Seat belt buckle presenter

A belt buckle feeder (10) comprises a belt buckle (18), a stationary base member (12) to be mounted fixedly on the vehicle and a motor-driven slide (16) movably supported on the base member (12) to which the belt buckle (18) is coupled, wherein the slide (16) encloses the base member (12) at least in portions.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application corresponds to PCT/EP2014/001745, filed Jun. 26, 2014, which claims the benefit of German Application No. 10 2013 011 025.4, filed Jul. 2, 2013, the subject matter of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a belt buckle feeder.

Belt buckle feeders serve for designing the buckling and unbuckling more conveniently for a vehicle occupant by moving the belt buckle into a comfort position which can be easily reached by the vehicle occupant. After inserting the plug-in tongue the belt buckle is lowered from the comfort position into a home position again where it remains during traveling. Before unbuckling, the belt buckle can be lifted into the comfort position again.

From DE 10 2004 017 457 A1, for example, a belt buckle feeder comprising a spindle drive is known in which an electric motor makes a spindle rotate, thus causing a spindle nut coupled to the belt buckle via a steel rope to be displaced on the spindle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the invention to provide a belt buckle feeder having an especially compact design.

In accordance with the invention, for this purpose a belt buckle feeder is provided comprising a belt buckle, a stationary base member to be mounted fixedly to the vehicle and a motor-driven slide supported to be movable on the base member to which the belt buckle is coupled, wherein the slide encloses the base member at least in portions. Hence in the belt buckle feeder according to the invention the base member is arranged at least partly inside the slide, enabling an additional casing to be dispensed with and thus a compact design to be obtained.

Preferably, the base member supports at least one driven gearwheel which rolls off the slide. In this way a simple and reliable drive is resulting.

In particular a drive motor for the at least one gearwheel is provided which is equally arranged on the base member. In this way a compact drive is obtained which in addition is accommodated in the vehicle being protected by the slide.

According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one driven gearwheel is part of a worm gear. The latter excels by very high loading capacity due to the layout and the multiple simultaneous tooth mesh.

An especially stable and loadable configuration is achieved in that the base member preferably supports two driven gearwheels. They can especially be driven by a common worm wheel arranged between the gearwheels.

A simple design results from the fact that according to a preferred configuration the slide has an embossed toothed rack contour for rolling off the at least one gearwheel.

Preferably, on opposite inner sides of the slide toothed racks are embossed, wherein especially the base member supports two gearwheels each of which is engaged in a toothed rack.

An especially simple configuration is achieved when the slide is designed as a C-rail. The latter can be additionally reinforced by cross members on the open side. In this way the C-rail is partially closed.

In particular, at least one gear wheel arranged at the base member is surrounded by the C-rail and thus accommodated in a protected manner.

In a development of the invention the at least one gearwheel includes a freely projecting stub shaft sliding along free edges of the C-rail.

The free edge of the C-rail especially includes a projection which serves as a stop for the stub shaft and thus for limiting the relative movement between the base member and the slide.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1illustrates a belt buckle feeder10including a stationary base member12which is adapted to be mounted fixedly to the vehicle via an opening14. Furthermore, a slide16is provided to which a belt buckle18(shown without an encompassing casing here) is coupled and is rigidly or flexibly connected to the slide16by a web20.

The slide16is designed as a C-rail and is movably supported on the base member12. In this way the belt buckle18can be displaced between a comfort position in which a plug-in tongue of a seat belt can be easily inserted into the belt buckle18and, resp., disengaged therefrom and a home position in which the belt buckle18is retained during the driving operation of the vehicle. The movement of the belt buckle18is reversible and can be carried out each time when the vehicle occupant gets into and/or off the vehicle.

As can be inferred fromFIG. 1, the slide16encloses the base member12at least in portions, i.e. the base member12is arranged in the home position shown inFIG. 1at least partly inside the slide16.

At the base member12, which is a stamped metal part, for example, an electric drive22(cf.FIG. 2) is provided for the belt buckle feeder10which is protected against impurities by a cover24(cf.FIG. 1) at the base member12. The cover24may be designed as a one-piece or multi-piece component.

The drive22comprises a drive motor28(see especiallyFIGS. 2 to 4) which is arranged at the base member12and drives a shaft in the form of a worm wheel28provided in the axial direction A in direct extension of the drive motor26.

The drive22further comprises two driven gearwheels30in the form of spur wheels which are equally arranged on the base member12and are both driven by the worm wheel28. Hence the drive22is a worm gear.

Concerning theFIGS. 2 and 3if has to be noted that the belt buckle18is not represented to be coupled to the base member12. Here merely their position relative to each other in the home position is clarified.

As is furthermore evident fromFIGS. 2 and 3, the base member12has a U-shaped basic design in the area of the gearwheels30, with lateral recesses32being provided which enable the gearwheels30to roll off the slide16, more exactly speaking toothed racks34which are embossed on opposing inner skies36of the slide16(seeFIG. 4in this respect).

The gearwheels30arranged at the base member12are almost completely surrounded by the slide16in the form of a C-rail.

The gearwheels30include freely projecting stub shafts38which are displaced at the free edges40of the slide16in the form of a C-rail with or without, contacting the rail16(seeFIGS. 1 and 4). For this purpose, the stub shafts38extend through recesses42of the cover24stabilizing the axes of the gearwheels30.

In the upper area of the slide16each of the free edges40has a projection44serving as a stop for the stub shafts38and predefining the home position of the belt buckle feeder10.

The C-shaped slide16encloses the U-shaped base member12with its free longitudinal edges bent toward each other. The free longitudinal edges of the base member12are preferably adjacent to the inner sides of the free longitudinal edges of the slide16bent toward each other as spacers so as to guide said slide free of play where possible. In order to reduce friction and noise sliding elements which are known per se and are not shown here can be arranged between the base member12and the slide16.

As an alternative to the shown embodiment comprising two driven gearwheels30, it is also imaginable, of course, to provide only one driven gearwheel and, analogously, only one toothed rack contour embossed in the slide16.

Equally, the worm28could also be driven via a flexible shaft instead of directly by the drive motor26.

In the case of the belt buckle feeder10according to the invention, the compact design, the protected housing of the drive22in the interior of the slide16and the fact that the displaceable slide16itself constitutes sort of a casing for the belt buckle feeder10have to be especially emphasized.