JPH0126281B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a buckle for a push-button seat belt used in automobiles, aircraft, etc., and in particular, the buckle of a push-button seat belt is used to attach and detach a tongue by utilizing the spring function of a built-in spring member. Regarding seat belt buckle.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Generally, in this type of seat belt buckle, when the tongue is inserted into the buckle body, the latch engages with the latch engagement hole of the tongue and is locked, thereby preventing the tongue from being pulled out.

In this type of seat belt buckle, when inserting the tongue into the buckle body, it reliably prevents a false latch engagement, and once the buckle is completely latched and locked, the buckle is protected from impact. What is the best way to ensure that the latch of the tongue is held securely in the locked state without being released even when the latch is applied, and furthermore, that the push button for releasing the latch can be operated with light force? It was becoming a problem. Also,
Conventional seat belt buckles have a very complex mechanism built-in and a large number of parts, making assembly difficult and leading to high costs.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention takes the above-mentioned points into consideration and provides a seat belt buckle that has a small number of parts, has a simple internal structure, is easy to assemble, and that reliably prevents the occurrence of a false latch engagement. With the goal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a buckle for a seat belt in which the buckle body can effectively perform its function as a buckle by adopting a special spring structure even when an impact load is applied to the buckle.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the buckle of the seat belt according to the present invention includes a base having a horizontal plate portion and side plate portions cut and raised on both sides substantially vertically, and supports formed on both side plate portions of the base. a latch with an ear inserted into the hole and supported so as to be swingable between a release position and a lock position; a spring member attached to the base so as to constantly bias the latch toward the lock position; The spring member has a push button inserted into the base of the U-shaped cross section and mounted in a cantilever shape, and a tongue inserted along the upper surface of the base and engaged with and locked by the latch. , the spring member includes a base part horizontally attached above the front end of the base side plate part, and a first part extending rearward from the base part and spring-biasing a push button cantilevered by the base part toward the original position. a spring part, an engaging protrusion integrally molded on the back of the first spring part and capable of engaging with the front end side of the latch, and a connecting part that extends rearward from the center of the base part and is bifurcated. and a second spring portion provided between the side locking portions and spring-biasing the latch toward the locked position. , the second spring part has a positioning protrusion that engages with the positioning hole of the latch, and the engagement protrusion of the first spring part moves the latch against the spring force of the second spring part when the push button is pressed. It is designed so that it can be swung toward the release position.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of a seat belt buckle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are perspective views showing the seat belt buckle according to the present invention with the cover plate removed, and reference numeral 10 in the figures indicates the buckle body of the push-button buckle. Buckle body 1
0 has a base 11, and this base 11 has a plate-shaped horizontal plate portion 12 formed in the center thereof. Both sides of the horizontal plate part 12 are cut and raised substantially vertically to form side plate parts 13. Support holes 14 are formed in the front part of the side plate part 13 to face each other, and a bulge part 15 that bulges outward is formed at the rear of the support hole 14. 16 is configured as a guide groove 17 for guiding the guide groove 16. The rear part of the guide groove 17 is cut out diagonally upward and is connected to a guide port 18 that opens at the rear end, and the front part of the guide groove 17 is connected to the front support hole 14. The latch 16 inserted from the rear guide port 18 is inserted into the guide groove 17.
is guided through the support hole 14, and this support hole 1
4, the tongue is swingably supported between a release position and a lock position.

The latch 16 has a base plate portion 20 and a balance weight portion 2, as shown in FIGS.
1 are integrally molded into a substantially dogleg shape, and the center portion of the base plate portion 20 is formed with a recessed portion projecting downward, and this recessed portion is configured as a latch pawl 22. A positioning engagement hole 23 is bored approximately in the center of the concave portion, while ears 24 are integrally molded at both ends of the base plate portion 20, and these ears 24 are connected to the support holes 14 of the base 11 described above. inserted and supported. At this time, the ear axis (swing center axis) CL connecting both ear parts 24 is adjusted by the balance weight part 21 so that it passes through the center of gravity of the latch 16, and the ear axis CL of the latch 16 passes through the center of gravity, so that the base Even if a shock load is applied to the latch 11, the latch 16 is not adversely affected by it.

The latch 16 is held on the base 11 by a spring member 25 so as to be always biased toward the lock position. The spring member 25 is shown in FIGS.
It is constructed as shown in the figure, and has a base 26 that is attached to the front end of the base 11 in a horizontal manner. The base portion 26 has a U-shaped cross section, and mounting holes 27 are formed on both sides. This attachment hole 27 corresponds to an engagement protrusion 28 integrally formed on the front end of the base 11, and the spring member 2 is attached to this engagement protrusion 28.
The base 26 is fixed to the base 11 by inserting the base 5 from the front and engaging it. A push button 30 is press-fitted into the base 26 of the spring member 25 in a cantilever shape and is held therein.

