Seat belt buckle device

Abstract

To provide a seat belt buckle device having a highly versatile buckle holding structure.SOLUTION: A seat belt buckle device 101 includes: a buckle 10 to which a tongue 7 provided at a seat belt 6 is connected; a cover member 20 which covers the buckle 10; an anchor member 30 fixed to a vehicle body floor; and deflectable webbing 40 which connects the buckle 10 with the anchor member 30. The buckle 10 is configured to be held by a surface pressure applied to the cover member 20 by an insertion hole when the buckle 10 is inserted into the insertion hole provided at a vehicle seat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat belt buckle device. [Background technology]

[0002] The seat belt buckle device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is for a seat belt used by a passenger in the rear seat. This seat belt buckle device includes a buckle to which a tongue attached to the seat belt is connected, an anchor member fixed to the vehicle body floor, a webbing member connecting the buckle and the anchor member, and a cylindrical cover extending in the vertical direction so as to cover the anchor member and the webbing member. The cover is configured so that a lower end portion thereof is attached to the vehicle body floor. By abutting the lower end portion of this cover against the vehicle body floor, the buckle is held in an independent state via the cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-20562 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The seat belt buckle device has a buckle retaining structure that retains the buckle by attaching the lower end of the cover to the vehicle floor. Therefore, when converting the seat belt buckle device to another vehicle, the shape of the cover needs to be changed depending on the type of vehicle seat and the shape of the vehicle floor. As a result, there is a problem that the investment cost required for the seat belt buckle device becomes high.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a seat belt buckle device having a highly versatile buckle holding structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is A seat belt buckle device provided in a vehicle seat, A buckle to which a tongue provided on a seat belt is connected; A cover member that covers the buckle; An anchor member fixed to a vehicle body floor; a flexible webbing that connects the buckle to the anchor member; Equipped with the vehicle seat is provided with an insertion hole into which the buckle is inserted in a state covered by the cover member, The buckle is configured to be held by a surface pressure that the cover member receives from the insertion hole when the buckle is inserted into the insertion hole. And, The cover member has a first covering portion that covers the buckle, and the first covering portion is provided with a supported portion that is supported from below by a supporting portion provided on the vehicle seat side. Seat belt buckle device, is located. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the seat belt buckle device of the above aspect, when the buckle to which the tongue is connected is inserted into the insertion hole of the vehicle seat while covered by the cover member, the buckle is held by the surface pressure that the cover member receives from the insertion hole. At this time, the surface pressure from the insertion hole of the vehicle seat acts on the buckle through the cover member. Also, the buckle is anchored to the anchor member by the flexible webbing.

[0008] In this seat belt buckle device, the insertion hole of the vehicle seat has a buckle holding function, so there is no need for the cover member to have a buckle holding function. This allows the buckle to be fitted into the insertion hole of the vehicle seat and to stand on its own in a suspended state.

[0009] By adopting such a buckle holding structure, even if there are differences in the type of vehicle seat or the shape of the vehicle floor when converting to another vehicle, it is possible to accommodate them simply by changing the length and shape of the webbing, and there is no need to change the shape of the cover member. In other words, when converting a seat belt buckle device to another vehicle, the only part that needs to be changed is the webbing, and other parts can be used in common. This makes it possible to realize a highly versatile buckle holding structure, which makes it possible to keep the investment costs required for seat belt buckle devices low.

[0010] Therefore, according to the above-described aspect, it is possible to provide a seat belt buckle device having a highly versatile buckle holding structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a seat cushion portion of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment, viewed obliquely from above and in front. [Diagram 2] A view of Figure 1 from above the vehicle. [Diagram 3] 1 is a plan view of a seat belt buckle device according to a first embodiment, viewed from above a vehicle. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a seat belt buckle device according to a first embodiment, viewed from an oblique direction. [Diagram 5] A cross-sectional view taken along line VV in Figure 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder is held by the seat belt buckle device in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

[0013] In the seat belt buckle device of the above-mentioned aspect, it is preferable that the cover member has a first covering portion that covers the buckle, and a tubular second covering portion that extends from the first covering portion toward the anchor member so as to accommodate the webbing, and that the second covering portion is provided with a sewing portion for sewing to the webbing.

