Tiltable safety sat for infants

PATENTAWVXf

1

TE .: '. \. "'.,'. ββ.-ινο.μλνϊ vumtho»

WUESTHOFF - v. PECHMÄNN - BEHRENS-T30BTZ "''" ""

MiDA

Dtn.'ttto. oikHAKO fuu U? ji-t> 70 EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS dih ^ chbm. d. " ι. μιιηβμ by »ichmann

Ο ».- ΙΝΟ. Dt (TBIt tlHllNI

GRADUATE INC. DIH · ·! RTICH.-IKO, KUKKT 001T

DIPL. • rHYI. YOU. AXTL FROM HCLLFELO

tAKATA CORPORATION ^ ZoZTJs ^

ΙΑ / IG-62 492 TILES

24.03.1988 tilbfon! (Οί9) "ιο5ΐ

TBUOtAMMi FHOTiCTiATBNT

TBLBXi 514070

FAX! (0 * 9) ββ) 9 3 <(111)

Tiltable toddler safety ace

The invention relates to a Kleinkind-Sicherheitssitn for vehicles.

Toddler or baby safety seats for automobiles and other vehicles have been used extensively for years. These conventional seats typically include a plastic molded seat body which is secured to the vehicle seat by means of the fixedly mounted adult seat belts. "After mounting, the toddler seat remains in a fixed position, usually in the seated position, and is in a different position. eg a sleeping position, either not at all usable or only by physical change of position of the entire toddler seat.

In the former case, conventional infant infants may not provide the convenience of reclined or sleeping positions and require that the parent leave the infant in the sitting position, although resting or asleep, or dispense with the safety of the infant seat and the child during rest or rest Take sleeping phases out of the seat.

/ 2

• · · · II it I

t ♦ t τ: t

1 I

24.03.1988 - 2 - 62

In the second case mentioned / eg with the known from US-PS 3,794,379 seat, the position of Kleinkindeitsee can only be changed by loosening and Wiederbefeetigen the vehicle seat belts and by changing the physical position of the infant seat. This is not only uncomfortable for the parents / but also represents a disorder of the toddler.

Furthermore, these conventional seats, which are usable in various positions, usually only two alternative Sitzeteilungen / namely a sleeping and a sitting position, as shown for example in Fig. 2 and 3 of US Patent 3,794,379.

The invention has for its object to provide a toddler safety seat, which is tiltable and lockable when needed in various positions of use, including sitting and sleeping positions, thereby requiring only the least possible effort and no or only minor disturbance of the infant caused.

A toddler safety seat for a vehicle, having a seat main body attachable to the vehicle seat by the standard vehicle seat belts, a base for supporting the seat main body on the vehicle seat, and a harness for holding a toddler securely in the seat, is improved according to the invention; in that the seat main body is supported on the seat base with relative movement between them in the seat longitudinal direction so as to allow movement of the seat main body into a plurality of different positions of use, and to provide a disengageable locking device which incorporates the seat body Need in the

• ♦ * «« «« «« 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

* ·· »» ·· «I lit · 0 Ι

• * · I ι> I · «i

24.03.1988 - 3 - 62 492

determines the desired position of use. The Sitai bulk p. is readily movable between different usage positions when the locking device is disengaged as needed ζ and for locking the seat in the new position again

is indented. At the changed * the position of use wey is the one physical displacement of the entire seat, one of the seat bottom, nor the removal of the

'-' Toddler or baby from the seat needed. Instead, de *. ' Seat easily moved to the desired position by simply disengaging the locking device and tilting the seat main body.

In a preferred embodiment, a pair of curved sliders or sliding surfaces are supported by or formed on the body, and a pair of cooperating curved guide rails are supported by or formed on the seat bottom. The guide rails, preferably also the sliders or sliding surfaces, extending in the seat longitudinal direction, so that the seat can be moved by moving the seat body in the longitudinal direction of the seat bottom comfortably in different positions of use. In order to facilitate the centering and blocking of the seat main body in desired positions of use, measures are preferably taken over the length of the guide rails or sliders, which set for these predetermined relative positions in the longitudinal direction, the desired use positions of the seat, eg for sitting, reclining, sleeping etc., correspond. In one embodiment, one or more rollers are provided as this measure, which are carried by the seat main body and arranged in cover position with longitudinal spacing. Vr are depressions in the guide rails and engage in them when the seat main body, the predetermined different

• «at · ■ · ··

24.03.1988 - 4 - 62 492

occupied positions.

