Patent Publication Number: US-7716794-B2

Title: Seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a seatbelt buckle, and more particularly to a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle that may simplify the structure thereof and save force during unbuckling. 
   2. Description of the Prior Arts 
   Seatbelt is a safety equipment for use in vehicle and seatbelt buckle contains three-point and five-point types, wherein the three-point type of seatbelt buckle is commonly used in the automobiles, yet the five-point type of seatbelt buckle is applied in racing cars and children&#39;s seats, etc. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a prior art five-point type of seatbelt buckle comprises a base  10 , a disc member  20 , an upper cover  30 , a resilient element  40 , a fixed pillar  50 , four moveable pillars  60 , an actuation member  70 , a biasing element  80 , and a pressing element  90 , wherein the base  10  includes a plurality of receiving grooves  101 , each having a peg erected therein, formed therein and a fixed grooves  102  provided therein, the disc member  20  is constructed in the form of a circular piece  201  and includes a central hole  202  arranged at the center thereof and having a transverse plate  203  disposed therein, and the circular piece  201  includes a plurality of openings  204 , bores  205  and integrally formed isolation decks  206  secured thereon, such that five inserting slots  207  form therebetween and each has an elastic piece  208  mounted in the inner side thereof. The upper cover  30  includes a chamber  301  defined on one side thereof. The resilient element  40  is a conical spring, and the fixed pillar  50  in the shape of a hollow cylinder extends outwardly and includes a small-diameter segment attached on one end thereof, the movable pillar  60  in the shape of a hollow cylinder extends outwardly and includes peripheral bulge  601  affixed on one end thereof, and includes an obliquely-cut retaining portion  602  disposed at another end thereof. The actuation member  70  includes four indentions  701  arranged at the center thereof, and includes five U-shaped notches  702  provided around the rim thereof. The biasing element  80  is constructed in the shape of a cylinder and includes two engaging tabs  801  mounted on one end thereof, and includes two opposite snap-on recesses  802  and four acting protrusions  803  affixed on another end thereof. The pressing member  90  is a twisted sheet and includes a compressing segment  901  attached on one end thereof, and includes an abutting segment  902  defined on another end thereof and having two locking slots  903  formed on the bottom thereof. 
   In assembly, the resilient element  40  is disposed in the fixed groove  102  of the base  10 , by using springs, the fixed and movable pillars  50  and  60  are placed in the receiving grooves  101  of the base  10 , and the actuation member  70  and the disc member  20  are engaged with the base  10  in turn so that the fixed and movable pillars  50  and  60  slidably fit into the notches  702  of the actuation member  70 , thus buckling the fixed engaging piece (not shown) into the fixed pillar  50 , and screw elements may screw with the base  10  through the bores  205  of the disc member  20 , the biasing element  80  engages with the transverse plate  203  of the disc member  20  by way of the two snap-on recesses  802 , such that the four acting protrusions  803  abut against the four indentions  701  of the actuation member  70 , and the pressing element  90  is fitted in the chamber  301  of the upper cover  30  so as to be confined therein, and then the upper cover  30  is capped onto the base  10  and the disc member  20 , and by means of screw elements, the two locking slots  903  of the pressing element  90  engage with the two engaging tabs  801  of the biasing elements  80 , finally by covering a cap  905 , finishing the assembly of the seatbelt buckle. 
   In operation, movable engaging pieces (not shown) of the seatbelt are inserted from the inserting slots  207  of the disc member  20  to engage with the movable pillars  60 . While unbuckling the seatbelt, the pressing element  90  is buttoned to push the biasing element  80  downwardly for contacting with the actuation member  70  such that the movable pillars  60  move downward, and by virtue of the elastic pieces  208  of the disc member  20 , pushing the movable engaging pieces out of the inserting slots  207 . 
   However, such a prior art seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle still has the following defects: 
   1. The structure of the disc member  20  is complicated, therefore causing a troublesome manufacture. Besides, the assembly of elastic piece  208  is difficult, resulting in a high production cost. 
