BUCKLE COMPONENT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a buckle component having a base body and a clamping bar, wherein the base body has a belt receiving opening and the clamping bar is displaceably mounted on the base body in the belt receiving opening for clamping a belt guided around the clamping bar between the clamping bar and an edge of the base body delimiting the belt receiving opening.

[0002] Buckle components of this type are known in a variety of designs. The clamping bar in such buckle components is slidably mounted in the belt receiving opening, so that a belt wrapped around it can be clamped between the clamping bar and an edge of the base body bordering the belt receiving opening.

[0003] A generic buckle component is e.g.shown in WO 2012 / 109682 A1. The use of the slidably mounted clamping bar has the advantage of allowing very rapid adjustment of the belt in the buckle component. A disadvantage of this technology, however, is that the belt is generally only clamped sufficiently tightly between the clamping bar and the edge of the base body bordering the belt receiving opening as long as a corresponding tension is maintained on the belt. If this tension on the belt is no longer present or no longer present to a sufficient extent, the clamping connection between the clamping bar and the edge bordering the belt receiving opening loosens. This can then lead to unintentional adjustment of the belt in the buckle component.

[0004] This problem has already been described in WO 2012 / 109682 A1. To solve this problem, in addition to the buckle or buckle components, a device designed as a separate component is proposed there to prevent inadvertent adjustment of the belt. However, this has the disadvantage that, in addition to the buckle components, a separate component must always be carried to prevent inadvertent adjustment or slipping of the belt in the buckle component. Furthermore, such solutions naturally also carry the risk of losing this additional component.

[0005] The object of the invention is therefore to propose a solution which eliminates the problems mentioned and prevents unintentional adjustment or slipping of the belt in the buckle component.

[0006] To solve this problem, the invention proposes that in a buckle component of the type mentioned at the outset, the buckle component additionally has a flap which is pivotably mounted on the base body by means of a pivot joint, wherein the flap has a clamping surface for clamping the belt between the clamping surface of the flap and the clamping web in a clamping position of the flap.

[0007] In contrast to the cited prior art, the invention thus provides a flap which is attached or formed directly on the buckle component and secures the belt against unintentional adjustment even when the tension on the belt is not currently sufficient to ensure that the belt is clamped firmly between the clamping bar and the edge bordering the belt receiving opening. The fact that in the invention the flap is part of the buckle component also has the advantage that the flap is not lost so quickly and no extra component is required in addition to the buckle component. Above all, the invention also provides that the flap, with its clamping surface, clamps the belt directly between the clamping surface of the flap and the clamping bar. This secures the belt directly on the clamping bar against unintentional slipping between the clamping bar and the edge bordering the belt receiving opening, even when the tension on the belt is released.By clamping the belt to the clamping bar by means of the clamping surface of the flap, the clamping bar itself is also held in its clamping position relative to the edge bordering the belt receiving opening, which is a further advantage of the invention.

[0008] The flap also has the advantage that it can be very easily folded back and forth between the clamping position and a release position by opening and closing it, whereby in the clamping position the belt is clamped between the clamping surface of the flap and the clamping bar and in the release position the clamping surface is lifted off the belt, so that in the release position the belt can be easily adjusted on the buckle component.

[0009] The buckle component is advantageously provided so that it can be detachably connected to a counter-buckle component to form a buckle. This can be a belt buckle that serves to detachably connect two belts to one another. Both buckle components that are connected to one another to form the buckle can be designed according to the invention, or just one of them. Advantageous embodiments provide that the buckle component according to the invention has an insertion extension for fastening in an insertion extension receptacle of a counter-buckle component, or that the buckle component according to the invention has an insertion extension receptacle for fastening an insertion extension of a counter-buckle component in the insertion extension receptacle.

[0010] If one considers an arrangement with a belt and a buckle component according to the invention, it is advantageously provided that the belt can be clamped or is clamped in the clamping position of the flap between the clamping surface of the flap and the clamping web.

