Seat belt buckle
US6170134A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 4, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T24/45665
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A pretensioner-proof buckle comprises a buckle for a vehicle safety restraint mechanism, the buckle comprising: a housing (3) having a rectilinear channel for receving a fastening member (2); a latching element (4) mounted within the housing and moveable between a first position in which it engages the fastening member and a second position in which the fastening member is released; a release button (10) operatively connected to the latching element for effecting movement thereof between the first and second positions; a blocking member (5) for engaging the latching element under predetermined conditions to prevent movement of the latching element towards the release position; and an inertial mass (14) pivotally mounted to, and contained within side walls of, the release button (10), the mass being arranged to act on the blocking member under said predetermined conditions to move the blocking member into engagement with the latching element. The blocking member slides into position during the acceleration phase of a pretensioning operation and thus secures the buckle against spurious release earlier than in previously known arrangements.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.