Patent Application
20250042313
The present disclosure is generally in the field of child restraint systems, and more particularly related to child restraint systems including internal side impact surfaces.
Child restraint systems (for example, a child's car seat) may include a headrest, a seat, a rear portion, and one or more sidewalls. These child restraint systems may be used to secure the child within a vehicle and may also be used to mitigate the impact of a crash event of the vehicle on the child. For example, the child restraint system may include at least some compressible material that may compress during the crash event to mitigate the force of impact of the child against the child restraint system and/or a door of the vehicle. However, in existing child restraint systems, the arm of the child may first come into contact with a sidewall of the child restraint system during a crash event. The arm may compress against the sidewall, which in turn may cause an undesirable compression of the child's chest.
In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a child restraint system comprising a seat, a headrest, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a plurality of internal side impact surfaces including at least a first internal side impact surface that is removably inserted into the first sidewall or is formed as a raised portion of the first sidewall and a second internal side impact surface that is removably inserted into the second sidewall or is formed as a raised portion of the second sidewall. In embodiments, a first void is formed above or below the first internal side impact surface and the first sidewall and a second void is formed above or below the second internal side impact surface and the second sidewall. In embodiments, at least one of: the first void or the second void are configured to receive, during a crash event, an elbow or an arm of a vehicle occupant seated in the child restraint system.
In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a child restraint system comprising a first zone including a seat, a second zone including a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a third zone including a headrest. In embodiments, at least one of the first zone or the second zone are offset from the second zone. In embodiments, the second zone includes a first void or a first compressible material and the second zone includes a second void or a second compressible material. In embodiments, the second zone is configured to receive, during a crash event, an elbow or an arm of a vehicle occupant seated in the child restraint system.
In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a child restraint system comprising a seat, a headrest, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a plurality of internal side impact surfaces including at least a first internal side impact surface that is removably inserted into the first sidewall and a second internal side impact surface that is removably inserted into the second sidewall. In embodiments, a first void is formed between the first internal side impact surface and the first sidewall and a second void is formed between the second internal side impact surface and the second sidewall. In embodiments, the child restraint system also includes a first compressible material provided in the first void and a second compressible material provided in the second void, wherein the first compressible material is configured to compress further than the first internal side impact surface and the second compressible material is configured to compress further than the second internal side impact surface. In embodiments, the first compressible material or the second compressible material are configured to receive, during a crash event, an elbow or an arm of a vehicle occupant seated in the child restraint system.
In embodiments, the present disclosure describes a child restraint system comprising a seat, a headrest, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a plurality of internal side impact surfaces including at least a first internal side impact surface that is adjustable between the headrest and the first sidewall and a second internal side impact surface that is adjustable between the headrest and the second sidewall. In embodiments, a first void is formed above or below the first internal side impact surface and the first sidewall or the headrest and a second void is formed above or below the second internal side impact surface and the second sidewall or the headrest. In embodiments, at least one of: the first void or the second void are configured to receive, during a crash event, an elbow or an arm of a vehicle occupant seated in the child restraint system.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.
The present disclosure provides a more detailed and specific description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings and specific descriptions of the drawings, as well as any specific or other embodiments discussed, are intended to be read in conjunction with the entirety of this disclosure.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. The concepts disclosed herein may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the concepts to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like, but not necessarily the same or identical elements throughout.
Child restraint systems may be different types of seats that are used to secure children (or other passengers) within moving bodies, such as vehicles (the term “vehicle occupant” may also be used generally herein). A child restraint system may include a headrest used to support the head of the child (or any other type of vehicle occupant) and also protect the child from injury during a crash event of the vehicle. In embodiments, the headrest may be a separate apparatus that is removably inserted into the seat of the child restraint system. However, in other embodiments, the headrest may be permanently coupled to the seat of the child restraint system as well.