A plate-shaped first spring portion 31 extends rearward and obliquely upward from both sides of the base portion 26 of the spring member 25 and terminates therein. This first spring portion 31 contacts the back side of the push button 30 and constantly biases the push button 30 toward its original position. Furthermore, an engaging protrusion 32 that engages with the balance weight section 21 of the latch 16 is integrally molded on the back side (lower part) of the first spring section 31. By pressing down against the
Balance weight part 21 with latch engagement protrusion 32
is pressed down to bring the latch 16 to the release position.

Further, a connecting portion 33 extends rearward from the lower central portion of the base portion of the spring member 25 . The connecting part 33 is bifurcated from the middle, and the branched end is connected to the side locking part 34.
is integrally connected to. The side locking portion 34 has a locking claw 35 that projects outward from the side.
The side locking portion 34 is held and attached to the base side plate portion 13 by being inserted into the guide hole communicating with the base side plate portion 4 from above and engaging with it.

A second spring portion 35 is integrally molded between the side locking portions 34 of the spring member 25. The second spring part has a plate shape, and is curved so that its central part protrudes downward to some extent, and this central part abuts against the base plate part 20 of the latch 16, so that the latch 16 is always in the locked position. It is biased by a spring so that it is held.
At that time, a positioning protrusion 36 protrudes downward from the center of the second spring part 35 of the spring member 25 so that the movement of the latch 16 in the front-rear direction is restricted. It is engaged with the engagement hole 23.

Thus, a guide path 39 for guiding the insertion of the tongue 38 is formed between the horizontal plate portion 12 of the base 11, the latch 16, and the spring member 25, and the tongue 38 is inserted and removed through this guide path 39. The tongue 38 has a latch engagement hole 40 engageable with the latch 16, as shown in FIGS.
and a mounting hole 41 that is mounted on the end of the webbing of the seat belt. By approaching the buckle body 10 from the front and inserting the tongue 38 along its guide path 39, the insertion end of the tongue 38 touches the base plate portion 20 of the latch 16 into the spring member 2.
5 against the spring force (spring force of the second spring part 35), and further inserting the tongue 38 from this state, the latch 16 is pushed open by the action of the spring force of the spring member 25, and the latch 16 is pushed open against the spring force of the second spring part 35. 40,
The tongue 38 is locked (fully latched) as shown in FIG. 3, and withdrawal is restricted.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 44 is a cover that covers the buckle main body 10, and reference numeral 45 is a mounting hole for mounting the buckle main body 10 on the webbing end (not shown) of a seat belt.

Next, the function of the buckle of the push-button seat belt will be explained with reference to FIG.

Prior to inserting the tongue 38 into the buckle body 10, the buckle is held as shown in FIG. 6A;
The push button 30 is held at the original position by the spring force of the first spring portion 31 of the spring member 25, and the held push button 30 is maintained at the original position by the stopper action of the stopper portion 44a of the cover 44. On the other hand, the latch 16 is spring-biased toward the lock position by the spring action of the second spring portion 35 of the spring member 25, and is held at that position.

When the tongue 38 is inserted along the guide path of the buckle body 10 from the state shown in FIG. Push up the tongue 3 against the spring force of the part 35 toward the release position.
8 can be inserted further into the back. From this state, the tongue 38 is further inserted, and the latch engagement hole 40
is inserted to the position corresponding to latch 16,
The latch 16 is pushed toward the lock position by the spring force of the second spring portion 35 of the spring member 25, and the latch pawl 22 of the latch 16 engages with the latch engagement hole 40, as shown in FIG. 6B. The tongue 38 is locked. This reliably and completely prevents the tongue 38 from being pulled out. Furthermore, when inserting the tongue 38 into the buckle body 10, the latch 16 is always biased toward the lock position by the spring member 25, so if the tongue 38 is inserted a predetermined amount,
The tongue is positively locked and false latching is completely prevented.

When pulling out the tongue 38 from the locked state (fully latched state) shown in FIG.
Push down against the spring force of the spring portion 31. By pressing down the push button 30, the push button 30 rotates around the base 26 of the spring member 25.
The engagement protrusion 32 of the first spring part 31 pushes down the balance weight part 21 of the latch 16 with a large force by the principle of leverage, and the latch 16 is pushed down against the spring force of the second spring part 35, as shown in FIG. 6C. Rotate it to the release position as shown. This rotation of the latch 16 disengages the latch pawl 22 of the latch 16 from the latch engagement hole 40 of the tongue 38, and the tongue 38 is released. For this reason, the tongue 38 is attached to the buckle body 10.
It can be easily extracted from.

