Seat belt buckle with slide sensor

• US 6,076,239 A
• Filed: 04/10/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Takata (Europe) Vehicle Safety Technology GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata (Europe) Vehicle Safety Technology GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Steidle, Thomas, Pietschmann, Frank, Kopetzky, Robert, Pleyer, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Sakran, Victor N.
• Application Number:
  US09/058,152
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 24/633, 24/641, 24/656, 24/602
• US Class Current: 24/633
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45461 Interlocking portion actuated or released responsive to preselected condition [e.g., heat, pressure]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45623 and operator therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45665 for shifting pivotally connected interlocking component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45743 Requiring manual force thereon to interlock or disengage

Abstract

A belt lock for a safety belt has a frame (10), a latching element (14) for the latching of the belt tongue (18) and a securing element (16), which secures the latching element (14) in the latched state. Furthermore, a detector device (24, 26, 28) is provided at the belt lock which detects the position of the securing element (16).

Claims

1. A belt lock for a safety belt comprising:

a frame;

a latching element for latching a belt tongue;

a securing element which secures the latching element in a latched state;

a detector device which detects a position of the securing element; and

a circuit board arranged in the area of the frame and including an evaluation circuit for the detector device.

2. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the securing element first executes a pivotal movement during latching and subsequently a stroke movement, and wherein the detector device detects an end of the stroke movement.

3. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device is a contact-free sensor.

4. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device is arranged at least in part in a cut-out of the frame.

5. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device is arranged at least in part on the securing element.

6. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device has a Hall probe and a magnet, and wherein the magnet is integrated into the securing element.

7. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the securing element includes a magnetic plastic.

8. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein a circuit board with a microcontroller for the detector device is arranged in the area of the frame.

9. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device detects a closed end position of the securing element.

10. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device is a Hall-probe.

11. A belt lock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detector device is arranged in the securing element.