Electric Safety Belt Buckle With Ring Locking for Lateral Forces

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle safety belt buckles face challenges in handling extreme accelerations due to complex mechanical interactions, particularly during accidents, leading to potential unintended unlocking under high lateral forces.

Innovation Solution

An electric buckle with a ring-shaped locking element that uses an electric actuator to facilitate rotational movement, ensuring reliable locking and unlocking through a rotational mechanism, reducing the risk of unintended opening under extreme conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a mechanical locking mechanism with complex interactions is used, then the tongue can be locked securely, but the system becomes vulnerable to unintended unlocking under extreme lateral accelerations during accidents

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocking reliabilityVSAvoidsensitivity to lateral accelerations

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the complex mechanical locking mechanism with an electric actuator that controls a simpler locking element. The electric actuator uses electromagnetic force instead of mechanical interactions to move the locking element between locked and unlocked positions, eliminating the chain reaction of mechanical movements that caused unintended unlocking during lateral accelerations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state parameter of the locking element from mechanical position-based locking to electrically-controlled position locking. By using an electric actuator, the system transitions from relying on precise mechanical positioning to using electrical control signals, which are not affected by lateral accelerations in the same way mechanical systems are.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If a complex mechanical locking mechanism is used, then the tongue can be locked securely, but the handling and operation become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocking reliabilityVSAvoidhandling ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the complex mechanical locking mechanism with an electric actuator that controls a simpler locking element. The electric actuator uses electromagnetic force instead of mechanical interactions to move the locking element between locked and unlocked positions, eliminating the chain reaction of mechanical movements that caused unintended unlocking during lateral accelerations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If a mechanical locking mechanism with precise interacting parts is used, then the tongue can be locked securely, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocking reliabilityVSAvoidmechanical complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the complex mechanical locking mechanism with an electric actuator that controls a simpler locking element. The electric actuator uses electromagnetic force instead of mechanical interactions to move the locking element between locked and unlocked positions, eliminating the chain reaction of mechanical movements that caused unintended unlocking during lateral accelerations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes the complex mechanical interaction components from the locking mechanism, retaining only the essential locking function. By taking out the unnecessary mechanical parts and replacing them with an electric actuator, the system achieves the same locking reliability with significantly reduced mechanical complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The electric buckle provides easier handling and improved reliability by minimizing unintended unlocking during accidents, maintaining secure fastening under high lateral accelerations and reducing mechanical complexity.

Implementation Method 1

an electric actuator (1) is provided, which is designed to drive a locking mechanism (4)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic conversion: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4403065B1Electric buckle for a safety belt device of a vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.08.06 AUTOLIV DEV AB

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AI summary

The invention relates to an electric buckle (16) comprising a frame (14) with an insertion slit (22) for inserting a tongue (15) of a safety belt device, and a locking element (6), which is moveable from a locking position, in which the tongue (15) is locked, to a releasing position, in which the tongue (15) is released, and vice versa, wherein the locking element (6) engages in the locking position into a recess of the frame (14) and a recess (24) of a locking section (23) of the tongue (15), wherein an electric actuator (1) is provided, which initiates the movement of the locking element (6) when activated. The locking element (6) is designed to be ring-shaped with a central opening (26) through which the tongue (15) extends with its locking section (23), wherein a connecting element (2) is provided, which transfers the driving movement of the electric actuator (1) to a rotational movement of the locking element (6) around a rotation axis running in parallel to the insertion direction of the tongue (15) with moving the locking element (6) from the released position to the locked position and vice versa.