Conveniently, the disengageable locking device comprises a manually operable device which blocks the seat main body on the seat bottom in the various positions of use in the engaged state. In a preferred embodiment, the blocking device has a | A plurality of longitudinally spaced holes in one or both sliders of the seat main body and a device comprising a locking pin and an actuating lever on the seat base. When the seat main body occupies a predetermined position relative to the seat bottom, the example is defined by the rollers and recesses in the seat main and bottom part, the hole or holes in the seat main body are in coincidence with a blocking pin or locking pin on the seat bottom, whereupon the operating lever engages the locking pins in the holes can be brought to set the seat main body against longitudinal relative movement. When the seat main body is to be moved to another position of use, the blocking journals are simply pulled out of the holes with the operating lever and the seat main body can then again move in the longitudinal direction of the seat bottom parts.

Several embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to drawings of the drawings. Ee shows t

Fig. 1 is an exploded pictorial illustration of an embodiment of the invention of the Klelnklnd safety device;

/ 5 p

ι 1 ti t ··· <I.

• ·

24.03.1988 - 5 - 62 492

2 is a side view of the same embodiment, in which the seat main body is shown in two different positions of use,

3 in the left half of the drawing the partial section AA, in the right half of the drawing the partial section BB in Fig. 2, viewed in accordance with the arrows,

4 shows the partial section CC in Fig. 3, viewed in accordance with the arrows,

5 is an oblique view of an embodiment of the disengageable locking device according to the invention,

Fig. 6 is a partial section through another embodiment of the sliders, the guide rails and the positioning and blocking device according to the invention, and

Fig. 7 is a partial section through another embodiment of the disengageable locking device, in which some components are not shown for reasons of clarity.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the toddler safety seat comprises a seat main body 1 and a seat bottom 2 for supporting the body 1 on the seat of a vehicle. To fix the toddler safety seat on the vehicle seat, the fixed vehicle seat belts, not shown, are inserted into openings 3 or 4 of the seat main body 1. The body 1 is preferably, as known in the art, a molded fiber reinforced plastic molded article coated with a resilient foam rubber layer.

24.03.1988 - 6 - 62

To the seat also includes a restraint harness, c the seat belt unit, 5, with the or the toddler in the seat main body 1 safely and reliably hold back IaBt. The harness 5, which may be of the type described in more detail in DS-PS 4,342,483, comprises two belt straps 6, an abdominal pad 7, a quick-release buckle 8 and a retrieval device 9 located on the lower or the back of the seat main body , The lock 8 is arranged in a recess 10 in the main part 1 and cooperates with a tongue, not shown, which protrudes from the lower end of the abdominal pad 7 to hold the harness 5 in the landing position. The shoulder straps 6 are passed through openings 10 * in the rear wall of the seat main body 1, combined into a single belt or connected and wound onto the return device 9. In an emergency or Tefahrenfall blocks the return device 9 so that it holds the retention harness 5 securely in position. For further details of the construction and operation of the containment harness 5 reference is made to U.S. Patent No. 4,342,483,

According to Fig. 1 to 4, the seat bottom part 2 carries on its upper side a pair of guide rails 11 and guide surfaces 17 which extend in the seat longitudinal direction and are in longitudinal section of curved shape. Although the guide rails 11 and the guide surfaces 17 in FIG. 1 to 4 are shown as one piece with the upper wall of the seat bottom 2, they can be formed as separate components and attached to the seat bottom 2 by means of screws or other appropriate manner.

The seat main body 1 carries on its underside a pair with him einetüekiger or attached to him sliding pieces

24.03.1988 - 7 - 62 492

with lower sliding surfaces 14, which are preferably also in longitudinal section of curved shape and the guide rails Π and guide surfaces 17 correspond. The sliders 13 and the sliding surfaces 14 can also be integrally formed with the main part 1 or formed separately and attached to the main body 1 (see Fig. 3). According to FIG. 3 fit the sliders 13 in the open tops of the U-shaped guide rails 11, such that the sliding flakes 14 on the guide surfaces 17 from the seat bottom L rest.

By moving the sliders 13 along the guide rails 11, the seat main body 1 can be brought into the desired inclination position for use. In Fig. 2, the vertical or seated position of the seat is shown by solid lines, with dotted lines a lying, resting or sleeping position. If necessary, the main body 1 can be tilted in still other positions. At or in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the sliders 13 not shown stops may be provided which abut the ends of the guide rails 11 and limit the inclination adjustment of the seat main body 1. Although as shown in FIG. 2, the sliders 13 are preferably longer than the guide rails 11, so that they carry up above the latter, this is not necessary. The sliders 13 may be of a different shape, eg short blocks.

