Buckles and seat belt devices

Abstract

The present invention provides a buckle that reduces the cost of attaching wires to a base, and a seat belt device equipped with this buckle. [Solution] The buckle 1 comprises a latch member 3 that engages with the inserted tongue 56 to latch the tongue 56, an operating button 12 for releasing the latch of the tongue 56 by the latch member 3, a base 4 having a bottom surface 40 and a pair of side wall portions 41 rising from the side edges in the short direction of the bottom surface 40, which rotatably supports the latch member 3, a fastening member 8 using a wire W that connects the base 4 to the vehicle body member, a pulley plate 80 disposed on the bottom surface 40 around which the wire W is wound and which locks the wire W, and a rivet R for attaching the pulley plate 80 to the bottom surface 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat belt device equipped on seats of automobiles and the like, and a buckle for this seat belt device.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, vehicles such as automobiles are provided with a seat belt device that restrains an occupant on a seat having a seat bottom (seat cushion) where the occupant sits and a seat back (seat back) located at the back of the occupant. The seat belt device includes a webbing that restrains the occupant, a retractor that winds up the webbing, a buckle disposed on the side surface of the seat, and a tongue disposed on the webbing, and restrains the occupant to the seat by fitting the tongue into the buckle.

[0003] Conventional buckles have members such as a latch member that enters a locking hole of an inserted tongue to lock the tongue, an ejector that presses the tongue in a direction to disengage from the buckle when the latch member releases the locking with the tongue, and an ejector spring that constantly biases the ejector in a direction in which the tongue disengages from the buckle. These members are attached to a base formed of a U-shaped frame having a pair of side walls and a bottom.

[0004] The buckle is fastened and fixed to the vehicle body side by attaching one end of a fastening wire to the base and the other end to a vehicle body member (vehicle or seat). Conventionally, three parts of a wire plate, a rivet, and a pulley of a forged product are used to attach the wire to the base, resulting in high costs (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a buckle that can reduce the cost of attaching a wire to a base, and a seat belt device equipped with this buckle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The buckle of the present invention comprises a latch member that engages with and latches an inserted tongue, an operating button for releasing the latch of the tongue by the latch member, a base having a first bottom surface and a pair of side walls rising from the short-side edges of the first bottom surface, which rotatably supports the latch member, a fastening member using a wire that connects the base to a vehicle body member, a pulley plate disposed on the first bottom surface around which the wire is wound and which locks the wire, and a rivet for attaching the pulley plate to the first bottom surface.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, a first opening is formed in each of the pair of side wall portions, a second opening is formed in the first bottom portion through which the rivet is inserted, the pulley plate has a second bottom portion, a peripheral wall portion rising from a part of the peripheral edge of the second bottom portion, and a claw portion extending outward from a part of the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion, the wire is sandwiched between the peripheral wall portion and the claw portion, and a third opening is formed in the second bottom portion through which the rivet is inserted.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, a portion of the claw enters the first opening.

[0010] The seat belt device of the present invention comprises a seat belt to be worn by an occupant, a tongue movably supported by the seat belt, and a buckle of the present invention to which the tongue is locked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the cost of attaching the wire to the buckle base can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a seat belt device equipped with a buckle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded view of the buckle components according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the base according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged perspective view of the base. [Figure 5] This diagram shows a pulley plate and rivets for attaching a wire to a base. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the pulley plate. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the pulley plate. [Figure 8] This is a top view of the pulley plate. [Figure 9] This is a view of the pulley plate from below. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view of the base with the wires attached. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view of the base with the wires attached. [Figure 12] Figure 12A is a top view of the base to which the wire is attached, and Figure 12B is a cross-sectional view of Figure 12A along line BB. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the seat belt device 50 is basically a conventionally known three-point seat belt device, and includes a seat belt retractor 53 disposed near the vehicle seat 2, a seat belt 54 that is retractably wound around the seat belt retractor 53 and whose belt anchor 54a at the tip is fixed to the floor of the vehicle body or the vehicle seat 2, a guide anchor 55 that guides the seat belt 54 drawn from the seat belt retractor 53 toward the occupant's shoulder, a tongue 56 that is slidably supported by the seat belt 54 guided from the guide anchor 55, a buckle 1 into which the tongue 56 is detachably inserted and locked, and a fastening member 8 that fixes the buckle 1 to a vehicle body member (the floor of the vehicle or the vehicle seat 52).