[0011] In order to secure the flap in the clamped position and prevent it from accidentally folding away from the clamped position into the release position, preferred embodiments of the invention provide for the flap to be lockable in the clamped position on the base body by means of a locking device. This locking device can be formed on the flap or be part of the flap. In other embodiments, however, the locking device can also be formed or at least fixed on the base body of the buckle component. Preferred embodiments provide for the locking device to be an elastic latching hook. This latching hook can also be strip-shaped. It is preferably fixed or formed on the flap. As already mentioned, the latching hook can also be fixed or formed on the base body of the buckle component.

[0012] Preferred variants provide that the locking device, in the clamping position, engages behind an outer side of the base body facing away from the belt receiving opening to lock the flap. In these embodiments, the locking device therefore does not engage in the belt receiving opening, although this would also be possible in principle in other embodiments. An advantage of embodiments in which the locking device engages behind an outer side of the base body facing away from the belt receiving opening is that the flap is thereby held relatively well and stably on the base body in the clamping position. It is particularly preferably provided that the locking device is arranged or formed on a side of the flap opposite the pivot joint or engages the flap.

[0013] In order to apply the forces required to clamp the belt as simply and securely as possible, preferred variants provide for the clamping surface of the flap to be arranged in an area between the pivot joint and the locking device. Particularly preferably, the clamping surface is designed as the surface of a spring tongue of the flap. The spring tongue advantageously elastically pretensions the clamping surface towards the clamping position, which is advantageous for securely clamping the belt between the clamping surface and the clamping web. The use of a spring tongue also has the advantage that belts of very different thicknesses can be securely clamped between the clamping surface and the clamping web, since the spring tongue and its elastic deflection ensure automatic adjustment to the respective thickness of the belt.

[0014] The clamping of the belt between the clamping surface and the clamping web can be implemented as a pure frictional engagement by appropriately designing the surfaces. Preferred embodiments of the invention, however, provide for a toothing on the clamping surface for positive engagement with the belt. In these embodiments, the belt is thus held between the clamping surface and the clamping web not only by frictional engagement but also by positive engagement when the flap is in the clamped position. In this sense, particularly preferred variants also provide for a toothing on the locking device for positive engagement with the belt. This is particularly advantageous when the locking device is designed as an elastic latching hook.The toothings can be designed as individual teeth on both the clamping surface and the locking device, but also as toothed strips or the like, or evenly distributed over the surface of the clamping surface or the locking device.

[0015] Particularly preferred variants in this context provide for the toothing(s) to have tooth flanks of varying steepness in opposing directions, which, when the flap is in the clamped position, allow retensioning of the belt in one tensioning direction and lock the belt in a direction opposite to the tensioning direction. The correspondingly different steepness of the tooth flanks in such design variants can ensure that, on the one hand, the steeper tooth flanks securely hold the belt, while, on the other hand, the less steep tooth flanks allow retensioning of the belt without the flap having to be released from the clamped position.

[0016] There are fundamentally different options for the design of the flap and the pivot joint, as well as for how the flap is attached to the buckle component. For example, in preferred embodiments, the pivot joint is formed between the flap and a flap support, and the flap support is attached or can be attached to the base body by means of a snap-in connection. However, the flap support could just as easily be arranged or formed fixedly on the base body of the buckle component. The advantages of attaching the flap to the base body of the buckle component by means of the aforementioned snap-in connection are that the flap can in principle also be retrofitted or is only attached to the buckle component when needed.The locking connection between the flap support and the base body advantageously provides a locking lug and a locking lug receptacle, whereby the locking lug is inserted into the locking lug receptacle for attaching the flap to the base body and is locked there. By releasing this locking connection, the flap can then be easily removed from the buckle component. The locking lug receptacle is advantageously designed as a hole, particularly preferably as a through hole, in the base body of the buckle component. In these embodiments, the locking lug is then located on the flap support. Of course, embodiments the other way around are also conceivable, in which the locking lug receptacle is formed on the flap support and the locking lug on the base body of the buckle component.

[0017] There are also various options for the design of the swivel joint. A preferred variant is a single-axis joint with an axle bolt. However, the swivel joint can also e.g. be designed as a foil hinge or the like.

