24/643, 24/649, 24/632, 24/633, 24/636, 24/637
• 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: Y10T 24/45644 for shifting pivotally connected interlocking component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45665 for shifting pivotally connected interlocking component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45707 having aperture therein alignable with parallel access opening

Abstract

A buckle includes a base frame 10, a latch plate 30, a locking wing 40 and an ejector 20. The base frame 10 is formed with a tongue insertion path 12 through which a tongue plate 2 is inserted. The latch plate 30 is pivotally supported on an upper surface of the base frame 10, having a latch pawl 33 formed at a front end and an operational arm 32 formed at a rear end, which is applied with pivoting force by the end of the tongue plate 2 when the tongue plate 2 is inserted. The locking wing 40 is structured to maintain the locked state by biasing force of a locking spring 37 between the locking wing 40 and the latch plate 30 and by an engagement between the locking wing 40 and locking pawl 33. The locking wing 40 is also structured to release the engagement between the locking wing 40 and the locking pawl 33 by a movement of a press button 52. The ejector 20 is supported slidably in the tongue insertion path 12 and biased by an ejector spring 21. By the biasing force of the ejector spring 21, the tongue plate 2 is released.

Claims

1. A buckle for engaging a tongue plate with an opening, comprising:

a base frame having locking pawls on an upper surface thereof and a tongue insertion path through which the tongue plate is inserted;

a latch plate pivotally supported on an upper surface of said base frame, and having a latch pawl formed at a front end portion thereof which is able to engage with the opening of said tongue plate inserted into said tongue insertion path, and an operational arm formed at a rear portion thereof which is applied with pivoting force by an end of said tongue plate when said tongue plate is inserted;

a locking wing having a locking spring for maintaining a locked state of said latch plate by biasing force of the locking spring set between said locking wing and said latch plate and by an engagement between said locking wing and said locking pawls of said base frame, said locking wing comprising a plate formed with two engaging holes and operating such that when said tongue plate is inserted, said locking wing keeps in contact with said latch plate to move downward corresponding to pivoting of said latch plate and maintains the locked state of said latch plate by engaging said engaging holes with ends of said locking pawls at a position where said engaging holes correspond to the ends of said locking pawls;

a press button with a contact portion movably arranged relative to the locking wing, said locking wing releasing the engagement between said locking wing and said locking pawls by the contact portion of the press button corresponding to a movement of said press button; and

an ejector slidably supported in said tongue insertion path and having an ejector spring, said ejector being biased by the ejector spring and structured to, corresponding to the insertion of said tongue plate, come in contact with the end of said tongue plate, to slide, and to push said operational arm to pivot said latch plate to engage said latch pawl to said opening of said tongue plate, said ejector also being structured to eject said tongue plate outside said buckle by the biasing force of said ejector spring when the engagement between said latch pawl and said opening of said tongue plate is released.

2. A buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein both sides of said tongue insertion path are defined by tongue guiding portions formed by bending said base frame in a U-like shape to face each other.

3. A buckle for engaging a tongue plate with an opening, comprising:

a base frame having a locking pawl on an upper surface thereof and a tongue insertion path through which the tongue plate is inserted;

a latch plate pivotally supported on an upper surface of the base frame, and having a latch pawl formed at a front end portion thereof which is able to engage with the opening of said tongue plate inserted into the tongue insertion path, and an operational arm formed at a rear portion thereof which is applied with pivoting force by an end of the tongue plate when the tongue plate is inserted;

a locking wing situated adjacent to the base frame and having an engaging hole therein and a locking spring interposed between said locking wing and said latch plate, said locking wing being maintained by the locking spring such that the engaging hole does not engage the locking pawl and, upon insertion of the tongue plate, being moved such that the engaging hole engages the locking pawl to thereby permit engagement between the latch pawl and the opening of the tongue plate;

a press button movably arranged relative to the locking wing, said locking wing being released from the locking pawl by movement of the press button; and

an ejector slidably supported in said tongue insertion path and having an ejector spring, said ejector being biased by the ejector spring and contacting, upon insertion of the tongue plate, an end of the tongue plate to slide and pushing the operational arm for pivoting the latch plate to engage the latch pawl with the opening of the tongue plate, said ejector ejecting the tongue plate outside the buckle by a biasing force of the ejector spring when the engagement between the latch pawl and the opening of the tongue plate is released.

4. A buckle as claimed in claim 4, wherein said locking wing has a central opening through which said latch plate passes, and said latch plate has wings contacting the press button when the tongue plate is released from the buckle.