JPH0116165B2 - - 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.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the seat belt buckle according to the present invention includes a base having a horizontal plate portion and side plate portions cut and raised substantially vertically on both sides, and a seat belt buckle formed on both side plate portions of the base. A latch whose ears are inserted into the support holes and is supported so as to be able to swing between a release position and a lock position, and a lock spring attached to the base so as to constantly bias the latch toward the lock position. a push button attached to the front end of the side plate portions of the base; a return spring member that always biases the push button toward its original position; and a return spring member inserted along the upper surface of the base and engaged with the latch. the return spring member is interposed between the free end of the push button and the insertion end of the latch or the tongue, and the return spring member has a tongue inserted into one end of the push button; The push button has a push surface that is always pressed toward the push-out side, and the push button has an engagement protrusion that can be engaged with the front end of the latch, and when the push button is pressed, the push button locks the latch with a spring member. It is designed to swing to the release position against the force of a spring.

[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 essential parts of the seat belt buckle according to the present invention, and reference numeral 10 in the figures indicates the buckle body of the push-button buckle. The buckle main body 10 has a base 11, and the 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 opposite to each other in front of the central portion of the side plate portion 13, and a bulge portion 15 that bulges outward is formed at the rear of the support hole 14. The inside of this bulge 15 is configured as a guide groove 17 for guiding a latch 16, which will be described later. The rear part of the guide groove 17 is cut out obliquely 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 support hole 14 . The latch 16 inserted through the rear guide port 18 is guided through the guide groove 17 and reaches the support hole 14, and is supported within the support hole 14 so as to be swingable between the tongue release position and the lock position.

The latch 16 is connected to the base plate portion 20 and the 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 hook 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 lock spring member 25 shown in FIG. 5 so as to be always spring-biased toward the lock position. The lock spring member 25 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, and has side locking portions 26 that lock into the support holes 14 of both side plates of the base. Side locking part 26
has locking claws 26a projecting outward and upward on both sides,
This locking claw 26a is connected to the upper engagement groove 14 of the support hole 14.
a and is positioned. Both side locking parts 26
The space between the two is connected by a lock spring portion 27. This lock spring portion 27 is curved downward in a large arc shape, and a positioning protrusion 28 is formed in the center of the lock spring portion 27 and protrudes downward. The spring is always biased toward the lock position. At this time, the engagement restricts the movement of the latch 16 in the front-rear direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a return spring member 29 is in contact with the latch pawl 22 of the latch 16. The return spring member 29 is made of a flat rectangular cylindrical coil spring, and is diagonally interposed between the latch 16 and a push button 30, which will be described later, and always biases the push button 30 toward its original position. A substantially vertical push surface 29a is formed at one end of the return spring member 29 in the attached state.
This push surface 29a is the latch claw 2 of the latch 16.
2 and the other end of a return spring member 29, which has an area that can be engaged with the tip of a tongue 38 (described later) and always biases the inserted tongue 38 forward, is a spring receiver formed on the push button 30. 29b
Supported by The spring receiver 29b is integrally molded at the lower rear end of the push button 30. A guide protrusion for guiding the compression of the return spring member 29 is integrally formed on the spring receiver 29b, and this guide protrusion extends into the return spring member 29 and is loosely inserted.

The push button 30 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 7.
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 9, it is made of a resin material (or a metal material may be used), and a thick portion is formed in the width direction at the front end portion to strengthen it. A pair of ear shafts 31 are provided on both sides of the front end of the pushbutton 30.
are integrally or integrally molded, and this ear shaft 31
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is detachably engaged with and supported by engagement grooves 32 formed in the front end portions of the base side plates 13. This engagement groove 32 opens toward the front, and an inner support protrusion 33 is formed below this opening insertion portion. This inner support protrusion 3
3 is constructed by bending a protrusion protruding forward from the lower front end of the base side plate 13 inwardly by approximately 90 degrees. Ear shaft 32 inserted into engagement groove 32
is supported by this inner support protrusion 33. Separation of the supported ear shaft 33 from the engagement groove 32 is regulated by a cover 44 (described later). The lower surface of the inner support protrusion 33 is formed as a guide surface for inserting and removing the tongue 38.

A pair of engaging protrusions 34 are integrally molded on the base (front) flank of the push button 30 so as to bulge out on both sides. This engagement protrusion 34 engages with the front end (balance weight part) side of the latch 16, so that when the push button 30 is pressed down, the balance weight part 21 of the latch 16 is pushed down and the latch 16 is brought to the release position. It's getting old.

