Tongue for seat belt device, and seat belt device

• US 8,801,038 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Hori, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US13/606,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130062925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 280/801.1, 297/468, 297/474, 297/475, 241/96, 245/931
• US Class Current: 280/801.1
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/00 Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/18 Anchoring devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4081 Hook attached
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4084 Looped strap
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45241 Slot and tab or tongue

Abstract

A tongue for a seat belt device is provided with a tongue main body that is insertable within a buckle, and a train-around portion through which an intermediate portion of a webbing is inserted. The train-around portion includes a first shaft is fixedly mounted between a pair of opposing walls, and a second shaft that is movably mounted between the walls. The webbing is slidably bent 180° around the first fixed shaft. When tension of the webbing exceeds a predetermined magnitude or greater, the movable second shaft engages the webbing and increases a bending angle of the webbing around the first shaft to an angle greater than 180° thereby increasing frictional resistance between the webbing and the train-around portion.

Claims

1. A tongue for a seat belt device, comprising:

a tongue main body that is provided at an intermediate portion of a webbing in a longitudinal direction of the webbing, and at which the webbing is folded over in a state in which the tongue main body is inserted in a buckle;

a train-around portion that is provided at the tongue main body, and at which the webbing is bent due to the webbing being trained therearound; and

a bending angle increasing section that includes a movable portion provided so as to be apart from the train-around portion by more than a thickness dimension of the webbing, and that, in a case in which tension of the webbing is a predetermined magnitude or greater, moves the movable portion in a predetermined direction to cause the movable portion to push the webbing, and trains the webbing around the train-around portion and increases a bending angle of the webbing in a state in which the movable portion is apart from the train-around portion by more than the thickness dimension of the webbing,

wherein the movable portion is a folded over portion at which the webbing is folded over, and the movable portion is a slider member that can slide at the tongue main body.

2. The tongue for a seat belt device of claim 1, further comprising a restricting portion that restricts movement of the movable portion in the predetermined direction by the restricting portion engaging with the movable portion that has moved in the predetermined direction with respect to the tongue main body, at a position at which a gap between the train-around portion and the movable portion is greater than or equal to the thickness dimension of the webbing.

3. The tongue for a seat belt device of claim 1, wherein

the bending angle increasing section, in the case in which the tension of the webbing is the predetermined magnitude or greater, moves the movable portion in the predetermined direction such that a portion of the webbing at a side further toward an end side than the folded over portion and a portion of the webbing at a side further toward an opposite end side than the folded over portion approach or contact with each other in the vicinity of the folded over portion.

4. A seat belt device comprising:

a buckle that is provided at a side of a seat;

a webbing that is shaped as an elongated strip; and

a tongue that includes;

a tongue main body that is provided at an intermediate portion of the webbing in a longitudinal direction of the webbing, and at which the webbing is folded over, the tongue main body being insertable into the buckle;

a train-around portion that is provided at the tongue main body, and at which the webbing is bent due to the webbing being trained therearound; and

a bending angle increasing section that includes a movable portion provided so as to be apart from the train-around portion by more than a thickness dimension of the webbing, and that, in a case in which tension of the webbing is a predetermined magnitude or greater,

moves the movable portion in a predetermined direction to cause the movable portion to push the webbing, and trains the webbing around the train-around portion and increases a bending angle of the webbing in a state in which the movable portion is apart from the train-around portion by more than the thickness dimension of the webbing,

wherein the movable portion is a folded over portion at which the webbing is folded over, and the movable portion is a slider member that can slide at the tongue main body.

5. The seat belt device of claim 4, further comprising a restricting portion that restricts movement of the movable portion in the predetermined direction by the restricting portion engaging with the movable portion that has moved in the predetermined direction with respect to the tongue main body, at a position at which a gap between the train-around portion and the movable portion is greater than or equal to the thickness dimension of the webbing.

6. The seat belt device of claim 4, wherein

the bending angle increasing section, in the case in which the tension of the webbing is the predetermined magnitude or greater, moves the movable portion in the predetermined direction such that a portion of the webbing at a side further toward an end side than the folded over portion and a portion of the webbing at a side further toward an opposite end side than the folded over portion approach or contact with each other in the vicinity of the folded over portion.