Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6550112
-
Patent Number
6,550,112
-
Date Filed
Friday, June 22, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 22, 200322 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell & Tummino L.L.P.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A closure for a seat belt comprises a release button shiftably mounted on a frame and cooperating with a latch which can be swiveled between a locking position and an opening position around a swiveling axis, and a blocking element that can assume a blocking position in which it blocks the latch in the locking position. The blocking element is mounted on the frame so as to pivot around an axis that passes through a center of gravity of the blocking element, so that it can be swiveled by the release button out of the blocking position into a release position.
Description
The invention relates to a closure for a seat belt having a release button movably mounted on a frame and provided for a latch that can be swiveled between a locking position and an opening position around a swiveling axis, and a blocking element that can assume a blocking position in which it blocks the latch in its locking position.
Such a closure is known, for example, from DE 44 27 011. With this closure, the blocking element is mounted so that it can move in one direction in which the acceleration by a seat belt tensioner also occurs. Therefore, in order to ensure that the closure can withstand the tensioner force, a likewise movably mounted locking element is needed which prevents a shifting of the blocking element from its blocking position in the case of high acceleration values. However, in view of the many components used, this arrangement is relatively complex and, because of the components that are movably mounted, namely, the locking member and blocking element, it is failure-prone over the long run.
The objective of the invention is to create a simply structured closure for seat belts that is reliably secured against unintentional opening, even at the high acceleration rates that occur when a seat belt tensioner is activated.
For this purpose, with a closure of the type described above, it is provided that the blocking element is mounted on the frame so as to pivot around an axis that passes through its center of gravity, so that it can be swiveled by the release button out of its blocking position into a release position. Since the blocking element is mounted on its center of gravity, it is not subjected to any torque upon acceleration of the closure, so that it remains in its blocking position and the latch is securely blocked. Moreover, a pivoted component is less failure-prone than a movably mounted component since, with a movably mounted component, the bearing can more easily become dirty over the course of time, thereby leading to greater friction.
Further advantageous embodiments of the invention ensue from the subordinate claims.
The invention is described below with reference to preferred embodiments. Reference is made to the attached drawings in which the following is shown:
FIG. 1
a perspective view of a closure with an inserted tongue according to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2
a second perspective view of the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
a perspective view of a blocking element used in the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
a perspective view of a latch used in the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
a perspective view of an upper shell used in the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 6
a perspective view of an ejector used in the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 7
a perspective view of a lower shelf used in the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 8
a perspective view of a cutaway of the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 9
a lengthwise section of the closure of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 10
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
in a basic state;
FIG. 11
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
during the insertion of the tongue;
FIG. 12
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
with the tongue inserted;
FIG. 13
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
with the release button depressed;
FIG. 14
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
during the ejection of the tongue;
FIG. 15
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 1
with the tongue released;
FIG. 16
a representation of the force conditions on the closure of
FIG. 14
;
FIG. 17
a perspective view of a closure with an inserted tongue according to a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 18
a perspective view of a cutaway of the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 19
a perspective view of a frame used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 20
a perspective view of a release button used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 21
a perspective view of a toggle lever used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 22
a perspective view of a blocking element used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 23
a perspective view of an ejector used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 24
a perspective view of a latch used for the closure of
FIG. 17
;
FIG. 25
a perspective view of a cutaway of the frame and of the ejector of
FIGS. 19 and 23
;
FIG. 26
a perspective view of a cutaway of the closure of
FIG. 17
with the ejected tongue;
FIG. 27
a lengthwise section through the closure of
FIG. 17
with the tongue inserted; and
FIG. 28
a schematic lengthwise section through the latch of
FIG. 17
with indication of the forces and lever arms on the toggle lever.
FIG. 1
shows a closure
10
according to the invention with an inserted tongue
12
and having a frame consisting of an upper shell
14
and of a lower shell
16
, a latch
18
, a blocking element
20
for the latch
18
and a release button
24
that is movably mounted on the frame. The frame is enclosed by a housing
11
(see FIGS.
10
through
16
), which was left out in
FIGS. 1 through 9
so that the functional parts can be seen.
The closure
10
has a front end on which the release button
24
is located, and a back end on which the latch
18
is mounted on the upper shell
14
so as to pivot around an axis A
s
. In the representation of
FIG. 1
, the latch is in its locking position in the frame, where it latches the conventional tongue
12
, which is inserted at the front end of the closure.
