Belt buckle presenter

Abstract

Belt buckle presenter with a base body (12) that can be mounted stationary in a vehicle-fixed manner and with a belt buckle (16) that is mounted displaceably on the base body (12), wherein a spindle drive (32) with a spindle (36) and a spindle nut (34) is provided, which moves the belt buckle (16) and whose spindle (36) is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the belt buckle (16), and wherein the spindle nut (34) is received in a split bearing block (42), characterized in that the spindle (36) is connected to a carriage (14) that can be moved along the base body (12) and that encloses the base body (12) at least in sections.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a belt buckle presenter.

[0002] Belt buckle extenders make it easier to fasten and unfasten a seat belt by reversibly moving the belt buckle from a retracted position, in which it is not in the way of the vehicle occupant during normal driving, into an extended position, in which it is easily accessible for the vehicle occupant.

[0003] For example, DE 10 2004 017 457 A1 discloses a belt buckle presenter with a spindle drive. An electric motor rotates a spindle, thereby moving a spindle nut connected to the belt buckle via a steel cable along the spindle. However, the disadvantage here is the complex design of the belt buckle presenter.

[0004] From the generic DE 10 2012 016 211 A1, a belt buckle presenter is known which has a base body that can be fixedly mounted to the vehicle and a belt buckle that is movably mounted on the base body. A spindle drive with a spindle and a spindle nut is provided on the base body, which moves the belt buckle and whose spindle is connected to the belt buckle in a rotationally fixed manner. The spindle nut is accommodated in a split bearing block. In this way, the belt buckle is directly and immediately coupled to the spindle drive, which reduces both the number of required components and thus the manufacturing costs, as well as the size of the entire belt buckle presenter. The split bearing block also enables easy pre-assembly of the spindle drive before it is attached to the base body.

[0005] The object of the invention is to provide a belt buckle presenter with a further simplified and compact design.

[0006] The rotationally fixed connection between the spindle and the belt buckle is achieved, for example, by a fastening element located at the upper end of the spindle, to which the belt buckle is attached. The fastening geometry of the fastening element can be selected so that belt buckles of the same design can be used both with belt buckle extenders and for permanent attachment in the vehicle.

[0007] This object is achieved by the characterizing features of patent claim 1. To achieve the most compact design possible, the invention provides that the spindle is connected to a carriage that can be moved along the base body and that at least partially encloses the base body. The carriage can be secured to the spindle, for example, via the fastening element at the upper end of the spindle. With this design, the base body is at least partially accommodated inside the carriage, thus eliminating the need for an additional housing, which further reduces the number of parts and the required installation space.

[0008] At least one ball cage can be arranged between the base body and the slide, on which the slide is mounted for linear movement along the base body. The use of one or more ball cages, particularly in a linear configuration with several balls arranged along a straight line, enables smooth and quiet mounting of the slide on the base body.

[0009] In order to move the spindle of the spindle drive reversibly in the axial direction, the spindle nut of the spindle drive, which causes the axial movement of the spindle, can be driven in the desired direction of rotation.

[0010] The spindle nut is preferably rotatably mounted on the base body.

[0011] The bearing block is preferably encompassed by the slide, so that no separate housing is required and the compactness of the entire belt buckle presenter is increased.

[0012] The bearing block can also accommodate a bearing for the spindle and / or an electric motor driving the spindle nut, so that the entire drive can be arranged on the base body and can be at least largely protected against environmental influences by the carriage.

[0013] For example, the spindle nut can be accommodated in a bearing block divided parallel to the axial direction with a first and a second bearing block element, which allows simple pre-assembly of the spindle drive and cost-effective production of the bearing block.

[0014] The bearing block elements preferably comprise clip elements provided for fastening the bearing block elements to one another, as well as additionally or alternatively pins with which the bearing block elements can be aligned with one another. This allows the bearing block elements to be easily positioned and pre-assembled relative to one another.

[0015] To transmit the drive power from the electric motor to the spindle nut, an intermediate gear is preferably provided. This intermediate gear is coupled to a drive pinion of the electric motor and has a pinion meshing with the spindle nut. In this way, power transmission with the desired ratio can be achieved in a compact arrangement. The intermediate gear is preferably also mounted on the bearing block and can be pre-assembled thereto.

[0016] For example, the intermediate gear comprises two pinions arranged on an axis, one of which meshes with the drive pinion of the electric motor and the other with an external toothing of the spindle nut.

[0017] The bearing blocks are preferably made of different materials, e.g. plastic or sheet metal, i.e. one made of plastic and the other of sheet metal, so that a stable clip connection can be easily realized.

[0018] The invention is described in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: - Fig. 1 shows a belt buckle presenter according to the invention in a schematic perspective view in a fully retracted position; - Fig. 2 the belt buckle extender Fig. 1 in a fully extended position; - Fig. 3 a schematic perspective view of the belt buckle presenter from Fig. 1 without the sled; - Fig. 4 which in Fig. 3 assembly shown in a front view; - Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 schematic representations of the spindle drive of the belt buckle presenter according to the invention; - Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 schematic representations of the spindle drive with a split bearing block and an electric motor; - Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 is an exploded view of the belt buckle presenter according to the invention; - Fig. 11 is an exploded view of another embodiment of a spindle drive with a split bearing block and an electric motor for a belt buckle presenter according to the invention; - Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a spindle drive with a split bearing block and an electric motor for a belt buckle presenter according to the invention; and - Fig. 13 an exploded view of the spindle drive with a split bearing block and an electric motor from Fig. 12.

