Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Separable-fastener or required component thereof – Including member having distinct formations and mating...
Patent
1988-10-11
1990-11-27
Cranmer, Laurie K.
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Separable-fastener or required component thereof
Including member having distinct formations and mating...
24634, 24643, A44B 104
Patent
active
049725599
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety belt buckle and more particularly relates to a buckle intended for use in a vehicle such as a motor car.
Safety belts are now widely used in motor vehicles, and it is common practice to have a safety belt provided with a tongue which, in use, is inserted into a buckle. The buckle receives the tongue and locks the tongue in position until the buckle is released by actuating a push button or the like.
Many alternative designs of buckle have been proposed previously. Many of the prior proposed buckles suffer from the disadvantage that if the buckle is subjected to a very severe acceleration in the form of a linear acceleration, an angular acceleration or a centrifugal acceleration, the component or components within the buckle which serve to retain the tongue in position may be moved, thus causing the tongue to become released from the buckle. It is to be appreciated that a buckle of this type is utilised with the intention of retaining a person travelling in a motor vehicle strapped securely to his or her seat should an accident occur. Often, in an accident situation, a buckle may be subjected to a severe acceleration in the form of a linear or angular acceleration, or a centrifugal acceleration, and thus the tongue may be released from the buckle at the precise moment that it is most important that the tongue is retained in the buckle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a buckle which will not be inadvertently released when subjected to linear acceleration or an angular acceleration, or a centrifugal acceleration.
According to this invention there is provided a buckle adapted to receive and retain a tongue mounted on a safety belt, said buckle comprising an actuating member mounted for rotation about a predetermined axis, and a latching member mounted for rotation about a predetermined axis, the latching member being movable between a first position in which the latching member or a latching component driven thereby engages a tongue to retain the tongue latched in the buckle and a second release position in which the tongue may be released from or introduced into the buckle, the actuating member and the latching member being mechanically interconnected so that rotation of the actuating member causes rotation of the latching member, there being a mechanical advantage between the actuating member and the latching member, the angular moments of inertia of the actuating member and the latching member about their axes of rotation being such that, with regard to the said mechanical advantage, when the buckle is subjected to an acceleration the latching member will not move to the release position.
Preferably the actuating member is provided with engaging means which, when the actuating member is in its initial position, engage an abutment or the like on the latching member to retain the latching member in the latching position, so that the actuating member must move from the initial position before the latching member can be moved to the release position.
Conveniently the actuating member has means thereon which, after a rotation of the actuating member sufficient to disengage said engaging means and said abutment, come into contact with means present on the latching member to effect a driving connection between the actuating member and the latching member so that continued rotation of the actuating member causes rotation of the latching member.
Advantageously resilient means are provided connected to the latching member and the actuating member, biassing the latching member to its latching position and biassing the actuating member to its initial position.
Conveniently the latching member and the actuating member are rotatably mounted on a channel member.
Preferably the actuating member comprises integrally formed manually operable actuating means.
Conveniently said integrally formed means are in the form of a protruding tab.
According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a buckle adapted to re
REFERENCES:
patent: Re27438 (1972-07-01), Humphrey
patent: 2863200 (1958-12-01), Miller et al.
patent: 3481009 (1969-12-01), Preston et al.
Cranmer Laurie K.
General Engineering (Netherlands ) B.V.
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