Belt connector for use in a child restraint system

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a buckle member (46) which interconnects with a tongue member (48) to position shoulder belts relative to a child in a vehicle. An indicator (72) connected to the tongue member has a first portion (74) of red color and a second portion (76) of green color. The buckle member has an opening (100) through which the first and second portions of the indicator are exposed to view as the buckle and tongue members are interconnected. As the buckle and tongue members (46, 48) are interconnected, the first portion (74) of red color is initially exposed through the opening (100) and then the second portion (76) of green color is exposed through the opening to indicate that the buckle and tongue members are securely interconnected.

Description: Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat belt system, and is particularly directed to a connector assembly for a chest harness in a child restraint system used in a vehicle. Background of the Invention Safety seats for children are commonly provided in vehicles. A typical safety seat for a child has a crotch belt to which is attached a buckle that receives either a single tongue connected with a pair of shoulder belts or a pair of tongues connected with a pair of shoulder belts. In order to retain the child securely in the seat, the pair of shoulder belts are interconnected to form a chest harness which is maintained against the shoulders of the child. International Patent Publication No. WO 92/17731, which is considered to be relevant background art, discloses a belt buckle assembly according to the preamble of claim 1 and which is for use with vehicle occupant restraint belts. The buckle assembly has a buckle member with a translucent panel and an internal light source to provide lights of different colours which may be observed through this translucent portion, so that a first coloured light is observed to indicate when the buckle member has not engaged a co-operating tongue member/s whilst a second coloured light is observed to indicate when the buckle has engaged the tongue member/s. Document EP-A-586 993 is also considered to be relevant background art under Art. 54(3) of the EPC in respect of the Designated States Germany, France and Great Britain, and further discloses a belt connector according to the preamble of the main claim. This document discloses a buckle member for receiving a tongue member. The tongue member has an indicator with two different coloured indicia and a surface with an aperture to allow the indicia to be observed, wherein the indicator is moveable relative to the aperture so that a first colour is observed through the aperture to indicate when the tongue member has not engaged the buckle member and a second colour is observed to indicate engagement between the tongue and buckle members. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a belt connector comprising: a tongue member; a buckle member for receiving the tongue member to interconnect the buckle member and tongue member; an indicator assembly, for indicating when the members are interconnected, including an indicator having first and second indicia connected with the tongue member, and a surface including an opening, the first indicia being viewable through this opening when the tongue member is less than fully inserted into the buckle member, the second indicia being viewable through the opening when the tongue member is fully inserted into the buckle member, and characterised in that the surface including an opening being connected with the buckle member. Preferably, the indicia of the indictor are of a first and second colour, wherein the first colour may be red and the second colour may be green. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, according to the connector assembly of claim 10 a chest harness is used in a child restraint system in a vehicle. The chest harness includes a connector assembly to interconnect a pair of shoulder belts. The connector assembly includes the buckle member connected to one shoulder belt and the tongue member connected to the other shoulder belt. The buckle member is adjustable along the shoulder belt to which it is connected. Similarly, the tongue member is adjustable along the shoulder belt to which it is connected. After the tongue and buckle members are interconnected, the tongue and buckle members retain the shoulder belts in position against the shoulders of the child. Brief Description of the Drawings The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon consideration of the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a child restraint system; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a shoulder belt connector assembly used in the restraint system of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the shoulder belt connector assembly of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a tongue member of the shoulder belt connector assembly partially inserted in a buckle member of the shoulder belt