1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a child safety seat in which a seat body and a base member are detachable.
2. Description of the Background Art
The same applicant who files this application disclosed a child safety seat in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-250426. According to the child safety seat disclosed in this document comprises a base member, and a seat body turnably supported on the base member. The turnable seat body is positioned in a forward-looking manner, a backward-looking manner and a sideway-looking manner according to need.
According to the above turnable child safety seat, since the seat body is turned on the base member fixed onto a car seat, the base member has to be large enough to allow the seat body to be turned. Thus, the child safety seat cannot help being enlarged.
In order to miniaturize the child safety seat, it is preferable that the seat body can be detached from the base member. One example of such child safety seat is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-301969. According to the child safety seat disclosed in the document also, the seat body is positioned in a forward-looking manner, a backward-looking manner and a sideway-looking manner according to need.
In the case of the child safety seat disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-301969, four engagement parts to mount the seat body are provided in the base member, and pins which can engage with the engagement parts are provided on a lower surface of a seat of the seat body.
Since a fixed connection structure between the seat body and the base member disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-301969 is very complicated, a more simple structure is desired.
In addition, in the case of the detachable child safety seat, it is necessary to surely and strongly connect the seat body to the base member. Furthermore, in case of unexpected occurrence, it is desired that the seat body cannot be easily detached from the base member.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable child safety seat in which a seat body and a base member can be surely and strongly connected and fixed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a detachable child safety seat having an excellent shock absorbing performance.
A detachable child safety seat according to the present invention comprises a base member, a seat body, an upper locking mechanism, a lower locking mechanism, and a synchronization mechanism. The base member has a bottom wall and a stand wall rising from a rear end of the bottom wall and extending upward. The seat body has a seat and a backrest and it is mounted on the base member detachably. The upper locking mechanism locks or unlocks the stand wall of the base member and the backrest of the seat body. The lower locking mechanism locks or unlocks the bottom wall of the base member and the seat of the seat body. The synchronization mechanism connects the upper locking mechanism to the lower locking mechanism and synchronizes locked states or unlocked states of both locking mechanisms.
According to the above constitution, the seat body and the base member can be strongly connected and fixed by the upper and lower locking mechanisms. In addition, since the operations of the upper and lower locking mechanisms can be synchronized by the synchronization mechanism, the connection fixing operation can be easily performed.
According to a preferred embodiment, the upper locking mechanism comprises a lift member which is supported on the stand wall of the base member and can be displaced in the vertical direction, and an engaged member provided on a back surface of the backrest of the seat body so as to be engaged with the lift member when it is brought to an upper position. In this embodiment, the synchronization mechanism comprises a connection member to connect the lift member to the lower locking mechanism.
Preferably, the upper locking mechanism comprises forcing means for forcing the lift member to be brought to the upper position.
According to a preferred embodiment, the lower locking mechanism comprises a catch clamp provided in the bottom wall of the base member, an engagement rod provided on a bottom surface of the seat of the seat body so as to be caught by the catch clamp to be engaged, and a locking member supported on the base member and displaced so as to selectively lock an engagement state between the catch clamp and the engagement rod. In this embodiment, the synchronization mechanism comprises a connection member to connect the locking member to the upper locking mechanism.
Preferably, the lower locking mechanism comprises forcing means for forcing the locking member in the engagement direction.
According to one embodiment, the synchronization mechanism comprises a stopper member supported on the base member and displaced between an upper position in which it abuts on the locking member to prevent the locking member from being moved in the engagement direction, and a lower position in which it is lowered by the engagement rod received in the catch clamp to allow the locking member to be moved in the engagement direction, and an elastic member for forcing the stopper member upward.
Preferably, the synchronization mechanism comprises an operation member to bring the locking member to an unlocked position.
According to a preferred embodiment, the upper locking mechanism comprises a lift member which is supported on the stand wall of the base member and can be displaced in the vertical direction, and an engaged member provided on a back surface of the backrest of the seat body so as to be engaged with the lift member when it is brought to an upper position. The lower locking mechanism comprises a catch clamp provided in the bottom wall of the base member, an engagement rod provided on a bottom surface of the seat of the seat body so as to be caught by the catch clamp to be engaged, and a locking member supported on the base member and displaced so as to selectively lock an engagement state between the catch clamp and the engagement rod. In this embodiment, the synchronization mechanism comprises a wire to connect the lift member to the locking member.
According to a preferred embodiment, a base side front engagement member extending in a width direction at a front position, and a base side rear engagement member extending in the width direction at a rear position are provided in the base member. A seat body side engagement member extending along a side of a square substantially and engaging with the base side front engagement member or the base side rear engagement member is provided in a bottom surface of the seat body.
