Miniature hip energy absorption device and seat belt buckle

Abstract

The present application discloses a miniature hip energy absorption device comprising a support plate and a steel wire rope. A positioning hole is provided on the support plate, a torsion bar is provided in the positioning hole, pulleys are connected to both ends of the torsion bar, an upper end of the steel wire rope is configured to be fastened with a buckle fastener, a lower end of the steel wire rope is wound and fastened on the two pulleys, and the steel wire rope is wound on the two pulleys in opposite directions. The present application has a compact structure, occupies little space, requires no modification of the original connection structure with the vehicle body, and is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the support plate, resulting in balanced force distribution and high reliability.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of passive safety devices for motor vehicles and relates in particular to a miniature hip energy absorption device and a seat belt buckle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The seatbelt is a very important passive safety system in modern automobiles, and the seatbelt buckle is a key component of the seatbelt system. In a collision, conventional seatbelt buckles generate large belt forces on the occupants, which vary greatly depending on the rigidity of the vehicle body. Excessive belt forces can cause significant injuries to the vehicle occupants.

[0003] Application No. 202110997667.3 discloses "A seatbelt structure with waist load buffer function and seatbelt buckle" installed on a vehicle seat and connected to a seatbelt buckle, wherein the seatbelt buckle is connected to a seatbelt, the seatbelt buckle has an upper opening and a lower opening, the seatbelt enters the interior of the seatbelt buckle through the upper opening and is connected to the seatbelt buckle, characterized by comprising: a guide component; a shock-absorbing end head; a buffer component arranged between the shock-absorbing end head and the guide component;a connecting component having one end connected to the shock-absorbing end head and the other end passing through the guide component to be connected to the seat belt buckle, the connecting component entering the interior of the seat belt buckle through the lower opening, the buffer component being mounted above the connecting component, which outputs a limiting force by the tension value generated by the force of the steel wire rope driving the inner wall of the thin tube;

[0004] Furthermore, application No. 202111566421 discloses.7 discloses “A Buckle Force Limiting Device”, particularly comprising a steel cable and a fixing plate, wherein the steel cable is bent to form a bent end and two terminals, the bent end is connected to the belt buckle, the two terminals are movably fixed to the vehicle body by the fixing plate, when the force on the belt buckle reaches a certain threshold, when the force on the buckle reaches a certain threshold, the steel cable deforms and moves a distance relative to the fixing plate, the fixing plate has a bending mechanism that causes the steel cable portion between the bent end and the two terminals to yield and bend, thereby forming a yielding bending portion on the moving path of the steel cable, which converts the deformation force of the steel cable into the limiting force value of the buckle through a yielding bending mechanism.

[0005] Application No. 201821793790.3 discloses “A force limiting lock” comprising a lock head, a connecting cable and a force limiting component, wherein one end of the connecting cable is connected to the lock head and the other end is attached to the force limiting component.The force-limiting component comprises: a U-shaped fixing plate with through holes on each of the two side plates; a rotating tube installed at both ends in the through holes, with a toothed structure on the inner wall of the end near the lock head, the connecting cable being wound on the outer wall of this end and its free end being fixed to the tube wall; a force-limiting rod installed inside the rotating tube and having toothed structures at both ends, one end engaging with the toothed structure inside the rotating tube; a side cover corresponding to the other end of the force-limiting rod, fixed to the outer wall of the side plate of the fixing plate and having internal teeth that engage with the force-limiting rod.

[0006] Application No. 201410089494.1 discloses "A force-limiting energy absorption device for seat belts," which includes an energy absorption mechanism with two connecting ends, each connected to the vehicle body and the buckle head or retractor. The structure of the energy absorption mechanism is a steel wire rope supported within the cavity of a shell. The rear end of the shell forms one connecting end of the energy absorption mechanism, while the front end of the shell has a wire rope outlet. A force-limiting core is attached to the shell and displaces the wire rope within the outlet. The protruding end of the wire rope forms another connecting end of the energy absorption mechanism.

