ILLUMINATED SEAT BELT BUCKLE

Abstract

An illuminated seat belt buckle for a seat belt. The seat belt buckle has a buckle housing, a locking mechanism, an insertion slot for a belt latch of the seat belt, an actuating button for release purposes, and an illuminating device which has at least one light source and is arranged in the seat belt buckle. The buckle housing has a light-permeable and annularly closed light outlet opening from which the coupled-in light provided by the illuminating device emerges. The light outlet opening surrounds the actuating button and/or the insertion slot in an encircling manner.

Claims

1. An illuminated seat belt buckle for a seat belt, the illuminated seat belt buckle comprising: a buckle housing; a locking mechanism; an insertion slot for a belt latch of the seat belt; an actuating button for releasing the illuminated seat belt buckle; and an illuminating device that has at least one light source and is arranged in the seat belt buckle, wherein the buckle housing has a light-permeable and annularly closed light outlet opening from which the coupled-in light provided by the illuminating device emerges and which circumferentially surrounds the actuating button and/or the insertion slot.

2. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the buckle housing includes an annularly closed cover shell, which is arranged on the end face and has an opening for the actuating button and/or the insertion slot, the light outlet opening being arranged in the cover shell.

3. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the cover shell is detachably connected to the buckle housing.

4. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light outlet opening is formed by a light-diffusing element arranged in the cover shell.

5. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light-diffusing element and the cover shell are connected to each other in a form-fitting or integral manner.

6. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light-diffusing element and the cover shell are a single piece.

7. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light source of the illuminating device is formed by at least one LED or an LED module.

8. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating device includes a light conductor, which receives light emerging from the light source and couples the light into the light outlet opening.

9. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light conductor and the light source comprise a circuit board and at least one LED to form an integral structural unit.

10. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light conductor has an annularly closed ring section, which is arranged congruently with the annular light outlet opening.

11. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the ring section of the light conductor at least partially abuts a back side of the light-diffusing element facing away from the visible side and/or a back side of the cover shell facing away from the visible side.

12. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the ring section of the light conductor is injection-molded onto the light-diffusing element or the cover shell.

13. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light conductor has a light-deflecting structure, at least in sections, on an underside facing away from the light outlet opening.

14. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein a light-impermeable partition wall is provided, at least in sections, between the light source and the locking mechanism and/or between the light conductor and the locking mechanism.

15. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the light source is arranged and fixed between the partition wall and the buckle housing, and wherein a ring section of the light conductor is arranged and fixed between the partition wall and the cover shell.

16. The illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is connected to the cover shell or the buckle housing to form a single piece.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of an illuminated seat belt buckle;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows an opened seat belt buckle without a locking mechanism and cover shell in a different perspective view that than the one in FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a side view of an opened seat belt buckle, including the locking mechanism and cover shell;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a second specific embodiment of a seat belt buckle in a view according to FIG. 3;

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a perspective representative of an integral structural unit illustrated in FIG. 4 and comprising a light conductor and a light source; and

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a light conductor, including a light-deflecting structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Illuminated seat belt buckle 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 includes a buckle housing 2, in which a locking mechanism 3 is arranged, which is apparent in FIG. 3. Locking mechanism 3 is used to receive and lock a belt latch of a seat belt, which is insertable through an insertion slot 4 in buckle housing 2 and is not illustrated in the figures. The locking action takes place automatically when the belt latch is inserted into locking mechanism 3. An actuating button 5 is provided for release purposes. If a pressure force is manually applied to actuating button 5, the locked state is released, and the belt latch is ejected from locking mechanism 3.

[0034] An illuminating device, which comprises a light source 6, designed as an LED circuit board or LED module, and a light conductor 7 made from plastic, for example PMMA (polymethyl acrylate) (FIG. 2), is also arranged in buckle housing 2 for the purpose of illuminated seat belt buckle 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, light source 6 may include an additional housing 23 within buckle housing 2. However, this additional housing 23 is not absolutely necessary.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows one specific embodiment of seat belt buckle 1, in which a housing 23 of this type for light source 6 is dispensed with. Light source 6, comprising a circuit board 24 and two LEDs 25 arranged on circuit board 24, and light conductor 7 form a jointly handled, integral structural unit 26, which is also illustrated in FIG. 5. Circuit board 24 thus does not have a separate housing 23 but is fixed directly on buckle housing 2 and/or is positioned in buckle housing 2 by the fixing of light conductor 7 or structural unit 26. In this specific embodiment of seat belt buckle 1, a dust and water protection of circuit board 24 is ensured by a correspondingly adapted buckle housing 2.

[0036] As is apparent, in particular, in FIG. 1, buckle housing 2 has a three-part structure and comprises two interconnected housing shells 8, 9 and an annularly closed cover shell 10 connected to the two housing shells 8, 9. The connection between the two housing shells 8, 9 and cover shell 10 may take place, for example, by a detachable latched connection. Annularly closed cover shell 10 forms an end face of seat belt buckle 1 or buckle housing 2 and has an opening for actuating button 5 and insertion slot 4. A light-permeable and annularly closed light outlet opening 11 is also provided in cover shell 10, from which the light provided by the illuminating device emerges. Annular light outlet opening 11 surrounds the entire circumference of both actuating button 5 and insertion slot 4. Light outlet opening 11 is formed by a light-diffusing element 12, which is apparent in FIG. 2 and is made, in particular, of plastic and which is introduced into cover shell 10.

[0037] To ensure a homogeneous illumination of seat belt buckle 1, the light provided by light source 6 is coupled into light conductor 7 and uniformly distributed thereby. For this purpose, light conductor 7 has a coupling-in section 13 assigned to light source 6 and a ring section 14 (see FIG. 2) assigned to light outlet opening 11. Ring section 14 is arranged congruently and concentrically to annular light outlet opening 11 on a back side of cover shell 10 facing away from a visible side 15 in the direct vicinity of light outlet opening 11.

[0038] Light source 6 designed as an LED circuit board or LED module is supplied with electrical current through a line 16 indicated in FIG. 2 and/or activated by a processor, which may be integrated. To prevent an undesirable emergence of light from seat belt buckle 1 through locking mechanism 3 or insertion slot 4, light-impermeable partition walls 17, which are arranged between locking mechanism 3 and light source 6 or light conductor 7, are assigned to light source 6 and light conductor 7. Ring section 14 of light conductor 7 s arranged and fixed between cover shell 10 and partition wall 17, which is connected to cover shell 10 to form a single piece, while light source 6 is situated and fixed between an outer wall of one housing half 8, 9 and a partition wall 17 connected to housing half 8, 9 to form a single piece.

[0039] As is apparent in FIG. 6, light conductor 7, in particular ring structure 14, has a light-deflecting structure 19 on an underside 18 facing away from light outlet opening 11. Structure 19 comprises multiple prisms 20 and ensures that light beams 21 coupled into light conductor 7 from light source 6 or LEDs 25 and striking a prism 20 are deflected in a targeted manner in a desired light radiation direction 22, namely through light outlet opening 11, which is not illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0040] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.