assembly; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating the tongue member fully inserted into the buckle member; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately along line 6-6 in Fig. 5. Description of a Preferred Embodiment A child restraint system 10 is illustrated in Fig. 1 in association with a vehicle seat 12. The child restraint system 10 includes a pair of shoulder belts 14, 16. The shoulder belts 14, 16 have upper end portions 18 and 20, respectively, which are secured to a back 22 of the seat 12. The shoulder belts 14, 16 have lower end portions 24 and 26, respectively, which are secured to the seat 12 where the back 22 and a main seat cushion 28 come together. The shoulder belts 14, 16 are associated with respective tongues 38, 40. A crotch belt 32 extends upwardly from a child seat cushion 34. A buckle 36 is connected to an upper end portion of the crotch belt 32. The buckle 36 receives the pair of tongues 38, 40 to interconnect the shoulder belts 14, 16 and crotch belt 32 in a well known manner. If desired, the shoulder belts 14, 16 could be associated with a single tongue member rather than a pair of tongue members. A shoulder belt connector assembly 44 is constructed in accordance with the present invention and interconnects the shoulder belts 14, 16 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The connector assembly 44 includes a buckle member 46 (Fig. 2) and a tongue member 48 which is receivable in the buckle member. The buckle member 46 is formed of a single piece of polymeric material and includes a base portion 50 having a pair of elongated, generally parallel slots 52, 54 through which the shoulder belt 16 extends. The buckle member 46 is adjustable along the shoulder belt 16 by manipulating the buckle member and the shoulder belt so as to move the shoulder belt through the pair of slots 52, 54. Similarly, the tongue member 48 is formed of a single piece of polymeric material and includes a base portion 58 having a pair of elongated, generally parallel slots 60, 62 through which the other shoulder belt 14 extends. The tongue member 48 is adjustable along the shoulder belt 14 by manipulating the tongue member and the shoulder belt so as to move the shoulder belt through the pair of slots 60, 62. The tongue member 48 includes a first flexible locking tab portion 66 and a second flexible locking tab portion 68. The first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 extend away from the base portion 58 of the tongue member 48 and generally parallel to one another and to the slots 60, 62. Each of the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 is resiliently deflectable from an unflexed position (shown in solid lines in Fig. 3) to a flexed position (shown in broken lines in Fig. 3). A generally rectangular-shaped indicator 72 having opposite faces 73, 75 (Figs. 2 and 6) is located midway between the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68. The indicator 72 extends generally parallel to the locking tab portions 66, 68 and the elongated slots 60, 62. The face 73 of the indicator 72 includes a first portion 74 having a visually readable indicia of a first color and a second portion 76 having a visually readable indicia of a second color. Preferably, the first color is red and the second color is green. As illustrated in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 6, the face 75 of the indicator 72 has a longitudinal slot 77 extending generally parallel to the slots 60, 62 and the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68. The buckle member 46 includes a generally rectangular housing 80 (Fig. 2) which forms a chamber 82 for receiving the indicator 72 and the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 of the tongue member 48. The housing 80 has a pair of parallel side walls 84, 86 and a pair of parallel main walls 88, 90. Side openings 92, 94 are formed in the housing 80 adjacent the side walls 84, 86. A longitudinal rib 83 is disposed on one main wall 88 of the housing 80. The longitudinal rib 83 extends generally parallel to the slots 52, 54. The locking tab portions 66, 68 extend into the side openings 92, 94 when the tongue member 48 is received in the chamber 82 in the buckle member 46. Also, the longitudinal rib 83 of the buckle member 46 engages in and is guided along the longitudinal slot 77 of the indicator 72 when the tongue member 48 is received in the chamber 82 in the buckle member 46. The buckle member 46 has an opening 100 formed in the other main wall 90 of the housing 80. The indicia on the indicator 72 is exposed through the opening 100 as the buckle member 46 and the tongue member 48 are interconnected. The buckle member 46 and the tongue member 48 can interconnect with each other only when the longitudinal rib 83 is aligned with and engageable in the longitudinal slot 77. This prevents the buckle and tongue members 46, 48 from being interconnected upside down relative to each other and insures that at least one of the indicia on the indicator 72 will be exposed through the opening 100 if the buckle and tongue members 46, 48 are interconnected. The buckle