[0018] Both the buckle component and the flap and the flap support can be made of a variety of materials. The buckle component, and in particular the base body and the clamping bar, are preferably made of metal, such as e.g. Aluminum, aluminum alloy, or stainless steel. Of course, these components could also be made of plastic or ceramic. The flap and the flap support are preferably made of plastic. Alternatively, it would also be conceivable to construct the flap and the flap support from metal, particularly from a spring-loaded metal.

[0019] Further features and details of preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in the following description of the figures using two exemplary embodiments of the invention. They show: Fig. 1 to 8 Representations of a first embodiment of the invention and Fig. 9 to 16 to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0020] In both embodiments of the invention shown in the figures, the respective buckle component 1 or 2 according to the invention is part of a buckle or belt buckle, in that the buckle component 1 or 2 according to the invention can be connected to a counter-buckle component 25 to form a buckle. This connection of the buckle components to the counter-buckle components is known per se and can be implemented in a wide variety of designs according to the prior art when implementing the invention. It is advantageous if, as is also implemented in the embodiments shown here, the buckle component 1 or 2 and the counter-buckle component 25 can be locked to one another when plugged together. In the prior art, a wide variety of locking mechanisms are known for this purpose, which can also be unlocked when the buckle component 1 or 2 is to be separated from the counter-buckle component 25.The invention can also be combined with all of these locking types known in the prior art. For the sake of completeness, however, it should also be noted that buckle components 1 and 2 according to the invention can also form a complete buckle. In these embodiments of the invention, it is not provided that the buckle component according to the invention can be connected to a counter-buckle component to form a buckle.

[0021] In the first embodiment according to the Fig. 1 to 8 The female buckle component 2 of the buckle is designed according to the invention. This buckle component 2 according to the invention of the first embodiment can, as shown in the Fig. 1 to 6shown, can be connected to another, known, male buckle component 1. In this embodiment, the male buckle component 1 thus forms the counter-buckle component 25. In the first embodiment, the male buckle component 1 has only one belt slot 26 through which a belt can be passed.

[0022] The female buckle component 2 designed according to the invention in the first exemplary embodiment has a belt receiving opening 5 in which a clamping bar 4 is mounted so as to be displaceable back and forth in the displacement directions 31. A belt 6 can be guided around the clamping bar 4 in the belt receiving opening 5. By appropriately pulling in the opposite direction 19, the clamping bar 4 is pulled or pushed by the belt 6 in a manner known per se against the edge 7 bordering the belt receiving opening 5, whereby the belt 6 is clamped firmly between the clamping bar 4 and the edge 7. This clamping ensures that the belt is fixed to the buckle component 2 as long as a corresponding pull in direction 19 is maintained.If this tension decreases in direction 19 or if the belt 6 is pulled in the tensioning direction 18, this clamping of the belt between the clamping web 4 and the edge delimiting the belt receiving opening 5 may no longer be sufficient to hold the belt in its position on the buckle component 2. In order to prevent the belt 6 from being unintentionally displaced or loosened in the buckle component 2 in such situations, the invention provides that the buckle component 2 additionally has a flap 8 which is pivotally mounted on the base body 3 by means of a pivot joint 9, wherein the flap 8 has a clamping surface 10 for clamping the belt 6 between the clamping surface 10 of the flap 8 and the clamping web 4 in a clamped position of the flap 8.

[0023] Fig. 1shows, in a perspective view, the female buckle component 2 according to the invention together with the male buckle component 1, used here as the counter-buckle component 25, in the assembled position, with the flap 8 in the clamping position. In this clamping position, the strap 6 is clamped between the clamping surface 10 of the flap 8 and the clamping web 4. Fig. 2 shows the flap in its release position in a perspective view. The Figs. 3 and 4 show the first embodiment of the invention in side views, wherein Fig. 3 the release position and Fig. 4 shows an intermediate position. Fig. 5 shows the first embodiment of the invention in a longitudinal section, with the flap 8 in the clamping position. Fig. 6 shows a partially exploded view in which the flap 8 is shown detached from the flap carrier 20 and from the buckle component 2. Fig. 7shows only the female buckle component 2 according to the invention of this embodiment together with the belt 6. Fig. 8 shows only the male buckle component 1, which is used as counter buckle component 25 in this first embodiment.

