Lock catch assembly

Abstract

The invention provides a lock catch assembly. The lock catch assembly comprises a lock catch used for being matched with a lock tongue to fix a safety belt to a seat; the force limiting module is connected to the lock catch through a connecting component and is used for limiting a force threshold value, and the force limiting module comprises a mandrel which is provided with a hollow structure and is rotatably supported at two shaft ends; the torsion bar is positioned in the hollow inner cavity of the mandrel so as to be coaxially arranged with the mandrel, and only a part of the torsion bar is connected to the mandrel in a manner capable of rotating together; and the limiting piece applies force to the core shaft to prevent the core shaft from rotating, and when the force borne by the lock catch is larger than the force threshold value, the limiting piece elastically deforms to allow the core shaft to rotate, so that the distance between the lock catch and the force limiting module is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device for a vehicle, in particular to a buckle assembly for a seat belt. Background Art

[0002] The seat belt used in vehicles is a safety device that is used to restrain passengers in the event of a collision and to prevent passengers from having a secondary collision with the steering wheel and dashboard, or to prevent passengers from being thrown out of the vehicle and causing death or injury. The seat belt used in vehicles can also be called a seat belt, which is a type of passenger restraint device. This type of seat belt is recognized as the cheapest and most effective safety device, and many countries require the use of seat belts in vehicles.

[0003] As is well known, a seat belt restrains an occupant sitting on a seat by means of a webbing pulled out from a seat belt retractor, and is used to secure the occupant in the seat to protect the occupant in the event of a vehicle collision, etc. As a type of seat belt, when an acceleration greater than a specified value in the horizontal direction acts in the event of a vehicle collision, the acceleration is detected by an acceleration sensor, and a locking mechanism of the seat belt is activated, thereby preventing the seat belt from being pulled out.

[0004] Seat belts with force limiting functions are now available. After a collision occurs, if it is determined that the passenger is in a safe situation, for example, the airbag has been deployed, the seat belt can be appropriately loosened to reduce the force on the passenger's chest, so as to improve the passenger's comfort while ensuring the passenger's safety. It is desirable to allow the seat belt to reduce the degree of restraint on the occupant with a larger force and / or a controlled speed of reducing the degree of restraint, so as to improve reliability. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a lock assembly which has high reliability.

[0006] The present invention provides a lock assembly, which comprises:

[0007] a buckle for cooperating with the locking tongue to secure the seat belt to the seat; and

[0008] a force limiting module, which is connected to the lock via a connecting member and is used to define a force threshold,

[0009] in,

[0010] The force limiting module comprises:

[0011] a core shaft having a hollow structure and being rotatably supported at both shaft ends;

[0012] a torsion bar positioned in the hollow inner cavity of the mandrel to be coaxially arranged with the mandrel and having only a portion connected to the mandrel in a manner capable of rotating therewith; and

[0013] The limiting member applies force to the core shaft to prevent the core shaft from rotating, and when the force applied to the lock buckle is greater than the force threshold, the limiting member is elastically deformed to allow the core shaft to rotate, so that the distance between the lock buckle and the force limiting module becomes larger.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a material missing portion is provided at the end of the core shaft, the limit member extends into the material missing portion, and the limit member undergoes elastic deformation at a position where the depth of the depression on the end face of the core shaft changes due to the material missing portion.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the missing material portion includes a first missing material portion and a second missing material portion that are spaced apart and distributed in a circumferential direction of the core shaft.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, both the first material absence and the second material absence are configured as slots or holes.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the first material absence is configured as a hole and the second material absence is configured as a slot.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the first missing material portion and the second missing material portion is configured as a slot with a varying depth.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the force limiting module further comprises a first support member and a second support member located at both ends of the core shaft to rotatably support the core shaft respectively, and the limiting member is arranged on the side of the first support member and / or the second support member facing the core shaft.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting member is constructed as a part cut from the first support member and / or the second support member and still maintained as one piece therewith, and the limiting member extends into the missing material portion along the axial direction of the core shaft.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the missing material portion is located at the edge of the end face of the mandrel, and / or the limiting member still undergoes elastic deformation to apply force to the mandrel during at least part of the rotation process of the mandrel.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection member is configured as a winding member, the mandrel has a narrowed portion between both ends, and the winding member is wound around an outer circumferential surface of the narrowed portion.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a guide roller is rotatably provided on the first support member or the second support member;