The upper shell
14
and the lower shell
16
of the frame are shown individually in
FIGS. 5 and 7
, and they preferably consist of a U-shaped sheet metal plate with a base
25
or
27
and two parallel legs
26
and
28
, which extend perpendicular to the base. The upper shell
14
and the lower shell
16
are connected to each other by means of hook-shaped protrusions
30
on the legs
28
of the lower shell
16
, which engage the base
25
of the upper shell
14
through elongated slits
32
, the base
25
of the upper shell
14
resting on the edge
29
of the leg
28
of the lower shell
16
. As a result, a hollow space is formed between the upper shell
14
and the lower shell
16
into which the tongue
12
can be inserted and in which an ejector
34
for the insertion tongue
12
is movably mounted (FIGS.
8
and
9
). In the base of the upper shell
14
, there is also an opening
36
for the ejector
34
, the opening extending parallel to the lengthwise axis of the closure. In line with the opening
36
, closer to the front of the closure
10
, there is a latch opening
38
through which the latch
18
can engage the insertion tongue
12
. In the base of the lower shell
16
, parallel to the lengthwise axis, there is an elongated slit
40
to receive an ejector spring
35
. Approximately across from the latch opening
38
, offset a bit towards the back end of the closure, there is a second latch opening
42
of about the same size in the base of the lower shell
16
. In the area of the back end of the frame, hooks
44
are formed on the legs of the upper shell
14
, and the hooks form bearings for the latch
18
.
In this embodiment, the latch
18
is a stamped part made of sheet metal and it has a bearing section
46
as well as a T-shaped latch section
48
, which are connected to each other by two parallel lengthwise webs
50
. The T-shaped latch section
48
has a crosswise web
52
whose ends form two projections
54
and from the middle of whose bottom a foot
56
extends that can engage the insertion tongue
12
through the latch openings
38
,
42
and through an opening
13
in order to latch the insertion tongue
12
in the closure
10
. The lengthwise webs
50
extend to both sides of the foot
56
, likewise from the bottom of the crosswise web
52
, the ends of the lengthwise webs
50
, which are connected to the crosswise web
52
, being bent in such a way that the lengthwise webs and the foot
56
enclose an angle of slightly less than 90° (FIGS.
10
through
16
). The opposite ends of the lengthwise webs
50
are bent at a right angle and become the bearing section
46
. On each of the edges of the bearing section
46
facing the lengthwise sides of the closure
10
, a recess
58
is provided that divides the appertaining end of the bearing section
46
into a bearing pin
60
and a holding pin
62
. As can be seen in
FIG. 2
, the hooks
44
engage the legs of the upper shell
14
through the recesses
58
, partially surrounding the bearing pin
60
so that the bearing section
46
of the latch
18
is mounted on the upper shell
14
so that it can pivot. In this manner, the holding pin
62
prevents the latch
18
from slipping out of the bearing, which is open towards the back.
FIG. 3
shows the blocking element
20
that consists of an essentially rectangular plate. In the middle of each of the narrow sides, a rotating pin
70
is formed with which the blocking element
20
is mounted so as to pivot around an axis A. For this purpose, bores
71
are provided in the middle of the legs of the upper shell
14
(
FIGS. 2 and 5
) which are engaged by the pins
70
. The blocking element
20
is urged by a spring
22
into a blocking position (
FIG. 1
) in which it blocks the latch
18
in its locking position. Here, it lies against the stops
64
which are likewise formed on the legs of the upper shell
14
. The lengthwise side of the blocking element
20
, which faces the frame when it is in the blocking position, forms a contact surface
72
with which the latch
18
lies against the lengthwise webs
50
of the latch
18
when it is in the blocking position. On the narrow sides of the blocking element
20
, there are carrier pins
74
in the form of projections that extend parallel to the rotating pins
70
, namely, from the end of the narrow sides that is closest to the contact surface
72
. The carrier pins
74
are shorter than the rotating pins
70
, so that they do not touch the legs of the upper shell
14
. By means of bores
76
, the blocking element
20
is counterbalanced in such a way that its center of gravity lies on the rotational axis A
B
of the rotating pins
70
.