and tongue members 46, 48 cannot be interconnected if the longitudinal rib 83 is not aligned with and engageable in the longitudinal slot 77 because the longitudinal rib 83 interferes with the body of the indicator 72 and thereby prevents the tongue member 48 from being inserted into the chamber 82 of the buckle member 46. When a child is to be secured by the restraint system 10, the shoulder belts 14, 16 (Fig. 1) are positioned around the shoulders of the child. The crotch belt 32 extends upwardly between the child's legs. The tongue members 38, 40 are then inserted into the buckle 36 to interconnect the shoulder belts 14, 16 and crotch belt 32. The buckle 36 includes a suitable latch mechanism (not shown) to latch the tongue members 38, 40 in the buckle. After the tongue members 38, 40 are latched in the buckle 36, the tongue member 48 of the connector assembly 44 is inserted into the buckle member 46 of the connector assembly to latch the tongue member 48 in the buckle member 46. The tongue member 48 and the buckle member 46 are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in an unlatched position. The tongue member 48 is shown in Fig. 4 partially inserted in the buckle member 46. The tongue member 48 is shown in Fig. 5 fully inserted in the buckle member 46. As insertion of the tongue member 48 into the buckle member 46 is begun, the locking tab portions 66, 68 are resiliently deflected inward from the position shown in Fig. 3 toward the position shown in Fig. 4 by engagement with the side walls 84, 86. In other words, the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 are cammed inward from their unflexed positions (shown in solid lines in Fig. 3) toward their flexed positions (shown in broken lines in Fig. 3) by the side walls 84, 86 of the buckle 46. At the same time, the indicator 72 moves into the chamber 82 formed in the buckle member 46. As the indicator 72 moves into the chamber 82, the red color on the first portion 74 aligns with the opening 100 and is thereby exposed through the opening. At this time, the green color on the second portion 76 is at least partially covered by the main wall 90 of the buckle member 46. Continued insertion of the tongue member 48 into the buckle member 46 moves the locking tab portions 66, 68 and the indicator 72 further into the buckle member 46. When the tongue member 48 is fully inserted into the buckle member 46, as shown in Fig. 5, the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 return to their unflexed positions and thereby latch the tongue member 48 in the buckle member 46. In other words, the locking tab portions 66, 68 resiliently spring outward into the side openings 92, 94 and engage the side walls 84, 86 to hold the tongue member 48 in the buckle member 46. When the tongue member 48 is fully inserted and latched in the buckle member 46, the green color on the second portion 76 of the indicator 72 aligns with the opening 100 and is thereby exposed through the opening. At this time, the red color on the first portion 74 is covered by the main wall 90 of the buckle member 46. If the tongue member 48 should not be fully inserted and latched in the buckle member 46, the indicia which is visible through the opening 100 will either remain entirely red or will be partially red and partially green. To disconnect the tongue member 48 from the buckle member 46, the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 are manually squeezed to flexed positions (shown in broken lines in Fig. 3) while the tongue member 48 is manually pulled away from the buckle member 46 with the other hand. When the first and second locking tab portions 66, 68 are squeezed a sufficient amount, the tongue member 48 unlatches from the buckle member 46. As the tongue member 48 unlatches from the buckle member 46, the tongue member 48 moves away from the buckle member 46 due to the manual pulling force applied to the tongue member. As the tongue member 48 moves away from the buckle member 46, the indicia visible through the opening 100 changes from green back to red. It should be understood that although the indicator 72 has been disclosed as being part of the tongue member 48, the indicator 72 could be part of the buckle member 46 if desired. If this should be the case, the opening 100 would be formed in the tongue member 48. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the indicia on the first portion 74 of the indicator 72 is a uniform area of the color red, and the indicia on the second portion 76 of the indicator is a uniform area of the color green. If desired, colored or plain letters could be substituted for the red and green indicia. Although the child restraint system 10 has been illustrated in Fig. 1 as being permanently installed in association with a child seat portion of a vehicle seat 12, the child restraint system could be used in association with a child seat which is separate from the vehicle seat and is portable. Also, although the invention has been disclosed as being used in a child restraint system 10, the invention could be used in other restraint systems having a safety belt.

