Patent Application
20050156452
The domain of the invention is childcare. More precisely, the invention relates to child seats to be installed in a vehicle and held in place in the vehicle using a vehicle safety belt, and particularly the attachment of such seats in the vehicle.
Many types of car seats designed to be held in place using vehicle safety belts are already known.
Conventionally, child seats are fixed as follows:
These manipulations are often difficult. In particular, the installation phase consisting of attempting to tighten the belt is both difficult and tedious. But the safety belt strap must be tightened firmly in order to efficiently hold the seat in place in contact with the rear seat of the vehicle, particularly in case of a shock.
Not everyone is capable of tightening the strap sufficiently.
However if this strap is not tight, or is not tight enough, the child's seat can be projected forwards in case of shock until the strap becomes tight and conditions are such that the strap unwinder can detect a shock situation and block unwinding of the strap.
Moreover, the seat will move by a variable amount, in turns or when the brakes are applied suddenly, which reduces the child's comfort and safety.
Therefore, more or less important consequences can arise if the strap is not sufficiently tight.
Having said this, in practice it is observed that the phase consisting of tightening the strap is usually not done very well, and in some cases the strap can become loose so that the seat can tip forwards if the vehicle is involved in a collision.
Moreover, some users may not realise the usefulness and the importance of this operation to tighten the strap, and consequently they may not tighten it at all or not sufficiently.
One solution has been proposed in prior art to facilitate placement of the safety belt strap, consisting of providing a tightening element and an actuator to move the tightening element and means of locking the actuator in the active position.
According to this solution, the assembly of the tightening element and its actuator is such that in the active position, the force exerted by the tightening element (itself under the action of the force applied by the strap) tends to make the actuator move from its active position. This is why locking means have to be provided.
Therefore, this prior solution appears complex and not very reliable. It also involves a large number of mechanical parts which makes it long to assemble.
Furthermore, this device increases the number of manipulations necessary for the installation and removal of the seat, which is a constraint for the user.
Other equally complex and not very practical techniques have been put forward to define a particular path for the strap and means of modifying this path. This solution also assumes a large number of parts, and is not easy or ergonomic to use.
One particular purpose of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of prior art.
More precisely, the purpose of the invention is to propose a child's car seat to be fixed in a vehicle using a safety belt strap and for which it is easy to apply a satisfactory and effective tension in the strap, particularly to assure safety of the child.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide such a seat that can be used easily, reliably with good control.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide such a child's seat that can be quickly and easily installed/removed by the user, without any complex manipulation, or guidance of the strap through particular elements defining a strap path.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide such a seat that is simple to design, easy to install and fit.
These objectives and others that will appear more clearly after reading the following description, are achieved according to the invention using a child's car seat designed to be fixed to a vehicle seat using at least one safety belt strap and comprising means of increasing the tension in the said strap, comprising at least one moving part with at least one support and/or guide surface for the said strap and means of actuation acting on the said moving part or on each of the said moving parts so as to move the part between a released position and a tensioning position, in which the path of the said strap is lengthened and therefore its tension is increased, the relative positions of the said actuation means and the said moving part being such that actuation means also form means of locking the said tensioning position, making use of a force exerted by the said strap on the said moving part to oppose the said actuation means from returning to the said released position.
The result is a very simple system, without it being necessary to provide specific guidance means on each side of the moving part(s), or means of locking these parts.
According to a first advantageous embodiment, the said actuation means include an element mounted free to pivot on the said seat.
Preferably, the said moving part is mounted free to pivot and has a sliding surface on which the said actuation means are free to displace.
In this case, the rotation axis of the said moving part is advantageously installed approximately at the mid-height of the said seat back.
The result is good force reduction and good efficiency of the system.
Advantageously, the said moving part and an element of the said actuation means form a cam and eccentric mechanism.
This approach is both simple and efficient.
Preferably, the said actuation means include remote control means.
The manipulations are then easy, and can reduce the forces to be applied.
According to one particular embodiment, the said control means include a pivoting lever. The said pivoting lever may particularly be connected to the said activation means through a linkage.
Advantageously, the said control means include a gripping element for reducing the force applied to the said moving part.
In this case, the said gripping handle may advantageously be at least partly concealed in the said seat and/or base in the tensioning position.
Preferably, the said support surface is bordered by two edges so as to form a passage for the said strap.
One advantageous embodiment includes two similar moving parts fitted on each side of the said seat.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, the said moving part is fitted on a carriage free to slide inside the said seat.
Advantageously, the said carriage slides approximately horizontally with respect to the bottom of the said seat, and has at least one extension that is approximately vertical and on which the said support surface(s) is (are) located.
The said support surfaces are preferably inclined from the said extension by about 45°.
Advantageously, the said sliding carriage is provided with two similar and simultaneously actuated support surfaces.
Preferably, the said carriage is actuated using a handle, through at least one connecting rod. For example, the said handle may extend in front of the said seat.
According to yet another advantageous embodiment, the said moving part defines a path for the said strap over at least one portion of the width of the said seat.
In this case, the said path advantageously defines a baffle moving towards the back of the said seat.
According to one particular embodiment of the invention, the car seat includes means of moving the said strap away from the back of the said seat.
This embodiment is advantageous particularly for a seat pivoting between:
This prevents the strap from disturbing rotation of the seat.
Advantageously, the said means for moving the said strap away are formed and/or installed on an approximately vertical part of a base of the said seat.
In particular, the said approximately vertical part of the base may define a window between two uprights. The said means for moving the said strap apart may include an approximately vertical extension for reception and/or guidance of the said strap.