The ejector
34
consists of an essentially rectangular plate that is so thick that the ejector
34
can smoothly be moved between the upper shell
14
and the lower shell
16
. In so doing, the ejector
34
is guided by the base
25
of the upper shell
14
, as well as by the base
27
and the legs
28
of the lower shell
16
. On the upper side of the ejector
34
pointing to the upper shell
14
there is formed a rectangular projection
80
which projects through the opening
36
in the base of the upper shell
14
. On the end of the ejector
34
facing the front end of the closure
10
, a recess
84
with rounded corners is formed, which can receive the tip of the insertion tongue
12
. On the opposite back end of the ejector
34
, parallel to its lengthwise axis, a recess
86
having an approximately semi-circular cross section extends crosswise to the lengthwise axis into which one end of the ejector spring
35
extends. As already described above, the ejector spring
35
is held in the lengthwise slit
40
and supported on the frame so that it presses the ejector
34
into an ejection position as shown in FIG.
9
. On the top of the ejector
34
, a sliding wall
88
is provided, which is parallel to the main plane of the ejector
34
that extends beyond the recess
84
.
The release button
24
has an actuation surface
90
facing the front of the closure
10
as well as two parallel support walls
92
running perpendicular to the actuation surface
90
in the lengthwise direction of the closure
10
. On the narrow side of each support wall
92
, on the end opposite from the actuation surface
90
, there is a carrier surface
94
that engages the carrier pin
74
of the blocking element
20
when the release button
24
is actuated. At a right angle to the carrier surface
94
, there is a resting surface
96
against which the projections
54
of the latch
18
can lie when the latch is in the locking position. The resting surface
96
. in turn, is followed by a ramp surface
98
that encloses an obtuse angle with the resting surface
96
and whose function becomes clear from the description of the unlatching procedure described below.
Below, the function of the closure
10
is explained with reference to an insertion procedure of the insertion tongue
12
and to the unlatching of the closure, which are shown in consecutive positions in
FIGS. 10 through 15
.
In the basic state, that is to say, when the tongue is not inserted (FIG.
10
), the ejector
34
is in the ejection position. The latch
18
is in an opening position, its foot
56
lying against the sliding wall
88
of the ejector
34
. The blocking element
20
, as a result of being urged (arrow) by the spring
22
via the contact surface
72
, exerts a moment on the latch
18
.
When the tongue
12
is inserted, the tip of the insertion tongue engages the recess
84
(
FIG. 11
) and moves the ejector
34
out of its ejection position. When the ejector
34
is moved, the foot
56
of the latch
18
slides on the sliding wall
88
. Since the sliding wall
88
protrudes beyond the recess
84
towards the edge of the opening in the insertion tongue, the latch
18
is prevented from sliding on the insertion tongue
12
and possibly leaving abrasion markings there. As soon as the tongue
12
is inserted so far that the opening
13
in the tongue
12
is positioned under the latch opening
38
in the frame, the foot
56
of the latch
18
can slip into the opening in the insertion tongue
12
. Due to the torque exerted by the blocking element
20
, the latch
18
is swiveled into its locking position (FIG.
12
). In doing so, the blocking element
20
turns—in the figures in the counterclockwise direction—beyond a position that is perpendicular to the lengthwise webs
50
of the latch, until it is halted by stops
64
on the legs of the upper shell
14
, as a result of which it has reached its blocking position.
In this blocking position, the ejector
34
—as a result of being urged by the ejector spring
35
via the insertion tongue
12
—exerts a force F
S
on the foot
56
of the latch
18
which, via the lever arm L (see FIG.
16
), causes a torque on the latch
18
that strives to swivel the latch
18
out of its locking position. However, the blocking position is characterized in that a force F, which acts upon the blocking element
20
via the contact surface
72
when the latch
18
is swiveled out of the locking position, acts in the same direction as the torque exerted by the spring
22
. Thus, the force F presses the blocking element
20
more strongly against the stops
64
so that the swiveling of the latch
18
is prevented. A blocking position of the blocking element
20
is thus reached when the line of application of the force F, which acts perpendicular to the lengthwise webs
50
—as seen from the rotational axis As of the latch
18
—passes behind the rotational axis A
B
of the blocking element
20
(FIG.
12
).
This geometry leads to a reliable blocking of the latch
18
, which can only be released by a torque applied from the outside onto the blocking element
20
. Since the center of gravity of the blocking element
20
, however, as described above, lies on its rotational axis A
B
, the mass inertia of the blocking element
20
does not cause such a torque, even in the case of a strong acceleration of the closure
10
, such as occurs, for example, when the seat belt tensioner is activated.
If the release button
24
is additionally secured against unintentional shifting caused by acceleration forces, then the described closure
10
is secured against unintentional opening in case of acceleration in any direction. An especially advantageous securing of the release button
24
is effectuated in a second embodiment of the invention, which is described below. For this purpose, however, a securing means known from the state of the art can be used.