Claims: A belt connector (44) comprising: a tongue member (48); a buckle member (46) for receiving said tongue member (48) to interconnect said buckle member and tongue member; an indicator assembly (72, 100), for indicating when said members (48,46) are interconnected, including an indicator (72) having first (74) and second (76) indicia connected with the tongue member, and a surface (90) including an opening (100), said first indicia (74) being viewable through said opening (100) when said tongue member (48) is less than fully inserted into said buckle member (46), said second indicia (76) being viewable through said opening (100) when said tongue member (48) is fully inserted into said buckle member (46); characterised in said surface (90) including an opening (100) being connected with the buckle member. A connector (44) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first indicia (74) includes a surface area of a first colour and said second indicia (76) includes a surface area of a second colour, said surface area of the first colour being viewable through said opening (100) when said tongue member (48) is less than fully inserted into said buckle member (46), only said surface area of the second colour being viewable through said opening (100) when said tongue member (48) is fully inserted into said buckle member (46). A connector (44) as set forth in claim 2 wherein said surface area of the first colour and said surface area of the second colour move relative to said opening (100) as said tongue member (48) is inserted into said buckle member (46). A connector (44) as set forth in either claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said surface area of the first colour and said surface area of the second colour are connected with said tongue member (48). A connector as set forth in any one of the preceding claims wherein said tongue member (48) includes a pair of locking tabs (66, 68) which are engageable with said buckle member (46), said indicator (72) being located between said locking tabs (66, 68). A connector (44) as set forth in claim 5 wherein said locking tabs (66, 68) are engageable with said buckle member (46) to retain said tongue (48) and buckle (48) members against relative movement when said tongue member (48) is fully inserted into said buckle member (46). A connector (44) as set forth in either claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said pair of locking tabs (66, 68) are resiliently deflectable relative to each other; and said buckle member (46) including wall surfaces (84, 86) for resiliently deflecting said locking tabs (66, 68) toward each other as said tongue member (48) is inserted into said buckle member (46) and to allow locking tabs (66, 68) to move away from each other to move into gripping engagement with said buckle member (46) when said tongue member (48) is fully inserted into said buckle member (46). A connector (44) as set forth in claim 7 in which said indicator (72) is receivable in said buckle member (46) upon insertion of said tongue member (48) into said buckle member (46). A connector (44) as set forth in any one of the preceding claims further including alignment members (77, 83) associated with the indicator assembly (72, 100) for enabling said tongue member (48) to be inserted into said buckle member (46) only when said members (48, 46) are in a predetermined alignment relative to each other. A connector assembly (44) for interconnecting shoulder belts (14, 16) in a child restraint system (10) in a vehicle comprising a connector (44) as set forth in any one of the preceding claims. A connector assembly as set forth in claim 10 including said tongue member (48) having a pair of slots (60, 62) for receiving a shoulder belt (14); and said buckle member (46) having a pair of slots (52, 54) for receiving another shoulder belt (16); each of said members (48, 46) being adjustable along its associated shoulder belt (14, 16) to position said members relative to a child in the vehicle. A connector assembly as claimed in either claim 10 or claim 11 wherein said first and second indicia (74, 76) are connected with said tongue member (48) and said surface (90) including an opening (100) is connected with said buckle member (46), said first and second indicia (74, 76) being received in said buckle member (46) when said tongue member (48) is fully inserted into said buckle member (46).

Inventors: MCFALLS BOB L, TURVILL WILLIAM W, MCFALLS, BOB L., TURVILL, WILLIAM W.
Applicants: TRW VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS, TRW VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS INC.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B60R22
IPC codes: B60R22, A44B11