Multi-point buckle dust jacket with loop lip sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard vehicle seat belt buckles allow dust and sand to enter through gaps, leading to accumulation and interference with the locking mechanism, compromising the securing function and safety of the buckle.
Innovation Solution
A multi-point buckle design featuring a buckle with tongue slots, latches with tongues, and dust jackets with through slots and loop lips that fill the gaps between the tongue and slot, preventing dust entry and enhancing engagement stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional buckle design with a gap between the jack and latch is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but dust and sand can easily enter through the gap and accumulate in the buckle, affecting the locking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The dust jacket is nested within the buckle structure, with the tongue passing through the dust jacket and into the tongue slot. The dust jacket's through slot allows the tongue to pass through while the loop lip remains inside the tongue slot to seal the gap, creating a nested configuration that prevents dust entry without complicating the overall buckle structure
Solution Approach 2:
The dust jacket acts as an intermediary component between the tongue and the tongue slot. It fills the gap with its loop lip while allowing the tongue to pass through its through slot, thereby preventing dust and sand from entering the buckle's locking mechanism without requiring a complete redesign of the buckle structure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the gap between the jack of the buckle and the latch is reduced to prevent dust entry, then dust protection is improved, but the engagement stability and ease of insertion are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The dust jacket is segmented into two functional parts: a through slot for accepting the tongue and a loop lip for sealing the gap. This segmentation allows the tongue to easily pass through the through slot while the loop lip remains inside the tongue slot to prevent dust entry, thus maintaining both ease of operation and dust protection
Solution Approach 2:
The loop lip of the dust jacket is nested inside the tongue slot, creating a sealed environment without obstructing the tongue's path. The through slot accommodates the tongue while the nested loop lip prevents dust entry, resolving the contradiction between dust protection and ease of insertion
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a dust jacket with a loop lip is added to seal the gap, then dust protection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dust jacket is designed as a flexible component with a through slot and loop lip, allowing it to adapt to the tongue's insertion and movement. This flexible shell structure provides effective dust sealing without requiring multiple rigid components or complex mechanisms, thus minimizing the increase in device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The dust jacket serves multiple functions: it guides the tongue through its through slot, seals the gap with its loop lip, and prevents dust and sand from entering the buckle. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while improving dust protection
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-point buckle has a buckle, at least two latches and a plurality of dust jackets. The buckle has a plurality of tongue slots on a peripheral edge. Each of the latches has at least two tongues, and each tongue is capable of being inserted into one of the tongue slots of the buckle for locking. Each dust jacket has a through slot through two opposite ends for accepting one of the tongues. One of the two opposite ends of the dust jacket is a first abutting end, the first abutting end abutting an edge of the buckle when the one of the tongues and a corresponding tongue slot are locked together, and the first abutting end has a loop lip around an opening of the through slot for filling in between the tongue and the tongue slot and prevent dust from entering.