Illuminated seat belt buckle for seat belt device of motor vehicle and method for actuating illuminated seat belt buckle for seat belt device of motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an illuminated belt buckle (1) for a seat belt device of a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing (2); -a push button (3) which can be moved in the housing (2); an insertion groove (4) which is arranged adjacent to the push button (3) and is used for inserting a safety belt bolt which can be locked in the safety belt buckle (1); and-at least one annular light source (5) surrounding the insertion groove (4) and the push button (3), the light source (5) having a plurality of individually actuatable sections arranged dispersedly on the circumference, the light source (5) being activated or deactivated by activating or deactivating adjoining sections in a continuous sequence in a time-delayed manner.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an illuminated seat belt buckle for a seat belt arrangement of a motor vehicle having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and a method for actuating an illuminated seat belt buckle for a seat belt arrangement of a motor vehicle having the features of the preamble of claim 8.

[0002] Seat belt buckles for seat belt arrangements of motor vehicles are generally used to securely lock a seat belt tongue, which is movably guided on a seat belt webbing or firmly connected to an end of the seat belt webbing, to the vehicle. To this end, the seat belt buckle has an insertion slot for the seat belt tongue and a locking mechanism which can be released via a button. The locking mechanism is spring-loaded and automatically locks the seat belt tongue when inserted into the insertion slot. In order to release the seat belt tongue, the occupant fastening the seat belt presses the button, thereby releasing the locking mechanism, and the seat belt tongue is ejected by the released spring force of the locking mechanism.

[0003] Such seat belt buckles have been known for many years. The problem with such seat belt buckles is that, in order to fasten the seat belt, the occupant has to find the relatively narrow insertion slot of the seat belt buckle into which the occupant inserts the seat belt tongue for fastening the seat belt.

[0004] It is known from DE 39 04 125 A1 to provide a seat belt buckle with a light source, wherein the light source is coupled via a light guide material with a predetermined light emission surface of the seat belt buckle. In this case, the light emission surface is the button itself and / or a radiation surface arranged on the side of the insertion slot opposite the button. Since the button has to be designed to be displaceable for its function, the light guide material fixedly arranged in the button has to be positioned in the button in such a way that a light entry surface of the light guide material is in optical connection with an external light source when the button is in the unpressed position. If the light entry surface of the light guide material is not in optical connection in this position due to manufacturing-related shape deviations and position deviations or mechanical influences, light is not or not completely fed into the button, so that the button itself is not illuminated or is illuminated more weakly than desired.

[0005] It is further known from DE 10 2007 047 704 A1 to provide a light guide in the seat belt buckle, which light guide has at least two light emission surfaces arranged at the end of the insertion slot. The light emission surfaces themselves are triangular and are arranged in the free triangular area of the end face of the housing between the edge of the housing and the conical side of the button. The light emission surfaces are in particular dimensioned in such a way that they fill the free area in the corner of the end face of the housing as large-area as possible in order to achieve the best possible brightness.

[0006] From US 5 892 436 A a lighted seat belt buckle is known, wherein a light source is connected via a plurality of light conductors, wherein the light conductors emerge at the end face of the housing and thus form a plurality of light emission points, which are arranged circumferentially around the button of the seat belt buckle or around the insertion slot. However, this solution is complex and expensive; furthermore, the light conductors are located in the direction of movement of the button, so that there is a risk of damaging the light conductors when the button is operated to open the seat belt buckle.

[0007] From the document DE 10 2015 215 254 B4 a lighted seat belt buckle is known, wherein a light emission surface is formed by a circumferential surface light source on the end face of the housing, wherein the surface light source is designed as a light-emitting film component. An additional ring element is arranged on the end face of the housing and covers the surface light source on the end face of the seat belt buckle and on the radially outer side of the seat belt buckle and thus protects the surface light source from damage. The ring element is manufactured in a two-component injection molding method and has a translucent area in the form of a continuous circumferential band on the end face and an opaque area on its radially outer side, so that the seat belt buckle is illuminated only purposefully on the end face.

[0008] It is an object of the present application to provide a lighted seat belt buckle with improved visibility for the occupant and a method for actuating such a seat belt buckle.

[0009] In order to achieve this object, a lighted seat belt buckle having the features of claim 1 is proposed. Further preferred embodiments of the present application can be found from the dependent claims, the drawings and the related description.

