Buckle device

• US 8,230,558 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wendt, Mario, Vidolov, Kliment
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavinder, Jack W.
• Application Number:
  US13/176,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 24/265.BC
• 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 two portions extend away from the deflecting body in different directions,

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

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

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 the predeterminable threshold force, only bears against the first bearing surface, and in that the safety belt with a force acting on the shoulder portion which exceeds said threshold force, is deformed such that it bears against the second bearing surface, and

wherein at least one projection projecting from the deflecting body is provided with a surface remote from the deflecting body which forms the first bearing surface, wherein the projection surrounds the deflecting body,

wherein the second bearing surface of the deflecting body is structured thereby resulting in the second bearing surface has a higher friction coefficient than the first bearing surface.

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 projection surrounds the deflecting body in an annular manner transversely to the direction of extension.

4. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of projections, with one respective surface remote from the deflecting body, said surfaces in their entirety forming the first bearing surface.

5. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projection surrounds the deflecting body in a helical manner, so that the first bearing surface comprises first portions which are oriented in the direction in which the shoulder portion extends away from the deflecting body, and wherein the first bearing surface comprises second portions which are oriented in the direction in which the lap portion extends away from the deflecting body.

6. The buckle device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second bearing surface which is positioned more deeply surrounds in the same manner the deflecting body in a helical manner.

7. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projections are formed integrally on the deflecting body.

8. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second bearing surface has a plurality of small raised portions.

9. The buckle device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the raised portions are configured as saw-toothed locking lugs, which having in cross section two sides extending at an acute angle to one another, wherein the two sides have especially a variable gradient relative to a normal of the second bearing surface.

10. The buckle device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the raised portions are configured to be directionally dependent, such that a greater resistance is provided against a relative movement between the deflecting body and the safety belt, as a result of a force introduced via the lap portion, than with a force introduced via the shoulder portion.

11. The buckle device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the raised portions engage in structures of the safety belt and/or engage behind said structures so that between the safety belt and the raised portions of the second bearing surface a positive connection is produced, if the safety belt presses against the second bearing surface with a predeterminable threshold force.

12. The buckle device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the tips of the raised portions are flattened.

13. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second bearing surface is located between equally spaced apart portions of the at least one projection.

14. The buckle device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a plurality of projections, with one respective surface remote from the deflecting body, said surfaces in their entirety forming the first bearing surface.

15. The buckle device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one projection surrounds the deflecting body in an annular manner transversely to the direction of extension.

16. The buckle device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one projection surrounds the deflecting body in a helical manner, so that the first bearing surface comprises first portions which are oriented in the direction in which the shoulder portion extends away from the deflecting body, and wherein the first bearing surface comprises second portions which are oriented in the direction in which the lap portion extends away from the deflecting body.