[0014] According to this seat belt buckle device, the cylindrical second covering portion, which extends from the first covering portion that covers the buckle of the cover member toward the anchor member, is sewn to the webbing at the sewing portion. At this time, by sewing the second covering portion and the webbing together, it is possible to suppress bending or slackening that may occur in the flexible webbing.

[0015] In the seat belt buckle device of the above-mentioned aspect, it is preferable that, when the buckle is a first buckle, the first covering portion of the cover member is configured to cover both the first buckle and a second buckle separate from the first buckle.

[0016] According to this seat belt buckle device, one first covering portion of the cover member can be used for both buckles, thereby covering these two buckles at once, thereby reducing the number of parts constituting the seat belt buckle device.

[0017] In the seat belt buckle device of the above aspect, it is preferable that the first covering portion of the cover member has a supported portion that is supported by a supporting portion provided on the vehicle seat side.

[0018] According to this seat belt buckle device, when a downward external load acts on the cover member, the supported portion of the first covering portion is supported from below by the support portion of the vehicle seat, thereby preventing the buckle from moving downward out of the insertion hole.

[0019] In the seat belt buckle device of the above aspect, the cover member preferably has a gap closing portion that closes a gap between the first covering portion and the insertion hole.

[0020] According to this seat belt buckle device, the excess gap around the insertion hole can be eliminated by the gap closing portion, and the appearance of the area around the cover member can be improved.

[0021] Hereinafter, a specific example of the seat belt buckle device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] In the drawings for explaining this seat belt buckle device, unless otherwise specified, the forward direction is indicated by an arrow FR, the upward direction is indicated by an arrow UP, the right direction is indicated by an arrow RH, and the left direction is indicated by an arrow LH.

[0023] (Embodiment 1) As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle seat 1 according to the first embodiment is a seat provided in the rear of a vehicle, and has a three-seater seat cushion section 2 and a seat back section 3. Both the seat cushion section 2 and the seat back section 3 are constructed using a cushion material that is elastically deformable against an external load. This vehicle seat 1 is also called a "bench seat."

[0024] The vehicle seat 1 is provided with a seat belt 6 for an occupant in the right area of ​​the vehicle seat 1, a seat belt 8 for an occupant in the center area of ​​the vehicle seat 1, and a seat belt (not shown) for an occupant in the left area of ​​the vehicle seat 1. These seat belts are all belt-shaped members made of synthetic fibers and have flexibility that allows them to be easily bent and deformed. The seat belt 6 is provided with a plate-shaped tongue 7, and the seat belt 8 is provided with a plate-shaped tongue 9.

[0025] The seat belt buckle device 101 of the first embodiment is provided on a vehicle seat 1. In this case, the type of the vehicle seat 1 is not limited to a bench seat as exemplified in Fig. 1, and the seat belt buckle device 101 may be provided on another type of vehicle seat.

[0026] The seat belt buckle device 101 includes a buckle 10 to which a tongue 7 is connected. The buckle 10 includes an insertion opening 11 for inserting the tongue 7 when connecting the buckle 10 to the tongue 7, and an operation button 12 that is manually operated by an occupant when disconnecting the buckle 10.

[0027] The seat belt buckle device 101 includes, in addition to the buckle 10, a cover member 20 that covers the buckle 10. The material of the cover member 20 is not particularly limited, but in consideration of contact with the vehicle seat 1, moldability, and the like, it is preferable to use a rubber material or a resin material. The cover member 20 has a first covering portion 21 and a second covering portion 27 described below.