By the way, the horizontal plate portion 12 of the base 11,
A guide path 39 for guiding the insertion of the tongue 38 is formed between the latch 16 and the guide inner support protrusion 33, and the tongue 38 is inserted through this guide path 39.
is taken in and taken out. The tongue 38, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, has a latch engagement hole 40 that can be engaged with the latch 16 and a mounting hole 41 that can be attached to the webbing of a seat belt. tongue 38
By approaching the buckle body 10 from the front and inserting it along the guide path 39, the insertion end of the tongue 38 is inserted into the base plate portion 20 of the latch 16.
is pushed open against the spring force of the lock spring member 25. When the tongue 38 is further inserted from this state, the tip of the tongue 38 engages with the push surface 29a of the return spring 29, compresses the push surface of the return spring 29 against the spring force, and is pressed and slid.
When latch 16 is inserted into position, latch 1
6 engages with the latch engagement hole 40 of the tongue 38 by the spring action of the lock spring member 25, and the tongue 3
8 is locked and fully latched. This restricts the tongue 38 from being pulled out. but,
When the insertion of the tongue 38 is stopped and the tongue 38 is released before the latch 16 is inserted to the predetermined position, the tongue 38 is pushed forward by the spring force of the return spring 29 and pops out, so that the locking is not engaged. Prevented in advance.

Further, the buckle body 10 is covered with a cover 44 after being assembled as shown in FIG. The cover 44 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 3, 10, and 11, and has an opening 45 at the top for pressing the push button 30. A guide column 46 is suspended from the front top of this opening 45. This guide post 46 passes through a guide hole 47 of the push button 30 and guides it. A webbing attachment hole 48 is formed at the rear end of the cover 44 , and the seat belt webbing (not shown) is attached by passing through this attachment hole 48 and the attachment hole 49 of the base 11 .

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

Before the tongue 38 is inserted into the buckle body 10, the buckle is held as shown in FIG. 12A, the push button 30 is held in its original position by the spring force of the return spring member 29, and the held push button 30 is 44 stopper part 44a
It is held in its original position by the stopper action. On the other hand, the latch 16 is spring-biased toward the lock position by the spring action of the lock spring portion 27 of the lock spring member 25, and is held at that position. At this time,
A return spring member 29 is interposed between the push button 30 and the latch pawl 22 of the latch 16.

When the tongue 38 is inserted along the guide path 39 of the buckle body 10 from the state shown in FIG. The tongue 38 is pushed up toward the release position against the spring force of the portion 27, allowing the tongue 38 to be inserted further into the interior. When the tongue 38 is further inserted from this state, the tip of the tongue 38 engages with the push surface 29a of the return spring 29, pressing and sliding the push surface 29a. The tongue 38 is further inserted while pressing the push surface 29a of the return spring 29, and when the latch engagement hole 40 is inserted to the position corresponding to the latch 16, the latch 16 is pressed against the spring portion 35 of the lock spring member 25. The latch 16 is pushed toward the lock position by force, and the latch pawl 22 of the latch 16 engages with the latch engagement hole 40, and the tongue 38 is locked, as shown in FIG. 12B. This ensures that the tongue 38 is fully latched and cannot be 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 lock spring member 25, so that if the tongue 38 is inserted a predetermined amount, the tongue will be securely locked. , a pseudo-latching engagement is forestalled and completely prevented. At this time, the return spring member 2
9 is interposed between the push button 30 and the tip of the tongue 38.

When pulling out the tongue 38 from the locked state (fully latched state) shown in FIG.
Push down against the spring force. By pressing down the push button 30, the push button 30 rotates around the ear shaft 31, and the engagement protrusion 34 of the push button 30 engages the balance weight portion 2 of the latch 16.
Press down with great force using the lever principle to lock latch 1.
6 against the spring force of the lock spring part 27,
It is rotated to the release position as shown in Figure C. 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. At this time,
The tongue 38 is pushed out by the spring force of the return spring 29. Therefore, the tongue 38 pops out from the buckle body 10 and is easily extracted.

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.

Next, a modification of this invention will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

The seat belt buckle shown in this modification differs only in the support structure of the push button 30 to the base side plate 13 from that described in the first embodiment, and the other structures are the same as in the first embodiment, so the same members are used. are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted.

