Safety belt device in a motor vehicle

• US 9,623,837 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Mker, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US14/442,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20150314749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/06 with clamping devices
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• 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 22/30 Coupling devices other than buckles, including length-adjusting fittings or anti-slip devices adaptations of manual three-point seat belt systems for use by small passengers using other means than belt anti-slip devices B60R22/024; buckles A44B11/00; releasable fastenings in general F16B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4016 Pivoted part or lever

Abstract

A belt fitting for a safety belt device in a motor vehicle, the fitting having a base portion and an adjoining insertion tongue, in which base portion a belt eye is provided, through which a belt strap is guided and which subdivides the belt strap into a shoulder belt portion and a lap belt portion when the belt is fastened, and additionally having a clamping element that is freely movable between a release position, in which the belt strap is run freely movably through the belt eye, and a clamping position in which the belt strap is clamped tightly with a clamping force between the clamping element and a clamping stop. According to the invention, the clamping element and/or the clamping stop has a clamping contour, with which the belt strap can be clamped tightly in the clamping position over a belt strap width in a non-linear and/or uneven clamping force distribution.

Claims

1. A belt fitting for a safety belt device in a motor vehicle, said belt fitting comprising:

a base section, said base section comprising a belt slit through which a belt strap passes, and which, when the safety belt is fastened, subdivides the belt strap into a shoulder belt section and a lap belt section,

an adjoining insertion tongue, and

a clamping element configured to be adjustable between a release position, in which the belt strap can move freely as it passes through the belt slit, and a clamping position, in which the belt strap is clamped tightly between the clamping element and a clamping stop with a clamping force,

wherein the clamping element and/or the clamping stop has a clamping contour with which the belt strap, when it is in the clamped position, is clamped with a non-linear and/or non-uniform clamping force distribution over a width of the belt strap, wherein the clamping contour comprises a crown or an outward bulge having an apex that presses into a center of the belt strap when it is in the clamping position and with arc sections descending in a crosswise direction of the belt strap.

2. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the clamping contour of the clamping element and/or of the clamping stop is at a distance of one crosswise offset from an outer edge of the belt strap.

3. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the clamping contour has at least one clamping projection that extends from the base surface of the clamping element and/or of the clamping stop by a height that is smaller than or equal to a thickness (s) of a material of the belt strap.

4. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein a course of the apex in the crosswise direction is configured to be rectilinear over a center area.

5. The belt fitting according to claim 4, wherein the rectilinear center area of the apex has a length of less than 85% of the width of the belt strap.

6. The belt fitting according to claim 4, wherein the rectilinear center area of the apex has a length of less than 75% of the width of the belt strap.

7. The belt fitting according to claim 4, wherein the rectilinear center area of the apex has a length of less than 50% of the width of the belt strap.

8. The belt fitting according to claim 1,

wherein the clamping element is configured to pivot around an axis of rotation between the release position and the clamping position, and is elastically pre-tensioned in the release position (I),

wherein, during normal driving, the belt strap is in sliding contact and can move freely over a running surface of the clamping element, and

wherein, in case of a collision, when elevated belt forces are exerted, the clamping element can be moved in a direction of rotation into the clamping position.

9. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the clamping force distribution at the belt strap'"'"'s outer edges is reduced relative to the center area of the belt strap.

10. A safety belt device for a motor vehicle, said safety belt having the belt fitting according to claim 1.

11. The belt fitting according to claim 10, wherein no clamping force is introduced in an area of the outer edges of the belt strap.

12. A belt fitting for a safety belt device in a motor vehicle, said belt fitting comprising:

a base section, said base section comprising a belt slit through which a belt strap passes, and which, when the safety belt is fastened, subdivides the belt strap into a shoulder belt section and a lap belt section,

an adjoining insertion tongue, and

a clamping element configured to be adjustable between a release position, in which the belt strap can move freely as it passes through the belt slit, and a clamping position, in which the belt strap is clamped tightly between the clamping element and a clamping stop with a clamping force,

wherein the clamping element and/or the clamping stop has a clamping contour with which the belt strap, when it is in the clamped position, is clamped with a non-linear and/or non-uniform clamping force distribution over a width of the belt strap, wherein in a crosswise direction of the belt strap, the clamping contour has consecutive contour sections that are at a distance from each other by lengthwise offsets in a lengthwise direction of the belt strap, wherein the contour sections that are at a distance from each other by lengthwise offsets make a sinusoidal transition into one another.