Child safety seats

Abstract

A child safety seat comprises: a seat shell having a backrest and side walls, the side walls protruding forward from the backrest; an adjustable headrest movable along the backrest; and a first belt guide and a second belt guide, the first belt guide being fixedly connected to the side wall at the top of the side wall, and the second belt guide being arranged on the headrest, and a gap being formed between the side wall and the headrest, wherein the first belt guide and the second belt guide can accommodate the shoulder belt of a car safety belt passing through the gap. In addition, the child safety seat can also include a latch belt that passes through the seat shell transversely, and two opposite side ends of the latch belt are respectively provided with two connectors for fixing to an anchoring part in a car; and a storage cavity located on the back of the backrest, and the two connectors of the latch belt can be accommodated in the storage cavity.

Description

[0001] This invention patent application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application No. 201910075027.X entitled “Child Safety Seat” filed on January 25, 2019. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a child safety seat. Background Art

[0003] Child safety seats are commonly used in cars to properly restrain children in the event of an unexpected collision. For children under 2 years old, it is usually recommended to set the child safety seat in a rear-facing position to provide better protection because it can distribute the collision force over a larger part of the child's body (i.e., the head and torso). As the child grows, the child safety seat can be changed to a forward-facing position.

[0004] Child safety seats can provide different restraints depending on the age of the child. For example, a harness integrated into a child safety seat can be used to restrain a smaller toddler, while a car seat belt can be used to restrain a larger child. When a car seat belt is used to restrain a child, the car seat belt must be correctly placed across the child safety seat to provide effective protection. In particular, the lap belt portion of the car seat belt must be placed across the child's thighs at a lower position, while the shoulder belt portion of the car seat belt must be placed across the center of the child's shoulders and away from the neck. To this end, child safety seats typically include cavities and / or openings for the car seat belt to pass through. These conventional structures are typically narrow and may cause friction with the car seat belt, particularly with the shoulder belt portion of the car seat belt, which may hinder its ability to be pulled back. This may prevent the car seat belt from being properly tightened around the child, which may prevent force transmission between the child and the car seat belt in the event of an accidental collision. In addition, the harness integrated into a conventional child safety seat may also be subject to internal friction, which may cause the harness belt to be improperly tightened.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an improved child safety seat that can provide improved restraint for the child and can at least alleviate the above disadvantages. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention provides a child safety seat which can be easily installed and can provide a better restraint effect for the child.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a child safety seat includes: a seat shell having a backrest and a side wall, the side wall protruding forward from the backrest; an adjustable headrest movable along the backrest; and a first belt guide and a second belt guide, the first belt guide being fixedly connected to the sidewall at the top of the sidewall, the second belt guide being arranged on the headrest, and a gap being formed between the sidewall and the headrest, wherein the first belt guide and the second belt guide can accommodate the shoulder belt portion of a car safety belt passing through the gap.

[0008] The child safety seat is characterized in that the first belt guide is made of plastic material.

[0009] The child safety seat is characterized in that the first belt guide is made of nylon or polyoxymethylene (POM).

[0010] The child safety seat is characterized in that the first belt guide has a bottom and two ridges protruding from the bottom, and the first belt guide can accommodate the shoulder belt portion of the car safety belt between the two ridges.

[0011] The child safety seat is characterized in that the first belt guide is arranged adjacent to the connection between the side wall and the backrest.

[0012] The child safety seat is characterized in that the headrest includes a side support portion protruding forward, the gap is located between the side wall of the seat shell and the side support portion of the headrest, and the first belt guide extends into the gap.

[0013] The child safety seat is characterized in that the rear side of the gap is bounded by the backrest portion, and the front side of the gap is open.

[0014] The child safety seat is characterized in that the second belt guide is adjacent to the lower edge of the side support portion.

[0015] The child safety seat is characterized in that the second belt guide includes a belt hole and a slit, the belt hole can accommodate the shoulder strap portion passing through, and the slit is arranged at the lower edge of the second belt guide so that the shoulder strap portion can be inserted into the belt hole through the slit.

