Seat belt buckle

Abstract

A seat belt buckle has a frame that forms an insertion path for a buckle tongue of a seat belt. The seat belt buckle includes a locking device having a locking member for locking the buckle tongue) in the locked state. A retaining member is tensioned by a spring for securing the locking member in a locked state. An ejector for the buckle tongue is tensioned by a spring that is provided with at least one damping device to reduce the noise generated when the seat belt buckle changes from a locking state to a released state.

1 . A seat belt buckle comprising a frame that provides an insertion path for a buckle tongue of a seat belt, further comprising a locking device having a locking member for detachably locking the buckle tongue in a locked state, a retaining member tensioned by a spring for securing the locking member in the locked state, an ejector tensioned by a spring load for the buckle tongue, and the spring is provided with a damping device. 
   
   
       2 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a helical compression spring and the damping device is a shrink-fit tube disposed around the spring. 
   
   
       3 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a helical compression spring made of spring wire and the damping device damping device is a sheathing of the spring wire. 
   
   
       4 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a helical compression spring and the damping device damping device is made of elastic plastic foam. 
   
   
       5 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1  wherein the damping device is a material that has sound-absorbing properties. 
   
   
       6 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a helical compression spring and the damping device is a pneumatic damping device. 
   
   
       7 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a helical compression spring and the damping device is a hydraulic damping device. 
   
   
       8 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 6 , wherein a pressure inside the damping device is adjustable. 
   
   
       9 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 7 , wherein a pressure inside the damping device is adjustable. 
   
   
       10 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 6 , wherein the damping device is disposed inside the spring. 
   
   
       11 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 8 , wherein the damping device is disposed inside the spring. 
   
   
       12 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 1 , wherein retaining member and the ejector are tensioned by a common spring. 
   
   
       13 . A seat belt buckle comprising a frame that provides an insertion path for a buckle tongue of a seat belt, further comprising a locking device having a locking member for detachably locking the buckle tongue in a locked state, a retaining member tensioned by a helical compression spring for securing the locking member in the locked state, an ejector tensioned by a spring load for the buckle tongue, and the spring is provided with a damping device comprising a shrink-fit tube disposed around the exterior of the spring and extending along the entire length of the spring. 
   
   
       14 . A seat belt buckle comprising a frame that provides an insertion path for a buckle tongue of a seat belt, further comprising a locking device having a locking member for detachably locking the buckle tongue in a locked state, a retaining member tensioned by a coil spring for securing the locking member in the locked state, an ejector tensioned by a spring load for the buckle tongue, and the spring is provided with a damping device comprising a sheathing of the spring wire made of a damping material by which the damping properties of the spring are influenced when adjacent coils of the helical spring contact one another. 
   
   
       15 . A seat belt buckle comprising a frame that provides an insertion path for a buckle tongue of a seat belt, further comprising a locking device having a locking member for detachably locking the buckle tongue in a locked state, a retaining member tensioned by a helical compression spring for securing the locking member in the locked state, an ejector tensioned by a spring load for the buckle tongue, and the spring is provided with a damping device comprising a cylinder containing a piston, the piston and cylinder being disposed inside the spring. 
   
   
       16 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 15 , wherein the damping device is a pneumatic damping device. 
   
   
       17 . The seat belt buckle according to  claim 15 , wherein the damping device is a hydraulic damping device.