[0028] The first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 is configured to cover both the buckle 10, which is a first buckle, and the buckle 50, which is a second buckle different from the buckle 10. With this configuration, one first covering portion of the cover member 20 can be used for both the two buckles 10, 50, and can cover these two buckles 10, 50 at once. This makes it possible to reduce the number of parts constituting the seat belt buckle device 101.

[0029] The buckle 50 is provided with an insertion opening 51 for inserting the tongue 9 when connecting the buckle 50 to the tongue 9. The insertion opening 51 is formed as an elongated hole extending in the vehicle width direction. In contrast, the insertion opening 11 of the buckle 10 is formed as an elongated hole extending in the vehicle length direction, i.e., an elongated hole extending generally perpendicular to the insertion opening 51.

[0030] 1 and 2, the vehicle seat 1 is provided with an insertion hole 4 into which the buckle 10, 50 is inserted while being covered by a cover member 20. In this embodiment, the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 is formed by a through-hole penetrating the seat cushion portion 2 in the vehicle height direction and a part of the front surface of the seat back portion 3.

[0031] The buckles 10, 50 are configured to be held in place by the surface pressure that the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 receives from the insertion hole 4 when inserted into the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1. That is, the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 is sized to be in surface contact with the inner wall surface of the insertion hole 4 when inserted into the insertion hole 4. At this time, due to the elasticity of the cushioning material that constitutes the vehicle seat 1, a compressive load is applied to the buckles 10, 50 inserted into the insertion hole 4 via the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20.

[0032] It is preferable that the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 is configured to have a small opening area, taking into consideration the relative positional relationship between the two buckles 10, 50. In addition, instead of forming the insertion hole 4 using both the seat cushion portion 2 and the seat back portion 3, the insertion hole 4 may be formed only by a through-hole that penetrates the seat cushion portion 2 in the vehicle height direction.

[0033] 2, when the buckle 50 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the buckle 10 and further rearward of the buckle 10, the dimension of the buckle 10 in the vehicle width direction is smaller than the dimension of the buckle 50 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, by adopting a substantially trapezoidal shape for the insertion hole 4 in a plan view of the insertion hole 4 in the vehicle seat 1 from above the vehicle such that the length of the front side at the front of the vehicle is shorter than the length of the rear side at the rear of the vehicle, the opening area of ​​the insertion hole 4 can be kept small. This makes it possible to make the insertion hole 4 in the vehicle seat 1 less noticeable.

[0034] 2 and 3, the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 has a buffer portion 25 and a gap closing portion 26. The buffer portion 25 is made of a soft material having cushioning properties. As a result, the buffer portion 25 functions to protect the buckle 50 by being interposed between the vehicle seat 1 and the buckle 50. The gap closing portion 26 functions to close the gap 4a formed between the first covering portion 21 and the insertion hole 4. As a result, the gap closing portion 26 can eliminate the excess gap 4a around the insertion hole 4, and the external appearance of the periphery of the cover member 20 can be improved.

[0035] In addition, in the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20, at least one of the buffer portion 25 and the gap closing portion 26 may be omitted, if necessary.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the seat belt buckle device 101 includes anchor members 30 and 31, an anchor bolt 32, and webbings 40 and 41.

[0037] Both anchor members 30, 31 are fastened and fixed to the vehicle body floor 5 via a common anchor bolt 32, which is a fixing member. The webbing 40 is a flexible tether that fastens the buckle 10 to the anchor member 30. Similarly, the webbing 41 is a flexible tether that fastens the buckle 50 to the anchor member 31. These webbings 40, 41 are made of a belt-shaped belt member similar to the seat belts 6, 8.

[0038] The webbing 40 has one end connected to the connectable portion 13 of the buckle 10, and the other end connected to the connectable portion 30a of the anchor member 30. Similarly, the webbing 41 has one end connected to a connectable portion (not shown) of the buckle 50, and the other end connected to the connectable portion 31a of the anchor member 31 (see FIG. 5).

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 has an upper plate 22 and a lower plate 23 arranged parallel to each other, and a plurality of rib plates 24 (see also Figures 2 and 3) interposed between the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 23 with gaps between them.