The child restraint system may also include a seat, a rear portion, and one or more sidewalls that extend outwardly from the rear portion. That is, when the child restraint system is provided within a vehicle and the child is seated in the child restraint system, the rear portion of the child restraint system is located behind the child and the one or more sidewalls are located on either side of the child. For example, the one or more sidewalls may include a left sidewall that is located to the left of the child and a right sidewall that is located to the right of the child.
The sidewalls may also be configured to compress or otherwise mitigate the impact of a crash event of the vehicle on the child that is seated in the child restraint system. However, in some existing child restraint systems, an arm of the child may first come into contact with one of the sidewalls during the crash event. As the arm compresses into the sidewall, it may also cause an undesirable compression of the child's chest against the arm.
To reduce the amount of compression of the child's chest that occurs during a crash event, the child restraint system as described in the present disclosure includes multiple internal side impact surfaces. As is further illustrated in
In embodiments, two upper internal side impact surfaces may be provided at the sidewalls of the child restraint system proximate to a location of the child's shoulders when the child is in a seated position in the child restraint system. Additionally, two lower internal side impact surfaces may be provided at the sidewalls of the child restraint system proximate to a location of the child's hips when the child is in a seated position in the child restraint system. In alternative embodiments, only two internal side impact surfaces are provided.
During a crash event, as the child's body travels towards a given sidewall, the internal side impact surface(s) provided at that sidewall mitigate (or prevent) the movement of the child's shoulders and/or hips towards the sidewall. Simultaneously, the void provided between the internal side impact surface(s) and the sidewall receives the elbow (or entire arm) of the child. That is, the elbow (or entire arm) “falls” into the void while the internal side impact surface(s) mitigate or prevent further movement of the child towards the sidewall. Thus, the compression of the elbow (or entire arm) against the sidewall is minimized, consequentially minimizing the compression of the child's arm against the child's chest.
Turning to the figures,
The plurality of internal side impact surfaces may include any suitable material. For example, the one or more side bumpers may include one or more foam materials, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), Expanded polyethylene (EPE), urethane, and/or a blend of any of these types of foams. The material may also include any other flexible materials other than foam as well. As another example, the plurality of internal side impact surfaces may include a more rigid material, such as a plastic or any other type of rigid material. In embodiments, the plurality of internal side impact surfaces may also be covered by another material, such as a fabric that may be provided over the various components of the child restraint system 100 to provide additional comfort to a child that is seated in the child restraint system 100.
Reference may be made herein to one or more “zones” of the child restraint system 100 (which may be applicable to any other child restraint system described herein. For example, one zone may include a headrest of the child restraint system 100, another zone may include the sidewalls of the child restraint system 100, and a third zone may include the seat of the child restraint system 100.
The plurality of internal side impact surfaces may be provided at locations on the child restraint system 100 above and/or below an arm of a child that is seated in the child restraint system 100. For example, internal side impact surfaces 102 and 106 may be upper internal side impact surfaces that are provided at a location of a child's shoulders when the child is in a seated position in the child restraint system 100. Likewise, internal side impact surfaces 104 and 108 may be lower internal side impact surfaces that are provided at a location of a child's hips when the child is in a seated position in the child restraint system 100. The internal side impact surfaces may also be provided at any other location on the child restraint system 100 as well.
This positioning of the plurality of internal side impact surfaces serves to form a void (for example, void 118 and void 120) or void in which the elbow (or entire arm) of the child may enter during a crash event of the vehicle. For example, if the force of a crash event causes the child to move towards the first sidewall 110, the arm of the child may enter into the void 118 between the internal side impact surface 106 and the internal side impact surface 108 and portions of the child's body above and below the child's arm (such as the shoulder and/or hip) may contact the internal side impact surface 106 and the internal side impact surface 108. Thus, instead of the child's arm initially coming into contact with the first sidewall 110 and causing a compression of the child's chest, the child's arm may stop within the void 118 (or the compression force of the child's arm against the first sidewall 110 may be reduced). Consequentially, the compression of the child's chest caused by the compression of the child's arm against the first sidewall 110 may be reduced or eliminated. This reduces or eliminates undesired compressions of the child's chest during the crash event.
