Patent Application
20100244543
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to children's vehicle seats and more particularly to a harness or restraint system with a buckle assembly and a chest clip that both release upon actuation of the same release actuator.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional child safety seat such as an infant carrier or toddler seat often comes with a restraint or harness system having a buckle assembly and a chest clip. The harness system of such seats often has a crotch belt extending up from or relative to the seat bottom and a portion of a buckle assembly on the free end of the crotch strap. These conventional seats also typically include a lap belt strap extending up from each of the opposed sides of the seat. Each lap belt strap is equipped with another portion of the buckle assembly that can engage the buckle portion on the crotch strap. These typical harness systems also employ shoulder harness straps that extend down over the shoulders of a seat occupant. The shoulder straps may include a separate buckle portion that can also connect to the crotch strap portion. However, the shoulder straps are often a continuation of the respective lap belt straps and share a common buckle assembly portion that connects to the crotch strap portion.
A typical harness system on car seats in the United States often employs a chest clip on the shoulder harnesses. The chest clip is spaced upward from the buckle assembly and functions completely independently. The chest clip typically has two clip sections, one on each shoulder strap, that can engage one another and hold the shoulder straps closely spaced to one another. The chest clip is also typically slidable up and down the shoulder straps to accommodate children of different height. The chest clip thus holds the straps close to one another and can be positioned vertically along the straps to assist in keeping the shoulder straps properly positioned over the shoulders of a child seated in the seat.
On a typical harness system, the buckle assembly and the chest clip are released independent of one another. Each device includes its own separate release actuator on the device. Thus, if a caregiver wishes to remove their child from the seat, they must independently release both the buckle assembly and the chest clip, which requires two separate steps. A number of countries, and particularly European countries, have child product safety regulations, which require that release of the child from the restraint system be accomplished by a one-step actuation. As a result of this, chest clips are not typically used in such countries because the chest clip requires an additional, second, independent step to release the child from the harness.
Instead, harness covers that are fixed to the restraint system are often used in European countries. However, these harness covers make it difficult to grip the harness when loosening the system via a central adjustor on the seat. In addition, a typical harness cover uses only friction only friction to properly position the harness. As a result, such a harness cover is not robust enough to prevent many children from freeing their arms from the harness, which can be a safety concern. Chest clips, when properly used, can specifically address such an issue by using a locking feature to connect the two shoulder straps. Some harness covers include a slot that is intended to allow easier grip of the shoulder straps for loosening the straps.
Even in the Unites States with a system that has a separate buckle assembly and chest clip, requiring a caregiver to perform two separate steps or actions to release their child from the restraint system can be frustrating, time consuming, and sometimes difficult, depending on the circumstances at hand. The two release steps can inhibit easy removal of the child, and particularly under stressful circumstances.
Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:
The disclosed child restraint or harness system examples solve or improve upon one or more of the above noted and/or other problems and disadvantages with prior art harness systems. Particularly, the disclosed harness systems each require only one release step on the part of the caregiver in order to release a child from the harness system. Each disclosed harness system still provides both the lap buckle assembly at the lap portion of the system and the chest clip function at the shoulder harness portion of the system. In one example, the harness system includes a mechanical cable that connects the buckle assembly with the remote chest clip. The cable actuates the release function on one of the clip or buckle assembly when the release actuator on the other is actuated. In another example, the harness system includes an electronic connection between the buckle assembly and the chest clip. When the release actuator on one of the clip and buckle assembly is actuated manually, the release function on the other device is actuated electronically. In one example, the manual release actuator is on the buckle assembly and in another example the manual actuator is on the chest clip. In either embodiment, manual, independent release capability can be provided on both the chest clip and buckle assembly to be used when necessary. In another example, the chest clip sections can be fixedly connected to components of the buckle assembly so that release of the buckle assembly automatically releases the chest clip.
