Safety belt device in a vehicle

• US 9,821,757 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Moeker, Carsten, Meyner, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Troy, Abigail
• Application Number:
  US15/044,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20160159315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2553 Attachment of buckle to strap
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2561 Tongue elements
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2569 Safety measures buckles for releasing in a vehicle emergency B60R22/32; control, alarm, or interlock systems for the correct application of safety belt buckles in vehicles B60R22/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/18 Anchoring devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1855 the means being sensitive to belt tension

Abstract

A belt fitting for a safety belt device in a vehicle that includes a base segment and an insertion tongue connected thereto, in which base segment a belt eye is provided, through which a belt webbing is guided and divides the belt webbing into a shoulder belt segment and a lap belt segment when the safety belt is worn. The belt fitting has a clamping element movable between a release position, such that the belt webbing is freely movable in sliding contact over at least one belt running surface, and a clamping position, in which the belt webbing is tightly clamped between a clamping stop on the base segment and the clamping element in the event of a load or crash. The belt running surface of the belt fitting has a surface contour, which ensures stable transverse guidance of the belt webbing in the event of a load.

Claims

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

a base segment and an insertion tongue connected thereto, wherein the base segment has a belt eye through which a belt webbing is guided and which divides the belt webbing into a shoulder belt segment and a lap belt segment when the safety belt device is buckled; and

a clamping element that is adjustable between a release position, in which the belt webbing is freely movable in sliding contact over at least one belt running surface of the belt fitting, and a clamping position, in which the belt webbing is tightly clamped between a clamping stop on the base segment and the clamping element in the event of a load or a crash,

wherein the at least one belt running surface of the belt fitting has a surface contour that ensures a stable transverse guidance of the belt webbing in the event of a load or crash if the belt webbing is not yet tightly clamped, the transverse guidance counteracting a transverse force component that acts upon the belt webbing,

wherein the at least one belt runninq surface includes two belt running surfaces that are provided on opposite sides of the belt eye, viewed in a longitudinal direction of the belt webbing, wherein one of the two belt running surfaces is formed on the clamping element and another one of the two belt running surfaces is formed on the base segment, and wherein the two belt running surfaces are each provided with the surface contour, and

wherein the surface contour includes indentations, furrows, grooves or cross-furrows oriented in a longitudinal direction of the belt webbing.

2. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the indentations of the surface contour are each approximately 2.5 mm wide and approximately 1.5 mm deep, and wherein the grooves are open counter to a direction of movement of the belt webbing such that they have no limiting wall on a front side, such that the grooves are delimited by a base, two opposing lateral side walls and a back side wall.

3. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the clamping element is pivotable around a rotation axis between the release position and the clamping position and may be elastically pretensioned in a direction of the release position, and wherein the clamping element is pivotable into the clamping position in a rotation direction in the event of a load when higher belt forces are applied to the belt webbing.

4. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the clamping element has a clamping contour with the aid of which the belt webbing may be tightly clamped in the clamping position.

5. The belt fitting according to claim 4, wherein the clamping element has the one of the two belt running surfaces, including the surface contour, and the clamping contour, and wherien the surface contour is disposed on the clamping element in a leading manner and the clamping contour is disposed thereon in a trailing manner, viewed in a rotation direction.

6. The belt fitting according to claim 4, a clamping piece that protrudes from the clamping element is provided with the clamping contour, and wherein the belt webbing is clamped between the clamping contour of the clamping piece and the clamping stop of the base segment in the clamping position.

7. The belt fitting according to claim 6, wherein the clamping piece extends along an axial direction of the clamping element and protrudes from the clamping element in a radial direction of the clamping element, wherein an apex of the clamping piece is provided at a middle portion of the clamping piece in the axial direction, the middle portion of the clamping piece corresponding with a middle portion of the clamping element, wherein descending arc segments of the clamping piece extend from the apex on either side thereof towards ends of the clamping element, wherein the apex and the arc segments form the clamping contour of the clamping piece and wherein the belt webbing is clamped between the apex of the clamping piece and the clamping stop of the base segment in the clamping position.

8. The belt fitting according to claim 1, wherein the surface contour extends continuously over the entire belt webbing width in a belt transverse direction.

9. A safety belt device for a vehicle, comprising the belt fitting according to claim 1.