[0016] The child safety seat is characterized in that it also includes a latch belt that passes horizontally through the interior of the seat shell and extends outward through a guide groove provided in the seat shell, and two opposite side ends of the latch belt are respectively provided with two connecting parts for fixing to the anchoring part in the car.

[0017] In addition, another embodiment of the present invention provides a child safety seat, comprising: a seat shell having a backrest portion; a latch belt that passes through the seat shell laterally, and two opposite side ends of the latch belt are respectively provided with two connecting parts for fixing to an anchoring portion in a car; and a storage cavity located on the back side of the backrest portion, wherein the two connecting parts of the latch belt can be accommodated in the storage cavity.

[0018] The child safety seat is characterized in that the storage cavity is arranged at a middle position on the back side of the backrest portion.

[0019] The child safety seat is characterized in that the seat shell is provided with a guide groove at the bottom thereof, and the latch belt extends outward through the guide groove.

[0020] The child safety seat is characterized in that: the guide groove extends from the back area in the backrest portion to the front area near the front end of the seat shell, and the latch belt can slide along the guide groove to adjust between different positions, wherein when the latch belt is in the first position, it passes through the back area to fix the child safety seat to the car seat in a forward installation manner, and when the latch belt is in the second position, it passes through the front area to fix the child safety seat to the car seat in a rearward installation manner.

[0021] The child safety seat is characterized in that the latch belt having the two connecting members accommodated in the storage cavity is placed in the back area.

[0022] The child safety seat is characterized in that it also includes a top strap, which can be connected to the upper area of ​​the backrest and has a top strap connector suitable for locking with a strap anchor in the car, and the top strap connector and the two connectors of the latch strap can be accommodated in the storage cavity at the same time.

[0023] The child safety seat is characterized in that the latch belt having the two connectors accommodated in the storage cavity surrounds the backrest portion, and the top tether having the top tether connector accommodated in the storage cavity extends downward from the upper area of ​​the backrest portion.

[0024] The child safety seat is characterized in that the storage cavity includes a cover to open and close the storage cavity.

[0025] The child safety seat is characterized in that the cover is pivotally connected to the seat shell at a position below the storage cavity, and the pivot axis of the cover extends transversely from the left side to the right side of the seat shell.

[0026] The child safety seat is characterized in that when the cover member closes the storage cavity, the two connecting members therein can be hidden, and the latch belt can extend out of the storage cavity from the left and right sides of the cover member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a child safety seat provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view showing some detailed structures of a child safety seat.

[0029] Figure 3 A three-dimensional diagram of a child belt that can be disposed in a child safety seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0030] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A perspective view of a child safety seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which may be provided with a fixing feature and a storage cavity for easy fixing to a car seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a child safety seat 100 provided in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The child safety seat 100 may include a support base 102 and a seat shell 104 disposed on the support base 102. The support base 102 may provide a stable support for the seat shell 104 and enable the seat shell 104 to adjust its tilt angle. The seat shell 104 may include a seat portion 106, a backrest portion 108, and two side walls 110. The seat shell 104 including the seat portion 106, the backrest portion 108, and the two side walls 110 may be formed of plastic.

[0032] The two side walls 110 may protrude forward from the backrest portion 108 and extend along the left and right sides of the backrest portion 108, respectively. The two side walls 110 may define the inner space for accommodating the child in the seat shell 104 along both sides and may provide lateral protection for the child's body. The backrest portion 108 may be assembled with an adjustable headrest 112, which is disposed between the two side walls 110. The headrest 112 may move along the backrest portion 108 between the two side walls 110 to be adjusted according to the height of the child in the seat shell 104. According to one embodiment, the headrest 112 may include a central support portion 114 and two side support portions 116 protruding forward from the left and right sides of the central support portion 114. The two side support portions 116 may provide lateral protection for the child's head.