[0010] According to claim 1 a lighted seat belt buckle for a seat belt arrangement of a motor vehicle is proposed, having a housing, a button which is movable in the housing, an insertion slot which is arranged adjacent to the button for inserting a seat belt catch which can be locked in the seat belt buckle, and at least one ring light source which surrounds the insertion slot and the button, wherein the light source has a plurality of individually actuatable segments which are arranged dispersedly on a circumference, and the light source activates by activating or deactivating adjacent segments in a continuous sequence with a time delay.

[0011] The light source is thus activated in the form of an enclosed activation zone or deactivation zone, which can further improve the attention of the occupant, since the pure illumination is supplemented by a dynamic component. The proposed solution allows the illumination of the seat belt buckle to be changed dynamically without having to interrupt the illumination. By the proposed activation, the illumination can be designed as a closed or broken light ring, for example.

[0012] Furthermore, it is proposed that a segment be deactivated after activation with a time delay, or a segment be activated after deactivation with a time delay. This allows the illumination to be designed as a point of light or a dark area that at least partially surrounds other luminous halos.

[0013] Furthermore, it is proposed that the light source has two subgroups of segments, wherein the segments of the light source are activated or deactivated in different directions in a time-delayed manner in a consecutive sequence. The advantage of the proposed solution is that by activating or deactivating the segments of the light source in the two subgroups and activating them in different directions within the two subgroups, an illumination pattern is achieved in a repeating illumination cycle. This illumination pattern has two light spots or dark areas that move away from each other in the initial phase of the illumination cycle and move towards each other in the final phase of the illumination cycle. This illumination pattern can further increase the observer's attention to the seatbelt buckle, making it easier to spot.

[0014] Furthermore, it is proposed that the two subgroups of the segment form two symmetrically arranged halves of the annular light source, each half comprising a button and a slot, respectively, and complementing each other to form the annular light source. Therefore, each segment of the subgroup includes half of the button and slot, and thus each has a C-shape. The other subgroup of the segment includes the other half of the button and slot, thereby completing the first subgroup to form the annular light source. Therefore, each of the two subgroups of the segment has a C-shape, with the open ends facing each other.

[0015] Furthermore, it is proposed that the direction of activation or deactivation of the time delay depends on the locking state of the seatbelt latch. This allows an observer to receive additional information about whether the seatbelt buckle is ready to lock the seatbelt latch by observing the direction of activation or deactivation of the light source or the rotation of the light spot or dark area; that is, whether the seatbelt latch is not yet locked or whether it is already locked.

[0016] Furthermore, when no seatbelt latch is engaged in the seatbelt buckle, the sub-group's sections are activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the insertion slot. Therefore, the activation or deactivation of the light source, or the rotation of the light spot or dark area, occurs in the direction of the insertion slot, where the illuminated or dark area converges from both sides toward the insertion slot, thus indicating to the occupant the position where the seatbelt latch will be engaged or engaged in the seatbelt buckle.

[0017] Furthermore, when the seatbelt latch is locked in the seatbelt buckle, the subgroup's sections are activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the button. This indicates to the occupant the location of the button for releasing the seatbelt latch, making it easier for the occupant to release the seatbelt.

[0018] To achieve this objective, a method having the features of claim 8 is further proposed. Further preferred features for actuating the illuminated seatbelt buckle can be found in dependent claims 9 to 14.

[0019] The invention will now be explained using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 An exploded view and button view illustrate an illuminated seatbelt buckle in its assembled state according to the invention, the buckle having light sources in two different embodiments; and

[0021] Figure 2 A seatbelt buckle with a seatbelt latch (not shown) according to the invention is shown before the seatbelt latch is unlocked; and

[0022] Figure 3 The seatbelt buckle according to the invention is shown before locking the seatbelt latch (not shown).

[0023] exist Figure 1 The image shows an illuminated seatbelt buckle 1 according to the present invention, which has a housing 2, a button 3 disposed on an end face, and an insertion slot 4 adjacent to the button for inserting and locking the seatbelt latch (not shown) of the seatbelt device. The housing 2 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) for locking the seatbelt latch, which can be released by actuating the button 3 to eject the seatbelt latch in a known manner.