[0007] Although the above-mentioned patents can all provide buffering when the seat belt is tightened, they require additional space to accommodate the buffering components, which requires not only additional space arrangement on the vehicle but also a new design for the connection structure with the vehicle body. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present application overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a device with a compact design, a small footprint, without having to change the original connection structure with the vehicle body, and with a symmetrical arrangement on both sides of the support plate, resulting in a balanced force distribution and high reliability.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present application provides the following technical solution: a miniature hip energy absorption device comprising a support plate and a steel wire rope, wherein a positioning hole is provided on the support plate, a torsion bar is provided in the positioning hole, pulleys are connected to both ends of the torsion bar, an upper end of the steel wire rope is configured to be fastened with a buckle fastener, a lower end of the steel wire rope is wound and fixed on the two pulleys, and the steel wire rope is wound on the two pulleys in opposite directions.

[0010] In addition, a plain bearing is mounted in the positioning hole, and the torsion bar passes through the plain bearing and is rotatably connected to the plain bearing.

[0011] In addition, the roller is placed over one end of the plain bearing and is rotatably connected to the plain bearing.

[0012] In addition, one end of the torsion bar is attached to the roller by a rivet connection.

[0013] In addition, one end of the torsion bar is connected to the roller via a splined shaft connection.

[0014] Further, a guide groove is provided on a peripheral surface of the pulley, the steel wire rope is located in the guide groove, and a stop block is provided accordingly on the pulley, and one end of the steel wire rope is fixed to the stop block.

[0015] In addition, two guide holes are provided at the upper end of the support plate, and the two ends of the steel wire rope are each passed through the two guide holes and connected to the pulleys.

[0016] In addition, the steel wire rope is assembled into a rope, and the steel wire rope is fixed by a sleeve connection after being folded in the middle.

[0017] Furthermore, a guide frame is provided above the support plate, a guide wheel is provided in the guide frame, an upper end of the steel wire rope passes through the guide frame, and the guide frame is fixed to the support plate.

[0018] A seatbelt buckle comprising the miniature hip energy absorbing device, further comprising a buckle head, wherein a fixing pin is provided in the buckle head, and the fixing pin is connected to an upper portion of the steel wire rope.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages: Due to the symmetrical arrangement of the rollers on both sides of the support plate, synchronous rotation can be achieved when the seat belt is retracted, resulting in a balanced force distribution, no additional space is required inside the vehicle, the volume is small, and the support plate can be the same as the existing ones without changing its installation structure with the vehicle body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective structural view of the seat belt buckle with the miniature hip energy absorbing device of the present application; Fig. 2 is a first perspective structural view of the miniature hip energy absorption device of the present application (L-shaped support plate); Fig. 3 is a second perspective structural view of the miniature hip energy absorption device of the present application (L-shaped support plate); Fig. 4 is a perspective structural view showing the assembly of the support plate, the sliding bearing and the torsion bar of the present application; Fig. 5 is a perspective structural view of the torsion bar of the present application; Fig. 6 is a perspective structural view showing the assembly of the roller, slide bearing, and torsion bar of the present application; Fig. is a perspective structural view showing the assembly of the guide frame and the steel cable; Fig. 8 is a perspective structural view of the guide frame; Fig. 9 is a third perspective structural view of the miniature hip energy absorption device of the present application (straight support plate); Fig. 10 is a front view of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a sectional view along the line AA in Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 10.

[0020] Reference numerals: 1. Buckle fastener; 2. Steel wire rope; 21. Mounting hole; 3. Support plate; 31. Mounting hole; 32. Guide hole; 4. Sleeve connection; 5. Slide bearing; 6. Roller; 61. Guide groove; 62. Stop block; 7. Torsion bar; 71. Wedge; 8. Guide frame; 81. Guide wheel; 82. Hook. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Further explanations of the embodiments of the miniature hip energy absorbing device and the seat belt buckle of the present application will be given with reference to the Fig. 1-12 given.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should be explained that for positional terms such as "center", "across (X)", "longitudinal (Y)", "vertical (Z)", "length", "width", "thickness", "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and other terms indicating directional or positional relationships, these are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are merely intended to simplify the description of the present application and do not mean or imply that the device or element in question must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, or function in a particular manner, and are not to be understood as limiting the specific scope of the present application.