According to the above embodiment, since the seat body side engagement member is positioned along the side of the square substantially, when the seat body is positioned in the forward-looking state, the backward-looking state or the sideway-looking state, the seat body side engagement member can engage with the base side engagement member in substantially the same structure. Therefore, the connection fixed structure between them can be simplified.
Preferably, the base side front engagement member comprises two front catch clamps positioned apart from each other in the width direction. In addition, the base side rear engagement member comprises two rear catch clamps positioned apart from each other in the width direction. In addition, the seat body side engagement member comprises a front engagement rod positioned at the front and extending in the width direction, a rear engagement rod positioned at the rear and extending in the width direction, and a pair of side engagement rods positioned at both sides and extending in the forward and backward direction.
Preferably, when the seat body is positioned on the base member in a forward-looking manner, the front engagement rod and the rear engagement rod engage with the front catch clamp and the rear catch clamp, respectively. When the seat body is positioned on the base member in a backward-looking manner, the rear engagement rod and the front engagement rod engage with the front catch clamp and the rear catch clamp, respectively. When the seat body is positioned on the base member in a sideway-looking manner, the pair of engagement rods engages with the front catch clamp and the rear catch clamp, respectively. According to one embodiment, the lower locking mechanism locks or unlocks at least either one of the base side front engagement member or the base side rear engagement member and the seat body side engagement member.
According to a preferred embodiment, the base member comprises a rigid frame structure body, a pair of first belt guide members provided on both sides of the frame structure body, through which a car mounted waist belt passes, a metal band having both ends connected to the frame structure body, and, a pair of second belt guide members positioned inside the pair of first belt guide members in the width direction and fixed to the metal band, through which the waist belt passes.
According to the preferred embodiment having the above constitution, when a shock load is applied to the second belt guide member, the metal band is bent and plastically deformed. Since the metal band is elastically deformed, the shock load added to the base member is absorbed to some extent, so that the shock applied to a child sit on the child safety seat can be reduced.
According to one embodiment, the second belt guide member is a U-shaped metal hook.
Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment, the frame structure body comprises a pair of L-shaped metal bar members positioned on both sides, and a pair of metal side plates fixed to the bar members. The first belt guide member is fixed to the metal side plate, and both ends of the metal band are connected to the pair of metal side plates.
According to one embodiment, the base member comprises an inclination adjustment member which can be moved between a position in which it is protruded downward from the bottom surface and a position in which it is retreated in the bottom surface. The inclination adjustment member is held by the base member so that it can pivot, for example.
On the bottom wall 31, two front catch clamps 38 and two rear catch clamps 39 to mount the seat body 10 is provided. The two front catch clamps 38 are arranged at the front of the bottom wall 31 and extend in a width direction. The two rear catch clams 39 are arranged at the rear of the bottom wall 31 and extend in the width direction. The front catch clamp 38 has an engagement recess which is cut forward from its rear end. The rear catch clamp 39 has an engagement recess which is cut downward. Although the two front catch clamps 38 and the two rear catch clams 39 are positioned apart from each other in the width direction in this illustrated embodiment, as another embodiment, one front catch clamp and one rear catch clamp may be provided so as to extend long in the width direction.
A part of an operation member 40 to release a fixed connection between the seat body 10 and the base member 30 is exposed at a front end of the bottom wall 31 of the base member 30. When the operation member 40 is drawn forward by a hand, the locked state between the seat body 10 and the base member 30 can be canceled. A structure related to this operation member 40 will be described in detail below.
As shown in
As shown in
More specifically, the seat body side engagement members comprise a front engagement rod 14 positioned at the front and extending in the width direction, a rear engagement rod 16 positioned at the rear and extending in the width direction, and a pair of side engagement rods 15 positioned at both sides and extending forward and backward direction.
Each of the engagement rods 14, 15 and 16 may be one long linear rod so as to be continuously provided across the two grooves 13 or may be two short linear rods so as to be provided at each groove 13. Alternatively, the front engagement rod 14, the side engagement rod 15 and the rear engagement rod 16 may be connected to each other to be a long L-shaped, U-shaped or rectangular rod. In any case, the rod provided at the groove 13 serves as the seat body side engagement members which engage with the above base side engagement members.
The front engagement rod 14, the pair of side engagement rods 15 and the rear engagement rod 16 constituting the seat body side engagement members are provided so as to extend along sides of the square substantially.
Next, three patterns of the fixed connection between the seat body 10 and the base member 30 will be described with reference to
When the seat body 10 is set on the base member 30 in the forward-looking manner, the front engagement rod 14 engages with the front catch clamp 38, and the rear engagement rod 16 engages with the rear catch clamp 39. When the seat body 10 is set on the base member 30 in the backward-looking manner, the rear engagement rod 16 engages with the front catch clamp 38, and the front engagement rod 14 engages with the rear catch clamp 39. When the seat body 10 is set on the base member 30 in the sideway-looking manner, the pair of side engagement rods 15 engages with the front catch clamp 38 and the rear catch clamp 39, respectively.
