Deflection Fitting for a Safety Belt

The invention relates to a deflection fitting for a safety belt.

A deflection fitting for a safety belt usually comprises an attachment section having an eyelet, and a deflection web which is connected to the attachment section by a bent connection section at each of its ends to form a closed ring which surrounds a feed-through slot for the belt webbing.

Such a deflection fitting normally consists of a stamped steel part encased in plastic. The steel part guarantees the necessary strength of the deflection fitting, while the desired surface structure can be achieved by means of the plastic casing. The disadvantage of such a deflection fitting is in particular the comparatively high weight.

The present invention provides a deflection fitting whose weight is reduced in comparison to conventional deflection fittings, without forfeiting any of the strength or design possibilities of the surface structure. According to the invention, a deflection fitting for a safety belt comprises an attachment section having an eyelet, a deflection web, and bent connection sections provided at each axial end of the deflection web and connecting the deflection web to the attachment section so that a closed ring is formed which surrounds a feed-through slot for a safety belt. The attachment section, the deflection web and the bent connection sections are formed integrally as a diecast part made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy.

The invention is based on the perception that if comparable cross-sections are assumed, a deflection fitting made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy will be of a lower weight and still have at least as high a strength or breaking load as a deflection fitting made of a steel part encased in plastic. Since aluminium or an aluminium alloy are sufficiently easy to process, refraining from using the plastic casing does not lead to any losses with respect to the design possibilities of the surface structure.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, provision is made for a deflection surface for the belt webbing being arranged directly at the deflection web. This means that the deflection web is not encased in plastic. No sharp-edged deformations, which are possible with deflection fittings encased in plastic and which can lead to tearing of the very taut belt webbing, can thus occur even if the belt webbing and thus the deflection fitting are subjected to extremely high loads.

In a deflection fitting in accordance with the invention, provision can also be made for the deflection surface of the deflection fitting being equipped with a friction-reducing surface structure. This reduces the forces occurring in the safety belt when the safety belt is used, so that the comfort of the user is augmented.

In a deflection fitting in accordance with the invention, provision can also be made for the surface of the deflection fitting being at least partly anodised. In this way the deflection fitting can, if required, be produced in a variety of colours through colour anodising.

Further advantageous developments of a deflection fitting in accordance with the invention are given in the subclaims.

The invention is described in the following with reference to an embodiment which is illustrated in the enclosed drawings. In these,

FIG. 1 a diagrammatic top view of a deflection fitting in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 an enlargement of detail A from FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows an enlargement of a section along the line III--III from FIG. 1.

The illustrated deflection fitting 10 is a one-piece diecast part made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy. It consists of an attachment section 12 in which is located an eyelet 14 in which a bolt (not illustrated) can be inserted; the deflection fitting 10 can, for example, be fastened to the B-pillar of a vehicle with this bolt. The deflection fitting 10 also has a deflection web 16 which is connected to the attachment section 12 by means of bent connection sections 18. A deflection surface 20, where contact takes place between the deflection fitting 10 and a safety belt to be deflected (not illustrated), is located on the deflection web 16.

As is known from deflection fittings encased in plastic in accordance with prior art, the deflection surface of the deflection fitting in accordance with the invention can be equipped with a friction-reducing surface structure. An example of such a friction-reducing surface structure is shown in FIG. 2. A large number of indentations 22, recessed in the otherwise smooth deflection surface 20, can be seen in this illustration. Additionally or alternatively, such a friction-reducing surface structure can also have a groove 24 as shown in FIG. 3, extending over the deflection surface transversely to the direction of movement of the safety belt. The friction-reducing surface structure can be achieved during the manufacture of the deflection fitting in accordance with the invention through appropriate design of the casting mould. It is furthermore possible to coat the deflection surface with Teflon.

Furthermore, it can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 that the deflection web has two recesses 26 extending in the longitudinal direction of the deflection web on the side facing away from the attachment section and outside the deflection surface 20. Between these recesses there remains a rib 28 extending in the longitudinal direction along the deflection web 16. These recesses can lead to a significant reduction in the weight of the deflection fitting 10 without its strength being noticeably reduced, since the increased thickness of the deflection fitting 10 in the region of the recesses of the rib 28 contributes to the moment of resistance of the deflection web 16 very much more than the width, which is reduced in this region by the recesses.

Furthermore, provision can also be made for the surface of the deflection fitting in accordance with the invention being at least partly anodised. In this way the surface of the deflection fitting in accordance with the invention can, if required, be anodised in a variety of colours.