Data carrier for a seat belt

Abstract

Data carrier for a safety belt (15) of a motor vehicle, characterized in that data (2) assigned to the safety belt (15) are mounted in or on a cover cap (4) for a fastening element which serves to fasten the safety belt (15) in the motor vehicle, wherein the cover cap (4) is connected by a flexible connecting web (5) to a fastening ring (8) which is captively attached to the belt end fitting (10) of the safety belt (15).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a data carrier for a safety belt of a motor vehicle.

[0002] German patent application DE 36 43 697 A1 discloses a data carrier for motor vehicle safety belts, wherein a flat sleeve carrying the data is provided, which surrounds the belt webbing. German publication DE 697 06 694 T2 discloses a pretensioner for a vehicle safety restraint system, which is installed in the vehicle using a screw. The screw can be covered by a sealing ring. The sealing ring or another part covering the screw can be color-coded for identification by a technician. German patent application DE 10 2005 058 343 A1 discloses a motor vehicle safety belt with a restraint element on which a marking with information content can be applied. German utility model DE 89 11 358 U1 discloses a motor vehicle safety belt with a shape,which is designed as a marking and / or marking carrier. German Offenlegungsschrift DE 10153 869 A1 discloses a method and a device for marking a product, wherein the product is composed of various modules and the modules comprise individual parts, wherein the product is assigned a unique, individual product marking, wherein each individual part receives a unique, individual individual part marking, by means of which an individual part can be clearly identified from an individual part of the same design, wherein each module receives a unique, individual module marking, by means of which a module can be clearly identified from a module of the same design, wherein when the individual parts are installed in a module, the individual part markings are recorded and assigned to the module marking,wherein, upon installation of the modules in the product, the module identifications are recorded and the product identification with the associated module and individual part identifications is stored centrally. The American patent specification US 7 677 598 B1 discloses a vehicle seat with an integrated side impact protection system, comprising: a seat comprising a seat bottom and a seat back attached to the seat bottom, wherein an airbag module is arranged in the seat back adjacent to its outer side and has a side airbag and an inflator that supplies gases for inflating the side airbag, wherein a lap belt extends between the inner side and the outer side of the seat, wherein an inflatable belt airbag is provided next to an outer end of the lap belt, wherein a gas line extends between the airbag module and the lap belt, wherein the gas line has a first connecting piece,which terminates a first portion of the gas line adjacent to the airbag module and on which a first portion of an optically scanned code is embossed, and a second connection fitting which terminates a second portion of the gas line adjacent to the seat belt and has a second portion of an optically scanned code printed thereon.

[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a data carrier which simplifies the assignment of data to a safety belt of a motor vehicle.

[0004] This object is achieved by a data carrier having the features of patent claim 1. According to an essential aspect of the invention, a preferably relatively smooth surface of the cover cap is used to record the data associated with the safety belt. Attaching the data in or on the cover cap not only simplifies attaching the data but also offers the advantage that the data can be protected by the cover cap. The cover cap is preferably connected integrally to the fastening ring by the connecting web. The cover cap can be mass-produced cost-effectively in a simple manner, for example by plastic injection molding. The fastening ring is captively attached to the belt end fitting of the safety belt, for example by means of a clip and / or snap connection.The cover cap is attached to the fastening ring and / or to the fastening element, in particular the screw head, in a manner that can be repeatedly and non-destructively separated, preferably also by means of a clip and / or snap connection.

[0005] A preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that the cover cap is designed as a screw cover cap for a screw used to fasten a belt end fitting of the safety belt to a supporting structure of the motor vehicle. The shape of the cover cap is adapted to the shape of the screw, in particular a screw head. By associating the cover cap with the fastening element, in particular the screw, a simple assignment of the data to the safety belt is made possible in a simple manner.

[0006] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that the data associated with the safety belt is applied to an inner surface of the cover cap. The inner surface of the cover cap is preferably circular.

[0007] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that the data is encoded in the form of a barcode in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. Particularly advantageously, only the barcode is encoded in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. A barcode is a barcode or bar code formed from parallel lines and spaces of varying widths. The term "code" refers to the representation of data in binary symbols.