A mechanism to lock the fixed connection between the seat body 10 and the base member 30 will be described with reference to
The detachable child safety seat comprises an upper locking mechanism 60, a lower locking mechanism 70 and a synchronization mechanism 80. The upper locking mechanism 60 locks or unlocks the connection between the stand wall 32 of the base member 30 and the backrest 12 of the seat body 10. The lower locking mechanism 70 locks or unlocks the connection between the bottom wall 31 of the base member 30 and the seat 11 of the seat body 10. The synchronization mechanism 80 connects the upper locking mechanism 60 to the lower locking mechanism 70 and synchronizes the locked states or unlocked states of both locking mechanisms and comprises a wire 81 as one component.
The upper locking mechanism 60 comprises a rod holder 61 supported by the stand wall 32 of the base member 30 so as to be displaced vertically, a hook rod 62 fixedly held by the rod holder 61, a pair of display pieces 63 fixedly held by the rod holder 61, and a spring 64 to force the rod holder 61 to move upward, as components which are mounted on the side of the base member 30. Here, the hook rod 62 functions as a lift member which engages with an engaged member of the seat body to be described below.
The pair of hook rods 62 can pass through holes provided in the width-direction connection member 53 and protrude upward. In the states shown in
The pair of display pieces 63 are plates having a noticeable color, and moved vertically together with the hook rod 62. This pair of display pieces 63 is provided to confirm whether locking is surely made or not.
The upper locking mechanism 60 comprises a pair of hook rings 65 shown in
As shown in
When the seat body 10 is mounted on the base member 30 in the backward-looking manner or in the sideway-looking manner, the hook rod 62 and the hook ring 65 are not used. In this case, when the display piece 63 is brought to the upper position together with the hook rod 62, the display piece 63 can be viewed from the opening 37. The fact that the display piece 63 can be seen from the opening 37 means that the locking is surely made by the lower locking mechanism 70. When the locking by the lower locking mechanism 70 is not perfect, the display piece cannot be seen from the opening 37.
Next, a concrete structure of the lower locking mechanism 70 will be described with reference to
The lower locking mechanism 70 comprises the rear catch clamp 39 fixed on the width-direction connection member 54, and a locking member 71 which can be displaced in the forward and backward direction so as to cross an engagement hole of the rear catch clamp 39 as components mounted on the base member 30. In addition, the lower locking mechanism 70 comprises the engagement rods 14, 15 and 16 as components mounted on the side of the seat body 10. The rear engagement rod 16 is used as a representative example in describing the operation of the locking mechanism.
The locking member 71 has a pair of engagement plates 73 projecting backward and when the engagement plates 73 are brought to the rear position, they are positioned above the rear engagement rod 16 fitted in the engagement hole of the rear catch clamp 39, whereby the engagement between the rear catch clamp 39 and the rear engagement rod 16 is locked.
The wire 81 serving as one component of the synchronization mechanism 80 connects the rod holder 61 to the locking member 71. Therefore, the locking member 71 is constantly forced toward the engagement direction by the force of the spring 64.
As shown in
As shown in
The operation member 40 whose one part is exposed to the front end of the base member 30 is also one component of the synchronization mechanism 80. As shown in
Operations of the upper locking mechanism 60, the lower locking mechanism 70 and the synchronization mechanism 80 will be described with reference to
Thus, as shown in
In conjunction with the locking operation of the lower locking mechanism 70 as described above, the hook rod 62 is also moved upward and fits in the hook ring 65 of the seat body 10, so that the connection state between the stand wall 32 of the base member 30 and the backrest 12 of the seat body 10 is locked also. The locking states of the upper locking mechanism 60 and the lower locking mechanism 70 are strongly held by the force of the spring 64.
When the seat body 10 is dismounted from the base member 30, as shown in
In the state shown in
When the locking member 71 is moved forward by the operation of the operation member 40, the hook rod 62 connected to the locking member 71 through the wire 81 is lowered and retreated in the width-direction connection member 53. As a result, the connection between the hook rod 62 and the hook ring 65 is disengaged and the fixed connection state between the stand wall 32 of the base member 30 and the backrest 12 of the seat body 10 is disengaged.
A shock absorbing structure will be described in detail with reference to
As described above with reference to
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings in the above, the present invention is not limited to the above-illustrated embodiments. Various kinds of modifications and variations may be added to the illustrated embodiments within the same or equal scope of the present invention.
The present invention can be advantageously applied to the detachable child safety seat whose seat body and base member are detachable.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-163722 | Jun 2005 | JP | national |
2005-163723 | Jun 2005 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20060273640 A1 | Dec 2006 | US |