Slip-down prevention part for tongue plate

Abstract

Provided is a slip-down prevention part for a tongue plate that, using a simple configuration, can prevent a tongue plate from slipping down. This slip-down prevention part for a tongue plate 3 is provided in a seat-belt apparatus disposed in a vehicle. The slip-down prevention part for a tongue plate 3 comprises: a protruding member 9 that is flexible, elastic, and has adhesive properties, and that is disposed on a webbing belt 4 provided in the seat-belt apparatus; and a flexible adhesive member 10 that has an adhesive surface and is attached to the webbing belt 4 with the protruding member 9 interposed therebetween.

Description

Tongue plate slip-off prevention tool

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tongue plate slip-off prevention tool provided in a seatbelt device of a vehicle such as a passenger car.

[0002] Vehicles such as passenger cars are equipped with seatbelt devices for ensuring occupant safety. A seatbelt device is generally configured to include a webbing belt that is the belt portion, a tongue plate movable in the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt, and a buckle fixed to the seat side and capable of detachably receiving the tongue plate.

[0003] In the seatbelt device having such a configuration, a plastic resin tongue stopper (tongue plate slip-off prevention tool) is provided on the webbing belt for the purpose of preventing the tongue plate from slipping off the webbing belt, for example as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The tongue stopper is generally composed of a first button having a convex portion and a second button having a concave portion, and is fixed by inserting the convex portion into a small hole formed in the webbing and sandwiching the webbing between the first button and the second button.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 6284501

[0005] However, in the conventional technologies including Patent Document 1, since a dedicated device is used to fix the tongue stopper to the webbing belt, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost and installation labor are required, leading to high installation cost. In addition, if the tongue stopper comes off the webbing belt for some reason, there is another problem that the repair work also requires a certain amount of labor and cost.

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a tongue plate slip-off prevention tool that can prevent the tongue plate from slipping off the webbing belt with a simple configuration.

[0007] The tongue plate slip-prevention device of the present disclosure is a tongue plate slip-prevention device provided for a seat belt device installed in a vehicle, and comprises a flexible, elastic, and adhesive convex member disposed on a webbing belt provided for the seat belt device, and a flexible adhesive member that is attached to the webbing belt with the convex member interposed therebetween.

[0008] The tongue plate slip-off prevention device of this disclosure makes it possible to prevent the tongue plate from slipping off the webbing belt with a simple configuration.

[0009] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a seat belt device equipped with a tongue plate slip-off prevention device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. (a) A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1 of the tongue plate slip-off prevention device and webbing belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. (b) A cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 1 of the tongue plate slip-off prevention device and webbing belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. (c) A schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a tongue plate equipped with a seat belt device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 1 of the tongue plate slip-off prevention device, webbing belt and tongue stopper according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a seat belt device equipped with a tongue plate slip-off prevention device, which is a modified example of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a tongue plate slip-off prevention device in one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a partial view of a seat belt device equipped with a tongue plate slip-off prevention device. In Figure 1, the seat belt device 1, which is installed in a vehicle such as a passenger car (not shown), comprises a buckle 2 fixed to the seat side (not shown) via a webbing belt 11, a tongue plate 3 that can be fixed to the buckle 2, and a webbing belt 4 to which the tongue plate 3 is attached so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction.

[0011] Buckle 2 has an insertion opening (not shown) into which the tongue plate 3 is inserted. Buckle 2 also has a built-in locking mechanism (not shown) that securely fastens the tongue plate 3 when it is inserted into the insertion opening. The tongue plate 3 is fastened and released by operating a release button (not shown) on buckle 2. This buckle 2 is based on prior art.

[0012] The tongue plate 3 comprises a tongue plate body 7 formed from a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and a holder 8 that holds one end of the tongue plate body 7. The tongue plate body 7 is the part that is directly inserted into the buckle 2. The holder 8 has an opening 8a into which the webbing belt 4 is inserted, and the tongue plate 3 is movable along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4 through the opening 8a. The holder 8 is molded from, for example, a plastic resin.

[0013] The webbing belt 4 is a strip of fabric extending in one direction, and refers to a cloth belt commonly recognized as a "seat belt."

[0014] In Figures 1 and 2(a), a slender convex member 9 is positioned below the tongue plate 3 and on the upper surface of the webbing belt 4. To enhance adhesion to the webbing belt 4, it is desirable that the convex member 9 has adhesive properties on its entire surface and is made of a soft, elastic material. Furthermore, the convex member 9 may be made not only of a soft, elastic resin, but also of a hard resin or a material other than resin (paper, rubber, metal, mineral, etc.).

[0015] The convex member 9 has a predetermined thickness and is positioned approximately in the center of the webbing belt 4 such that the longitudinal direction of the convex member 9 coincides with the direction that intersects (orthogonal to) the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4 (Figure 1). It is preferable that the convex member 9 be attached to the surface of the webbing belt 4 that is on the tongue plate body 7 side. The shape of the convex member 9 is not limited to an elongated shape or a rectangle, and can be any shape.

[0016] A thin, flexible, sheet-like adhesive member (tape member) 10 with an adhesive surface is attached to the webbing belt 4 so as to cover the convex member 9. Figure 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. The adhesive member 10 is composed of a base material 12 made of a thin, flexible, soft resin material or the like, and an adhesive layer 13 formed on one surface of the base material 12. As shown in Figure 2(a), the adhesive member 10 is attached to the webbing belt 4 with the adhesive layer 13 in contact with it in a state where it is partially raised to conform to the convex member 9. The adhesive member 10 can be any shape, such as a rectangle, circle, or ellipse. In short, it is sufficient that it has a predetermined area that unfolds in the in-plane direction on the webbing belt 4.

