Electricity: magnetically operated switches – magnets – and electr – Permanent magnet-actuated switches
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-26
2001-12-11
Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)
Electricity: magnetically operated switches, magnets, and electr
Permanent magnet-actuated switches
C335S207000, C340S457100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329893
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to buckles to be used in safety belt devices, such as seat belt devices, mounted on seats of automobiles and other transportation vehicles. In particular, the present invention relates to a buckle provided with a buckle switch to be switched by a latching operation of a tongue and the buckle.
Presently, seat belt devices are mounted on seats of automobiles and other transportation vehicles for protecting passengers in a case of emergency, such as collision. The seat belt device of this type is generally provided with a buckle for easily fasten and unfasten a belt. The buckle includes a latch member for latching a tongue, which is resiliently urged in the latching direction toward the tongue, and a lock member for maintaining the latch member and the tongue in a latched state.
The buckle is provided with a buckle switch for determining a latched state. The buckle switch displays the latched state of the tongue and buckle, and in accordance with the latched state of the tongue and buckle, operates and controls other components of the seat belt device, such as a retractor, and automotive devices relating to the operation of the seat belt device.
A buckle switch is known, which generally uses a contact-type switch, such as a board-type switch or a microswitch. In the contact-type switch, switching is repeatedly performed at a contact part of the buckle switch by latching and unlatching the tongue and buckle. Therefore, there is a risk of a poor connection due to wear of the contact part or the like, and the durability is not always on a high level.
A buckle switch using a non-contact type switch is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 10-155521. In the non-contact type buckle switch disclosed in this publication, light emitted to a latch member for latching a tongue by a field supply source of a light-reflection device is applied to a reflecting surface of the latch member, and the light reflected by the reflecting surface is detected by a field-effect unit of the light-reflection device, thereby determining a latched state and an unlatched state of the tongue and buckle.
By using the non-contact type buckle switch, the risk of a poor connection due to wear of the contact part is avoided because the switch does not include contact parts, thereby improving durability.
However, in the non-contact type buckle switch using a light reflection device, a risk of difficulty in reliable operation is anticipated because the light-reflection device is likely to become dull to reflected light due to fixture errors of the latch member and the light-reflection device, foreign materials, such as liquid like water and juice, dust, and rust formed by liquid. The contact-type switch is also likely to be affected by the foreign materials, such as liquid like water and juice, dust, and the rust formed by liquid.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a buckle provided with a buckle switch which is improved in durability and can more reliably operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a buckle comprises a base including two side walls; an ejector provided on the base to slidably move in a longitudinal direction between a non-operational position which is a position of the ejector when the buckle does not latch a tongue and an operational position which is a position of the ejector when the buckle latches the tongue, the ejector moving to the operational position when the tongue is inserted, and moving to the non-operational position and removing the tongue from the buckle when the buckle unlatches the tongue; a latch member supported by the two side walls to pivot between a non-operational position which is a position of the latch member when the buckle does not latch the tongue and an operational position which is a position of the latch member when the buckle latches the tongue, the latch member being urged toward the operational position, and pivoted to the operational position when the tongue is inserted into a predetermined position, thereby latching the tongue; an operational member for releasing the latched tongue and latch member; a lock member provided on the two side walls to move between a non-operational position which is a position of the lock member when the latch member does not latch the tongue and an operational position which is a position of the lock member when the latch member latches the tongue, the lock member being set in the operational position when the latch member latches the tongue and holding the latch member in the operational position of the latch member, and being moved to the non-operational position by the operational member when the latch member unlatches the tongue.
The buckle further includes a non-contact type buckle switch to be switched by the movement of one of the ejector, the latch member, and the lock member which are movable components of the buckle. The buckle switch includes a magnet and a Hall element for generating an electromotive force by a magnetic field of the magnet. The movable components of the buckle are made of magnetic materials. The magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element varies when one of the movable components of the buckle moves between an operational position and a non-operational position of one of the movable components of the buckle, and the buckle switch is switched by the variation in the magnetic field.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the magnet and the Hall element may be positioned opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which one of the movable components of the buckle moves toward the operational position thereof. Thus, the magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element when the one of the movable components of the buckle is set in the operational position thereof differs from the magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element when the one of the movable components of the buckle is set in the non-operational position thereof.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, either one of the movable components of the buckle may be positioned between the magnet and the Hall element or the Hall element may be positioned between the one of the movable components of the buckle and the magnet.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the magnet and the Hall element may be positioned side by side in the same direction as that where the one of the movable components of the buckle moves toward the operational position thereof, so that the magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element when the one of the movable components of the buckle is set in the operational position thereof differs from the magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element when the one of the movable components of the buckle is set in the non-operational position thereof.
In the buckle thus formed, according to the present invention, a switching operation is performed in a non-contact manner by using a Hall effect by the magnet and the Hall element, whereby poor connection in contact parts due to wear or the like can be avoided, and the durability can be significantly improved as compared with a contact-type switch, such as a board-type switch or a microswitch.
The buckle switch is not likely to be affected by fixture errors, foreign materials, such as liquid like water and juice, dust, and rust formed by liquid, compared with the buckle switch disclosed in the above prior publication, which uses a light-reflection device, whereby a more reliable operation is possible.
In particular, a magnetic field of the magnet applied to the Hall element is directly changed by the movable component of the buckle, and the movable component of the buckle can be free from mechanical contact directly or indirectly with the magnet and the Hall element. Thus, the durability of the buckle switch is further improved, the operation of the buckle switch is made more certain, and
Furukawa Koichi
Yamaguchi Yutaka
Donovan Lincoln
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nguyen Tuyen
Takata Corporation
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