[0024] The winding member includes a winding portion wound around the outer circumference of the core shaft and a fixing portion fixed to the lock buckle;

[0025] When the mandrel rotates, the wound portion leaves the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel as the mandrel rotates, and moves through the guide roller to be guided to gradually unfold.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, one of the first support member and the second support member is provided with a support column, the other is provided with a support hole for accommodating the support column, and the guide roller is rotatably provided on the support column.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the axial dimension of the torsion bar is set in the range of 15 mm to 30 mm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The features, advantages and technical effects of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same symbols indicate the same elements, wherein:

[0029] Figure 1 An exploded view of a lock assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.

[0030] Figure 2 Partial components of a lock assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention are schematically shown.

[0031] FIG. 3( a ), FIG. 3( b ) and FIG. 3( c ) schematically illustrate partial components of a lock assembly according to different embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

[0032] Figure 4 A latch assembly in an assembled state according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.

[0033] Figure 5 The exploded view schematically shows some components of a lock assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 The figure schematically shows some components of a lock assembly in an assembled state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 7( a ), FIG. 7( b ), FIG. 7( c ) and FIG. 7( d ) schematically illustrate force-time curves of a force-limiting module in a locking assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will describe the specific implementation of the lock assembly according to the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description and accompanying drawings are used to exemplarily illustrate the principles of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described. The various embodiments described in the present invention can be used alone or in any combination. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims.

[0037] In addition, spatially relative terms (such as "upper", "lower", "left", and "right") are used to describe the relative positional relationship of an element shown in the drawings to another element. Therefore, the spatially relative terms can be applied to directions different from those shown in the drawings when used. Obviously, although for ease of description, all of these spatially relative terms refer to the directions shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that directions different from those shown in the drawings can be used.

[0038] Figure 1 The exploded view of the lock assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. Figure 1 A latch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0039] The buckle assembly of the present invention comprises a buckle (not shown) and a force limiting module 1. The buckle is used to cooperate with a lock tongue to fix the safety belt to the seat, as in normal circumstances, the lock tongue can be inserted into the buckle from the open end of the buckle and thereby clamped in the buckle, and the safety belt connected to the lock tongue is also thereby fixed to the buckle.

[0040] The force-limiting module 1 is connected to the lock buckle via a connecting member 2 and is used to define a force threshold. It should be noted that the term "force threshold" in this article is used to evaluate the force applied to the lock buckle and determine whether the lock buckle should move under the force applied. When the lock buckle is not subjected to a force or the force applied is less than the force threshold defined by the force-limiting module, the lock buckle is in a certain position relative to the force-limiting module 1; however, when the lock buckle is subjected to a larger force greater than the force threshold, the lock buckle is in another position relative to the force-limiting module 1, so that the distance between the lock buckle and the force-limiting module 1 increases. In other words, since the lock buckle is displaced and the distance between the lock buckle and the force-limiting module 1 increases, the restraint of the seat belt on the passenger on the seat is reduced, and the force applied by the seat belt to the passenger's chest is reduced.

[0041] The force limiting module of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, the force limiting module 1 includes a core shaft 10 and a torsion bar 20. In the lock assembly 1 of the present invention, the core shaft 10 has a hollow structure, and the torsion bar 20 is positioned in the hollow inner cavity of the core shaft 10 to be coaxially arranged with the core shaft 20.

[0043] As an example, the connecting member 2 is constructed as a winding member and is partially wound around the outer circumference of the core shaft 10 and connected to the lock. To this end, a part of the winding member is formed into a plurality of circles wound around the outer circumference of the core shaft, and these circles are basically concentrically arranged, for example, Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the mandrel 10 has a narrowing portion between two ends, and the winding member is wound around the outer circumference of the narrowing portion. It can be understood that the arrangement of the mandrel being narrowed at the middle section is conducive to simply and quickly winding the winding member around the predetermined position of the mandrel for multiple turns without slipping off the mandrel. Also, one end of the winding member is hung on a hook-shaped connecting portion (not shown) extending from the lower end of the lock to achieve connection and fixation between the winding member and the lock. Of course, other connection methods (e.g., welding) can also be used to achieve connection between the winding member and the lock.

