Buckle device

• US 7,996,964 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Vidolov, Kliment, Wendt, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavinder; Jack W.
• Application Number:
  US12/458,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20090288275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 24/593.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1855 the means being sensitive to belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/28 incorporating energy-absorbing devices belt anchors provided with energy-absorbing means for protecting the occupants in case of physical contact therewith B60R21/055; belt retractors comprising energy-absorbing means B60R22/341, B60R22/4676
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 24/51 including receiving member having cavity and mating member having insertable projection guided to interlock thereby
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45241 Slot and tab or tongue
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4736 Buckle connected

Abstract

A buckle device for a motor vehicle is provided. The buckle device comprising a locking tongue for inserting into a buckle and a deflecting body connected to the locking tongue, which is configured to subdivide a safety belt into a shoulder portion and a lap portion and to deflect said safety belt such that the two portions extend away from the deflecting body in different directions. The deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via at least one elongate element, which is at least partially wound around the deflecting body.

Claims

1. A buckle device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a locking tongue for inserting into a buckle; and

a deflecting body connected to the locking tongue, which is configured to subdivide a safety belt into a shoulder portion and a lap portion and to deflect said safety belt such that the shoulder and lap portions extend away from the deflecting body in different directions,

wherein the deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via at least one elongate element, which is at least partially wound around the deflecting body, and

wherein the at least one elongate element is unwound from the deflecting body by a force acting on the shoulder portion which exceeds a predetermined threshold force, in order to limit a resulting force acting on the shoulder portion.

2. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deflecting body extends in a direction of extension.

3. The buckle device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one elongate element extends in a direction transverse to the direction of extension of the deflecting body, and is wound around the deflecting body.

4. The buckle device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one elongate element extends in a direction transverse to the direction of extension of the deflecting body, and is wound around an end portion of the deflecting body.

5. The buckle device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the end portion is connected via a central portion of the deflecting body to a further end portion of the deflecting body.

6. The buckle device as claimed in claim 5, wherein a center of gravity axis of the central portion extending parallel to the direction of extension does not coincide with a common cylinder axis of the end portion and the further end portion.

7. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via at least one deformation element which, when the at least one elongate element is unwound, is deformed by absorption of energy.

8. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one elongate element comprises first and second elongate elements, wherein the deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via the first and second elongate elements, which are wound at least partially around the deflecting body, and wherein the first and second elongate elements are unwound from the deflecting body by the force acting on the shoulder portion that exceeds said threshold force, in order to limit the resulting force acting on the shoulder portion.

9. The buckle device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first elongate element is wound around a first end portion of the deflecting body, and wherein the second elongate element is wound around a second end portion of the deflecting body.

10. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein for bearing the safety belt against the deflecting body, the deflecting body has a bearing region, the safety belt being positioned around the bearing region.

11. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one elongate element is connected to the locking tongue via a weak point, which tears when the at least one elongate element is unwound.

12. A buckle device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a locking tongue for inserting into a buckle; and

a deflecting body connected to the locking tongue, which is configured to subdivide a safety belt into a shoulder portion and a lap portion and to deflect said safety belt such that the shoulder and lap portions extend away from the deflecting body in different directions,

wherein the deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via at least one elongate element, which is at least partially wound around the deflecting body,

wherein for bearing the safety belt against the deflecting body, the deflecting body has a bearing region, the safety belt being positioned around the bearing region, and

wherein the bearing region is configured to cooperate with the safety belt such that with a force acting on the shoulder portion which exceeds a predetermined threshold force, the safety belt bearing against the bearing region drives the deflecting body to a rotational movement, so that the at least one elongate element is unwound from the deflecting body.

13. The buckle device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the bearing region is configured to cooperate with the safety belt such that the deflecting body, with the force acting on the shoulder portion that exceeds the threshold force, is carried along by the safety belt by an increased friction between the bearing region and the safety belt, and

wherein a friction between the bearing region and the safety belt, with a force acting on the shoulder portion which is lower than said threshold force, allows the safety belt to slide along the deflecting body without said deflecting body being carried along by the safety belt.

14. A buckle device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a locking tongue for inserting into a buckle; and

a deflecting body connected to the locking tongue, which is configured to subdivide a safety belt into a shoulder portion and a lap portion and to deflect said safety belt such that the shoulder and lap portions extend away from the deflecting body in different directions,

wherein the deflecting body is connected to the locking tongue via at least one elongate element, which is at least partially wound around the deflecting body,

wherein for bearing the safety belt against the deflecting body, the deflecting body has a bearing region, the safety belt being positioned around the bearing region, and

wherein the bearing region has a first bearing surface and a second bearing surface.

15. The buckle device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the safety belt with a force acting on the shoulder portion which is lower than a predetermined threshold force only bears against the first bearing surface, and wherein the safety belt with a force acting on the shoulder portion which exceeds said threshold force bears against the second bearing surface.

16. The buckle device as claimed in claim 15, wherein a friction prevails between the second bearing surface and the safety belt, which causes the deflecting body to be carried along by the safety belt, when the safety belt bears against the second bearing surface, and

wherein, a friction prevails between the first bearing surface and the safety belt, which allows the safety belt to slide along the deflecting body without the deflecting body being carried along by the safety belt, when the safety belt only bears against the first bearing surface.

17. The buckle device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first bearing surface is formed by a surface facing the safety belt of at least one movable element mounted on the deflecting body, and wherein the second bearing surface is formed by a surface of a central portion of the deflecting body facing the safety belt.

18. The buckle device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first bearing surface projects beyond the second bearing surface, along a normal of the second bearing surface, so that the safety belt with a force acting on the shoulder portion which is lower than a predetermined threshold force only bears against the first bearing surface, and the safety belt with a force acting on the shoulder portion which exceeds said threshold force is deformed such that the safety belt bears against the second bearing surface.

19. The buckle device as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one projection projecting from the deflecting body with a surface remote from the deflecting body forms the first bearing surface.