[0015] FIG. 2 is a component exploded view showing the buckle 1. The buckle 1 is configured to be detachable from the tongue 56 of the seat belt device 50 that restrains the occupant to the vehicle seat 2, and includes a latch member 3 having a claw portion that can engage with the opening 56a of the tongue 56.

[0016] Further, the buckle 1 includes an upper cover 11 having an insertion port for the tongue 56, an operation button 12 for releasing the engagement of the latch member 3, a base 4 that supports the latch member 3 and the operation button 12 so as to be drivable, a lower cover 14 that is connected to the upper cover 11 and houses the base 4, a lock pin 15 that is supported by the base 4 and restrains the movement of the latch member 3 engaged with the tongue 56 in the disengagement direction, an ejector 16 that is slidably disposed in the longitudinal direction of the base 4 and can be biased in a direction to detach the tongue 56 from the buckle 1, a metal lever 18 (inertia lever) that is rotatably supported by the base 4 and prevents the movement of the operation button 12 when the operation button 12 receives an inertial force in the release direction when the tongue 56 and the latch member 3 are engaged, and the like.

[0017] Further, the buckle 1 is provided with a slider 34 that is slidably disposed on the upper surface portion of the latch member 3. The slider 34 has a pair of arm portions that extend in the side surface direction of the buckle 1, and the arm portions are configured to be able to be locked to the operation button 12.

[0018] When the tongue 56 is inserted into the opening of the upper cover 11, the ejector 16 is pushed in by the tongue 56, causing the ejector 16 to rotate in a direction that engages the latch member 3 with the tongue 56. As the latch member 3 rotates, the slider 34 also rotates, and the slider 34, which was restrained by the side of the lock pin 15, slides under the lock pin 15 due to the biasing force of the slider spring 35. Through this operation, the latch member 3 engages with the opening 56a of the tongue 56, and the tongue 56 can be restrained by the buckle 1.

[0019] On the other hand, to release the tongue 56, pressing the operation button 12 pushes in the slider 34, which is then pushed out from below the lock pin 15. Consequently, the latch member 3 rotates in the disengagement direction, and the opening 56a of the tongue 56 is released from the latch member 3. The tongue 56 is then ejected to the outside of the buckle 1 via the ejector 16 by the biasing force of the ejector spring 17.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the base 4 is a U-shaped frame having a pair of side wall portions 41 that rotatably support the latch member 3, and a bottom portion 40 (first bottom portion) that connects the pair of side wall portions 41. The bottom portion 40 is a rectangular member in plan view with a plurality of openings formed therein, and the side wall portions 41 rise from a pair of side edges at both ends in the short direction. The side wall portions 41 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base.

[0021] The side wall portion 41 has a support groove 42, a support hole 43, an engagement groove 44, a support groove 45, and an opening 46 (first opening) formed in order from one end (tongue insertion side) to the other end in the longitudinal direction. The support groove 42 rotatably supports the pivot shaft of the lever 18. The support hole 43 supports the lock pin 15, into which the end of the lock pin 15 is inserted. The engagement groove 44 supports the slider 34 so that the engagement shaft of the slider 34 is engaged, allowing the slider 34 to move within the engagement groove 44. The support groove 45 rotatably supports the latch member 3. The lower end of the opening 46 reaches the bottom surface portion 40.

[0022] A retaining hole 47 extending in the longitudinal direction of the base 4 is formed in the bottom portion 40, and the ejector 16 is slidably positioned in the retaining hole 47. An ejector spring is also positioned in the retaining hole 47 to bias the ejector 16. A protrusion 47a is formed on the edge of the retaining hole 47, and the protrusion 47a is inserted inside one end of the ejector spring 17. The other end of the ejector spring 17 is attached to the ejector 16.

[0023] An opening 48 (second opening) is formed at the longitudinal end of the bottom portion 40 (the end opposite to the tongue insertion opening). The opening 48 is, for example, circular. The opening 48 is located between the lower ends of the pair of openings 46.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the buckle 1 is connected to the vehicle body member by a fastening member 8. The fastening member 8 has a loop-shaped wire W and a bracket connected to the wire W, with the wire W attached to the base 4 and the bracket attached to the vehicle body member.