In order to facilitate the use of the infant seat, measures are preferably taken, are defined by the vorbestinante RelatiVBtellungen of seat main body 1 and seat base 2, which correspond to the different use positions of the seat. In the execution form according to FIGS. To 4, this measure consists in the rotatable mounting of one or more rollers 15 on the sliders 13 and in FIG

•! Ill I>

• 'I <I lit

• I «

24.03.1988

62 492

Another possibility is to arrange the rollers 15 on the guide rails 11 and to work the depressions 18 into the sliding surfaces 14. According to FIG. 3, 4 and 6, the rollers 15 are mounted in transverse holes 32 formed in oversize in the sliders 13, so that the guide rails 11 are inserted into the recesses 18 Referring to Fig. 6, springs 33 may be provided which bias the rollers 15 toward the guide surfaces 17 to ensure their engagement with the recesses 18.

Preferably, the rollers 15 and the recesses 18 are arranged with respect to the sliders 13 and the guide legs 17 and relative to each other so that the registration position of the roller (s) 15 with the various recesses 18 corresponds to the different usage positions of the seat. The seat can therefore be moved to feel comfortable in any customary position without the parents cautious attention would be required.

The use of interlocking position fixing measures, eg by the rollers 15 and the recesses 18, also facilitates the production of a proper covering and the engagement of a blocking device to secure the seat against inadvertent loosening from a given cooking position. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1 4, the device for releasably locking the seat in its position includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes in the inner wall of each of the sliders 13. The latter are capable of locking pins

/ 9

• t 'ft · ** «« ft

• · ϊ f ft et «*

* II f I # I t · * · «I

24.03.1988 - 9 - 62 492

19 a blocking device 12 record. In this embodiment is for each use position of the seat, a set of holes 16, namely each slider 13 a hole 16, available. The proper alignment of the holes 16 and blocking pin 19 to each other in each use position is ensured by the covering position of the rollers 15 with the wells 18. According to FIG. 1 to 4, the (blocking) holes are formed in the loop holes 3; they can be incorporated into other components as needed. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the holes 16 are formed in one or more separate components 34 integrally formed with or fixed to the seat main body 1.

Aufler the holes 16 and the blocking pin 19, the disengageable locking device 12 comprises a manually operable lever 20, with which the locking pins 19 can be brought in and out of engagement as needed. The blocking pins 19 are in their transverse movement, corresponding to an arrow 24 in FIG. 3, guided in transverse bores in a pair of U-shaped guide blocks 21 carried by the seat bottom 2 and by transversely extending slots 22 and 23 in the top wall of the seat bottom 2 (see Figures 1 and 3). The inner ends of the locking pins 19 slide in inclined slots 25 in the actuating lever 20 (see Fig. 5). With the seat bottom 2 springs 26 are connected, which bias the blocking pin 19 outwards to the sliders 13, ie the blocking position, whereas, a connected to the seat bottom 2 spring 29 biases the operating lever 20 to the rear, ie in a Direction, which also corresponds to the blocking position of the blocking device 12. The actuating lever 20 has a longitudinal slot 27 into which a pin 28 carried by the bottom of the seat bottom 2

/ 10

Il ·

· Tf ·

24.03.1988 - 10 - 62 492

engages a guided longitudinal movement of the actuating lever 20 allows (see Fig. 4).

When the actuating lever 20 is pulled forward in the direction indicated by an arrow 31 in FIGS. 4 and S, the slanted slots 25 guide the blocking pins 19 inwardly and out of engagement with the holes 16 in the sliders 13. Thus, the seat-up member 1 becomes very small Sung relative to the Bitz lower part 2 by moving the sliders 13 along the guide rails 11 released. After reaching the desired new position, which is indicated by engagement of the rollers 15 in the recesses 18, the actuating lever 20 is released and returns under the action of the spring 29 in the drawn in Fig. 5 rear or blocking position. Upon the rearward movement of the lever 20, the springs 26 and the slanted slots 25 urge the blocking pins 19 into engagement with the new set of holes 16 in front of the pins 19, thus locking the seat in its new position. For convenient use of the lever 20, a finger opening 30 is incorporated in its front end piece.

In the in Fig. 7 illustrated another embodiment of the blocking device, the blocking pins 19 between a dotted lines drawn unblocked position and a solid line drawn blocking position are pivotable, in which the blocking pins 19 engage in slots 35 in the cutter edge of the component 34 borne by the seat main body 1. In this example, the blocking pins 19 are preferably biased in the direction indicated by an arrow 36 by springs, not shown, and are secured by means not shown Operating lever moves in the unlocked position.

■ »1 ■ · 6 J · f

24.03.1988 - Π - 62 492

In yet another embodiment of the blocking device, the seat may be secured in position by a clamping device which engages the sliders 13 or component 34 from both sides.