Buckle device

Details Buckle device Buckle device

2001-10-29

2003-06-24

Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)

Land vehicles

Wheeled

Attachment

Reexamination Certificate

active

06581969

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle device having a buckle into which is inserted a tongue plate which is attached to a webbing for restraining a vehicle occupant.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional buckle devices for the rear seat of a vehicle have, for example, a buckle. The buckle is disposed on the rear seat via a webbing for setting the buckle at the seat. A tongue plate, which is attached to a webbing for restraining a vehicle occupant, is inserted into the buckle. (Hereinafter, such a buckle device will be called a “webbing-type buckle device”.)
However, in this webbing-type buckle device, the buckle is only disposed on the rear seat via the webbing for setting the buckle at the seat. Thus, the position of the buckle at the rear seat is unstable. Therefore, the vehicle occupant must hold the buckle with his/her hand when inserting the tongue plate into the buckle, and a problem arises in that usability is poor.
Further, because the buckle forms a convex portion on the rear seat, the buckle abuts the buttocks of the vehicle occupant, and a problem arises in that the seating comfort of the vehicle occupant is poor.
Moreover, there are the problems that the accommodating of the buckle and the webbing for setting the buckle at the seat are poor, and the appearance thereof is poor.
There are buckle devices having a structure in which the buckle is placed in a standing state at the rear seat in order to facilitate insertion of the tongue plate into the buckle and in order to improve usability. (Such a buckle device is called a “self-standing type buckle device” hereinafter.)
However, in a self-standing type buckle device, the buckle cannot slide in the vertical direction of the vehicle (the direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the rear seat) at the rear seat. Thus, a problem arises in that, when the vehicle occupant sits down, the buttocks of the vehicle occupant abut the buckle which is projecting from the rear seat, and the seating comfort of the vehicle occupant is poor.
Further, in a self-standing type buckle device, when a seat movement, such as the operation of sliding the rear seat or the operation of reclining the rear seat or the like, is carried out, it is preferable that the buckle be able to rotate in correspondence with the seat movement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a buckle device in which the usability and the seating comfort of the vehicle occupant on the seat are improved, and which can correspond to seat movements.
A first aspect of the present invention is a buckle device which is disposed at a seat in a vehicle, and into which a tongue plate, which is attached to a webbing for restraining a vehicle occupant, is inserted, the buckle device comprising: a buckle member having, at an upper portion of the buckle member, a buckle into which the tongue plate is inserted, and having, at a lower portion of the buckle member, a linking portion at which a columnar rotating shaft is disposed; a supporting member which is fixed within the vehicle so as to correspond to the buckle member, and in which an elongated hole is formed along a vertical direction of the vehicle, and due to the rotating shaft being inserted through the elongated hole, the linking portion is enabled to swivel around the rotating shaft such that the buckle member can swivel, and the rotating shaft is movable between an upper end and a lower end of the elongated hole so that the supporting member supports the buckle member slidably; an abutment portion which is provided at the supporting member, and which abuts the buckle member and prevents swiveling of the buckle member in a state in which the buckle member is at a swiveling position at which the buckle member stands; a torsion coil spring having a helical spring portion, the rotating shaft being inserted through an interior of the spring portion, and a first end portion of the torsion coil spring being retained at the buckle member; and an engagement portion which is provided at the supporting member, and due to a second end portion of the torsion coil spring slidably engaging with the engagement portion, the torsion coil spring applies urging force to the buckle member and makes the rotating shaft abut the upper end of the elongated hole and makes the buckle member abut the abutment portion.
In the above-described buckle device, the buckle member has the buckle at the upper portion thereof, and has the linking portion at the lower portion thereof. Due to the rotating shaft of the linking portion being inserted through the elongated hole of the supporting member, the supporting member supports the buckle member such that the buckle member can slide and swivel.
Here, due to the torsion coil spring applying urging force to the buckle member, the rotating shaft abuts the upper end of the elongated hole, and the buckle member is disposed at the position which is the upper limit of sliding. At the same time, the buckle member is abutted to the abutment portion, and the buckle member is set in a state of being disposed at a swiveling position at which the buckle member stands. In this way, when the tongue plate, which is attached to the webbing for restraining a vehicle occupant, is inserted into the buckle, there is no need for the vehicle occupant to hold the buckle with his/her hand, and the usability improves.
Moreover, when a downward pressing force of a given amount or greater is applied to the buckle member, the rotating shaft moves toward the lower end of the elongated hole against the urging force of the torsion coil spring, and the second end portion of the torsion coil spring slides on the engagement portion of the supporting member, and the buckle member is slid downward. On the other hand, when application of the downward pressing force on the buckle member is released, the buckle member returns to the position which is the upper limit of sliding (the initial position) due to the urging force of the torsion coil spring. Namely, when the vehicle occupant sits down on the seat, the buckle is pressed downward by the buttocks of the vehicle occupant, and the buckle does not project from the top surface of the seat. Thus, the seating comfort of the vehicle occupant can be improved.
Further, when swiveling force is applied to the buckle member, the buckle member swivels around the rotating shaft against the urging force of the torsion coil spring. On the other hand, when application of swiveling force to the buckle member is released, the buckle member returns to the swiveling position at which the buckle member stands (the initial position) due to the urging force of the torsion coil spring. Namely, when a seat movement, such as a sliding operation or a reclining operation or the like of the seat, is carried out, the buckle member swivels and can correspond to the seat movement.
Because the buckle member can be returned to its initial position merely by the torsion coil spring, the buckle device can be made to have a simple structure.
Moreover, here, when adjusting the anti-sliding force or the anti-swiveling force (torque) of the buckle member, it suffices to adjust the position at which the engagement portion is set at the supporting member, or to adjust the urging force of the torsion coil spring. Thus, the anti-sliding force and the anti-swiveling force can be adjusted easily.
In order to adjust the sliding length (stroke) of the buckle member, other than adjusting the length of the elongated hole formed in the supporting member, the position at which the engagement portion is set at the supporting member maybe adjusted. Thus, the sliding length can be easily adjusted. While the projecting of the second end portion of the torsion coil spring from the buckle member is suppressed, the sliding length can be made long and the buckle device can be prevented from becoming large.
The buckle device of the present invention preferably further comprises a thick portion which is f

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