Buckle apparatus and seat belt apparatus

• US 7,347,579 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hirota, Akira, Kohama, Shigeru, Kawamura, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; Anabel
• Application Number:
  US11/421,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20060285344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 362/108, 362/32, 359/543, 340/457.1
• US Class Current: 362/108
• 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 24/40 Buckles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45623 and operator therefor

Abstract

A buckle apparatus and a seat belt apparatus are provided that are capable of improving the attachment strength of the reflector. In one form, the buckle apparatus includes an upper cover having an insertion inlet at one side, a buckle portion provided in the upper cover and engaged with a tongue of a seat belt inserted through the insertion inlet, a light source provided in the vicinity of the insertion inlet in the upper cover, a reflector for diffusing and leading illuminating light flux eradiated from the light source, which is provided in inner wall faces, that form the insertion inlet by using the reflector as a mold piece.

Claims

1. A buckle apparatus comprising:

a molded cover for the buckle mechanism;

an inlet of the cover through which a seat belt tongue is inserted for being releasably latched by the latch member;

a light source operable to illuminate the inlet;

a reflector positioned and configured to receive light from the light source and direct the light toward the inlet; and

a predetermined portion of the reflector embedded at the molded cover, wherein the cover forms a pair of corner portions on either side of the inlet, and the reflector and predetermined portion thereof comprise a pair of reflectors and predetermined portions with each one of the pair of reflectors fixed at a respective one of the corner portions with the associated reflector predetermined portion embedded in the corner portion.

2. A method of assembling a light reflector and buckle cover, the method comprising:

placing a reflector in a mold; and

molding the buckle cover so that a portion of the reflector is embedded in a portion of the buckle cover to fix the reflector relative to the cover with another exposed portion of the reflector projecting out from the buckle cover portion so that the exposed portion has a surface positioned adjacent an inlet of the buckle cover for illumination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the buckle cover is molded by injecting resin into the mold.

4. A method of assembling a light reflector and buckle cover, the method comprising:

placing a reflector in a mold; and

molding the buckle cover so that a portion of the reflector is embedded in a portion of the buckle cover to fix the reflector relative to the cover, wherein the buckle cover has walls extending about the insertion inlet for a seat belt tongue, the reflector is placed in the mold by arranging a projection of the reflector at a position where one of the walls is to be formed in the mold, and molding the buckle cover includes molding the walls with the reflector projection embedded in the one wall.