[0044] and, in Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the force limiting module 1 further comprises a first support member 40 and a second support member 50 located at both ends of the mandrel 10 to rotatably support the mandrel 10, respectively. The first support member 40 and the second support member 50 jointly define a receiving space, and the mandrel 10, the torsion bar 20 and a part of the connecting member 2 are received in the receiving space. In addition, the second supporting member 50 is configured to have a circumferential side wall, and an opening is provided on the circumferential side wall for the connecting member 2 to extend and connect to the lock buckle.

[0045] The force limiting module 1 in the lock assembly of the present invention further includes a limiter 30, which is used to apply force to the core shaft 10 to prevent the core shaft 10 from rotating, and when the force applied to the lock is greater than the above force threshold, elastic deformation occurs to allow the core shaft 10 to rotate. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the stopper 30 is disposed on the first support member 40, specifically, on the side of the first support member 40 facing the mandrel 10. Of course, the stopper can also be disposed as a separate component, or the stopper can be disposed on the side of both the first support member and the second support member facing the mandrel, or only on the side of the second support member facing the mandrel. Figure 2-Figure 3(a) 3(b) and 3(c) describe the stopper in more detail.

[0046] Figure 2 Schematically illustrating some components of a lock assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG3(a), FIG3(b) and FIG3(c) schematically illustrate some components of a lock assembly according to different embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c) describe the lock assembly of the present invention.

[0047] like Figure 2As shown, the stopper 30 is arranged on a side surface of the first support member 40. When the assembly is completed, the side surface of the first support member 40 will face the core shaft 10, that is, the side surface is Figure 1 In this embodiment, the stopper 30 is configured as a part cut from the first support member 40 and still maintained as an integral part with the first support member 40. Specifically, Figure 2 The first support member 40 shown in the figure is provided with two stoppers 30. The stopper 30 on the left side is connected to the lower edge of the opening formed after the first support member 40 is cut and is bent into a protrusion protruding from the first support member 40. The stopper 30 on the right side is connected to the upper edge of the opening formed after the first support member 40 is cut and is bent into a protrusion protruding from the first support member 40. Figure 2 It is observed that the first support member 40 is also provided with a larger through hole for positioning the core shaft 10, and two limit members 30 are arranged along the through hole at intervals of 180 degrees. The two limit members 30 are each intercepted in the same direction along the circumferential direction of the through hole as a part of the first support member 40. That is to say, for the limit member 30 on the left, it is intercepted from the interception starting point as a part of the first support member 40 and intercepted a distance in the counterclockwise direction, and, for the limit member 30 on the right, it is intercepted from the interception starting point as a part of the first support member 40 and intercepted a distance in the counterclockwise direction. It should be noted that the limit member 30 is easy to return to its original position in the clockwise direction. Of course, the number of limit members is not limited to two, and only one or more limit members can be set according to actual needs.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 3( a ), 3 ( b ) and 3 ( c ), the end of the mandrel 10 is provided with a material missing portion, and several examples of the mandrel are described in detail below.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] As shown in Fig. 3(a), two material missing parts in the form of holes are provided on the end face of the mandrel 10, i.e., a first material missing part 11 and a second material missing part 12, and the two material missing parts are arranged 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 10. The end face of the mandrel 10 is concave at the material missing part, that is, the material missing part causes the concave depth of the end face of the mandrel 10 to change, the concave depth of the mandrel 10 at other parts except the material missing part is zero, the concave depth at the material missing part is a predetermined value, and, at the junction of the material missing part and other parts, the concave degree of the end face of the mandrel 10 changes, i.e., changes from a predetermined value to zero.

