Tongue and seat belt device using same

• US 9,615,632 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan GK
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okano, Motonori, Tabata, Yuuki, Kawai, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERCADO, LOUIS A
• Application Number:
  US14/415,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20150173461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2546 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2561 Tongue elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/18 Anchoring devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45241 Slot and tab or tongue

Abstract

To enable a tongue to be more compact in size even when a seat-belt locking member is disposed and to achieve satisfactory mountability. A tongue (7) includes a resin mold portion (12) having seat belt lock guide holes (21) and (22). The resin mold portion (12) is provided with a seat belt lock (13) such that it is movable between an unlocking position where it does not lock a seat belt (4) and a locking position where it locks the seat belt (4) while being guided by the seat belt lock guide holes (21) and (22), and the seat belt lock (13) is set in the unlocking position under normal conditions and is set in the locking position in emergency. The seat belt lock (13) is continuously urged toward the unlocking position by a torsion spring (14). In emergency, the seat belt lock (13) is set in the locking position by a pressing force from the seat belt (4) against the urging force of the torsion spring (14).

Claims

1. A tongue slidably supported on a seat belt, the tongue being engageable in a buckle, the tongue comprising:

a tongue body including a gripping base and an engagement portion, the gripping base having a guide hole, the engagement portion being engageable in the buckle;

a resin mold portion on the gripping base in the tongue body;

a seat-belt locking member around which the seat belt is wound, the seat-belt locking member being movable between an unlocking position where the seat-belt locking member does not lock the seat belt and a locking position where the seat-belt locking member locks the seat belt while being guided by the guide hole, the seat-belt locking member being set in the unlocking position under normal conditions and being set in the locking position in emergency; and

a torsion spring configured to continuously urge the seat-belt locking member to the unlocking position,

wherein in the emergency, the seat-belt locking member is set in the locking position by a pressing force from the seat belt,

wherein the guide hole has a guide surface allowing the seat-belt locking member to slide thereon, and at least the guide surface is made of resin.

2. The tongue according to claim 1, wherein the torsion spring comprises a single wire having springiness.

3. The tongue according to claim 2, wherein the torsion spring includes at least a torsion portion and a pair of locking-member connection portions, the torsion portion is made of one turn of the wire and is torsionally deformable, and the pair of locking-member connection portions are connected to opposite end portions of the seat-belt locking member, respectively.

4. A seat belt device comprising at least the seat belt;

a seat belt retractor configured to retract the seat belt;

the tongue slidably supported on the seat belt; and

the buckle allowing the tongue to be engaged therein, the seat belt device being attached to an occupant by engagement of the tongue into the buckle,

wherein the tongue comprises the tongue according to claim 1.

5. A tongue slidably supported on a seat belt, the tongue being engageable in a buckle, the tongue comprising:

a tongue body including a gripping base and an engagement portion, the gripping base having a linear guide hole, the engagement portion being engageable in the buckle;

a resin mold portion on the gripping base in the tongue body;

a seat-belt locking member around which the seat belt is wound, the seat-belt locking member being only linearly movable between an unlocking position where the seat-belt locking member does not lock the seat belt and a locking position where the seat-belt locking member locks the seat belt while being guided by the linear guide hole, the seat-belt locking member being set in the unlocking position under normal conditions and being set in the locking position in emergency; and

a torsion spring configured to continuously urge the seat-belt locking member to the unlocking position,

wherein the seat-belt locking member includes a tubular locking member around which the seat belt is wound and a locking-member supporting shaft member, the tubular locking member being configured to lock the seat belt, the locking-member supporting shaft member penetrating through an inner hole of the seat-belt locking member, supporting the tubular locking member while disabling relative rotation thereof, and penetrating through the linear guide hole and only linearly sliding in the linear guide hole,

the locking-member supporting shaft member is urged by the torsion spring, and

in the emergency, the seat-belt locking member is set in the locking position by a pressing force from the seat belt.

6. A tongue slidably supported on a seat belt, the tongue being engageable in a buckle, the tongue comprising:

a tongue body including a gripping base and an engagement portion, the gripping base having a linear guide hole, the engagement portion being engageable in the buckle;

a resin mold portion on the gripping base in the tongue body;

a seat-belt locking member around which the seat belt is wound, the seat-belt locking member being only linearly movable between an unlocking position where the seat-belt locking member does not lock the seat belt and a locking position where the seat-belt locking member locks the seat belt while being guided by the linear guide hole, the seat-belt locking member being set in the unlocking position under normal conditions and being set in the locking position in emergency; and

a torsion spring configured to continuously urge the seat-belt locking member to the unlocking position,

wherein the seat-belt locking member includes a tubular locking member around which the seat belt is wound and a locking-member supporting shaft member, the tubular locking member being configured to lock the seat belt, the locking-member supporting shaft member penetrating through an inner hole of the tubular locking member, supporting the tubular locking member while disabling relative rotation thereof, and penetrating through the linear guide hole and only linearly sliding in the linear guide hole,

the tubular locking member includes a seat-belt pinching reduction portion configured to reduce a possibility that the seat belt is pinched,

the locking-member supporting shaft member is urged by the torsion spring, and

in the emergency, the seat-belt locking member is set in the locking position by a pressing force from the seat belt.