According to one particular embodiment, the said means of moving the said strap apart include complementary moving strap tightening means.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer after reading the following description of two preferred embodiments of the invention, given for illustrative purposes and in no way limitative, and the appended drawings, wherein:
As already mentioned, the principle of the invention is to provide an assembly of actuation means for actuating one (or more) moving part(s) for tightening the strap with which the actuation means and the moving part interact when they are in the active position, the actuation means supporting the moving part while the moving part holds the actuation means in the active position.
According to this embodiment of the invention, these means for tightening this belt strap include:
This type of moving part 1 may advantageously be provided on each side of the seat, or according to another possible embodiment it may be provided in a central position. Depending on the case, the two parts may be actuated or only one of the two parts may be actuated.
As shown in
The seat also includes control means 3 remote from the connecting rod 2 and connected to it through a linkage 4 such that the central means 3 are accessible starting from the front of the seat.
These control means 3 are actually composed of a V-shaped part installed free to pivot about a hinge pin supported by a fixed part of the seat, this part presenting:
According to the invention, assembly of the moving part 1 and the connecting rod 2 requires relative positioning such that the connecting rod is subjected to a force exerted by the moving part when it is in the tensioning position (illustrated in dashed lines), tending to prevent the connecting rod 2 from returning to its released position (illustrated in chain dotted lines).
The moving part 1 and the connecting rod 2 thus form a cam and eccentric mechanism. The hinge pin 12 of the moving part 1 is placed on the seat such that the connecting rod 2 moves through an intermediate position between the released position and the tensioning position, in which the force F1 applied by the strap is directed along the normal N1 to the sliding surface and passing through the point P (contact point between the connecting rod 2 and the part 1).
This intermediate position corresponds to the passage through a hard part due to the fact that in this position, the entire force F1 is transmitted to resist the action applied by the user on the pivoting lever 3.
This position is thus an unstable balance position in which the force F1 is aligned along the normal N1 to P, a situation in which the connecting rod 2 and the moving part 1 may tip either towards a tensioned position or a released position.
This is illustrated in
After passing through the intermediate position (in which the rod is shown in solid lines), the connecting rod 2 for example occupies a position like that illustrated in dashed lines. In this situation, the assembly is locked directly in the tensioning position, with no complementary locking means.
Moreover, as clearly shown in
The result is thus a system that is easy to manipulate due to the reduced force, particularly due to the linkage and the position of the hinge pin of the moving part.
Furthermore, it is easy to check visually, since the lever(s) must be brought into the plane of the base. A specific colour (for example red) could also be marked on the moving part, or a message could be added, that can only be seen when the moving part is in the tensioning position.
Note that edges 111 could be provided to keep the strap in position laterally on the bearing surface 11, to prevent it from escaping from the bearing surface 11 while being tensioned.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the tightening system could include two bearing surfaces distributed on each side of the seat (or a bearing surface extending around all or a large part of the width of the seat) actuated simultaneously by the same control. An example embodiment of this approach is illustrated in
According to this embodiment, a sliding carriage 31 could be provided free to slide with respect to a fixed part 32 attached to the seat, and more precisely to its seat bottom or its base.
Each of these figures will be referred to indifferently, depending on the requirements of the description.
The carriage 31 is provided with two extensions 33A and 33B approximately perpendicular to the carriage displacement. A support 34 is fitted on the free ends of these extensions, inclined at approximately 45°, that holds two blocks 35A and 35B at its ends (in other words approximately on each side of the seat) in which the straps will be fitted and that will pretension the straps. The carriage 31 is actuated by a handle 36 installed free to pivot about a rotation axis 37 attached to the fixed part 32.
This handle is terminated by a gripping element 38 accessible on the front of the seat, approximately under its seat bottom.
The handle is connected to the carriage 31 through a connecting rod 39.
The connecting rod 39 and the handle 36 are designed such that when the assembly is put into the tensioning position (see
As can be seen in
The result is an increase in the distance between the surface of these elements and a fixed attachment point of the strap 52 (B>A).
According to one variant, the two support elements 35A and 35B could be replaced by a single strap reception assembly that would tend to extend over a large part of the width of the seat, and possibly identifying a strap circulation path, for example forming a baffle.
Note also that a similar result can be obtained using other types of mechanism and dynamic system.
In all cases, the system obtained is particularly simple and efficient, not requiring any fixed strap guidance elements, and consequently significantly simplifying the assembly. Moreover, there is no need to provide specific locking in the tensioning position. This function is provided directly by means of controlling the movement from the released position to the tensioning position and vice versa.
According to another embodiment of the invention, particularly suitable for seats installed free to pivot on a base, fixed means are also provided for moving the strap away from the seat so that it does not oppose or disturb movement of the seat.
The base may be fixed to the vehicle by two Isofix type clamps 641 and a complementary attachment 643 in the top part.
Two moving cams 71, 72 are provided to hold and to tighten the strap, in the same way as for the embodiments described above. The actuation mechanism may be similar to that described above in relation to
Means are also provided for defining a strap path between the two moving cams. Elements defining this strap path may be fixed or mobile.
Thus, in one embodiment, the vertical part 622 includes two uprights 73, 74 defining a central window 75. An extension 76 extends upwards and inside this window 75, to guide the strap 77 and to release it from the area in which the seat moves.
This extension 76 has an adapted shape such that the strap fits into it and is held in place. The user guides the strap 77 inside the window 75, to move it along the extension 76.
According to one variant of the invention, this extension 76 may be mobile or it may be equipped with an additional moving cam to participate in the pre-tightening function. In this case, when the cams 71, 72 described above are activated to tighten the strap, the complementary cam moves in the opposite direction.
Advantageously, the three cams are fixed such that a single actuation device is sufficient to move these cams and tighten the strap.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/08233 | Jul 2003 | FR | national |