[0023] Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply a relative importance or the number of technical features. Thus, the features delimited by "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly encompass one or more of these features. In the description of the present application, "several" and "multiple" mean two or more, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0024] A miniature hip energy absorption device comprises a support plate 3 and a steel wire rope 2, wherein a positioning hole is provided on the support plate 3, a torsion bar 7 is provided in the positioning hole, pulleys 6 are connected to both ends of the torsion bar 7, the steel wire rope 2 is folded in the middle, two ends of the steel wire rope 2 are respectively wound and fixed on the two pulleys 6, and the steel wire rope 2 is wound in opposite directions on the two pulleys 6.

[0025] In this embodiment, mounting holes 31 can also be provided on the support plate for connection to the vehicle body. Of course, the support plate 3 can also be connected and secured to the body in other ways (e.g., by welding), which can be determined as needed.

[0026] As in the Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Figure 3, after folding the steel wire rope 2 in the middle, a fastening hole 21 is formed at the folded upper end, which is used to connect with the buckle 1 of the safety belt. The buckle 1 has a fixing pin that is passed through the fastening hole 21 to complete the firm connection between the buckle 1 and the steel wire rope 2 and finally Fig. 1 to achieve the state shown.

[0027] In another embodiment, two steel wire ropes 2 may be provided, wherein the upper ends (one end typically being on top) of the two steel wire ropes are each connected to the buckle closure, or the upper ends of the two steel wire ropes may be connected first and then connected to the buckle closure.

[0028] In this configuration, the number of turns of the steel wire rope 2 wound on the pulley 6 can be determined as needed. A stop block 62 is provided on the pulley 6, and the end of the steel wire rope 2 is connected and fixed to the stop block 62. When the steel wire rope 2 (safety belt) is subjected to a tensile force, the steel wire rope 2 pulls upward and drives the pulley 6 to rotate, and the two pulleys 6 rotate in opposite directions, thereby driving the torsion bar 7 to twist, and the twist of the torsion bar 7 provides a certain resistance.

[0029] As in Fig. 4, in this preferred embodiment, a sliding bearing 5 is mounted in the positioning bore, and the torsion bar 7 passes through the sliding bearing 5 and is rotatably connected to the sliding bearing 5.

[0030] The sliding bearing 5 initially enables a smooth rotation of the torsion bar 7 and prevents its displacement under torsional stress, ie the sliding bearing 5 serves to enlarge the axial support surface of the torsion bar 7 and to maintain the stability of the torsion bar 7.

[0031] In this preferred embodiment, the roller 6 is placed over one end of the sliding bearing 5 and is rotatably connected to the sliding bearing 5.

[0032] Specifically, the roller 6 is partially slipped over the plain bearing 5 in the axial direction and partially fastened to the torsion bar 7, so that the roller 6 can also be limited by the plain bearing 5 to prevent the roller 6 from falling out. Preferably, additional structures such as bearings or annular limiting grooves and limiting projections can be provided for connection between the plain bearing 5 and the roller 6, so that the roller 6 can rotate smoothly relative to the plain bearing 5 and is relatively rigid in the axial direction.

[0033] In one embodiment, the end of the torsion bar 7 is riveted to the pulley 6. Thus, the length of the steel wire rope 2 wound onto the pulley 6 is fixed when the torsion bar 7 and the pulley 6 are fixed and cannot be adjusted later.

[0034] As in the Fig. As shown, in another embodiment the end of the torsion bar 7 is connected to the roller 6 via the wedges 71.

[0035] Specifically, both the torsion bar 7 and the pulley 6 are provided with interlocking splines 71. This method allows the length of the steel wire rope 2 wound on the pulley 6 to be adjusted and controlled according to their relative angle when the torsion bar 7 and the pulley 6 are secured, thereby controlling the effective pitch of the steel wire rope 2. The more splines 71 are provided, the higher the precision of the adjustable angle.