[0024] An annular section 8 is provided on the end face of the housing 2, protruding from the base surface 10 of the housing 2 and surrounding the button 3 and insertion slot 4 of the seatbelt buckle 1. The base region 10 of the housing 2 is also designed to be annular and extends radially outward on the entire circumference of the housing 2. Furthermore, a similarly annular cover element 6 is provided, which is fastened to the outside of the housing 2 via fastening attachments in the section forming the base surface 10. To fasten the cover element 6, it can be, for example, bonded or welded to the fastening attachments on the outside of the housing 2.

[0025] The cover element 6 is radially resting on the housing 2 on its outer side using fastening attachments and resting on the annular section 8 using its end face. Therefore, the cover element 6 surrounds the annular cavity, which is defined radially inward by the annular section 8 and downward by the base region 10. An annular light source 5 is arranged on the base surface 10 of the cavity 9.

[0026] The cover element 6 is integrally made of a translucent material. When the light source 5 is activated, the cavity is fully illuminated, and due to the integral translucent design of the cover element 6, light shines outward through the cover element 6. Therefore, the seatbelt buckle 1 is uniformly illuminated in a ring shape on the entire outer surface of the cover element 6, with the button 3 and insertion slot 4 arranged within the luminous ring. Because the cover element 6 is attached to the annular section 8 on the outside of the housing 2 with fastening fasteners and as close to gapless as possible within the range of possible manufacturing precision, light is only visible through the outer surface of the cover element 6, enabling visually high-quality illumination of the seatbelt buckle 1. Here, according to customer requirements, to increase light scattering, the radiation characteristics can be altered by intentionally roughening the cover element 6, for example, by etching the surface or by specific embossed surface structures on its radially outer or radially inner side. It is also conceivable to provide a partially transparent coating for the cover element 6, which allows light to escape when the light source 5 is activated, but prevents light from passing through the field of view of the cover element 6 when the light source 5 is deactivated. Alternatively, it can be envisioned that the covering element 6 is implemented in different shapes or integrated into the light source 5, so that the covering element is part of the light source itself.

[0027] Figure 1 A seatbelt buckle 1 with a light source 5 according to version A is shown, the light source having multiple individual light sources 22 in the form of OLEDs on a carrier material 23. The OLEDs are arranged flatly on the carrier material 23 and together form a closed light-emitting ring on the surface of the light source 5 when all the OLEDs are activated.

[0028] Alternatively, according to version B, a light source 5 with multiple individual light sources 22, formed by LEDs, can be provided. The LEDs are combined on a carrier material 23 to form a "COB (Chip-on-Board) LED strip." Conductive structures for contacting the LEDs are provided in the carrier material 23, allowing the carrier material 23 to also be considered as a ring-shaped flexible circuit board. In addition to arranging various electrical components, the carrier material 23 is also used to secure the light source 5, for example, by clamping it to the housing 2. The LEDs can be designed as monochrome LEDs or as RGB LEDs emitting light with controllable colors, and of course, a combination of such LEDs can also be provided.

[0029] If monochrome LEDs are used, they can be illuminated by a simple controlled current supply between 6 V and 12 V. If RGB LEDs are used, they are preferably controlled via a LIN controller having LIN slaves and a LIN master. In this respect, the LIN slave is mounted on carrier material 23, i.e., a circuit board, which is connected to the vehicle control unit via a data pole in addition to the positive and negative connections. This vehicle control unit, in this case, forms the LIN master for the LIN slave. The positive and negative connections of contact 24 are additionally supplemented by control lines (data) forming the data pole of the LIN controller.

[0030] Individual light sources 22 form individually activatable sections of light source 5 and can be actuated individually and independently of each other, and activated in a manner that causes them to be activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner on the circumference, thereby enabling the seat belt buckle 1 to be illuminated using closed or open light halos.

[0031] Figure 2 and Figure 3 A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, wherein the individual light source 22 of the light source 5 is divided into two C-shaped subgroups I and II, each subgroup surrounding half of the insertion slot 4 and the button 3 and combined to form a closed light-emitting ring. According to... Figure 2 Individual light sources 22 of subgroups I and II are activated in a time-delayed and continuous manner during a repetitive illumination cycle to indicate the insertion slot 4, the repetitive illumination cycle beginning at the end of the section including button 3. The individual light sources 22 are activated continuously such that the halo closes in the direction of the indicated arrow, with the last activated individual light source 22 being the one adjacent to the insertion slot 4. This allows for proactive alerting of the occupant to the required fastening process and, additionally, to the position of the insertion slot 4.