[0040] The upper plate 22 and the lower plate 23 are configured so that the insertion direction of the cover member 20 into the insertion hole 4 is the plate thickness direction. For this reason, the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 23 are shaped to impart a sliding resistance force that restricts the movement of the first covering portion 21 that attempts to slip out of the insertion hole 4. Therefore, when a downward external load acts on the cover member 20 with the first covering portion 21 inserted and held in the insertion hole 4, it is possible to prevent the first covering portion 21 from slipping out of the insertion hole 4.

[0041] In addition, the lower plate 23 is configured as a supported part that is supported from below by a support part 1a (see FIG. 3) provided on the vehicle seat 1. As a result, when a downward external load acts on the cover member 20, the lower plate 23 of the first covering part 21 is supported from below by the support part 1a on the vehicle seat 1 side, thereby preventing the buckle 10 from moving downward through the insertion hole 4.

[0042] The shape and arrangement of the support portion 1a are not particularly limited as long as it is a member provided on the vehicle seat 1. This member may constitute the vehicle seat 1 itself, or may be attached integrally to the vehicle seat 1. For example, a seat base that is integrally arranged below the seat cushion portion 2 of the vehicle seat 1 can be used as the support portion 1a.

[0043] The multiple rib plates 24 are erected so as to be interposed between the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 23, thereby fulfilling the function of increasing the rigidity of the first covering part 21 itself. That is, the multiple rib plates 24 can suppress deformation of the first covering part 21 in the direction in which the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 23 approach each other.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 4, the second covering portion 27 of the cover member 20 extends in a cylindrical shape from the first covering portion 21 toward the anchor members 30, 31 to accommodate the webbings 40, 41. The second covering portion 27 has an accommodation space 27a that accommodates the webbings 40, 41. The second covering portion 27 can protect the webbings 40, 41 by covering the webbings 40, 41. In this case, the second covering portion 27 is preferably configured so that the cross-sectional shape of the accommodation space 27a is substantially rectangular in accordance with the cross-sectional shapes of the webbings 40, 41. The cover member 20 having such a cylindrical second covering portion 27 is also called a "boot."

[0045] Further, the second covering portion 27 of the cover member 20 is sized so as to have a length that does not reach the anchor members 30, 31. A part of the webbings 40, 41 on the anchor member 30, 31 side is exposed from the second covering portion 27. This prevents the lower end of the second covering portion 27 from hitting the vehicle body floor 5 when the anchor members 30, 31 are fixed to the vehicle body floor 5 (see FIG. 5) in the installed state of the seat belt buckle device 101. Therefore, the cover member 20 itself does not perform the function of holding the buckle 10, 50 to make it stand on its own.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the second covering portion 27 of the cover member 20 that houses the webbings 40, 41 is provided with a stitched portion 28 and a slit portion 29.

[0047] The sewing portion 28 is for sewing the second covering portion 27 and the webbings 40, 41 together. For ease of explanation, FIG. 4 shows a state before sewing. In this embodiment, the sewing portion 28 is configured by a plurality of through holes penetrating the tubular wall of the second covering portion 27 (see also FIGS. 5 and 6). Although not particularly shown, the sewing operation is performed while inserting a sewing needle and a suture thread through the through holes of the sewing portion 28. At this time, by sewing the second covering portion 27 and the webbings 40, 41 together, it is possible to suppress bending or slackening that may occur in the flexible webbings 40, 41.

[0048] The slit portion 29 is formed as an opening so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the webbings 40, 41 from the end of the second covering portion 27 on the anchor member 30, 31 side (see also FIG. 6). The slit portion 29 allows the arrangement of the webbings 40, 41 in the housing space 27a to be visually confirmed.

[0049] In the second covering portion 27 of the cover member 20, at least one of the stitching portion 28 and the slit portion 29 may be omitted, if necessary.