[0017] In this embodiment, the thickness t1 of the webbing belt 4, the convex member 9, and the adhesive member 10 shown in Figure 2(a) is set to be larger than the opening dimension t2 of the opening 8a formed in the holder 8 shown in Figure 2(b). Alternatively, the thickness of the convex member 9 alone may be set to be larger than the opening dimension t2. In other words, the size of the convex member 9 should be set so that the opening 8a of the holder 8 cannot pass through the convex member 9.

[0018] In this embodiment, the adhesive member 10 is attached to only one side of the webbing belt 4, but it may also be attached so as to wrap around (circle around) the other side.

[0019] The convex member 9 is positioned approximately in the center of the adhesive member 10; in other words, the outer edge of the convex member 9 is sandwiched between the webbing belt 4 and the adhesive member 10 at a predetermined distance from the front end 10a and rear end 10b of the adhesive member 10 along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4. The position of the convex member 9 relative to the adhesive member 10 can be arbitrary, but it is desirable that the convex member 9 not be positioned too close to the front end 10a or the rear end 11b of the adhesive member 10. In the above configuration, the convex member 9 and the adhesive member 10 serve as a device to prevent the tongue plate 3 from slipping off.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, in the adhesive member 10, a non-adhesive area 14 is partially formed on one side where the adhesive layer 13 is formed, and where the adhesive layer 13 is not formed. Figure 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2(b), the non-adhesive area 14 is open from the rear end 10b of the adhesive member 10, i.e., exposed to the outside air. If it is necessary to peel the adhesive member 10 from the webbing belt 4, the adhesive member 10 can be easily peeled off the webbing belt 4 by, for example, inserting a screwdriver (tool) into the non-adhesive area 14.

[0021] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 1. In Figure 3, when the tongue plate 3 falls along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4 due to its own weight (arrow a), the adhesive member 10 passes through the opening 8a of the holder 8 from the front end 10a side. Then, as the tongue plate 3 moves relative to the rear end 10b side of the adhesive member 10, the opening 8a of the holder 8 interferes with the holder 8 and cannot pass through the convex member 9. This prevents the tongue plate 3 from falling any further. For convenience, the illustration of the adhesive member 10 in Figure 3 is simplified (the base material 12 and adhesive layer 13 are omitted).

[0022] Furthermore, the adhesive member 10 has a constant length along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4, which increases the area over which it can withstand the load (pressure) on the tongue plate 3 applied to the convex member 9. This distributes the load (pressure) on the tongue plate 3 and increases its pressure resistance.

[0023] Furthermore, since the convex member 9 is positioned approximately in the center of the webbing belt 4, away from the front end 10a and rear end 10b of the adhesive member 10, it prevents the convex member 9 from peeling off due to interference with the tongue plate 3. In addition, by making the entire surface of the convex member 9 adhesive, displacement of the convex member 9 relative to the webbing belt 4 and adhesive member 10 when the tongue plate 3 interferes is suppressed.

[0024] As described above, the tongue plate 3 slip-off prevention device in this embodiment is a tongue plate 3 slip-off prevention device provided in a vehicle seat belt device 1, and integrally comprises an adhesive convex member 9 placed on the webbing belt 4 provided in the seat belt device 1, and an adhesive member 10 that is attached to the webbing belt 4 with the convex member 9 interposed therebetween. Furthermore, the convex member 9 is sandwiched between the webbing belt 4 and the adhesive member 10 at positions along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt 4, excluding the front end 10a and rear end 10b of the adhesive member 10.

[0025] With the tongue plate 3 slippage prevention device of this embodiment, there is no need to fix the tongue stopper using a dedicated device, unlike conventional button-type tongue stoppers composed of a first button and a second button.

[0026] Furthermore, conventional tongue stoppers, which consist of a first and second button, are made of a rigid material and can be damaged by getting caught in the door, etc. However, by adopting a flexible convex member 9, damage and scratching of the vehicle door can be prevented. In addition, since it can be easily installed by the user, manufacturing and installation costs can be kept low. Moreover, even if the adhesive member 10 deteriorates over time, it can be easily replaced. In other words, the effort and cost of repair work can be reduced.

[0027] Various materials can be selected as the base material for the adhesive member 10. For example, plastic films such as polypropylene, polyester, and polyvinyl chloride, paper materials such as kraft paper, and fabric materials such as cotton and polyester cloth can be used.

[0028] The tongue plate 3 slippage prevention device of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a substantially hemispherical convex member 9A may be adopted, as shown in the modified example in Figure 4.

[0029] According to the present invention, the tongue plate can be prevented from slipping down with a simple configuration.

[0030] 1. Seat belt device 3. Tongue plate 4. Webbing belt 9, 9A. Convex member (device to prevent tongue plate from slipping) 10. Adhesive member (device to prevent tongue plate from slipping)

Claims

1. A tongue plate slippage prevention device for a seat belt device installed in a vehicle, comprising: a flexible, elastic, and adhesive convex member disposed on the webbing belt of the seat belt device; and a flexible adhesive member that is attached to the webbing belt with the convex member interposed therebetween.

2. The tongue plate slippage prevention device according to claim 1, wherein the convex member is sandwiched between the webbing belt and the adhesive member at positions excluding the front and rear ends of the adhesive member along the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt.

3. The tongue plate slip-off prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the convex member extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the webbing belt.

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