[0036] As in Fig. 6, in this preferred embodiment, a guide groove 61 is provided on the peripheral surface of the pulley 6, and the steel wire rope 2 is located in the guide groove 61. Normally, this guide groove 61 is an arcuate groove to restrict the steel wire rope 2 and prevent it from coming off the pulley 6.

[0037] As in the Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, in this preferred embodiment, two guide holes 32 are provided at the upper end of the support plate 3, and the two ends of the steel wire rope 2 pass through the two guide holes 32, respectively, to be connected to the pulleys 6.

[0038] The guide holes 32 can be formed by punching and bending the top of the support plate 3, which serves to position the steel cable 2.

[0039] As in the Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Figure 3, in one embodiment, the steel wire rope 2 is secured by a sleeve joint 4 after being folded in half. The sleeve joint 4 remains at a certain distance from the upper end of the steel wire rope 2 so that the area above the sleeve joint 4 can form a fastening hole 21.

[0040] As in the Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, a guide frame 8 is provided above the support plate 3, a guide wheel 81 is provided in the guide frame 8, the upper end of the steel wire rope 2 passes through the guide frame 8, and the guide frame 8 is fixed to the support plate 3.

[0041] At this time, the steel wire rope 2 is restrained by the guide frame 8 to prevent it from loosening, and the direction of the pulling force can be changed via the guide wheel 81. Preferably, a hook 82 is provided on the guide frame 8, which can be attached to the vehicle body to prevent the guide frame 8 from rotating, thus ensuring that the length of the steel wire rope 2 wound on both pulleys 6 remains uniformly moderate.

[0042] In this embodiment, the torsion bar 7 can be adjusted according to the required torsional force. Generally, different output torques can be achieved with different diameters of the torsion bar 7. In conjunction with the wedges 71 connected to the pulley 6, the output length of the steel wire rope 2 and the torque value can be adjusted.

[0043] The above description represents only the preferred embodiment of the present application. The scope of the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. All technical solutions within the meaning of the present application fall within the scope of the present application. It should be noted that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, various improvements and modifications should also fall within the scope of the present application, provided that they do not deviate from the principle of the present application. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 202111566421.7

[0004] WO 201410089494.1

[0006]

Claims

[1] Miniature hip energy absorption device comprising a support plate and a steel wire rope, wherein a positioning hole is provided on the support plate, a torsion bar is provided in the positioning hole, pulleys are connected to both ends of the torsion bar, an upper end of the steel wire rope is configured to be fastened with a buckle fastener, a lower end of the steel wire rope is wound and fixed on the two pulleys, and the steel wire rope is wound on the two pulleys in opposite directions. [2] The miniature hip energy absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein a sliding bearing is mounted in the positioning hole and the torsion bar passes through the sliding bearing and is rotatably connected to the sliding bearing. [3] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 2, wherein the roller is mounted over one end of the journal bearing and is rotatably connected to the journal bearing. [4] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 3, wherein one end of the torsion bar is attached to the roller by a rivet connection. [5] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 3, wherein one end of the torsion bar is connected to the roller via a spline connection. [6] A miniature hip energy absorbing device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a guide groove is provided on a peripheral surface of the pulley, the steel wire rope is arranged in the guide groove, and a stop block is correspondingly provided on the pulley, and one end of the steel wire rope is fixed to the stop block. [7] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 6, wherein two guide holes are provided at an upper end of the support plate, and two ends of the two steel wire ropes are each passed through one of the two guide holes to connect to the pulleys. [8] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 7, wherein the steel wire rope is configured as a rope, and the steel wire rope is fixed via a sleeve connection after being folded in half. [9] A miniature hip energy absorption device according to claim 7, wherein a guide frame is provided above the support plate, a guide wheel is provided in the guide frame, an upper end of the steel wire rope passes through the guide frame, and the guide frame is fixed to the support plate. [10] A seat belt buckle comprising the miniature hip energy absorbing device according to claim 1, further comprising a buckle closure, wherein a fixing pin is provided in the buckle closure, and the fixing pin is connected to an upper portion of the steel wire rope.

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