[0019] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a belt buckle presenter 10, which has a rigid base body 12 that can be fixed to the vehicle and a carriage 14 that is mounted on the base body 12 so that it can move along its axial direction A. The carriage 14 encompasses the base body 12 at least partially in the circumferential direction, wherein in this example the carriage 14 is partially completely closed circumferentially (see also Fig. 9).

[0020] Fig. 1 shows the belt buckle presenter 10 in a fully retracted position as assumed during normal driving operation. Fig. Figure 2 shows the belt buckle presenter 10 in the fully extended position used for fastening and unfastening the seat belt. The travel direction V, in which a belt buckle 16 is reversibly moved by the belt buckle presenter 10, coincides with the axial direction A.

[0021] A fastening eyelet 18 is formed on the base body 12, via which the belt buckle presenter 10 is fastened to the vehicle.

[0022] The base body 12 has a back plate 20 and two narrow sides 22 extending in the axial direction A, which protrude laterally from the back plate 20.

[0023] The box-shaped slide 14 has two narrow sides 24, which are arranged parallel to the narrow sides 22 of the base body 12. Between the outer side of the narrow sides 22 and the inner side of the narrow sides 24, several ball cages 26 are arranged as bearings, which are accommodated in guides 28 on the narrow sides 22 of the base body 12 and are freely movable in the axial direction A. This is also shown in the Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 10. The ball cages 26 are designed here as linear components, each with four balls, and allow, in a known manner, a smooth and quiet movement of the carriage 14 along the base body 12. A total of four ball cages 26 are provided, each arranged on the outer edges of the narrow sides 22. Stops 30 at the axial ends of the narrow sides 22 prevent the ball cages 26 from leaving the guides 28. At the belt buckle-side ends, the stops 30 are formed here by rivets, which are inserted into the guides 28 after the ball cages 26 have been pushed into the guides 28.

[0024] The belt buckle 16 is moved reversibly in and against the direction of travel V by a spindle drive 32 arranged on the base body 12. The spindle drive 32 is, for example, in the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 is shown in more detail.

[0025] The spindle drive 32 comprises a rotatably mounted, driven spindle nut 34 and a spindle 36 which can be displaced along the travel direction V by rotating the spindle nut 34.

[0026] At its belt buckle end, the spindle 36 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the belt buckle 16 via a plate-shaped fastening element 38.

[0027] In order to prevent the spindle 36 from rotating with the spindle nut 34, the fastening element 38 is screwed to the slide 14 in a rotationally fixed manner, such as Fig. 9 shows. In this example, two fastening eyes 40 are provided at one end of the slide 14 on the belt buckle side.

[0028] The spindle 36 is provided with a thread, at least over the maximum travel range, which engages with an internal thread of the spindle nut 34, as is known from spindle drives.

[0029] The spindle nut 34 is axially immovable but rotatable in a bearing block 42 which is firmly connected to the base body 12.

[0030] The bearing block 42 is here divided horizontally into two sections 42a, 42b (see horizontal separation plane in Fig. 10), between which the spindle nut 34 is mounted. In this example, the bearing block 42 is screwed to the back plate 20 of the base body 12 via a frame 44.

[0031] The spindle nut 34 is driven by an electric motor 46, which is also fixed to the base body 12. The bearing block 42, more precisely the section 42b of the bearing block 42 remote from the belt buckle, forms a bearing for one end of the electric motor 46 on the belt buckle side.

[0032] In order to reduce the installation space in the direction pointing into the vehicle, in this example a recess 48 is provided in the carriage 14 in a front plate 14a and a back plate 14b, into which the electric motor 46 projects.

[0033] On the shaft of the electric motor 46 is a drive pinion 50 that meshes with a first pinion 52 of an intermediate gear 54. The intermediate gear 54 has a second pinion 56 that is arranged on a common shaft with the first pinion 52. The second pinion 56 meshes with an external toothing 58 on the spindle nut 34, whereby a rotary movement of the drive pinion 50 can be transmitted to the spindle nut 34 at the desired ratio. All toothings are helical. The shaft of the intermediate gear 54 is also mounted in the bearing block 42, as shown in Fig. 10 can be seen.

[0034] The shaft of the electric motor 46, that of the intermediate gear 54 and the spindle 36 are aligned parallel to each other.

[0035] The spindle drive 32 can be pre-assembled with the electric motor 46 in the bearing block 42 to form a separate assembly, as shown in the Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 is shown.

[0036] In this example, two position sensors 60 are also provided for detecting a spindle position. The position sensors 60 are also mounted on the base body 12.

[0037] The Fig. 11 shows a further embodiment of a spindle drive 32 with a split bearing block 42 and an electric motor 46 for a belt buckle presenter 10 according to the invention.