[0025] For attaching the wire W to the base 4, a pulley plate 80 and a rivet R are used, around which the wire W is wound and which is secured to the wire W. The pulley plate 80 is manufactured, for example, by pressing and heat-treating iron.

[0026] As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the pulley plate 80 has a flat bottom portion 81 (second bottom portion), a peripheral wall portion 82 rising from the periphery of the bottom portion 81, and two claw portions 83 extending from a part of the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion 82.

[0027] An opening 81a (third opening) is formed in the center of the bottom surface 81. The bottom surface 81 is roughly semi-elliptical in plan view and is surrounded by an edge 81b that is parallel to the shorter side of the base 4 when installed on the base 4, a pair of straight sections 81c that extend perpendicularly from both ends of the edge 81b, and a semi-circular curved section 81d that connects the ends of the pair of straight sections 81c. A peripheral wall 82 rises from the pair of straight sections 81c and the curved section 81d on the periphery of the bottom surface 81b.

[0028] The peripheral wall portion 82 is curved upwards in a convex shape, becoming more outward towards the top (in the direction away from the center of the bottom surface portion 81).

[0029] The claw portion 83 extends outward from a part of the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion 82 and is curved upward convexly so that the tip is downward. The claw portion 83 is formed on the outer edges of both ends of the curved portion 81d that is connected to the straight portion 81c, on the periphery of the bottom surface portion 81, as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[0030] The groove between the outer surface of the peripheral wall portion 82 and the inner surface of the claw portion 83 becomes the area where the wire W is placed.

[0031] As shown in Figures 10, 11, 12A, and 12B, the U-shaped portion of the wire W is sandwiched between the peripheral wall portion 82 and the claw portion 83 of the pulley plate 80. Then, the pulley plate 80 is placed on the bottom surface portion 40 of the base 4, the opening 81a of the pulley plate 80 is aligned with the opening 48 of the base 4, and the rivet R is inserted through the openings 81a and 48 and crimped to fix the pulley plate 80 and the base 4. This fixes the wire W to the base 4. At this time, a part of the claw portion 83 of the pulley plate 80 enters the opening 46 of the side wall portion 41 of the base 4.

[0032] When a load is applied to the wire W in a direction that pulls it out of the base 4, a portion of the load on the wire W is transmitted to the bottom surface 40 of the base 4 via the bottom surface 81 of the pulley plate 80 and the rivet R. In addition, a portion of the load on the wire W is transmitted to the side wall 41 of the base 4 via the claw portion 83 of the pulley plate 80. This makes it easier for the load to be transmitted to the base 4 and suppresses deformation of the pulley plate 80.

[0033] In this embodiment, the wire W is attached to the base 4 using only two parts: a rivet R and a pulley plate 80 that can be manufactured by press working and heat treatment. This reduces costs compared to using three parts, including a forged pulley, as is done in the past.

[0034] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the buckle 1 may be connected to the buckle pretensioner by a fastening member 8. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 1 buckle 3. Latch member 4 base 8 Fastening members 12 Operation buttons 50 Seat belt device 56 Tang 80 Pulley Plate R rivet W wire

Claims

1. A latching member that engages with and latches the inserted tongue, An operating button for releasing the latch of the tongue by the latching member, A base having a first bottom surface and a pair of side walls rising from the short-side edges of the first bottom surface, which rotatably supports the latch member, A fastening member using a wire connects the aforementioned base to the vehicle body member, A pulley plate is positioned on the first bottom surface and around which the wire is wound and which is secured to the wire, A rivet for attaching the pulley plate to the first bottom surface, A buckle equipped with [a specific feature].

2. A first opening is formed in each of the pair of side wall portions. A second opening is formed in the first bottom surface through which the rivet is inserted. The pulley plate has a second bottom surface, a peripheral wall portion rising from a part of the periphery of the second bottom surface, and a claw portion extending outward from a part of the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion. The wire is sandwiched between the peripheral wall portion and the claw portion. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein a third opening is formed in the second bottom surface through which the rivet is inserted.

3. The buckle according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the claw portion enters the first opening.

4. The seat belts worn by the occupants, The tongue is movably supported by the seat belt, The buckle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, to which the tongue is locked, A seat belt system equipped with a seat belt.

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