Seatbelt buckle apparatus

• US 6,907,646 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delphi Corporation (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Automotive Systems Sungwoo Corp. (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Choi, Chan Woo, Lee, Jae Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): SAKRAN, VICTOR N
• Application Number:
  US10/666,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 246/33, 246/34, 246/37, 246/36, 246/40, 246/64, 246/03
• 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 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45623 and operator therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45628 for plural, oppositely shifting, similar interlocking components or segments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45644 for shifting pivotally connected interlocking component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4566 including slidably connected and guided element on receiving member
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45785 Requiring manual force applied against bias to interlock or disengage

Abstract

A seatbelt buckle apparatus includes a buckle assembly for latching or unlatching a tongue connected to a seatbelt, a hall sensor assembly including contact and non-contact switched integrated into one unit, which is coupled with the buckle assembly, and for operating together with the buckle assembly to detect the locking or unlocking state thereof to generate at least two control signals; an upper case and a lower case coupled to each other for receiving the buckle assembly and the hall sensor assembly, in which the lower case includes a device for determining the position of the hall sensor assembly and fixing it thereon; the frame includes a device for determining the position of the hall sensor assembly and fixing it thereto; and an ejector including a second permanent magnet to cooperate with the hall sensor responsive to the movement thereof and a pair of leg portions projected from a lower surface thereof to cooperate with the movable member.

Claims

1. A seatbelt buckle apparatus with a buckle assembly including upper and lower cases coupled to each other, a release button coupled to a frame for unlatching a locking bar of a locking lever from a tongue, an ejector elastically and movably supported in an aperture for discharging the tongue latched to the locking bar responsive to the release button, the locking lever including a slider elastically and movably mounted on a guide surface thereof and being pivoted at one end portion and latching/unlatching the tongue at the other end portion, a frame including a bottom plate on which the ejector is movable, a front wall constituted as an arched supporting beam on which the slider is supported and side walls having an upper end portion on which the locking lever is pivotally rotated at its rear end, the seatbelt buckle apparatus comprising:

the lower case including a clamp groove into which a clamp of the upper case is inserted, first and second supporting grooves to which first and second supporting end portions are respectively coupled, and a hook-fixing portion serving to fit the first and second supporting end portions into the first and second supporting grooves to be coupled with the upper case;

the lower case receiving a hall sensor assembly therein and including a position determining projection formed to determine a mounting position and prevent rocking of the hall sensor assembly, a shoulder formed with a gap from a bottom to support the hall sensor assembly, a first supporting block integrally and inwardly extended from a middle portion of both sidewalls, a second supporting block integrally and inwardly extended from a pair of ribs having a smaller width to be fitted into a groove portion of the hall sensor assembly and guide walls formed behind the second supporting block in an arc share to be opposite to each other;

the hall sensor assembly being positioned on the bottom of the lower case and including a hall sensor portion containing a hall sensor and a printed circuit board electrically connected to the hall sensor in one package, a base plate electrically connected at one end portion to the printed circuit board and at the other end to a cable having control lines and power lines, on an upper surface of which a metal pattern is formed, with means for coupling with the frame, a movable member freely moving on the base plate with a first permanent magnet mounted at a center portion and a pair of contact terminals contacted with the metal pattern and a terminal block including the control lines and power lines contained therein and means for determining a position of the hall sensor assembly and fixing the hall sensor assembly in the lower case;

the fame including a coupling surface formed adjacent a rear portion of a sliding aperture thereof to be coupled with the hook of the hall sensor assembly and a coupling groove formed behind a hook portion thereof; and

the ejector including a second permanent magnet to cooperate with the hall sensor responsive to the movement thereof and a pair of leg portions projected from a lower surface thereof to cooperate with the movable member.

2. The seatbelt buckle apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the hall sensor portion includes a front portion coupled with the front wall of the lower case, the base plate includes a positioning member for determining the position to be coupled with the frame and a hook portion formed adjacent the terminal block to be coupled with the frame.

3. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

any one of the first and second permanent magnets is used to cooperate with the hall sensor portion.