   2. During operating the pressing element  90 , the user has to consume a large amount of force. 
   The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary object of the present invention is to provide a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle that may simplify the structure of the seatbelt buckle and assemble the elastic member  4  easily, thereby lowering the production cost. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle that may save force during unbuckling the seatbelt. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle comprising a base, an intermediate loop, a fixed disc, an elastic member, an upper cover, a fixed post, four movable posts, an actuation member, a biasing element and a pressing element, wherein the base includes a plurality of pegs provided thereon, by using springs, the fixed and movable posts are fitted onto pegs of the base and further slidably fitted in a notch and a cut of the actuation member respectively, the intermediate loop is constructed in the form of a circle and includes a central hole formed at the center thereof, and includes a plurality of openings and bores arranged thereon, the fixed disc is constructed in the form of a circle and includes a square tapered orifice attached at the center thereof, and includes a number of projections, each having a hollow pillar erected thereon, mounted at the bottom and adjacent to the rim thereof, a plurality of positioning tabs in response to the inner sides of the projections, the elastic member includes a through opening arranged at the center thereof, a number of flexible pieces fixed on the periphery thereof, and a plurality of positioning slots defined at the corners thereof respectively, the intermediate loop and the fixed disc are screwed onto the base, the elastic member is secured between the fixed disc and the intermediate loop, and a plurality of snap-on recesses form between the fixed disc and the intermediate loop for the insertion of engaging members of the seatbelt, and the resilient element is fitted around the fixed post, the actuation member includes a number of indentions attached thereon, for correspondingly contacting with acting protrusions of the biasing element, which is constructed in the form of an inverted V-shaped sheet, so as to extends out of the central hole of the intermediate loop, the through opening of the elastic member, and the tapered orifice of the fixed disc to bias against an abutting segment of the pressing member. 
   The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective diagram illustrating the exploded components of a prior art seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective diagram illustrating the assembly of the prior art seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective diagram illustrating the exploded components of a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is another perspective diagram illustrating the exploded components of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective diagram illustrating the assembly of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the assembly of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a plane diagram illustrating the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention being buckled; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention being buckled; 
       FIG. 9  is a plane diagram illustrating the buckled state of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the buckled state of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention; 
       FIG. 11  is a plane diagram illustrating the operational state of the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention; 
       FIG. 12  is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention being unbuckled; 
       FIG. 13  is a plane diagram illustrating a movable engaging member of the present invention being disengaged; 
       FIG. 14  is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the movable engaging member of the present invention being disengaged. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3-6 , a seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle in accordance with the present invention comprises a base  1 , an intermediate loop  2 , a fixed disc  3 , an elastic member  4 , an upper cover  5 , a fixed post  7   a , four movable posts  7   b , an actuation member  8 , a biasing element  9   a  and a pressing element  9   b , wherein the base  1  includes a plurality of pegs  11  and apertures  12  provided thereon, the intermediate loop  2  is constructed in the form of a circle and includes a central hole  21  formed at the center thereof, and includes a plurality of openings  22  and bores  23  arranged thereon, the fixed disc  3  is constructed in the form of a circle and includes a square tapered orifice  31  attached at the center thereof, and includes a number of projections  32 , each having a hollow pillar  321  erected thereon, mounted at the bottom and adjacent to the rim thereof; a plurality of positioning tabs  33  in response to the inner sides of the projections  32 , and two holes  34  affixed thereon. The elastic member  4  is constructed in the form of a star-shaped sheet and includes a through opening  41  arranged at the center thereof, a number of flexible pieces  42  fixed on the periphery thereof, and a plurality of positioning slots  43  defined at the corners thereof respectively. The upper cover  5  contains a receiving chamber  51  disposed at one side thereof, and the resilient element  6  is a conical spring, the fixed post  7   a  is extended outwardly and constructed in the form of a hollow cylinder, and the movable post  7   b  is also extended outwardly and constructed in the form of a hollow cylinder, and includes a peripheral bulge  7   b   1  mounted at one end thereof, a obliquely-cut retaining portion  7   b   2  secured at another end thereof; and two opposite confining planes  7   b   3  formed at the rim thereof. The actuation member  8  includes four indentions  81  attached thereon, four U-shaped notches  82  and an arcuate cut  83  formed on the rim thereof. The biasing element  9   a  is constructed in the shape of an inverted V-shaped sheet and includes four acting protrusions  9   a   1  provided at the bottoms thereof, the pressing element  9   b  is constructed in the form of a sheet  9   b   1 , and one end thereof extends outwardly and includes a wave-shaped abutting segment  9   b   2  arranged thereon. 