[0033] Cooperate Figure 1 , Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a child safety seat 100 is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Each of the left and right sides of the child safety seat 100 may also include a belt path 118 to accommodate a shoulder belt portion 119 of a vehicle safety belt (shown in phantom in FIG. Figure 2 ). More specifically, the belt path 118 on each of the left and right sides may include a gap 120 and two belt guides 122, 124, wherein the gap 120 is defined by the side wall 110 of the seat shell 104 and the side support portion 116 thereof adjacent to the headrest 112, and the two belt guides 122, 124 may accommodate the shoulder belt portion 119 passing through the gap 120. The belt guide 122 is fixedly connected to the side wall 110 of the seat shell 104, and the belt guide 124 may be disposed on the side support portion 116 of the headrest 112. The rear side of the gap 120 may be defined by the backrest portion 108, and the front side of the gap 120 may be provided with an opening. The gap 120 may accommodate the shoulder belt portion 119 of the vehicle safety belt to pass through, and allow the shoulder belt portion 119 to smoothly slide through the gap 120. According to one embodiment, the gap 120 is larger than the thickness of the shoulder strap portion 119 to allow it to slide smoothly, for example, the width of the gap 120 between the side wall 110 of the seat shell 104 and the side support portion 116 of the headrest 112 is substantially larger than twice the shoulder strap portion 119. The length of the belt path 118 (which can be defined as the length between the two belt guides 122, 124 in the gap 120) can increase as the headrest 112 moves downward relative to the backrest portion 108, and shorten as the headrest 112 moves upward relative to the backrest portion 108.

[0034] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the belt guide 122 located at each of the left and right sides of the seat shell 104 may be fixedly connected to the side wall 110 at the top of the side wall 110. According to one embodiment, the belt guide 122 may be disposed adjacent to the connection between the side wall 110 and the backrest portion 108. In addition, the belt guide 122 may extend into the gap 120 between the side wall 110 of the seat shell 104 and the side support portion 116 of the headrest 112. According to one embodiment, the belt guide 122 may have a bottom 130 and two ridges 132 protruding from the bottom 130. According to one embodiment, the belt guide 122 including the bottom 130 and the two ridges 132 may be formed as a single body. The belt guide 122 may accommodate the shoulder belt portion 119 of the vehicle safety belt between the two ridges 132 to facilitate limiting the position of the shoulder belt portion 119.

[0035] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, the belt guide 124 located at each of the left and right sides of the headrest 112 may be disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the side support portion 116. More specifically, the belt guide 124 may be disposed adjacent to the connection between the side support portion 116 and the central support portion 114 of the headrest 112. According to one embodiment, the belt guide 124 may include a belt hole 134 capable of accommodating the shoulder strap portion 119 to pass therethrough, and a slit 136 disposed at the lower edge of the belt guide 124 so that the shoulder strap portion 119 can be inserted into the belt hole 134 through the slit 136. The slit 136 is narrower than the belt hole 134 so that the belt guide 124 can restrict the shoulder strap portion 119 in the belt hole 134. Similar to the belt guide 122, the belt guide 124 can be made of a plastic material with a relatively low friction coefficient for the shoulder strap portion 119 of the car safety belt, so that the shoulder strap portion 119 can slide easily when contacting the belt guide 124. The belt guide 124 and the belt guide 122 can be made of the same material or different materials.

[0036] See also Figure 1 The left and right sides of the seat shell 104 may also include two belt guides 138 respectively disposed below the two side walls 110. The two belt guides 138 may be used to position the waist belt portion of the vehicle safety belt.

[0037] With the above structure, the child safety seat 100 can accommodate a relatively large child when used in a car, and the child can be restrained by the car safety belt. After the child safety seat 100 is placed on the car seat, the caregiver can wear the car safety belt and pass the waist belt portion of the car safety belt across the child safety seat 100 through the two belt guides 138, and the shoulder belt portion of the car safety belt can be guided through the belt guides 122 and 124 of the belt path 118 on one of the left and right sides. The belt guides 122 and 124 can generate low friction with the shoulder belt portion of the car safety belt, which helps the shoulder belt portion of the car safety belt to easily pass through the belt path 118. Therefore, the car safety belt can properly fasten the child in the child safety seat 100 to provide better protection.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the belt guide 122 and / or 124 may be made of a material that allows the shoulder strap portion 119 to slide easily when contacting the belt guide 122 and / or 124. For example, the belt guide 122 and / or 124 may be made of a plastic material with a relatively low friction coefficient with respect to the shoulder strap portion 119 of the vehicle safety belt. Suitable plastic materials for the belt guide 122 and / or 124 include, but are not limited to, nylon or polyoxymethylene (POM). Since the shoulder strap portion 119 generates low friction with the belt guide 122 and / or 124 when sliding, the retraction ability of the shoulder strap portion 119 will not be hindered, so that the vehicle safety belt can be properly tightened across the child to provide effective protection.