[0008] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that the data is applied in the form of a DataMatrix code in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. Particularly advantageously, only the DataMatrix code is applied in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. Additional data that can be used to identify the seat belt is preferably applied elsewhere, for example, on the seat belt itself. A DataMatrix code is a two-dimensional barcode that encodes information in a surface.

[0009] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that data is encoded in or on the cover cap for the fastening element, enabling the seat belt to be traced. The data encoded in or on the cover cap for the fastening element can be read and compared in a motor vehicle before the seat belt is installed.

[0010] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that only a portion of the data of a data set associated with the seat belt is affixed in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. Another portion of the data of the data set can be affixed to the seat belt itself or, particularly advantageously, to a tongue of the seat belt. The other portion of the data of the data set can be briefly affixed to the tongue of the seat belt, for example, using a laser.

[0011] A further preferred embodiment of the data carrier is characterized in that the data is affixed in the form of a sticker in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. The sticker can be quickly and easily affixed in or onto the cover cap before or during installation of the seat belt in the motor vehicle.

[0012] The invention further relates to a motor vehicle with a previously described data carrier.

[0013] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which describes an embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a data carrier according to the invention and Fig. 2 a perspective view of a belt end fitting attached to a safety belt end with the data carrier from Fig. 1.

[0014] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a data carrier 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The data carrier 1 contains data 2 printed on a sticker 3. The sticker 3, in turn, is glued into the data carrier 1, which is designed as a cover cap 4.

[0015] The cover cap 4 serves to cover a screw, in particular the head of a screw, which in turn serves to fasten a belt end fitting of a safety belt to a supporting structure of a motor vehicle. The cover cap 4 is integrally connected to a fastening ring 8 by a flexible connecting web 5.

[0016] The cover cap 4 with the connecting bar 5 and the fastening ring 8 is made of injection-molded plastic. The circular sticker 3 is glued inside the cover cap 4.

[0017] In Fig.2, the fastening ring 8 is clipped into a through-hole of a belt end fitting 10. A screw can be passed through the through-hole and the fastening ring 8, with which the belt end fitting 10 is fastened to a supporting structure of the motor vehicle. One end of a safety belt 15 is attached to the belt end fitting 10 in a known manner.

[0018] The data 2 is preferably legally required data that serves to identify and track the safety belt 15. According to a further aspect of the invention, a barcode or DataMatrix code is applied to the sticker 3.

[0019] Further data may, for example, be provided on the safety belt 15 itself or on a tongue attached to the other end (not shown) of the safety belt.

[0020] The sticker 3 is read and verified before the seat belt 15 is installed in the vehicle. After the belt end fitting 10 is installed, the cover cap 4 is placed on the screw head and, particularly advantageously, clipped to the fastening ring 8.

Claims

[1] Data carrier for a safety belt (15) of a motor vehicle, characterized by that data (2) assigned to the safety belt (15) are mounted in or on a cover cap (4) for a fastening element which serves to fasten the safety belt (15) in the motor vehicle, wherein the cover cap (4) is connected by a flexible connecting web (5) to a fastening ring (8) which is captively attached to the belt end fitting (10) of the safety belt (15). [2] Data carrier according to claim 1, characterized by that the cover cap (4) is designed as a screw cover cap for a screw which serves to fasten a belt end fitting (10) of the safety belt (15) to a supporting structure of the motor vehicle. [3] Data carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the data associated with the safety belt (15) are applied to an inner surface of the cover cap (4). [4] Data carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the data (2) are in the form of a barcode in or on the cover cap (4) for the fastening element. [5] Data carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the data (2) are in the form of a DataMatrix code in or on the cover cap (4) for the fastening element. [6] Data carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that data (2) are provided in or on the cover cap (4) for the fastening element, which data enable the safety belt (15) to be traced. [7] Data carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in or on the cover cap (4) for the fastening element only part of the data of a data set is attached, which is assigned to the safety belt (15). [8] Data carrier according to claim 7, characterized bythat the data (2) are in the form of a sticker (3) in or on the cover cap for the fastening element. [9] Motor vehicle with a data carrier (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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