[0051] The stopper 30 extends into the material missing portion along the axial direction of the mandrel 10. Figure 4 As shown, when the mandrel 10 is subjected to a force and wants to rotate in the clockwise direction R, the stopper 30 located in the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 will contact the side wall of the hole and thereby be subjected to a force that further bends and deforms the mandrel 10 and thereby further moves away from its original position. In this case, the stopper 30 will apply a force in the opposite direction, i.e., in the counterclockwise direction, to the mandrel 10 to prevent the mandrel 10 from rotating. When the mandrel 10 is allowed to rotate, the stopper 30, which is still integral with the first support member 40, will leave the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10. At this stage, the stopper 30 is in contact with the mandrel 10, thereby there is a sliding friction force between the two, and the sliding friction force also prevents the mandrel 10 from rotating.

[0052] Therefore, in this example, the torsion bar 20 and the limiting member 30 of the force limiting module 1 jointly define the above-mentioned force threshold. Compared with the force limiting module in which the force threshold is limited only by the torsion bar, the force threshold defined by the force limiting module in the present invention is increased, thereby preventing the lock from unexpectedly moving away from the force limiting module, thereby improving the reliability of the lock assembly; moreover, during the rotation of the core shaft, the limiting member still jointly defines the rotation speed of the core shaft with the torsion bar, so that the core shaft rotates at a desired speed.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] As shown in FIG3(b), two missing material parts in the form of narrow grooves are provided on the end face of the mandrel 10, namely, the first missing material part 11 and the second missing material part 12. The two missing material parts are arranged 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 10, and the arrangement of the narrow grooves makes the outer edge of the end face of the mandrel 10 an incomplete circle, but has a notch at the narrow groove. The end face of the mandrel 10 is concave at the missing material part, that is, the missing material part causes the concave depth of the end face of the mandrel 10 to change, the concave depth of the mandrel 10 at other parts except the missing material part is zero, the concave depth at the missing material part is a predetermined value, and the concave degree of the end face of the mandrel 10 changes at the junction of the missing material part and other parts, that is, from a predetermined value to zero.

[0055] The stopper 30 extends into the material missing portion along the axial direction of the mandrel 10. Figure 4As shown in FIG. 3( b), when the mandrel 10 is subjected to a force and wants to rotate in the clockwise direction R, the stopper 30 located in the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 will contact the side wall of the slot and thereby be subjected to a force that further bends and deforms the mandrel 10 and thereby further moves away from its original position. In this case, the stopper 30 will apply a counterclockwise force to the mandrel 10 to prevent the mandrel from rotating. When the mandrel 10 rotates, the stopper 30, which is still integral with the first support member 40, will leave the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10 (i.e., the radially outwardly protruding protrusion shown in FIG. 3( b)). At this stage, the stopper 30 contacts the mandrel 10, thereby there is a sliding friction force between the two, which similarly prevents the mandrel 10 from rotating. Next, the stopper 30 will be located in the slot again and no longer in contact with the mandrel 10.

[0056] Therefore, in this example, the torsion bar 20 and the limiting member 30 of the force limiting module 1 jointly define the above-mentioned force threshold. Compared with the force limiting module in which the force threshold is only defined by the torsion bar, the force threshold defined by the force limiting module in the present invention is increased; at the same time, during the rotation of the core shaft, the rotation speed of the core shaft is basically only defined by the torsion bar.

[0057] The contact between the stopper 30 and the mandrel 10 is shown in the left figure in FIG. 7( a). As shown in the left figure in FIG. 7( a), the stopper 30 is initially located in the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 and against the side wall of the slot. When the mandrel 10 wants to rotate, it is necessary to overcome the restriction of the stopper 30 on its rotational movement. To this end, the mandrel 10 must apply a force to the stopper 30 to further deform it until the deformation of the stopper is large enough and it is basically unable to abut against the side wall of the slot. It can be understood that when the stopper is basically no longer against the side wall of the slot, the stopper no longer has a limiting effect on the mandrel, and the mandrel is allowed to rotate. When the mandrel starts to rotate, the stopper leaves the slot and moves to the lug to contact the lug, thereby there is a sliding friction between the two. Next, the stopper is again located in the slot without contacting the mandrel. Correspondingly, the right view of FIG. 7(a) shows the change of the force defined by the force limiting module over time, wherein point A represents the force threshold defined by the force limiting module 1. When the force applied to the buckle is greater than the force threshold, the spindle will start to rotate; and point B represents another force value point defined by the force limiting module 1. At the moment corresponding to the force value point, the spindle stops rotating. In other words, the spindle rotates between the moments corresponding to point A and point B.

