EP0504657B2 - Buckle for vehicle safety belt - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a lock for vehicle seat belts according to the preamble of claim 1.

For use in seat belt systems with an am Locking belt tensioners are provided, it must Locked against unintentional opening at the end of the tightening process be secured. In the event of activation, the Belt tensioner the lock towards the vehicle floor, until a stop is reached. When the stop is reached the movement of the lock is suddenly slowed down. His Functional parts are endeavored due to the inertia, to continue their movement. This also applies to the Release button, whose inertia-related further movement an opening of the castle.

Various measures have already been proposed to: an automatic opening of the lock at the end of the tightening process to prevent. When integrating these measures into existing lock designs, however, encounter difficulties on.

From DE-A-38 11 429 there is already a lock for vehicle seat belts according to the preamble of claim 1 known. In this castle pawls 4 are provided, which in engage their rest position in openings 12 so that the Lock cannot be opened. When pressing a release button 3, the pawls 4 on sliding curves 13 and Sliding surfaces 14 pivoted into an open position in the they no longer engage in the openings 12. An opening the buckle is now possible. A disadvantage of this well-known belt buckle is the considerable sliding friction, between the sliding curves 13 and the sliding surfaces 14 occurs.

The invention has for its object a lock for Vehicle seat belts indicate which is against accidental Opening is secured and in terms of construction principle, Design and size not conventional Lock designs differ.

This task is given at a castle of the beginning Kind according to the invention with the characteristics of the characteristic part of the Claim 1 solved.

To open the lock, click on the operating surface in the usual way pressed, which, however, in contrast to the conventional Lock training not on the release button, but is formed on the integrated push button. By Depressing the push button first becomes the two-armed Lever pivots until its second lever arm is out of range the stop part of the lock housing is pivoted. Only then is the depression depressed Pushbutton also moves the shutter button until it ends in a conventional manner releases the bolt, which the Tongue in the lock.

If after the activation of the belt tensioner the lock at the end its shift distance has reached and the release button because of their inertia, their movement strives to continue, the two-armed lever strives at the same time to carry out a swiveling movement in such a sense, that his second lever arm is opposite the stop part of the lock housing remains. The further movement of the release button is prevented by the second lever arm on Stop part of the lock housing abuts.

To make an existing lock construction tighter, only minor changes are necessary: the release button is formed in two parts by the area of Cut out actuation area and a separate push button is slidably supported in the recessed area; further inside the release button, the two-armed lever is opened a pin pivotally mounted. So from the changes essentially only affects the trigger button, a component, which is molded from plastic and therefore easily through another can be replaced.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Perspektivansicht des Schlosses für Fahrzeug-Sicherheitsgurte;

Fig. 2

eine im Längsschnitt gezeigte Teilansicht des Schlosses; und

Fig. 3

eine Explosionsdarstellung der Auslösetaste des Schlosses.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the drawing to which reference is made. The drawing shows:

Fig. 1

is a schematic perspective view of the lock for vehicle seat belts;

Fig. 2

a partial view of the castle shown in longitudinal section; and

Fig. 3

an exploded view of the lock release button.

There is a lock for vehicle seat belts from a load-bearing housing, mounted on it Functional parts and one of these elements surrounding plastic cover, the gives the lock the shape shown in Fig. 1. Located on the front of the cover 10 the actuating surface of a release button 12. From this actuating surface of the release button 12 a push button 14 protrudes by 2 to 3 mm. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the Release button 12 has a recess 16, wherein the Push button 14 is guided. The push button 14 is generally cap-shaped, with two flanges 14a, 14b at their longitudinal ends, which on the inside of the release button 12 to the system come.

Part of the conventionally trained and therefore not described load bearing Housing of the castle is a bracket 18, the Face of the push button 14 is opposite. On the open inside of the release button 12 is a two-armed angled locking lever 20 pivotally mounted on a pin 22. The first Lever arm 20a engages in the cavity of the push button 14 and lies with its free end on the Inside of the push button. The second lever arm 20b lies the end face of the one forming a stop part Bracket 18 opposite and is replaced by a compression spring supported on the release button 12 24 burdened in such a way that the first Lever arm 20a in contact with the inside of the Push button 14 is held. The focus S the blocking lever 20 lies in the second lever arm 20b on the outside of one through the axis of the Bearing pin 22 extending to the longitudinal direction of the castle parallel plane.

By a not shown in the drawing, Ordinary return spring becomes the release button 12 preloaded into the rest position shown in Fig. 2.

To actuate the trigger button 12 is first the push button 14 is depressed. The two-armed Locking lever 20 is clockwise in Fig. 2 pivoted, causing his second lever arm 20b next to the end face of the bracket 18 is moved. Only now can the release button 12 be depressed via the pushbutton 14 in order to to open the lock.

When the belt tensioner is activated, the immediately attacks the lock and this in Shifted towards the vehicle floor, drives the castle after a relocation of, for example 10 cm against a stop and suddenly becomes slowed down. The release button 12 and it stored parts are due to their inertia endeavors to continue the movement. At the Center of gravity S of the blocking lever 20 becomes one in Direction of inertia F effective. Since the focus S with respect to Swivel axis of the locking lever on the outside of the lock is the blocking lever 20 endeavors to pivot counterclockwise to perform, which prevented him is because the free end of the first lever arm 20a rests on the inside of the push button 14. The blocking lever 20 thus remains in its Fig. 2 shown rest position. In this position but is the free end of the second lever arm 20b opposite the end face of the bracket 18; at slight movement of the trigger button 12 the rest end pushes out the second end of the lever arm 20b against the bracket 18, the one Stop part forms and a further movement of the Trigger button prevented.

Claims (5)

1. Buckle for vehicle safety belts, comprising a loadbearing housing (10) and a release button (12) which is displaceably guided therein, is biased by spring force into a rest position and comprises an actuating face,

   the actuating face of the release button (12) being formed on a pushbutton (14) which is integrated into the release button (12) and guided displaceably in the latter over a limited travel distance in the displacement direction of the release button (12) and is biased by spring force (24) into a rest position, and

   a two-armed blocking lever (20) being pivotally mounted on the release button (12), the first lever arm (20a) of which bears on the pushbutton (14) and the second lever arm (20b) of which, when the pushbutton (14) is in its rest position, is located opposite a stop member (18) of the loadbearing housing, and when the pushbutton (14) is depressed with respect to the release button (12), is pivoted out of the range of the stop member (18) and is displaceable unobstructed past the stop member (18) in the displacement direction of the release button (12) along with the latter,
   characterized in that

   the first lever arm (20a) of the blocking lever (20) bears on a face of the pushbutton (14) which is perpendicular to the displacement direction of the release button (12),

   the spring force biasing the blocking lever (20) into its rest position is smaller than the spring force biasing the release button (12) into its rest position, and

   that the centre (S) of gravity of the blocking lever (20) lies on the outer side of a plane running through the pivot axis of the blocking lever (20) and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the buckle.
2. Buckle according to claim 1, characterized in that in the rest position of the pushbutton (14) the actuating face thereof projects out of the release button (12).
3. Buckle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pushbutton (14) comprises at least one flange (14a, 14b) which in the rest position of the pushbutton (14) bears on the inner side of the edge of the recess (16) of the release button (12) in which the pushbutton (14) is displaceably received.
4. Buckle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second lever arm (20b) of the blocking lever (20) bears via a pressure spring (24) on the release button (12).
5. Buckle according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the pressure face of the pushbutton (14) in its position depressed with respect to the release button (12) is at least approximately flush with the outer surface thereof.

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