   In assembly, by using springs, the fixed and movable posts  7   a  and  7   b  are fitted onto the pegs  11  of the base  1  individually, and the resilient element  6  is fitted around the fixed post  7   a , the actuation member  8  is placed into the base  1  so that the resilient element  6  elastically abuts against the base  1  and the actuation member  8 , and the fixed and movable posts  7   a  and  7   b  are further slidably fitted in the notch  82  and the cut  83  of the actuation member  8  respectively and insert out of the openings  22  of the intermediate loop  2 , the two opposite confining planes  7   b   3  of the movable post  7   b  contact with the notch  82  of the actuation member  8  such that the movable post  7   b  merely allows to displace upward and downward without rotation. Furthermore, the pressing element  9   b  is placed into the receiving chamber  51  of the upper cover  5 , and the fixed disc  3  is placed onto the bottom of the upper cover  5 , by screwing locking elements to combine with the upper cover  5  through the two holes  34  of the fixed disc  3 , the pressing element  9   b  is secured between the upper cover  5  and the fixed disc  3 . Thereafter, by placing the biasing member  9   a  onto the actuation member  8 , the four acting protrusions  9   a   1  correspondingly contact with the four indentions  81  of the actuation member  8 , and then the intermediate loop  2 , the elastic member  4 , the fixed disc  3 , the upper cover  5  and the pressing element  9   b  are assembled onto the base  1  such that the biasing element  9   a  extends out of the central hole  21  of the intermediate loop  2 , the through opening  41  of the elastic member  4 , and the tapered orifice  31  of the fixed disc  3  to bias against the abutting segment  9   b   2  of the pressing member  9   b , and the elastic member  4  is secured between the fixed disc  3  and the intermediate loop  2 , the positioning slots  43  of the elastic member  4  engage with the positioning tabs  33  of the fixed disc  3 , and the hollow pillars  321  insert into the bores  23  of the fixed disc  3 , by way of the projections  32  of the fixed disc  3 , five snap-on recesses A between the fixed disc  3  and the intermediate loop  2  form, and by screwing screw elements to combine with the hollow pillars  321  of the fixed disc  3  through the apertures  12  of the base  1 , the assembly of the seatbelt buckle may be obtained. Moreover, a fixed engaging member B (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) may be easily inserted into the predetermined snap-on recess A for engaging with the movable post  7   a.    
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 7-11 , in operation, a movable engaging member C of the seatbelt is inserted from the snap-on recess A and presses against the movable post  7   b  along the retaining portion  7   b   2  so that the movable post  7   b  displaces downwardly to compress the spring, and after the movable engaging member C has been inserted for positioning, the movable post  7   b  is pushed to return its initial position by means of the spring, hence securely retaining the movable engaging member C onto the movable post  7   b.    
   With reference to  FIGS. 12-14 , as unbuckling the seatbelt, the pressing element  9   b  is buttoned downward from the sheet  9   b   1  so as to urge the biasing element  9   a  to act against the actuation member  8  downward, such that the peripheral bulge  7   b   1  are pushed downward to urge the movable post  7   b  to move downward and disengage from the movable engaging member C, thereby enabling to utilize the flexible piece  42  of the elastic member  4  to push the movable engaging member C out of the snap-on recess A. After the disengagement of the seatbelt, by virtue of the spring and the resilient element  6 , the movable post  7   b , the actuation member  8 , the biasing element  9   a  and the pressing element  9   b  are pushed to return their initial positions. 
   It can be clearly seen from the preceding accounts on the features of the present invention that the seatbelt buckle for use in vehicle of the present invention has the following advantages: 
   1. Simplifying the structure of the seatbelt buckle and facilitating the manufacturing processes. Besides, the assembly of the elastic member  4  is quite easy, thereby lowering the production cost thereof. 
   2. Due to the torque of the pressing element  9   b  is smaller, saving force during the disengagement of the movable engaging member C. 
   The invention is not limited to the above embodiment but various modifications thereof may be made. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.