[0058] In this example, as described above, the force threshold at point A is defined by the stopper 30 and the torsion bar 20. Afterwards, when the mandrel 10 rotates, the stopper 30, which is still integrated with the first support member 40, will leave the missing material portion of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10. At this stage, the stopper 30 also applies a sliding friction force to the mandrel 10 to prevent its rotation, but the sliding friction force is smaller than the force defined by the further deformation of the stopper in the previous stage. This stage corresponds to the descending section after point A. Next, the stopper 30 will be located in the slot again and no longer in contact with the mandrel 10. The force defined by the force-limiting module 1 will be defined by the torsion bar 20 alone. This stage corresponds to the horizontal section between points A and B.

[0059] Example 3

[0060] As shown in FIG3(c), a material missing portion is provided on the end face of the mandrel 10, that is, a first material missing portion 11 in the form of a narrow groove and a second material missing portion 12 in the form of a hole. The two material missing portions 11 are arranged at intervals of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 10, and the two material missing portions 12 are arranged at intervals of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 10, and the two first material missing portions 11 are separated by the second material missing portion 12. The end face of the mandrel 10 is concave at the material missing portion, that is, the material missing portion causes the concave depth of the end face of the mandrel 10 to change, the concave depth of the mandrel 10 at other parts except the material missing portion is zero, the concave depth at the second material missing portion 12 is a predetermined value, and at the junction of the second material missing portion 12 and other parts, the concave degree of the end face of the mandrel 10 changes, that is, from a predetermined value to zero. In addition, the concave depth of the first material missing portion 11 can be a constant value or can vary.

[0061] The stopper 30 extends into the material missing portion along the axial direction of the mandrel 10. Figure 4 As shown, when the mandrel 10 is subjected to a force and wants to rotate in the clockwise direction R, the stopper 30 located in the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 will contact the side wall of the hole, and thereby be subjected to a force that further bends and deforms it and thereby further moves away from its original position. In this case, the stopper 30 will apply a force in the counterclockwise direction to the mandrel 10 to prevent the mandrel from rotating. When the mandrel 10 rotates, the stopper 30, which is still integral with the first support member 40, will leave the material missing portion of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10. At this stage, the stopper 30 also applies a force to the mandrel 10 to prevent it from rotating. Next, the stopper 30 will be located in the narrow groove and no longer contact the mandrel 10, or continue to contact the mandrel 10, or gradually contact the mandrel 10, depending on the depth of the recess of the narrow groove.

[0062] The contact conditions between the stopper 30 and the core shaft 10 are shown in the left figure of FIG. 7( a ), FIG. 7( b ) and FIG. 7( c ).

[0063] When the depth of the narrow groove is deep, so that the limiting member cannot contact the core shaft in the narrow groove, this is similar to the situation in Example 2, so it will not be described in detail.

[0064] When the depth of the narrow slot gradually decreases, the stopper does not contact the core shaft in the narrow slot at first, but gradually contacts it later. This situation is shown in Figure 7(b). The following only describes the differences from Figure 7(a), and the similarities are not described again. When the stopper 30 leaves the hole and is located in the narrow slot, it does not contact the core shaft 10 at the beginning, and the force defined by the force limiting module 1 will be limited by the torsion bar 20 alone. This stage corresponds to the horizontal section between point A and point B; as the core shaft 10 rotates, the stopper 30 gradually moves to the smaller depth part of the narrow slot, as shown in the left view of Figure 7(b). The smaller depth section is a sloped section with a smaller depth. Therefore, as the core shaft 10 rotates, the contact between the stopper 30 and the core shaft 10 becomes greater and greater, and the sliding friction between the two also becomes greater and greater. This stage corresponds to the rising section behind the horizontal section between point A and point B.