In the disclosed example, a first or left male buckle connector or section 36a is coupled to the left lap belt strap 28a and a male latch prong 38 extends from the buckle section. Similarly, a right or second male buckle connector or section 36b is coupled to the right lap belt 28b and has a male latch prong 38 projecting therefrom. As shown in
The above described female buckle housing 26 and male buckle sections 36a, 36b create a buckle assembly in the disclosed example. This buckle assembly 27 can essentially be a standard, conventional configuration and the latching devices and release mechanism can be a standard, conventional configuration and function, other than the modifications as described below. The structure and function of such buckle assembly components are well known and understood in the art and are thus not described in greater detail herein, other than the below-discussed modifications. The male and female aspects of the buckle section 26 and the buckle sections 36a, 36b can be reversed or inverted on the components, if desired.
Also as shown in
The chest clip assembly 50 can also be a standard, conventional clip configuration, other than the modifications described below. The fingers 54 can engage the female section's receptacle in a conventional manner as well. The male and female aspects of the two clip sections can be reversed or inverted on the parts as well.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, as described in greater detail below, actuation of the actuator 40 automatically releases both the buckle assembly 27 of the lap and shoulder belt straps and the chest clip assembly 50. In other words, when a caregiver actuates the release actuator 40 on the female buckle section 26, the clip sections 52a and 52b of the chest clip assembly 50 automatically disengage from one another and the buckle sections 36a, 36b also detach from the female buckle housing as represented in
The harness system 20 in the above example is constructed so that the first or left shoulder strap 32a and the first or left lap belt 28a are configured as one continuous or contiguous strap looped through a portion of the male buckle section 36a. Thus, the male buckle section 36a is also slideable along the continuous strap. When latched, the location of the buckle section 36a along the continuous strap will define the separation between the lap belt and shoulder belt strap portions of the continuous strap. The second or right lap and shoulder straps can be identically constructed. The shoulder strap and lap belt on each side can alternatively be separate straps each separately connected to the corresponding buckle section.
In the example of
Also as depicted in
As schematically shown, each of the flexible fingers 54 generally has a catch portion 90 facing in opposite directions from one another. In this example, an entry 92 to the catch portion 90 is positioned between the catch portion and the corresponding contact portion 56 on each flexible finger. As shown in
With reference again to
To release the harness system 20, the user need only depress the actuator 40 in the direction of the arrow A. As the user depresses the actuator 40, the contact 72 in this example will push on the latch plate 75 against the bias of the spring 84. This in turn will release the catch 76 from the opening 78 in the male latch prongs 38 (only one being representatively shown in
If desired, an additional spring bias can be provided within the chest clip assembly (though not depicted herein) in conjunction with cam surfaces on the flexible fingers or some other surfaces. The additional spring bias and cam surfaces can be configured to automatically separate the two clip sections from one another upon disengagement of the flexible fingers. In one example, the resiliency of the fingers 54 can alone create the separation bias or force upon disengagement of the two sections 52a, 52b. The various components are shown herein in a simplified manner in order to illustrate operation of the mechanisms in this example. The shape, configuration, arrangement, and interaction of the various components can vary considerably from that shown and described herein.
In this example, the male prong 38 and catch 76 act as a switch that closes when latched by contact between the two parts within the opening 78. The latch plate 75 can be connected to a battery 110 housed within the buckle section or some other appropriate location and electrically coupled to the catch or latch plate. The male prong 38 in this example is coupled to a wire lead 114, which extends through a sheath 116. The wire lead 114 and sheath 116 in this example form the cable 60′ and are substituted for the mechanical cable including the wire 80 and sheath 82 of the prior example. The electrical cable 60′ in this example can be routed between the buckle assembly 27 and chest clip 50 in the same manner.