[0024] The flap 8 is arranged around the pivot joint 9 between the Fig. 2 and 3 shown release position and the one in the Fig. 1 and 5 shown clamping position and is attached to the base body 3 of the buckle component 2 so that it can be pivoted back and forth. Fig. 6 It can be seen that the swivel joint 9 in this embodiment is a single-axis joint with an axle bolt 22. As already explained at the beginning, the swivel joint 9 could, however, e.g.can also be designed as a foil hinge or the like. The pivot joint 9 is formed in the embodiment shown here, as well as in other preferred embodiments, between the flap support 20 and the flap 8. In such variants, it is provided that the flap 8 is fastened to the base body 3 of the buckle component 2 by means of the flap support 20. In the embodiment shown here, there is a detachable connection between the flap support 20 and the base body 3 in the form of a snap connection 21. In this context, particular reference is made to Fig. 6There it can be clearly seen that in order to form this locking connection 21, in this exemplary embodiment the locking lugs 28 are formed on the flap carrier 20, which are inserted into the locking receptacles 29 of the base body 3 and locked in place to fasten the flap carrier 20 and thus also the flap 8 to the base body 3 of the buckle component 2. Such variants have the advantage that the flap 8 together with the flap carrier 20 can be easily removed from the base body 3 or from the buckle component 2 when they are not needed. This also facilitates the retrofitting of flaps 8 to buckle components 2. Of course, the locking connection 21 could also be designed differently than in the exemplary embodiments shown here. For example, the locking lug receptacles 29 could be provided on the flap carrier 20 and corresponding locking lugs 28 could be provided on the base body 3. The flap 8 or the flap carrier 20 could also be designed in a completely different way, e.g.B. by screwing, gluing, or other known fastening methods on the base body 3 of the buckle component 2. The flap carrier 20 could even be a fixed component of the base body 3 of the buckle component 2 according to the invention.

[0025] In order to lock the flap 8 in the clamping position on the base body 3, a locking device 11 is also provided in this first embodiment. This is specifically designed as an elastic locking hook. The locking device 11 engages behind the Fig. 1 and 5 shown clamping position, an outer side 12 of the base body 3 facing away from the belt receiving opening 5, in order to releasably lock the flap 8 in the clamping position. Due to the elastic design of the locking hook, the locking device 11 can also be easily released in order to then release the flap 8 again from the Fig. 1 and 5shown clamping position into the position shown in the Fig. 2 and 3 to swing back to the release position shown. In the release position, the belt 6 can be adjusted in direction 18 or 19 as desired. Fig. 4 shows an intermediate position between the clamping position and the release position, which is passed through both when opening and closing the flap 8. In the clamping position according to Fig. 1 and 5According to the invention, the belt is clamped between the clamping surface 10 of the flap 8 and the clamping web 4. In preferred embodiments such as the one shown here, the clamping surface 10 is designed as the surface of a spring tongue 14 of the flap 8. The spring tongue 14 can be elastic in itself. However, the spring tongue 14 can also be an inherently rigid body which is elastically prestressed against the base body of the flap 8 by a corresponding spring or an elastomer body or the like. The prestress of the spring tongue 14 is in any case designed in the direction in which the clamping surface 10 presses against the belt 6 guided around the clamping web 4. The spring tongue 14 also makes it possible to clamp belts 6 of very different thicknesses securely and with sufficient strength between the clamping surface 10 and the clamping web 4.

[0026] In this exemplary embodiment, it is also provided that the locking device 11 is arranged or formed on a side of the flap 8 opposite the pivot joint 9. This makes it possible to arrange the clamping surface 10 of the flap 8, as is also realized here, in an area between the pivot joint 9 and the locking device 11. This particularly ensures that the clamping surface 10, in the clamped position, presses sufficiently strongly against the strap 6 guided around the clamping web 4.