[0032] When the unraveling process begins, such as Figure 3 As shown, the individual light sources 22 are activated in reverse order, so that the halo lights up starting from button 4 and closes near button 3.

[0033] Then, the described lighting cycles are activated repeatedly until the occupant has completed the fastening or unfastening process.

[0034] This means that the individual light sources 22 of the light source 5 are activated sequentially according to the locking state of the seat belt buckle 1. In addition, the individual light source 22 can be deactivated or activated again with a time delay after its activation or deactivation, so that the activated light source 5 can form a circumferential light spot or a circumferential dark area.

[0035] The proposed illuminated seatbelt buckle 1 and the proposed method for illuminating the seatbelt buckle 1 can be further improved by closing or opening the light ring during the illumination cycle to fasten or loosen (i.e., to lock or unlock) the seatbelt latch, and the light ring is subsequently fully illuminated once or more (preferably three times). The opening or closing of the light ring can be dimmed, i.e., occurring with a lower light intensity, and full illumination can occur with a higher light intensity.

[0036] Furthermore, customized lighting is also possible in terms of color, sequence, and lighting frequency.

Claims

1. An illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) for a seatbelt device in a motor vehicle, the illuminated seatbelt buckle having -Shell (2) -Button (3), which is movable within the housing (2), - Insertion slot (4), the insertion slot being used to insert a seatbelt latch capable of locking in the seatbelt buckle (1), the insertion slot being arranged adjacent to the button (3), and - At least one annular light source (5), the at least one annular light source surrounding the insertion slot (4) and the button (3). Its features -The light source (5) has multiple individually actuable sections distributed on the circumference, wherein - The light source (5) is activated or deactivated by activating or deactivating adjacent segments in a sequential time delay.

2. The illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that... - The segment is either deactivated after activation with a time delay, or activated after deactivation with a time delay.

3. The illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that... - The light source (5) has two subgroups (I, II) of a segment, wherein the segment of the light source (5) is activated or deactivated in different directions in a time-delayed manner in the successive order.

4. The illuminated seat belt buckle (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that... - The two subgroups (I, II) of the section form two symmetrically arranged halves of the annular light source (5), the two symmetrically arranged halves respectively including half of the button (3) and half of the insertion slot (4), and complement each other to form the annular light source (5).

5. The illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that... - The direction of activation or deactivation of the continuous time delay depends on the locking state of the seatbelt latch.

6. The illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that... - When no seatbelt latch is locked in the seatbelt buckle (1), the section of the subgroup (I, II) is activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the insertion slot (4).

7. The illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claims 4 and 5 or claim 6, characterized in that... - When the seatbelt latch is locked in the seatbelt buckle (1), the section of the subgroup (I, II) is activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the button (3).

8. A method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) of a seatbelt device for a motor vehicle, the illuminated seatbelt buckle having -Shell (2) -Button (3), which is movable within the housing (2), - Insertion slot (4), the insertion slot being used to insert a seat belt latch capable of locking in the seat belt buckle (1), the insertion slot being arranged adjacent to the button (3), and - At least one annular light source (5), the at least one annular light source surrounding the insertion slot (4) and the button (3). Its features - The light source (5) has multiple individually actuable sections distributed on the circumference, and - The light source (5) is activated by activating or deactivating adjacent segments in a sequential time delay.

9. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that... - The segment is either deactivated after activation with a time delay, or activated after deactivation with a time delay.

10. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that... - The light source (5) has two subgroups (I, II) of a segment, wherein the segment is activated or deactivated in different directions in a time-delayed manner in the successive order.

11. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that... - The two subgroups (I, II) of the section form two symmetrically arranged halves of the annular light source (5), the two symmetrically arranged halves respectively including half of the button (3) and half of the insertion slot (4), and complement each other to form the annular light source (5).

12. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that... - The direction of activation or deactivation of the time delay depends on the locking state of the seatbelt latch.

13. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to claim 10 or 11 and claim 12, characterized in that... - When no seatbelt latch is locked in the seatbelt buckle (1), the section of the subgroup (I, II) is activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the insertion slot (4).

14. The method for actuating an illuminated seatbelt buckle (1) according to any one of claims 10 or 11 and according to any one of claims 12 or 13, characterized in that... - When the seatbelt latch is locked in the seatbelt buckle (1), the section of the subgroup (I, II) is activated or deactivated in a time-delayed and continuous manner in the direction of the button (3).

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