[0065] In this case, the force threshold at point A is defined by the stopper 30 and the torsion bar 20. Afterwards, when the mandrel 10 rotates, the stopper 30, which is still integrated with the first support member 40, will leave the hole of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10. At this stage, the stopper 30 also applies a sliding friction force to the mandrel 10 to prevent its rotation, but the sliding friction force is smaller than the force defined by the further deformation of the stopper in the previous stage. This stage corresponds to the descending section after point A. Next, the stopper 30 will be located in the slot and no longer in contact with the mandrel 10. The force defined by the force-limiting module 1 will be defined by the torsion bar 20 alone. This stage corresponds to the horizontal section between points A and B. Afterwards, the limit member 30 gradually contacts the core shaft 10 and the degree of contact becomes greater and greater, and the sliding friction between the two becomes greater and greater. The force defined by the force limiting module 1 will be jointly defined by the torsion bar 20 and the limit member 30. This stage corresponds to the rising section behind the horizontal section between point A and point B.

[0066] Alternatively, as a variation of FIG. 7( b ), the second missing material portion on the mandrel 10 may be omitted, that is, in this variation, only a narrow groove with a gradually decreasing depth is provided on the mandrel 10. At this time, as shown in the right side view of FIG. 7( d ), the force threshold of point A is defined solely by the torsion bar 20. When the mandrel 10 starts to rotate, the stopper 30 gradually contacts the mandrel 10 and the contact degree becomes larger and larger, and the sliding friction between the two also becomes larger and larger. The force defined by the force limiting module 1 will be defined by the torsion bar 20 and the stopper 30 together. This stage corresponds to the rising section behind the horizontal section between points A and B.

[0067] When the depth of the narrow groove gradually increases, the limiter contacts the core shaft in the narrow groove at first, but then the contact degree decreases until there is no contact. This situation is shown in Figure 7(c). The following only describes the differences from Figure 7(a), and the similarities are not described again. When the limiter 30 leaves the hole and is located in the narrow groove, it contacts the core shaft 10 at the beginning. The force defined by the force limiting module 1 will be jointly defined by the torsion bar 20 and the limiter 30. As the core shaft 10 rotates, the limiter 30 gradually moves to the part with a larger depth of the narrow groove. As shown in the left view of Figure 7(c), the larger depth section is a sloped section with increasing depth. Therefore, as the core shaft 10 rotates, the contact degree between the limiter 30 and the core shaft 10 becomes smaller and smaller, and the sliding friction between the two also becomes smaller and smaller. This stage corresponds to the descending section between point A and point B.

[0068] In this case, the force threshold of point A is defined by the stopper 30 and the torsion bar 20. Afterwards, when the mandrel 10 rotates, the stopper 30, which is still integrated with the first support member 40, will leave the hole of the mandrel 10 and contact the mandrel 10 at other positions of the mandrel 10. At this stage, the stopper 30 also applies a sliding friction force to the mandrel 10 to prevent its rotation, but the sliding friction force is smaller than the force defined by the further deformation of the stopper in the previous stage. This stage corresponds to the descending section after point A.

[0069] It can be understood that for the force-time curve shown in the right view in FIG. 7( b ), it has an ascending section between point A and point B, that is, when the core shaft rotates, it is subjected to an increasing force applied by the force-limiting module to reduce the speed of movement of the pelvis of the passenger, for example, in a collision. For the force-time curve shown in the right view in FIG. 7( c ), it has a descending section between point A and point B, that is, when the core shaft rotates, it is subjected to an increasing force applied by the force-limiting module to reduce the displacement of the pelvis of the passenger, for example, in the initial stage of a collision. Therefore, in the buckle assembly of the present invention, the rotation speed of the core shaft, and thus the movement speed of the buckle, is controlled by the interaction between the limiter and the material missing portion of the core shaft, which can provide a personalized setting to suit different scenarios.

[0070] Figure 5 The exploded view schematically shows some components of a lock assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The following schematically shows some components of the lock assembly in an assembled state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The description continues with the buckle assembly according to the present invention.

[0071] like Figure 5 As shown, a support column 41 is provided on the first support member 40, and the support column 41 is located near the through hole 42, wherein the through hole 42 is used to rotatably support the core shaft 10. Also, the second support member 40 is provided with a support hole 51 for accommodating the support column 41, and the annular guide roller 60 is rotatably provided on the support column 41. Of course, this is only an example, and different arrangements can also be made, for example, a support hole can be provided on the first support member, and a support column can be provided on the second support member.

