Locking device for safety belts in motor vehicles

US5029369A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Autoliv-Kolb GmbH & Co. · DE

Inventors

• Knut Oberhardt · Holzkirchen, DE
• Walter Notar · Kufstein, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 19, 1989
• Grant date: Jul 9, 1991
• Expiry date: Oct 19, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T24/45623
• WIPO field: Other consumer goods
• WIPO sector: Other fields

Abstract

The tongue at the free end of a safety belt in a motor vehicle is releasably connected to the buckle by a coupling member which can be disengaged from the tongue by a reciprocable release member. The latter can be depressed by hand to thereby pivot (either entirely or in part) prior to completing a translatory movement which results in disengagement of the coupling member from the tongue. If the buckle is abruptly accelerated during an accident, the release member tends to carry out the translatory movement without a preceding pivotal movement whereby a stationary blocking element intercepts a blocking element on the release member and holds the latter against movement to a position in which the coupling member is caused or permitted to release the tongue. Alternatively, the release member is mounted for translatory movement to thereby disengage the coupling member from the tongue. Abrupt acceleration of the buckle results in pivoting of the release member prior to completion of translatory movement; this results in interception of the blocking element on the release member by the other blocking element to thus prevent unintentional disengagement of the coupling member from the ton…