Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Phillip H McCune

Keith R Ball

James P White

A tongue assembly is for use in a safety apparatus in which belt webbing restrains movement of an occupant of a vehicle or of a child seat. The tongue assembly includes a base, a cover, and a cam. The cam is movable into a clamping position to clamp the belt webbing against the cover to block movement of the belt webbing through the tongue assembly. The cover and the cam are rotatable together on the base in response to forces applied to the belt webbing.

Tongue assembly

A vehicle safety apparatus for restraining movement of a vehicle occupant or a child seat includes a tongue assembly and belt webbing which is selectively extensible through the tongue assembly along either a first path or a second path. The first path includes first and second webbing openings in the tongue assembly through which the belt webbing is extensible and slidable when the safety apparatus is used to restrain movement of a vehicle occupant. The second path includes the first and second webbing openings and further includes a third webbing opening in the tongue assembly. The belt webbing may selectively be extended through the third webbing opening to block movement of the belt webbing through the tongue assembly when the safety apparatus is used to restrain movement of a child seat.

A tongue assembly for use in a safety apparatus in which belt webbing restrains movement of an occupant of a vehicle or of a child seat includes a metal base. The base has a passage through which the belt webbing extends. A plastic cover is fixed to the base and has a belt clamping portion. The tongue assembly also includes a slide bar around which the belt webbing extends. The slide bar is movable relative to the base and cover between a first position in which the slide bar clamps the belt webbing against the belt clamping portion of the cover to block movement of the belt webbing through the passage and a second position in which the belt webbing is movable through the passage.

A tongue assembly for use in a safety apparatus in which belt webbing restrains movement of an occupant of a vehicle includes a base, a cover, and a cam. The cover is mounted for sliding movement on the base. The cover has an actuator portion engageable by the belt webbing to slide the cover along the base between a first portion and a second position. The cover engages and pivots a cam when the cover slides from its first position to its second position. The cam has a clamping surface disposed adjacent a clamping surface on the base. A portion of the belt webbing passes between the clamping surfaces on the base and the cam member. The cam is pivoted by sliding movement of the base into a clamping position in which the cam clamps the belt webbing against the base to block movement of the belt webbing through the tongue assembly.

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Mt. Clemens, MI, United States of America

Phillip H McCune