[0027] In principle, the clamping effect between clamping surface 10 and clamping web 4 could be based purely on friction. In preferred embodiments such as those shown here, however, it is provided that in addition to the frictional clamping, a positive engagement with the belt 6 also takes place. For this purpose, in the embodiments shown here, both the clamping surface 10 and the locking device 11 each have a toothing 15 with which they engage positively with the belt 6 in the clamped position. The toothings 15 are advantageously an arrangement of several teeth. The toothings 15 can, for example, be designed as toothed strips, as is also realized here in the embodiments. Of course, embodiments are also conceivable in which corresponding toothings 15 are provided either only on the clamping surface 10 or only on the locking device 11.

[0028] In the Fig. 3 to 5It is clearly visible that the toothings 15 implemented here have tooth flanks 16 and 17 of different steepness in opposite directions. The flatter tooth flanks 16 allow the belt 6 to be retensioned in the tensioning direction 18 when the flap 8 is in the clamped position, while the steeper tooth flanks 17 ensure that the belt 6 is locked when the belt 6 is pulled in the opposite direction 19 to the tensioning direction 18. These preferred embodiments therefore allow the belt 6 to be retensioned in the tensioning direction 18 not only when the flap 8 is in the release position, but also when the flap 8 is in the clamped position.

[0029] As already explained at the beginning, the female buckle component 2 according to the invention of this first embodiment can be plugged together with the male buckle component 1, which is not designed according to the invention here and which represents the counter buckle component 25, to form a buckle. For this purpose, the female buckle component 2 has, as shown in Fig. 7 clearly visible, the known insertion extension receptacle 24, into which the Fig. 8visible insertion extension 23 of the buckle component 1 can be pushed in in the insertion direction 30 to connect the two buckle components 1 and 2 to one another. In the plugged-together position, in the exemplary embodiment shown here, as well as in other preferred embodiments of the invention, the male buckle component 1 is locked in the female buckle component 2. In concrete terms, this is achieved in the exemplary embodiments shown here by means of the latches 27 known per se. If the latches 27 are pivoted into their release position, as is known per se, the two buckle components 1 and 2 can be separated from one another again by pulling the insertion extension 23 of the buckle component 1 out of the insertion extension receptacle 24 of the female buckle component 2 against the insertion direction 30.As already explained at the beginning, this is of course only one example of how such buckle components 1 and 2 can be connected to form a single buckle and then detached again. The invention can also be implemented with completely different buckle components.

[0030] In any case, it is advantageous if, as is also implemented here in these exemplary embodiments, the displacement directions 31 in which the clamping bar 4 is displaceable in the belt receiving opening 5 run orthogonally to the longitudinal extent of the clamping bar 4. The displacement directions 31 can, as is also implemented here in this exemplary embodiment, be parallel to the insertion direction 30. In preferred embodiments, the tensioning direction 18 and the counter-direction 19 run orthogonally to the longitudinal extent of the clamping bar 4, as is also implemented here.

[0031] In the Fig. 9 to 16a second embodiment according to the invention is shown, in which, however, the male buckle component 1 is provided with a flap 8 according to the invention, while the female buckle component 2 is designed as is known per se in the prior art and here represents only the counter-buckle component 25 with which the male buckle component 1 according to the invention is detachably joined to form a buckle. Fig. 9 shows the second embodiment again in a perspective view, wherein the flap 8 arranged on the male buckle component 1 is in the clamping position. Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of the buckle of this second embodiment, with the flap 8 in the release position. Fig. 11 and 12 show side views, where Fig. 11 the release position of the flap 8 and Fig. 12shows an intermediate position of the flap 8. The clamping position of the flap 8 is in Fig. 13 shown in a longitudinal section. Fig. 14 shows an exploded view in which the flap 8, the flap support 20 and the axle bolt 22 of the swivel joint 9 are shown individually. Fig. 15 shows the male buckle component 1 of this embodiment detached from the female buckle component 2, which in Fig. 16 is shown separately again. Apart from the fact that in this second embodiment the buckle component according to the invention is the male buckle component 1, and that the Fig. 14Since the locking connection 21 shown is designed somewhat differently than in the first embodiment, the explanations for the first embodiment apply analogously to the second embodiment. Therefore, reference is also made to the above explanations for the first embodiment for the second embodiment in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.

