The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 04, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1998
Kevin J Engler, Stephenson, IL (US);
Honeywell International Inc., Morristown, NJ (US);
Abstract
A safety restraint buckle apparatus and method wherein a Hall element is mounted with respect to a housing and a magnet is mounted with respect to the housing, at a distance from the Hall element. A latch is movably mounted between a latched position and an unlatched position. A tongue is movable between an engaged position within the housing and a disengaged position. In the engaged position of the tongue, the latch is in the latched position. An ejector with a pole piece or a pole member is movably mounted between a loaded position and an unloaded position. When the ejector is in the unloaded position, the Hall element operates in a high magnetic state. When the ejector is in the loaded position and the tongue is in the engaged position, the Hall element operates in a low magnetic state because the magnetic flux density is shunted through the tongue. When the latch is in the latched position and the tongue is in the disengaged position with the ejector thus held in an intermediate position, the Hall element operates in a mid magnetic state, between the low magnetic state and the high magnetic state, to indicate a false positive latch condition of the safety restraint buckle apparatus.