[0039] See also Figure 1 and Figure 3 , which is a three-dimensional view of a child safety seat 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, including a child belt 140 that can be coupled to the child safety seat 100. Figure 3 The child safety seat 100 includes a child harness 140, which is coupled to the seat shell 104 and can be used to restrain the child in the seat shell 104. The child harness 140 may include a harness body 142, which is, for example, a shoulder strap portion. The harness body 142 passes through the interior of the seat shell 104 and is coupled to the headrest 112. The harness body 142 can be adjusted with the headrest 112 to match the body size of the child in the seat shell 104.

[0040] To facilitate guiding the strap 142, the seat shell 104 may include a first rod 144, and the headrest 112 may be fixedly connected to a second rod 146 and a spacer 148. The first rod 144 is disposed inside the seat shell 104. More specifically, the first rod 144 may be fixedly connected to the seat shell 104 at a top 150 adjacent to the backrest 108 and extend laterally relative to the backrest 108. The second rod 146 and the spacer 148 may be adjacent to each other and fixedly connected to the headrest 112. For example, a coupling mounting portion 152 may be fixedly connected to the headrest 112 and protrude behind the headrest 112, and the second rod 146 and the spacer 148 may be fixedly connected to the coupling mounting portion 152. The headrest 112 may be vertically adjusted relative to the backrest 108 while the second rod 146 and the spacer 148 are maintained below the first rod 144.

[0041] The belt body 142 may span the first rod 144 and form two folded belt segments 142A and 142B extending downward from the first rod 144. The folded belt segment 142A may span the second rod 146 and extend outward in front of the backrest 108, while the folded belt segment 142B may extend downward beyond the second rod 146. A spacer 148 may be disposed between the two folded belt segments 142A and 142B to prevent the two folded belt segments 142A and 142B from contacting each other. In this embodiment, the two folded belt segments 142A and 142B are closest to each other near the second rod 146, and the spacer 148 may be disposed there to effectively prevent the two folded belt segments 142A and 142B from contacting each other. In this way, adverse friction between the two folded belt segments 142A and 142B can be avoided, making the child belt 140 easy to adjust and / or tighten.

[0042] It is worth mentioning that the aforementioned technical features and advantages of the child belt 140 can be applied to different embodiments of the child safety seat 100. For example, the aforementioned technical features of the child belt 140 can be implemented separately or in combination with the technical features of the belt path 118 depending on the design requirements of the child safety seat 100.

[0043] Cooperate Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 A perspective view of a child safety seat 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which may be provided with fixing features for facilitating fixing to a car seat. Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 In addition to or as an alternative to using a vehicle seat belt, the child safety seat 100 may include a latching strap 154 ​​that can secure the child safety seat 100 to a vehicle seat. The latching strap 154 ​​extends transversely through the interior of the seat shell 104, and two opposite side ends of the latching strap 154 ​​extend out of the seat shell 104 and are respectively provided with two connectors 156 for fastening to an anchoring portion of the vehicle. The connectors 156 can be engaged with the anchoring portion in the vehicle to facilitate securing the child safety seat 100 to the vehicle seat. According to one embodiment, the latching strap 154 ​​can extend outward through a guide slot 158 ​​provided at the bottom of the seat shell 104, wherein the guide slot 158 ​​extends from a back region 160 in the backrest 108 to a front region 162 near the front end of the seat shell 104. The latching strip 154 ​​can slide along the guide groove 158 to adjust between two positions: the first position is that the latching strip 154 ​​passes through the back region 160 to fix the child safety seat 100 on the car seat in a forward installation mode, and the second position is that the latching strip 154 ​​passes through the front region 162 to fix the child safety seat 100 on the car seat in a rearward installation mode. Therefore, the child safety seat 100 can be conveniently fixed in the forward installation mode and the rearward installation mode by using the latching strip 154.