[0032] For the sake of completeness, it should also be noted that the female buckle component 2 according to the invention of the first exemplary embodiment can of course also be put together with the male buckle component 1 according to the invention of the second exemplary embodiment to form a corresponding buckle or belt buckle. legend to the reference numbers: 1 Buckle component 29 locking lug holder 2 Buckle component 30 Insertion direction 3 Basic body 31 Shift direction 4 clamping bar 5 Belt opening 6 belt 7 edge 8 flap 9 Swivel joint 10 clamping surface 11 locking device 12 outside 13 Gearing 14 spring tongue 15 Gearing 16 tooth flank 17 tooth flank 18 Tension direction 19 Opposite direction 20 flap carrier 21 Snap connection 22 axle bolt 23 insertion process 24 Insertion extension holder 25 Counter buckle component 26 Belt slot 27 Bar 28 locking lug

Claims

1. Buckle component (1, 2), comprising a main body (3) and a clamping web (4), wherein the main body (3) has a belt-receiving opening (5) and the clamping web (4) is mounted on the main body (3) in such a way as to be displaceable in the belt-receiving opening (5) in order to securely clamp a belt (6), which is passed around the clamping web (4), between the clamping web (4) and an edge (7) of the main body (3) bounding the belt-receiving opening (5), characterized in that the buckle component (1, 2) additionally comprises a flap (8) which is pivotably mounted on the main body (3) by means of a pivot joint (9), the flap (8) having a clamping surface (10) for securely clamping the belt (6) between the clamping surface (10) of the flap (8) and the clamping web (4) in a clamping position of the flap (8).

2. Buckle component (1, 2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the flap (8) can be locked in the clamping position on the main body (3) by means of a locking device (11), preferably of the flap (8).

3. Buckle component (1, 2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking device (11) is an elastic latching hook, which is preferably fixed to or formed on the flap (8), and / or in that the locking device (11), in the clamping position, engages behind an outer side (12) of the main body (3), which faces away from the belt-receiving opening (5), in order to lock the flap (8).

4. Buckle component (1, 2) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the locking device (11) is arranged or formed on a side of the flap (8) located opposite the pivot joint (9) or acts on the flap (8) on said side.

5. Buckle component (1, 2) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the clamping surface (10) of the flap (8) is arranged in a region between the pivot joint (9) and the locking device (11), and / or in that a toothing (13) for form-fitting engagement in the belt (6) is formed on the locking device (11), which is preferably designed as an elastic latching hook.

6. Buckle component (1, 2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the clamping surface (10) is designed as a surface of a spring tongue (14) of the flap (8), and / or in that a toothing (15) for form-fitting engagement in the belt (6) is formed on the clamping surface (10).

7. Buckle component (1, 2) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the toothing(s) (13, 15) comprise tooth flanks (16, 17) which differ in steepness in opposite directions to each other and which, in the clamping position of the flap (8), allow a re-tensioning of the belt (6) in a tensioning direction (18) and lock the belt (6) in a reverse direction (19) opposite to the tensioning direction (18).

8. Buckle component (1, 2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the pivot joint (9) is formed between the flap (8) and a flap carrier (20), and the flap carrier (20) is or can be fastened to the main body (3) by means of a latching connection (21), and / or in that the pivot joint (9) is a single-axis joint comprising a hinge pin (22).

9. Buckle component (1, 2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the buckle component (1) comprises a plug-in extension (23) for fastening in a plug-in extension receptacle (24) of a mating buckle component (25), or in that the buckle component (2) comprises a plug-in extension receptacle (24) for fastening a plug-in extension (23) of a mating buckle component (25) in the plug-in extension receptacle (24).

10. Assembly comprising a belt (6) and a buckle component (1, 2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, in the clamping position of the flap (8), the belt (6) can be or is securely clamped between the clamping surface (10) of the flap (8) and the clamping web (4).