[0038] In this embodiment, the bearing block 42 is divided parallel to the axial direction A of the spindle 36 into a first bearing block element 62 and a second bearing block element 64 and supports the spindle drive 32 including the electric motor 46 and the intermediate gear 54.

[0039] To support the electric motor 46, recesses 66, 67 are provided in the bearing block elements 62, 64, into which the electric motor 46 projects or partially through. A bearing point 68 is arranged on the side of the electric motor 46 opposite the intermediate gear 54 and engages a pin on the underside of the electric motor 46. In this way, the bearing block 42 is very compact and simultaneously ensures secure mounting of the electric motor 46.

[0040] The bearing block 42 further comprises a first bearing section 70, a second bearing section 72, and a third bearing section 74, in which the spindle 36, the spindle nut 34, and the intermediate gear 54 are mounted, respectively. The bearing section 70 ensures that forces acting perpendicular to the axial direction A on the spindle drive 32 are absorbed, thus preventing jamming of the threads of the spindle nut 34 and the spindle 36, which are designed here as trapezoidal threads.

[0041] Clip elements 76 are provided on the bearing block 42, which include eyelets 78 and locking elements 80, and by means of which the bearing block elements 62, 64 can be connected to one another in a pre-assembly step before they are securely fastened to the base body 12 with fastening means in a later assembly step.

[0042] The first bearing block element 62 has a plurality of pins 82 which are opposite corresponding recesses (not shown) in the second bearing block element 64 and which are provided for the correct positioning of the bearing block elements 62, 64 to one another.

[0043] The bearing block elements 62, 64 are one-piece and consist of plastic and / or metal, preferably of an alloy containing aluminum and / or zinc.

[0044] In particular, the first bearing block element 62 is made of plastic and the second bearing block element 64 is made of metal.

[0045] A pulse generator 84 is arranged on the electric motor 46 and is used to measure the speed.

[0046] The second bearing block element 64 has a cable guide 86 on its side opposite the spindle drive 32, which is provided, among other things, for the attachment of a cable (not shown) for the speed measurement.

[0047] In the Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 shows an alternative embodiment of an axially split bearing block 42.

[0048] In this embodiment, the bearing block 42 comprises a third bearing block element 88, which is arranged on the first bearing block element 62 opposite the second bearing block element 64. In addition, a closure element 90 is provided, which presses the bearing block 42 towards the belt buckle 16 (see Fig. 1) is completed.

[0049] Furthermore, this embodiment comprises a cylinder 92 with a linear guide 94, which is provided together with a rail element 96 for guiding the spindle drive 32.

[0050] The second bearing block element 64 has a cable harness 98 to which, among other things, the cables (not shown) for controlling the electric motor 46 can be securely fastened.

Claims

[1] Belt buckle presenter with a base body (12) which can be mounted stationary in the vehicle and a belt buckle (16) which is movably mounted on the base body (12), wherein a spindle drive (32) with a spindle (36) and a spindle nut (34) is provided, which moves the belt buckle (16) and whose spindle (36) is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the belt buckle (16), and wherein the spindle nut (34) is accommodated in a split bearing block (42), characterized by that the spindle (36) is connected to a carriage (14) which is movable along the base body (12) and which encloses the base body (12) at least in sections. [2] Belt buckle presenter according to claim 1, characterized by that a fastening element (38) is arranged at an upper end of the spindle (36), to which the belt buckle (16) is fixed. [3] Belt buckle presenter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat between the base body (12) and the slide (14) at least one ball cage (26) is arranged, on which the slide (14) is mounted for a linear movement along the base body (12). [4] Belt buckle presenter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the spindle nut (34) of the spindle drive (32) is rotatably mounted on the base body (12) and causes an axial movement of the spindle (36). [5] Belt buckle presenter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the carriage (14) engages around the bearing block (42). [6] Belt buckle presenter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the bearing block (42) has a bearing for the spindle (36) and / or for an electric motor (46) driving the spindle nut (34). [7] Belt buckle presenter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the bearing block (42) is divided parallel to the axial direction (A) and has a first bearing block element (62) and a second bearing block element (64). [8] Belt buckle presenter according to claim 7, characterized by that the bearing block elements (62, 64) have clip elements (76) for fastening the bearing block elements (62, 64) to one another and / or pins (82) for aligning the bearing block elements (62, 64) to one another. [9] Belt buckle presenter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that an intermediate gear (54) is provided which is coupled to a drive pinion (50) of an electric motor (46) driving the spindle nut (34) and which has a pinion (56) meshing with the spindle nut (34). [10] Belt buckle presenter according to claim 9, characterized bythat the intermediate gear (54) comprises two pinions (52, 56) arranged on an axis, one of which meshes with the drive pinion (50) of the electric motor (46) and the other with an external toothing (58) of the spindle nut (34). [11] Belt buckle presenter according to claim 7 and one of claims 8 to 10, characterized by that one of the bearing block elements (62,64) is made of plastic and the other bearing block element (62,64) is made of metal.

Images