[0044] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the child safety seat 100 includes a top tether 164, which can be connected to the upper area of ​​the backrest portion 108. The free end of the top tether 164 has a top tether connector 166. The top tether connector 166 can be a hook or other suitable structure. When the child safety seat 100 is set on the car seat in a forward mounting manner, the top tether connector 166 can be locked with the tether anchor portion located behind the car seat in the car. In the event of a car collision, the top tether 164 can prevent the child safety seat 100 from pivoting forward to reduce the probability of the child hitting the back of the front car seat or the center dashboard.

[0045] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5, the seat shell 104 may further include a storage cavity 170 located at the back of the backrest portion 108. According to one embodiment, the storage cavity 170 may be disposed at a middle position at the back of the backrest portion 108. The storage cavity 170 may accommodate at least two connectors 156 of the latch strap 154 ​​and the top tether connector 166, and may include a cover 172 to facilitate opening and closing the storage cavity 170. For example, the cover 172 may be pivotally connected to the seat shell 104 adjacent to the bottom of the storage cavity 170, and the pivot axis of the cover 172 may extend laterally from the left side to the right side of the seat shell 104. When the latch strap 154 ​​is not used, the latch strap 154 ​​may be placed in the back area 160 and wrapped into the storage cavity 170, so that the two connectors 156 are placed in the storage cavity 170. When the top tether 164 is not used, the top tether connector 166 may also be placed in the storage cavity 170. The cover 172 can close the storage cavity 170 to hide the two connectors 156 and the top tie connector 166 therein. Figure 5 shown.

[0046] Advantages of the child safety seat of the present invention include providing a better restraint for the child and better protection in the event of an accidental collision. In addition, the child safety seat may include a latch strap and a top tether so that the child safety seat can be securely fixed in both a rear-facing installation and a forward installation. When the latch strap and the top tether are not in use, the latch strap connector and the top tether connector can be conveniently placed and hidden in a storage cavity on the back of the child safety seat.

[0047] Some embodiments of child safety seats have been described above. These embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are certainly not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present invention are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A child safety seat, characterized in that: include: A seat shell having a backrest portion and a side wall, the side wall protruding forward from the backrest portion; an adjustable headrest movable along the backrest; as well as a first belt guide and a second belt guide, wherein the first belt guide is fixedly connected to the side wall at the top of the side wall and partially covers the top edge of the side wall, and the second belt guide is arranged on the headrest, and a gap is formed between the side wall and the headrest, wherein the first belt guide and the second belt guide can accommodate a shoulder belt portion of a car safety belt passing through the gap; wherein the second belt guide can be moved with the headrest to a position below the first belt guide, and the length of the gap between the first belt guide and the second belt guide can increase as the headrest moves downward relative to the backrest portion to a position where the second belt guide is located below the first belt guide; When the second belt guide is located below the first belt guide and the shoulder belt portion is installed in the gap by contacting the first belt guide and passing through the second belt guide, the guidance of the first belt guide provides a guiding channel along the vertical direction.

2. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first belt guide is made of plastic material.

3. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first belt guide is made of nylon or polyoxymethylene (POM).

4. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first belt guide has a bottom and two ridges protruding from the bottom, and the first belt guide can accommodate the shoulder belt portion of the vehicle safety belt between the two ridges.

5. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first belt guide is disposed adjacent to a connection between the side wall and the backrest.

6. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The headrest includes a side support portion protruding forward, the gap is located between the side wall of the seat shell and the side support portion of the headrest, and the first belt guide extends into the gap.

7. The child safety seat according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rear side of the gap is bounded by the backrest portion, and the front side of the gap is open.

8. The child safety seat according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second belt guide is adjacent to a lower edge of the side support portion.

9. The child safety seat according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second belt guide comprises a belt hole and a slit, wherein the belt hole can accommodate the shoulder strap portion to pass through, and the slit is arranged at the lower edge of the second belt guide, so that the shoulder strap portion can be inserted into the belt hole through the slit.

10. The child safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a latch belt that passes transversely through the interior of the seat shell and extends outward through a guide groove provided in the seat shell, and two opposite side ends of the latch belt are respectively provided with two connecting pieces for fixing to an anchoring portion in the car.

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