The internal side impact surfaces may be any size and/or shape. Using the internal side impact surface 106 as an example, a front surface 122 may be provided that faces outwardly from the child restraint system 100 (that is, the front surface 122 faces the child that is seated in the child restraint system 100). The front surface 122 may be angled such that the front surface 122 slopes from the first sidewall 110 to the rear portion 116 of the child restraint system 100. The angle depicted in the figures is merely exemplary and the front surface 122 may be provided at any other angle.
An internal side impact surface (using the internal side impact surface 102 as an example) may also include a rear portion 124. The rear portion 124 may face inwardly towards the child restraint system 100 (for example, towards the second sidewall 122 and the rear portion 116 of the child restraint system 100). In embodiments, the rear portion 124 may be shaped in a manner that the internal side impact surface 102 may be removably inserted into the child restraint system 100 such that the rear portion 124 is flush with the second sidewall 122 and rear portion 116 of the child restraint system 100.
The internal side impact surfaces may be removably coupled to the child restraint system 100 using any number of suitable mechanisms. For example, as shown in
The internal side impact surfaces may also be removably secured to the child restraint system using any other suitable mechanism. As another example, an internal side impact surface may be secured to the child restraint system 100 using one or more fasteners, such as a screw. As another example, an internal side impact surface may be secured to the child restraint system 100 using one or more tabs. As yet another example, an internal side impact surface may be secured to the child restraint system 100 using an adhesive. An internal side impact surface may also be secured to the child restraint system 100 using any combination of such mechanisms (or any other mechanism not mentioned herein).
Additionally, the size and/or shape of the internal side impact surfaces may vary depending on the type of child restraint system in which the internal side impact surfaces are provided (or integrated as permanent components of the child restraint system). For example, the size and/or shape of the rear portion of the internal side impact surfaces may vary such that the internal side impact surfaces may sit flush against a respective sidewall and/or rear portion of the child restraint system. As another example, the size of the internal side impact surfaces may depend on the size of the child for which the particular child restraint system is intended. That is, the size and/or shape of the internal side impact surfaces may vary to ensure that the elbow (or entire arm) of the child is able to be accommodated within the void that is formed between the internal side impact surfaces (in embodiments in which four internal side impact surfaces are used). Additional illustrations of various example shapes of the internal side impact surfaces are also shown in
Particularly,
Additionally, in embodiments, a top edge of a lower internal side impact surface may deflect the child's elbow forward and out of the way of the child's chest, which can also mitigate or prevent compression against the child's chest. The flexibility (foam or ribbing structure) of the bumper can dissipate crash forces over a longer period of time, which can lower chest deflection.
Although
In embodiments, each of the internal side impact surfaces form respective voids located between the internal side impact surface and the corresponding sidewall. For example, a first void 420 is formed between internal side impact surface 404 and sidewall 412 and a second void 418 is formed between internal side impact surface 406 and sidewall 410.
The voids may be voids in which the elbows (or entire arms) of the child 415 may fall during a crash event, rather than initially compressing against a sidewall. As an example, in an existing child restraint system not including the internal side impact surface 406, a crash event that causes the child to travel towards the sidewall 410 may result in the child initially compressing the sidewall 410. This compression of the arm of the child 415 against the sidewall 410 may then cause a compression of the chest of the child 415. In contrast, during a similar crash event in which the child 415 is seated in the child restraint system 400, the elbow (or entire arm) of the child 415 may fall into the void 418, rather than initially compressing against the sidewall 410. The hips of the child 415 first come into contact with the internal side impact surface 406 and limit the movement of the child 415 further towards the sidewall 410.