[0072] like Figure 6 As shown, the winding member includes a winding portion 21 wound on the outer circumference of the mandrel 10 and a fixing portion 22 fixed to the lock buckle. When the mandrel 10 rotates, the winding portion 21 leaves the outer circumference of the mandrel 10 as the mandrel 10 rotates, and moves through the guide roller 60 to be guided to gradually unfold. It can be understood that the provision of the guide roller can ensure that the winding portion is quickly and smoothly unfolded.

[0073] As an embodiment of the present invention, the axial dimension of the torsion bar is set in the range of 15 mm to 30 mm. It can be understood that the mandrel has a smaller size and occupies a smaller installation space.

[0074] As mentioned above, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lock assembly, comprising: a buckle for cooperating with the locking tongue to secure the seat belt to the seat; and a force limiting module (1), which is connected to the lock via a connecting member (2) and is used to define a force threshold, It is characterized in that The force limiting module (1) comprises: a core shaft (10) having a hollow structure and being rotatably supported at both shaft ends; a torsion bar (20) which is positioned in the hollow inner cavity of the mandrel (10) so as to be arranged coaxially with the mandrel (10), and only a portion of which is connected to the mandrel (10) in a manner capable of rotating therewith; and A limiter (30) applies a force to the core shaft (10) to prevent the core shaft (10) from rotating, and when the force applied to the lock buckle is greater than the force threshold, elastic deformation occurs to allow the core shaft (10) to rotate, thereby increasing the distance between the lock buckle and the force limiting module (1).

2. The lock assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A material missing portion is provided at the end of the core shaft (10), the limiting member (30) extends into the material missing portion, and the limiting member (30) undergoes elastic deformation at a position where the depth of the depression on the end face of the core shaft (10) changes due to the material missing portion.

3. The lock assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The missing material portion comprises a first missing material portion (11) and a second missing material portion (12) which are spaced apart and distributed in the circumferential direction of the core shaft (10).

4. The lock assembly according to claim 3, wherein: Both the first missing material portion (11) and the second missing material portion (12) are configured as slots or holes.

5. The lock assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The first material absence (11) is configured as a hole and the second material absence (12) is configured as a slot.

6. The lock assembly according to claim 3, wherein: At least one of the first missing material portion (11) and the second missing material portion (12) is configured as a slot having a varying depth.

7. The lock assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The force limiting module (1) further comprises a first support member (40) and a second support member (50) located at both ends of the core shaft (10) to rotatably support the core shaft respectively, and the limiting member (30) is arranged on the side of the first support member (40) and / or the second support member (50) facing the core shaft (10).

8. The lock assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The limiting member (30) is constructed as a part cut from the first supporting member (40) and / or the second supporting member (50) and still maintained as an integral part therewith, and the limiting member (30) extends into the material missing portion along the axial direction of the core shaft (10).

9. The lock assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The missing material portion is located at the edge of the end face of the core shaft (10), and / or the stopper (30) still undergoes elastic deformation during at least part of the rotation process of the core shaft (10) to apply force to the core shaft (10).

10. The lock assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The connecting member (2) is configured as a winding member, the core shaft (10) has a narrowed portion between two ends, and the winding member is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the narrowed portion.

11. The lock assembly according to claim 10, wherein: A guide roller (60) is rotatably provided on the first support member (40) or the second support member (50); The winding member comprises a winding portion (21) wound on the outer peripheral surface of the core shaft (10) and a fixing portion (22) fixed to the lock buckle; When the mandrel (10) rotates, the winding portion (21) leaves the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel (10) as the mandrel (10) rotates, and moves through the guide roller (60) to be guided to gradually unfold.

12. The lock assembly according to claim 11, wherein: One of the first support member (40) and the second support member (50) is provided with a support column (41), and the other is provided with a support hole (51) for accommodating the support column (41), and the guide roller (60) is rotatably provided on the support column (41).

13. The lock assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The axial dimension of the torsion bar (20) is set in the range of 15 mm to 30 mm.

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