In order to open the closure, as mentioned above, a torque has to act upon the blocking element which can overcome the moment of the spring
22
. For this purpose, the release button
24
, which is merely indicated in
FIGS. 13 through 15
, is shifted towards the left in the figures. Here, the carrier surface
94
engages the carrier pins
74
of the blocking element
20
and turns it out of its blocking position (FIG.
13
). When the release button
24
is moved further, the ramp surface
98
engages the projections
54
of the latch
18
(
FIG. 14
) and swivels the latter out of its locking position, as a result of which the insertion tongue
12
is released and the ejector
34
ejects the insertion tongue due to the force of the ejector spring (FIG.
15
).
When the geometry and the spring forces are appropriately dimensioned—as described below—it can be achieved that the closure
10
already opens in the position shown in FIG.
14
without the release button
24
having to be pushed in any further. As described above, the ejector spring exerts a force F
S
(
FIG. 16
) on the latch
18
at the contact edge B′ with the foot
56
via the ejector
34
and the insertion tongue
12
, thus causing a torque F
s
×L. This is countered by a torque F
b
×K, which is caused at the contact point B by the force F
b
brought about by the pressure on the blocking element
20
. With such a corresponding dimensioning of the ejector spring
35
and of the blocking spring
22
as well as of the lever arms K and L, the torque F
S
×L is the dominant one and the ejector
34
can swivel the latch
18
out of its locking position. Advantageously, due to the slanted position of the foot
56
(the angle between the foot
56
and the lengthwise webs
50
is a bit less than 90°), it is achieved that the foot
56
is aligned approximately tangentially to the arc that it traverses during the swiveling, so that its swiveling space is reduced. Moreover, the foot
56
only touches the edge of the opening in the insertion tongue on its lower edge B′, as a result of which the length of the lever arm L is maximized.
Advantageously, it is nevertheless possible to provide a ramp surface
98
so that, in case of any increased friction between the blocking element
20
and the latch
18
resulting from dirt, a reliable unlatching of the closure
10
is ensured. In any case, however, the described arrangement causes the latch
18
to be subjected to a torque exerted by the ejector spring
35
, which reduces the actuation force of the release button that is needed to open the closure, facilitating the operation of the closure.
As can be seen in the figures, the foot
56
of the latch
18
is freely movable in the latch openings
38
and
42
, without touching the frame. Thus, the friction that occurs with other latch principles, for example, is eliminated with a moveably guided latch, as a result of which a more reliable functioning is ensured. Nevertheless, in order to be able to withstand extreme tensile stresses on the insertion tongue, the bearing of the latch
18
on the upper shell
14
can be deformed so that, in case of a crash, the entire latch
18
can be moved into the latch openings
38
and
42
towards to the front of the closure until it is halted by the stops formed by the edges
100
(see
FIG. 14
) of the latch openings. The deformable bearing is advantageously achieved by the design of the hooks
44
on the upper shell
14
, which can be bent open plastically in this case.
FIGS. 17 through 28
show a second embodiment of the invention, reference numerals increased by 100 being used for already known components.
The mode of operation especially of the latch
118
and of the blocking element
120
is the same in terms of the function of the closure
110
as in the first embodiment, which is why a comprehensive description of the functioning has not been provided here. Therefore, the description below concentrates on the differences from the first embodiment.
The closure
110
shown in
FIG. 17
has a one-piece frame
115
, consisting of U-shaped sheet metal plate with a base
125
, a right-hand leg
126
, which can be seen in the background in the figures, and a left-hand leg
127
. In the base
125
(FIG.
19
), an ejector opening
136
is provided to receive an ejector
134
and an ejector spring
135
. The ejector opening
136
consists of a narrower, front section
136
a
and a wider, back section
136
b.
Extending into the back section, there is a mandrel
117
on which one end of the ejector spring
135
is mounted (FIGS.
18
and
25
).
Like in the first embodiment, bearings in the form of hooks
144
have been shaped onto the back end of the legs
126
and
127
. Approximately in the middle of each of the legs
126
and
127
, bores
171
are provided in which a blocking element
118
is pivoted. Slits lead from each of the bores
171
to the edge of the legs
126
and
127
so that the support pins
170
of a blocking element
118
can be inserted into the bores
171
without having to bend the legs
126
and
127
.
