Seat Belt Anchor Plate Locking Structure for Easy Stud Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat belt anchor devices face difficulties in attaching the anchor plate to a stud due to the loop of the seat belt webbing interfering with the stud's head and the circular opening being larger than the stud's head, making it challenging to secure the device properly.
Innovation Solution
A seat belt anchor device design featuring an anchor plate with a loop attached portion, a protector to hold the loop in place, and a stopper that engages with the stud's head, allowing the shank to enter the lock region without the head entering, facilitating easy attachment and preventing abnormal noise by using a guide piece and biasing piece for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the loop of the seat belt webbing is formed by winding around the loop attached portion, then the loop can be fixed to the anchor plate, but the loop becomes movable relative to the loop attached portion and interferes with the head of the stud during attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the loop from the attachment process by providing a dedicated first opening that receives and fixes the loop before the stud attachment occurs. This separates the loop fixation function from the stud attachment function, eliminating the interference problem where the movable loop would obstruct the stud head during attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening is segmented into two distinct regions: a first opening for loop attachment and a second opening for stud attachment. This segmentation allows the loop and stud to be attached independently without interfering with each other, resolving the contradiction between loop fixation and stud attachment ease.
2Ease of operation
If the circular opening is made larger than the stud's head to allow insertion, then the anchor plate can be attached to the stud, but it becomes difficult to secure the device properly and prevent abnormal noise
Solution Approach 1:
The opening is divided into two distinct openings: a first opening that is larger than the stud head to facilitate easy insertion, and a second opening that is smaller than the stud head but larger than the shank to provide secure locking. This segmentation allows both ease of attachment and secure fixation to be achieved simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the opening structure are given different dimensional properties: the first opening has a larger diameter for easy insertion, while the second opening has a smaller diameter for secure locking. This local differentiation of opening sizes resolves the contradiction between ease of attachment and attachment security.
3Reliability
If the stopper engages with the head of the stud to prevent return movement, then the anchor plate is securely fixed, but the loop may interfere with the head during the attachment process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the attachment process into two distinct steps using two separate openings: first the loop is inserted through the larger first opening and fixed, then the stud is inserted through the smaller second opening and locked by the stopper. This segmentation eliminates interference between the loop and stud head while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The loop is preliminarily fixed to the anchor plate through the first opening before the stud attachment occurs. This preliminary fixation of the loop prevents it from interfering with the subsequent stud insertion and stopper engagement, enabling both easy attachment and secure fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
A seat belt anchor device according to one aspect includes: an anchor plate including a loop attached portion for a seat belt webbing, and having an opening including an enlarged region into which a head of a stud is allowed to be inserted and a lock region in which the head of the stud is not allowed to enter from the enlarged region but a shank of the stud is allowed to enter; a protector attached to the anchor plate and including a bridge portion disposed over the enlarged region on a side opposite to a vehicle body with respect to the enlarged region so that the loop is held between the protector and the loop attached portion; and a stopper attached to the anchor plate and configured to engage with the head of the stud when the shank of the stud enters the lock region from the enlarged region.