In this case, the latch 16 is connected to the support hole 14 of the side plate 13 of the base 11 so that its pivot axis is
Since CL is supported so as to pass through the center of gravity of the latch 16, even if a large impact load is applied to the base body 10, the latch 16 will not automatically rotate toward the release position due to this impact load. , not affected by impact loads.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the seat belt buckle according to the present invention is basically composed of a few parts including the base, tongue, latch, spring member, and push button, so the structure is simple and the assembly is simple. It is easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and economical.

In addition, since the spring member always biases the latch toward the lock position, when the tongue engaging hole of the tongue is inserted to the corresponding position of the latch, it is reliably locked by the pressing action of the spring force, and the lock is locked. Engagement is prevented in advance and reliably.

Furthermore, in the spring member, the first spring part and the second spring part are integrally molded via a connecting part, and the first spring part is attached to the front end part of the base side plate part via the base part, and the second spring part are provided on both side plates of the base via the side locking parts, so the spring member is stably supported by the side plates of the base, and this spring member has the function of supporting the push button at the base. The spring part has the function of returning the push button to its original position, the engaging protrusion of the first spring part has the function of releasing the lock state of the latch in conjunction with the push button, and the second spring part holds the latch in the locked state. The positioning protrusion of the second spring part has the positioning function of the latch, and one spring member has many functions. In addition, the spring member, which has many functions, is stably supported on the side plate of the base at two locations, front and back, so even if an impact load is applied to the buckle and the cover or push button is removed, the buckle itself will remain intact as a buckle. It is possible to provide a highly safe buckle without compromising its functionality.

Furthermore, when pulling out the tongue, just by pressing the push button, the latch can be smoothly guided to the release position by the lever principle against the spring force of the spring member, ensuring that the tongue is released. , can be easily extracted.

In addition, if the pivot axis of the latch, which is supported by the support hole formed in the side plate of the base, passes through the center of gravity of the latch, even if a large impact load is applied to the buckle, this impact load will be Therefore, the latch is not brought to the release position and is not adversely affected by impact loads.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the seat belt buckle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the buckle shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the buckle. , FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a latch incorporated into the buckle of the seat belt, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a spring member incorporated into the buckle, and FIGS. 6 A, B, and C are views of the seat belt according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the effect|action of a buckle. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Buckle main body, 11... Base, 12... Horizontal plate part, 13... Side plate part, 14... Support hole, 16... Latch, 17... Guide groove, 20... Base plate part,
21...Balance weight part, 24...Ear part, 25...
Spring member, 26... Base, 30... Push button,
31...First spring part, 32...Engaging protrusion, 34...Side locking part, 35...Second spring part, 38...Tang, 39
...Guide path, 44...Cover.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base having a horizontal plate portion and side plate portions cut and raised substantially vertically on both sides, and an ear portion inserted into a support hole formed in both side plate portions of the base, and a release position. a latch supported so as to be able to swing between the latch and the lock position; a spring member attached to the base so as to always spring-bias the latch toward the lock position; a push button inserted and mounted in a cantilevered manner, and a tongue inserted along the upper surface of the base and engaged with and locked by the latch, and the spring member is attached to the front end of the base side plate. a base mounted horizontally above; a first spring portion extending rearward from the base and spring-biasing a push button cantilevered by the base toward its original position; and a back portion of the first spring portion. The latch is integrally molded and connected via an engaging protrusion that can be engaged with the front end of the latch and a bifurcated connecting part that extends rearward from the center of the base and is locked to both side plate parts of the base. and a second spring portion provided between the side locking portions and biasing the latch toward the locked position;
The spring part has a positioning protrusion that engages with the positioning hole of the latch, and when the push button is pressed, the engaging protrusion of the first spring part moves the latch to the release position against the spring force of the second spring part. A buckle for a seat belt characterized by being made to swing. 2. The latch whose ears are swingably supported in the support holes of both side plates of the base is configured such that the center axis of swing that connects both ears passes through the center of gravity of the latch. Seat belt buckle as described in. 3. According to claim 2, the latch is constructed by integrally molding a base plate portion and a balance weight portion into a substantially dogleg shape, and a latch pawl that projects downward is formed in the center portion of the base plate. Seat belt buckle. 4. The side plate portion of the base has a bulge that bulges outward, and the inner sides of both bulges are formed as guide grooves leading to the support hole, and the latch slides through the guide groove and connects to the support hole. The seat belt buckle according to claim 1, which is adapted to be stored and held.