1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat belt buckle, and more particularly to a seat belt buckle having a sand-removing capability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seat belt buckles are commonly used together with belts to protect drivers and passengers seated on a transportation tool, such as a vehicle or an airplane, against sudden impact arising from a collision or accident.
A seat belt buckle usually has spring members therein so that the elastic capability of the spring members allows a tongue of the seat belt buckle to be inserted into and ejected from a buckle of the seat belt buckle. Such seat belt buckles have a poor performance in removing sand, mud and crushed pebbles, especially when vehicles equipped with such seat belt buckles have a beach driving, desert driving or mud driving.
Sands and crushed pebbles stuck in a seat belt buckle occupy the space inside the seat belt buckle and inevitably affect the spring members to normally extend or retract. As a consequence, these foreign matters cause abnormal operation of the seat belt buckle, damage of the seat belt buckle and operational inconvenience, and may even jeopardize personal safety.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a sand-removing seat belt buckle.
To achieve the foregoing objective, the sand-removing seat belt buckle has an insertion member and a housing. The housing is hollow and has a first opening and a second opening, at least one sand cavity and at least one support bump.
The first opening and the second opening are respectively formed through two ends of the housing.
The at least one sand cavity is formed through a bottom of the housing and is adjacent to the second opening.
The at least one support bump is formed on an inner bottom surface of the housing.
The latching assembly serves to latch and unlatch the insertion member, and is securely mounted in the housing and on tops of the support bumps, and defines a space between the latching assembly and the inner bottom surface of the housing to communicate with the first opening, the second opening and the at least one sand cavity.
Given that the space formed between the latching assembly and the inner bottom surface of the housing communicates with the first opening, the second opening and the sand cavity, sand, mud or crushed pebbles entering the sand-removing seat belt buckle can be drained from the sand cavity and the second opening through the space.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
The insertion member 30 has a tongue 31 and a latching hole 32. The tongue 31 is formed on and protrudes from one end of the insertion member 30. The latching hole 32 is formed through the tongue 31.
The buckle has a housing 10, a connection element 40 and a latching assembly 20. The housing 10 is composed of a bottom cover 12 and a top cover 11 correspondingly mounted on the bottom cover 12, and has a chamber, a first opening 101, a second opening 102, at least one sand cavity 120 and at least one support bump 121. The first opening 101 and the second opening 102 are respectively formed through two ends of the housing 10. The at least one sand cavity 120 is formed through a bottom of the housing 10, and is adjacent to the second opening 102. The at least one support bump 121 is formed on an inner bottom surface of the housing 10.
The connection element 40 is securely connected to a vehicle, and may be a plate or a cable.
The latching assembly 20 is securely mounted in the housing 10 and on tops a top of each of the at least one support bumps bump 121, and defines a space between the latching assembly 20 and the inner bottom surface of the housing 10. With further reference to
The fixing seat 22 has a base 220, an ejector 224 and a first spring 225. The base 220 is mounted on the frame 21, and has a mounting cavity 221, an abutting portion 222 and a protruding block 226. The mounting cavity 221 is longitudinally formed through the base 220. The abutting portion 222 is formed on and protrudes upwardly from one end of the base 220 adjacent to the second opening 102, and has at least one sand hole 223 formed through the abutting portion 222. The protruding block 226 is formed on a first inner wall of the mounting cavity 221 on the same side of the at least one sand hole 223 and protrudes toward the first opening 101. The ejector 224 is movably mounted in the mounting cavity 221 of the base 220, and has a recessed hole 227 formed in one end of the ejector 224 facing the second opening 102. The first spring 225 is mounted in the mounting cavity 221. One end of the first spring 225 abuts against the protruding block 226 of the base 220, and the other end of the first spring 225 abuts against the inner surface of the recessed hole 227 of the ejector 224, so that the ejector 224 is pushed by the first spring 225 to abut against a second inner wall of the mounting cavity 221 opposite to the first inner wall. When an external force is exerted on the ejector 224 to move the ejector 224 toward the second opening 102, the first spring 225 is compressed. When the external force no longer exists, the restoring elastic force of the first spring 225 restores the ejector 224 back to its original position.
The latching member 23 is mounted on one side of the fixing seat 22 facing the first opening 101, and has a bottom seat 230, a latching block 231, an ejector arm 232 and a second spring 233. Two opposite ends of the bottom seat 230 are respectively and swingingly mounted through the walls 211 and are adjacent to the fixing seat 22. The latching block 231 is formed on one edge of the bottom seat 230 facing the second opening 102, and has a descending slope from one end of the latching block 231 adjacent to the second opening 102 to the other end adjacent to the first opening 101. The ejector arm 232 is L-shaped, and is formed on and protrudes upwardly from the edge of the bottom seat 230 facing the second opening 102. The second spring 233 is mounted between a bottom of the bottom seat 230 and the frame 21, is compressed when an external force is exerted on the bottom board 230, and restores and lifts the latching member 23 to its original position with the elastic force of the second spring 233 when the external force no longer exists.
The press button 24 is mounted through the first opening 101 and on the frame 21. With further reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Because of the sand-removing hole 212 on the bottom board 210 of the frame 21 and the space formed between the latching assembly 20 and the bottom cover 12 and communicating with the first opening 101, the second opening 102 and the at least one sand cavity 120 in the bottom cover 12, when sand, mud, crushed pebbles enter the sand-removing seat belt buckle, these foreign matters can be drained through the sand-removing hole 212, the at least one sand cavity 120, the first opening 101 and the second opening 102. Additionally, part of the foreign matters can be evacuated through the at least one sand hole 223 of the abutting portion 222 and the second opening 102. Accordingly, sand, mud and crushed pebbles entering the sand-removing seat belt buckle can be easily removed without being deposited inside the housing 10 to affect the normal operation of the first spring 225, the second spring 233 and the third spring 244 and that of the sand-removing seat belt buckle.
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120233822 A1 | Sep 2012 | US |