Also in this example, a solenoid 118 is positioned within the male clip section 52b between the prongs 54 to replace the previously described spring 102 and spring stop 104. The solenoid 118 has a slidable post or actuator 120 extending from a housing 122 of the solenoid. The free end of the actuator 120 is connected to the yoke 96 in this example. The wire lead 114 is connected to the solenoid 118. When a user depresses the button or actuator 40, the actuator contact 110 again moves the latch plate 75 against the force of the spring 84. The catch will be released from the prong 38 breaking contact and opening the switch. The solenoid can be such that it actuates upon the switch being opened. In this example, actuation of the solenoid withdraws or retracts the post 120 into the housing 122 which in turn pulls the yoke 96 and prongs 98 along the ramp 100 surfaces as described in the prior example. Movement of the yoke 96 in this manner again draws the flexible fingers 54 toward one another to disengage and release the chest clip assembly automatically upon actuation of the buckle assembly actuator 40. The chest clip section 52a and 52b can then be disengaged and separated from one another as shown in
As with the previously described mechanical release mechanism embodiment, FIGS, 5A and 5B illustrate only one possible example of an electrical release mechanism or device that can be utilized to transfer motion of the buckle release actuator 40 to simultaneously release the chest clip assembly. As will become evident to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, other electrical release mechanisms or devices and arrangements can be utilized within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the electrical contacts to open and close the circuit of the mechanism can be provided within the chest clip assembly and the electrical solenoid can be provided within the buckle assembly 27. In such an example, a user can disengage the chest clip assembly by utilizing the flexible finger contact portions 56 whereby movement of the flexible fingers can close the circuit and actuate the solenoid in the buckle assembly to move the actuator 40 to the unlatched position depicted in
In addition, the various release mechanism or device components disclosed and described above can vary from the examples shown, both in form and function. With respect to function, the devices utilized to draw the flexible fingers toward one another in this example can move in a direction opposite to that depicted in the two examples. Further, it is possible that the flexible fingers operate in a direction opposite to that disclosed herein when engaged. Thus, the surfaces of the flexible fingers that contact the release mechanism can be located differently from the examples shown, such as on the surfaces of the fingers that face one another instead of the surfaces that face in opposite directions relative to one another. With respect to form, other devices and mechanisms can replace the solenoid, wire spool, mechanical wire, yoke, and the like within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In one simple example, the yoke can be replaced by a slidable loop that completely encircles the two flexible fingers.
In another example that is substantially different than the two previously discussed examples, the buckle assembly and chest clip can be configured to connect directly to one another and to both automatically disengage upon actuation of a single actuator. To illustrate,
In this example, each of the clip sections 132a, 132b is vertically extended to a minimum height suitable for positioning the shoulder straps at the appropriate spaced apart distance at that minimum height. Each of the clip sections 132a, 132b in this example has a male buckle prong 134 projecting downward and connectable to the female housing section 26. One of the clip sections 132a is a female section and in this example has a pair of vertically spaced apart receptacles 136 on a side of the section. The other of the clip sections 132b is a male section and in this example has a pair of corresponding clip prongs 138 projecting from a side of the section. In this example, each of the receptacles 136 and clip prongs 138 is L-shaped. In order to fully latch the hardest system in this example, a user can laterally insert the clip prongs 138 into the clip receptacles 136 and then to move the male clip section 132b downward to connect and engage the two clip sections. The joint clip sections 132a, 132b can then be pushed downward so that the male buckle prongs 134 are received in the female receptacles 42 in the female housing section 26 until the prongs latch.
In order to release or unlatched the hardest system in this example, a user can depress the actuator 40 into the female housing section 26, which will disengage the male buckle prongs 134. The two clip sections 132a, 132b are then free to be disengaged from one another. As mentioned above with respect to the chest clip assembly 50, a spring bias can be provided (though not shown herein) to automatically push the male clip section 132b upward relative to the female clip section 132a to fully disengage the two clip sections without a user having to manually raise the male section relative to the female section. In another example, linear laterally extending male prongs can replace the male clip prongs 138 and merely positionally retain the two clip sections relative to one another when the two clip sections are connected to the female buckle section 26. The buckle assembly and clip sections will remain in a fully latched position in such an example until the actuator 40 is depressed releasing the male buckle prongs 134.
Each of the clip sections 132a, 132b in this example can have an upper loop portion 150 that captures the respective shoulder strap 32a, 32b. The upper loop portion 150 on each of the sections can be vertically adjustable relative to a body 152 of each of the clip sections so as to be capable of positionally adjusting the uppermost height of the chest clip assembly 130 relative to the buckle assembly, and particularly the female buckle housing 26, in this example. Each of the upper loop portions 150 can be connected to a slidable, ratcheting stem 154 that is forcibly movable and, thus, adjustable vertically relative to the respective clip section body 152.
The chest clip sections 132a, 132b can be configured differently from the example shown in and described with respect to
Although certain harness systems and release mechanisms 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.