In embodiments in which an additional internal side impact surface is provided at the sidewall 410 (for example, as shown in
In contrast with internal side impact surfaces associated with other child restraint systems described herein, the internal side impact surface 504 and internal side impact surface 508 are permanently integrated into the child restraint system 500, rather than being removably coupled to the child restraint system 500. That is, the internal side impact surfaces may be formed as part of the sidewalls of the child restraint system 500. For example, the child restraint system 500 may include raised portions at the locations on the child restraint system 500 at which removable internal side impact surfaces may be provided in other. In embodiments, the material of the integrated internal side impact surfaces may be the same material used throughout the remainder of the child restraint system 500. For example, if the child restraint system 500 is formed from a plastic material, a raised portion in the shape of an internal side impact surface may be provided from the child restraint system 500 at the locations of the integrated internal side impact surfaces. However, in other embodiments, a different type of material may also be sued for the integrated internal side impact surfaces.
Although
The alternative child restraint system 800 differs from other child restraint systems shown herein in that the child restraint system 800 also includes additional compressible portions in between respective internal side impact surfaces (for example, at the locations in which the voids are provided in alternative embodiments described herein). As shown in the figure, compressible material 830 is provided at the sidewall 812 between the internal side impact surface 802 and internal side impact surface 804 and compressible material 832 is provided at the sidewall 810 between the internal side impact surface 806 and internal side impact surface 808. The compressible material may also be provided in any other configuration of child restraint system as well (for example, configurations in which a child restraint system only includes two internal side impact surfaces).
In embodiments, the compressible material may be a material that is less rigid than the material used for the internal side impact surfaces such that the compressible material may compress further from contact by a child during a crash event than the internal side impact surfaces. For example, the compressible material may include a foam material and the internal side impact surfaces may include a plastic material (however, this is merely exemplary).
The configuration shown in the child restraint system 800 may provide similar functionality as the configurations shown in the child restraint systems in which a void is provided between the internal side impact surfaces, rather than providing a material between the internal side impact surfaces, as shown in
Though the disclosed examples include particular arrangements of a number of parts, components, features, and aspects, the disclosure is not limited to only those examples or arrangements shown. Any one or more of the parts, components, features, and aspects of the disclosure may be employed alone or in other arrangements of any two or more of the same.
Although certain product features, functions, components, and parts have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents.
Unless otherwise noted, the terms used herein are to be understood according to conventional usage by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art. In addition to the definitions of terms provided below, it is to be understood that as used in the specification and in the claims, “a” or “an” may mean one or more, depending upon the context in which it is used.
Throughout this application, the term “include,” “include(s)” or “including” means “including but not limited to.” Note that certain embodiments may be described relating to a single element, but the corresponding description should be read to include embodiments of two or more elements. Different features, variations, and multiple different embodiments are shown and described herein with various details. What has been described in this application at times in terms of specific embodiments is done for illustrative purposes only and without the intent to limit or suggest that what has been conceived is only one particular embodiment or specific embodiments. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to any single specific embodiments or enumerated variations. Many modifications, variations and other embodiments will come to mind of those skilled in the art, and which are intended to be and are in fact covered by this disclosure. It is indeed intended that the scope of this disclosure should be determined by a proper legal interpretation and construction of the disclosure, including equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the complete disclosure present at the time of filing.
Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain implementations could include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, such conditional language generally is not intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to be performed in any particular implementation.
What has been described herein in the present specification and drawings includes examples of systems, apparatuses, methods, devices, and/or techniques. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and/or methods for purposes of describing the various elements of the disclosure, but it may be recognized that many further combinations and permutations of the disclosed elements are possible. Accordingly, it may be apparent that various modifications may be made to the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. In addition, or as an alternative, other embodiments of the disclosure may be apparent from consideration of the specification and annexed drawings, and practice of the disclosure as presented herein. It is intended that the examples put forth in the specification and annexed drawings be considered, in all respects, as illustrative and not limiting. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/516,995 filed Aug. 1, 2023, entitled “Child Restraint System Including Side Impact Bumpers,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63516995 | Aug 2023 | US |