In order to support the push button 30 on the base side plate 13, a pair of engagement grooves 31A that open upward are formed on both sides of the front end of the push button 30. Then, it is engaged with the locking protrusion 32A on the upper front end portion of the base side plates 13. Thereby, the push button 30 is held in a cantilever shape. At this time, the upper front end portions of the base side plates 13 are deflected inward, and the locking projections 32A are bent inward from this displaced portion, thereby reducing the interval between the locking projections 32A, 32A. Can be done. This makes it possible to reduce the width of the front end (base) of the push button 30, and even when the push button 30 is made of a resin material, sufficient strength on the base side can be maintained. In addition, the held push button 30 is
It is located on the guide inner support protrusion 33 located below the locking protrusion 32A.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the seat belt buckle according to the present invention basically consists of a few parts, including the base, tongue, latch, lock spring member, return spring member, and push button, so that the structure is simple. It is simple and easy to assemble, can be manufactured at low cost, and is economical.

Further, since the lock 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, the lock is reliably locked by the pressing action of the spring force. that time,
The tip of the inserted tongue comes into contact with the push surface of the return spring member and is constantly pressed forward by this push surface, so if you stop insertion before the tongue is completely inserted and leave it as it is, the tongue will return to the return spring. It is pushed forward by the spring force of the member and pops out from the buckle body. Therefore, a false latch engagement of the tongue is completely and reliably prevented.

Furthermore, when pulling out the tongue, by simply pressing the push button, the latch can be smoothly guided to the release position by the lever principle against the spring force of the lock spring member, and the tongue can be pulled out by the return spring. Since the tongue is pushed forward by the spring force and pops out, the tongue is reliably released and can be easily pulled out.

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.

Furthermore, since the push button is attached to the front end of both side panels of the base, the mounting support structure of the push button is simplified, and since an engaging protrusion that engages with a latch is formed on the abdomen of the push button, the push button can be attached via a spring member. Unlike the previous case where the lock spring was attached to the front end of both side plates of the base, there is no need to form a mounting part, a return spring part, or a latch engagement protrusion on the lock spring member, so the structure of the lock spring member is extremely simplified and assembly is possible. This can effectively prevent the spring members from becoming entangled with each other in a complicated manner. In addition, since the return spring member simultaneously has two functions: returning the push button to its original position and pressing the tongue, the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the seat belt buckle according to the present invention with the cover removed;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the push button removed from the buckle shown in FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spring member incorporated in the buckle, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a return spring member incorporated in the buckle, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the push button, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spring member incorporated in the buckle. Figure 7 -
9 is a bottom view of the push button, FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the buckle cover, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 9.
12A, B and C are simplified diagrams showing the function of attaching and detaching the buckle of the seat belt according to the present invention;
The figure shows a modification of the invention. 10...Batsukuru 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 ... Lock spring member, 2
6... Side locking part, 27... Lock spring part, 29
...Return spring member, 30...Push button, 3
1...Ear shaft, 31A...Engagement groove, 32...Engagement groove, 32A...Latching protrusion, 34...Engagement protrusion, 3
8...tongue, 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 lock spring member attached to the base so as to always spring bias the latch toward the lock position; The push button has an attached push button, a return spring member that constantly biases the push button toward the original position, and a tongue that is inserted along the upper surface of the base and engaged with the latch to be locked; The return spring member is interposed between the free end of the push button and the insertion end side of the latch or tongue, and includes a push surface that constantly presses the tongue inserted into the one end of the return spring member toward the push-out side; The push button has an engageable engagement protrusion on the front end side of the latch, and the engagement protrusion swings the latch to the release position against the spring force of the lock spring member when the push button is pressed. A seat belt buckle characterized by the following. 2. The return spring member is composed of a rectangular cylindrical flat coil spring, and the push surface formed on one end side has an area that can be engaged with the rear end of the latch and the tip of the tongue. Seat belt buckle as described. 3. The seat according to claim 1, wherein a pair of engagement protrusions are integrally molded on the front of the abdomen of the push button on both sides, and the engagement protrusions are engaged with the front end side of the latch. Belt buckle. 4. The latch, which is swingably supported in the support holes of both side plate parts of the base, is configured such that the swing center axis connecting both ears passes through the center of gravity of the latch. Seat belt buckle. 5. The latch is constructed by integrally molding a base plate portion and a balance weight portion in a substantially dogleg shape, and a latch claw that projects downward is formed in the center portion of the base plate, as set forth in claim 1. Seat belt buckle. 6. The lock spring member includes a side locking portion that is locked in the support hole on both sides of the base, and a lock spring portion that connects the side locking portions and biases the latch toward the lock position. 2. A seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein said lock spring portion has a positioning protrusion that engages with a positioning hole in the latch. 7 Both sides of the base have bulges that bulge outward, and the inner sides of both bulges are formed as guide grooves leading to the support holes, and the latch slides through the guide grooves and connects to the support holes. The seat belt buckle according to claim 1, which is adapted to be stored and held.