Patent Application
20240166096
The present disclosure relates to child restraints, and particularly to a harness system for securing a juvenile to a juvenile vehicle seat. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an adjuster for the harness.
A child restraint, in accordance with the present disclosure, includes a juvenile vehicle seat and a harness coupled to the juvenile vehicle seat. The juvenile vehicle seat is formed to include a child-receiving space configured to hold a child for transportation in a vehicle. The harness includes a central front adjuster strap, a pair of shoulder straps coupled to the central front adjuster strap, and a crotch strap configured to couple selectively with the pair of shoulder straps to secure the child to the juvenile vehicle seat within the child-receiving space.
In illustrative embodiments, the child restraint further includes a strap-movement controller configured to control movement of the central front adjuster strap during adjustment of the harness by a caregiver. The central front adjuster strap is slideable relative to the strap-movement controller in an outward direction away from juvenile vehicle seat to tighten the pair of shoulder straps around the child. The central front adjuster strap is slideable through the strap-movement controller in an opposite loosening direction to lengthen the pair of shoulder straps.
In illustrative embodiments, the strap-movement controller includes a first adjuster clamp, a second adjuster clamp, and a strap tightener. The first adjuster clamp is fixed to the juvenile vehicle seat and is configured to engage selectively with the central front adjuster strap to block sliding movement of the central front adjuster strap in the loosening direction. The second adjuster clamp fixed to the juvenile vehicle seat and is configured to engage selectively with the central front adjuster strap to block sliding movement of the central front adjuster strap in the tightening direction. The strap tightener is configured to apply a force on the central front adjuster strap to pull the central front adjuster strap in the tightening direction. The strap tightener may reduce slack in the adjuster strap and/or tighten the shoulder straps around a child automatically.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A child restraint 10 includes a juvenile vehicle seat 12 and a harness 11 coupled to the juvenile vehicle seat 12 as shown, for example, in
The harness 11 can be adjusted to fit snuggly on a child seated in the juvenile vehicle seat 12 by pulling the central front adjuster strap 16 in an outward direction 17 (also called a tightening direction) away from juvenile vehicle seat 12. An adjuster clamp 30 included in the strap-movement controller 14 acts as a one-way clutch to allow the central front adjuster strap 16 to be pulled in the outward direction 17 during a harness-tightening activity but block movement of the central front adjuster strap 16 through the adjuster clamp 30 in an opposite inward direction 19 (also called a loosening direction) unless the caregiver first operates the adjuster clamp 30 during a harness-loosening activity to release a clamping force applied normally to a portion of the central front adjuster strap 16 by the adjuster clamp 30. Thus, shoulder straps 11A and 11B included in the harness 11 can be tightened on a seated child simply by pulling the central front adjuster strap 16 in the outward direction 17 through the strap-movement controller 14. U.S. Pat. No. 8,327,507 is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety for the purpose of describing a suitable harness and clamp for a central front adjuster. In some embodiments, the central front adjuster strap 16 can be located in a different location on the juvenile vehicle seat 12 and may not be central, in which case, the central front adjuster strap 16 may be referred to as an adjuster strap 16.
In the illustrative embodiment, the central front adjuster 14 includes a first adjuster clamp 30, a second central front adjuster strap 32, and a strap tightener 34 as shown in
Both clamps 30, 32 are movable between an engaged or clamped position applying a clamping force on the central front adjuster strap 16 and a disengaged or released position at least partially released from the central front adjuster strap 16 so that the central front adjuster strap 16 is moveable in one or both directions. The first and second adjuster clamps 30, 32 cooperate with one another in the engaged position to block movement of the central front adjuster strap in both the outward and inward directions 17, 19 until one of the first and second adjuster clamps 30, 32 is moved to the disengage position. The first adjuster clamp 30 blocks movement of the central front adjuster strap 16 in the inward direction 19. The second adjuster clamp 32 blocks movement of the central front adjuster strap 16 in the outward direction 17. When the first adjuster clamp 30 is in the engaged position and the second adjuster clamp 32 is in the disengaged position, the central front adjuster strap 16 can be pulled in the outward direction 17 by a user and/or the strap tightener 34. When the second adjuster clamp 32 is in the engaged position and the first adjuster clamp 30 is in the disengaged position, the central front adjuster strap 16 can be moved in the inward direction 19 by a user by pulling on straps 11A, 11B and overcoming the tightening force provided by the strap tightener 34. At the same time, movement in the outward direction 17 by the strap tigherner 34 is blocked by the second adjuster clamp 32 if the user lets go of the shoulder straps 11A, 11B.
The strap tightener 34 is configured to apply a constant tightening force on the central front adjuster strap 16 to pull the central front adjuster strap 16 in the outward direction 17. When the second adjuster clamp 32 is in the disengaged position, the central front adjuster strap 16 may be pulled in the outward direction 17 and slack 40 in the strap 16 is reduced by the strap tightener 34. The force applied by the strap tightener 34 may be sufficient to tighten the shoulder straps 11A, 11B around the child automatically.
The strap tightener 34 may be fixed to an underside of a seat bottom 12B of the juvenile vehicle seat 12. In some embodiments, the strap tightener 34 includes a clock spring 42 that winds the distal end 16D of the central front adjuster strap 16 into a spool to reduce slack 40 in the central front adjuster strap 16. In the illustrative embodiment, the strap tightener 34 is non-load bearing during impact events due to the inclusion of the first and second adjuster clamps 30, 32. Thus, the strap tightener 34 can be made completely out of plastic (except for the clock spring) which could break during impact events if the strap tightener 34 were load bearing.
In the illustrative embodiment, the first adjuster clamp 30 is located between the shoulder straps 11A, 11B and the second adjuster clamp 32, and the second adjuster strap 32 is located between the first adjuster clamp 30 and the strap tightener 34. In some embodiments, the location of the first and second adjuster clamps 30, 32 are switched.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/426,158, filed Nov. 17, 2022, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63426158 | Nov 2022 | US |