[0050] 7, the seat belt buckle device 101 configured as described above is attached to the vehicle by fastening and fixing the anchor members 30, 31 to the vehicle body floor 5 with anchor bolts 32 in a state in which the buckle 10, 50 covered by the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 is inserted into the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1. At this time, the cover member 20 is set in a state in which the lower plate 23 of the first covering portion 21 is supported by the support portion 1a.

[0051] The effects of the above-mentioned first embodiment will be described below.

[0052] According to the seat belt buckle device 101 of the first embodiment, when the buckle 10 to which the tongue 7 is connected is inserted into the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 while covered by the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20, the buckle 10 is held by the surface pressure that the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 receives from the insertion hole 4. At this time, the surface pressure from the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 acts on the buckle 10 via the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20. In addition, the buckle 10 is fixed to the anchor member 30 by the flexibly deformable webbing 40.

[0053] In this seat belt buckle device 101, since the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 has a function of holding the buckle 10, it is not necessary for the cover member 20 to have a function of holding the buckle 10. As a result, the buckle 10 can be fitted into the insertion hole 4 of the vehicle seat 1 and made to stand on its own in a state as if suspended in mid-air. The holding structure of the buckle 50 is similar to the holding structure of the buckle 10 described above.

[0054] By employing such a buckle holding structure, even if there are differences in the type of vehicle seat 1 or the shape of the vehicle body floor 5 when converting the seat belt buckle device 101 to another vehicle, it is possible to accommodate such differences by simply changing the length and shape of the webbings 40, 41, and there is no need to change the shape of the cover member 20. In other words, when converting the seat belt buckle device 101 to another vehicle, the only parts that need to be changed are the webbings 40, 41, and the other parts can be used in common. Therefore, a highly versatile buckle holding structure can be realized, which makes it possible to keep the investment costs required for the seat belt buckle device 101 low.

[0055] Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, it is possible to provide a seat belt buckle device 101 having a highly versatile buckle holding structure.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be implemented by applying the above-described embodiment.

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of the case where the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 covers both of the two buckles 10, 50. However, instead of this, a structure in which the first covering portion 21 of the cover member 20 covers only one of the two buckles 10, 50, or a configuration in which three or more buckles are covered, can also be adopted.

[0058] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of the cover member 20 having the first covering portion 21 and the second covering portion 27. Alternatively, a structure in which the second covering portion 27 is omitted from the cover member 20 can also be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1 Vehicle seat 1a Support part 2 Seat cushion section 4 Insertion Hole 4a Gap 5. Vehicle floor 6,8 Seat belts 7,9 Tongue 10,50 Buckle 20 Cover member 21 First covering part 23 Lower plate (supported part) 26 Gap Closure 27 Second Covering Section 28 Suture section 30,31 Anchor member 40,41 Webbing 101 Seat belt buckle device

Claims

1. A seat belt buckle device provided in a vehicle seat, A buckle to which a tongue provided on a seat belt is connected; A cover member that covers the buckle; An anchor member fixed to a vehicle body floor; a flexible webbing that connects the buckle to the anchor member; Equipped with the vehicle seat is provided with an insertion hole into which the buckle is inserted in a state covered by the cover member, the buckle is configured to be held by a surface pressure that the cover member receives from the insertion hole when the buckle is inserted into the insertion hole, A seat belt buckle device, wherein the cover member has a first covering portion that covers the buckle, and the first covering portion is provided with a supported portion that is supported from below by a support portion provided on the vehicle seat side.

2. 2. The seat belt buckle device according to claim 1, wherein the cover member has a cylindrical second covering portion extending from the first covering portion toward the anchor member so as to accommodate the webbing, and the second covering portion is provided with a sewing portion for sewing to the webbing.

3. 3. The seat belt buckle device according to claim 2, wherein the first covering portion of the cover member is configured to cover both the first buckle and a second buckle different from the first buckle when the buckle is a first buckle.

4. The seat belt buckle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover member has a gap closing portion that closes a gap between the first covering portion and the insertion hole.

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