Furthermore, in each of the legs
126
and
127
, bearing bores
119
are provided for pivoting a toggle lever
121
whose function will be described below. These bearing bores
119
are located near the front end of the frame
115
and are likewise connected by slits to the edge of the legs
126
and
127
in order to allow a simple assembly of the toggle lever
121
.
Since the frame in this embodiment is made of one piece and therefore does not have a hollow space into which the tongue
12
could be inserted, on each of the inner sides of the legs
126
and
127
, below the bearing bores
119
, there is a projection
123
to guide the insertion tongue
12
.
The ejector
134
, which is shown in detail in
FIG. 23
, differs from the ejector
34
of the first embodiment essentially with respect to two characteristics: first of all, on the bottom facing its base
125
, there is a guide piece
133
having a T-shaped cross section (FIG.
25
). Thus, parallel grooves are formed between the bottom of the ejector
134
and the guide piece
133
, and the edges of the front section
136
a
of the ejector opening engage the grooves, so that the ejector
134
is guided movably on the base
125
. Secondly, a wedge-shaped stop projection
131
is formed onto the top of the ejector
134
. With this stop projection
131
, the ejector
134
can be supported on the latch
118
(
FIG. 18
) if the tongue is inserted too far into the frame
115
because, for example, the entire closure
110
is abruptly braked after a seat belt tensioner has been activated. For this purpose, on the latch
118
, a stop
137
is provided which starts at the bearing section
146
and extends between the two lengthwise webs
150
and is bent in the same direction as the foot
156
.
The blocking element
120
(FIG.
22
), like the blocking element
20
of the first embodiment, consists of a rectangular plate with a contact surface
172
and two rotating pins
170
. The rotating pins
170
have a rectangular cross section and have rounded-off edges. As a result, in a certain angle position of the blocking element
120
, they can be inserted through the slits into the bores
171
in a simple manner. As a prolongation of the contact surface
172
, there are carrier pins
174
that extend beyond the legs
126
,
127
(FIG.
25
). One of the rotating pins
170
is elongated and bent at its free end. It holds the spring
122
that presses the blocking element
120
into its blocking position, one end of the spring
122
engaging the adjacent carrier pins
174
and the other end engages the right-hand leg
126
. From the contact surface
172
, a recess
176
extends to the middle of the blocking element
120
, whose size determines the mass distribution of the blocking element in such a way that the center of gravity of the blocking element
120
lies on its rotational axis A
B
.
The release button
124
is shown in detail in FIG.
20
. There is an actuation surface
190
on the front of the release button
124
facing away from the frame
115
. From the back of the release button
124
, two support walls
192
extend parallel to the legs
126
,
127
. On the free ends of the support walls
192
, projections
193
are provided which engage the legs
126
and
127
through the elongated slits
195
(
FIG. 17
) in order to guide the support walls to the legs
126
and
127
. On the outer sides of the support walls
192
, there are stiffening ribs
197
that stabilize the support walls
192
. These stiffening ribs
197
run from the free end to about the middle of the support walls
192
along their upper edge. In one partial segment, the stiffening ribs
197
form carrier surfaces
194
running approximately perpendicular to the actuation surface
190
, and these carrier surfaces
194
can engage the carrier pins
174
of the blocking element
120
in order to swivel the blocking element
120
out of its blocking position when the release button
124
is actuated. Over their further course, the stiffening ribs
197
form a U-shaped recess
199
which is engaged by the toggle lever
121
and whose function is described in detail below.
Likewise in the middle of the back of the release button, a guide wall
201
extending parallel to the base
125
serves to guide the tongue
12
when it is inserted. Between the guide wall
201
and the support walls
192
, guide webs
202
run parallel to the latter, and, in the assembled state, one guide web
202
and one support wall
192
each surrounding one of the legs
126
and
127
. Here, the guide webs
202
are located inside the “U” formed by the frame
115
. The upper narrow sides of the guide webs
202
form guide surfaces with which the release button
124
is guided to fingers
203
which project from the front ends of the legs
126
,
127
into the inside of the frame
115
. The free ends of the guide webs
202
taper in a wedge shape towards the base
125
so that ramp surfaces
198
are formed on its narrow sides with which the release button can swivel the latch
118
via the projections
154
out of its locking position, as already described in conjunction with the first embodiment.
The closure
110
also has a toggle lever
121
, which is shown separately in FIG.
21
. The toggle lever
121
consists of two parallel side parts
205
and
207
which are each connected at one end to each other by an inertial mass
209
. The side parts
205
,
207
each have an outer surface and an inner surface, each of the inside surfaces facing the other side part.
In the middle of the inside of each side part
205
,
207
, a cylindrical rotating pin
211
is provided with which the toggle lever
121
is mounted in the bearing bores
119
so as to pivot around the axis A
k
. The cylindrical shape of the rotating pins
211
is flattened by two parallel side surfaces so that the rotating pins
211
can be inserted through the slits into the bearing bores
119
. In the middle, the free ends of the side parts
205
and
207
are bent at a right angle towards the outside. On the inner surfaces of the free ends, cylindrical carriers
213
are formed that are additionally supported by stiffening ribs
215
on the inner surfaces. The carriers
213
engage the recesses
199
formed by the stiffening ribs
197
so that the toggle lever
121
is swiveled when the release button
124
is moved and vice versa (FIGS.
27
and
28
).
On the outer surface of the one side part
207
, on the end that is connected with the inertial mass
209
, there is a holding pin
217
for a restoring spring
219
whose other end is hooked in a hook
221
on the left-hand leg
127
of the frame
115
(FIGS.
17
and
27
). The restoring spring
219
is tensioned via the toggle lever
121
when the release button
124
is pressed. Thus, the release button
124
is subject to a restoring force that moves it back into its starting position after it has been released.
Another important function of the toggle lever
121
is to secure the release button
124
against unintentional shifting due to acceleration forces. For this purpose, the toggle lever is designed in such a way that its center of gravity S
k
does not lie on the rotational axis A
k
. In
FIG. 28
, the forces and the lever arms on the toggle lever
121
are schematically shown upon acceleration a
v
in the lengthwise direction of the closure
110
. Due to the mass inertia, an inertial force F
k
is exerted on the center of gravity S
k
of the toggle lever
121
, which inertial force brings about a torque F
k
×L
k1
via the lever arm L
k1
. However, due to its mass inertia, the release button
124
likewise exerts a force F
L
on the toggle lever
121
, namely, via the projections
195
which engage the recesses
199
. This force F
L
leads to a torque F
L
×L
k2
that counteracts the torque F
k
×L
k1
. According to the invention, the lever arms L
k1
and L
k2
and the mass of the toggle lever
121
are selected in such a way that the torques cancel each other out. In this manner, the release button
124
is safeguarded against unintentional shifting and thus the closure
110
is reliably secured against unintentional opening during acceleration.
Claims
- 1. A closure for a seat belt, comprising a release button shiftably mounted on a frame and cooperating with a latch which can be swiveled between a locking position and an opening position around a swiveling axis, and a blocking element that assumes a blocking position in which said blocking element blocks said latch in said locking position, said blocking element being mounted on said frame so as to pivot around a pivoting axis that passes through a center of gravity of said blocking element, said release button causing said blocking element to pivot out of said blocking position into a release position, said blocking element, when in said blocking position, being exposed to a force from said latch, said force from said latch keeping said blocking element in said blocking position.
- 2. The closure according to claim 1, wherein said pivoting axis of said blocking element is arranged between said swiveling axis of said latch and an application line of said force from said latch.
- 3. The closure according to claim 1, wherein a stop is provided, said blocking element, when in said blocking position, being pressed against said stop by said force from said latch.
- 4. The closure according to claim 1, wherein on said release button a ramp surface is provided that can engage a projection on said latch to cause said latch to swivel out of said locking position and into said opening position.
- 5. The closure according to claim 1, wherein on said release button a carrier surface is provided that can engage a projection on said blocking element to cause said blocking element to pivot out of said blocking position and into said release position.
- 6. The closure according to claim 1, wherein an ejector for an insertion tongue is provided that is acted upon by an ejector spring, said latch being swiveled from said locking position into said opening position when said insertion tongue is ejected.
- 7. The closure according to claim 1, wherein said blocking element is urged by a spring into said blocking position.
- 8. The closure according to claim 1, wherein said latch is elastically mounted to that it can be shifted radially with respect to said swiveling axis until a stop is reached.
- 9. The closure according to claim 1, wherein a toggle lever is provided that counteracts a shifting of said release button upon acceleration of said closure.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
201 00 932 U |
Jan 2001 |
DE |
|
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3837376 |
May 1990 |
DE |
9202527 |
May 1992 |
DE |
4427011 |
Jan 1996 |
DE |
20010538 |
Nov 2000 |
DE |
0341839 |
Nov 1989 |
EP |
1018307 |
Jul 2000 |
EP |
2328244 |
Feb 1999 |
GB |
11-266907 |
Oct 1999 |
JP |