Safety seat for vehicle

By designing a vehicle safety seat including a support mechanism and a locking mechanism, the problems of cumbersome and safety hazards when infants and young children cry in the prior art are solved, the shaking and soothing of the safety seat is achieved, and safety and operation efficiency are improved.

CN119840495AInactive Publication Date: 2025-04-18HENAN RHINE AUTOMOBILE MFG CO LTD
View PDF 0 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510021393.2
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-01-07
Publication Date
2025-04-18
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing car safety seats are cumbersome, time-consuming and labor-intensive when infants and young children cry, and are difficult to comfort in time, and have safety hazards.

Method used

A safety seat for automobiles is designed, including a support mechanism, which includes a support seat, a mounting seat, a top block, a mounting groove and a support spring. Through the control of the locking mechanism, the top block can move and shake in the installation groove to realize the shaking of the safety seat to comfort crying infants and young children.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the quick soothing of infants and young children by shaking the safety seat, avoiding the need to carry out the infants and young children, saving time and energy, and improving safety.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN119840495A_ABST
    Figure CN119840495A_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of safety seats, and discloses a vehicle safety seat which comprises a safety seat body, a supporting mechanism, a supporting seat, a mounting seat, a limiting rod, a top block, a mounting groove, a supporting spring, a mounting mechanism, a limiting mechanism and a locking mechanism. According to the vehicle safety seat provided by the invention, when an infant cries and screams, in the temporary parking or normal driving process, the locking mechanism is controlled to be separated from limiting of the top block, the supporting spring drives the top block to pop out of the mounting groove, and an adult can pull the safety seat body with a hand to enable the safety seat to shake, so that the infant which cries and screams can be quickly pacified; the safety seat does not need to be opened, the situation that time and labor are wasted due to the fact that a baby is held back and forth when the baby stays for a short time is avoided, when an automobile is started, the safety seat body can be pressed towards one side of the installation base, the safety seat body drives the top block to move, the locking mechanism limits the top block while the top block moves, and the safety seat body is prevented from shaking in the driving process of the automobile.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a safety seat, in particular to a vehicle safety seat, and belongs to the technical field of safety seats. Background Art

[0002] A car safety seat is a safety protection system that can be fixed to a motor vehicle and consists of a safety belt assembly with a buckle or a flexible component, an adjustment mechanism, accessories, etc. At present, the commonly used safety seats are mainly for children. The safety seats can be combined with additional devices such as a basket, an auxiliary seat or a collision protection device. In the event of a collision or sudden deceleration of the car, the impact force on the children is reduced and the movement of the children's body is restricted to reduce their injuries and ensure their safety.

[0003] Existing car safety seats are usually fixed on car seats. Since relatively small infants and young children are prone to crying when using safety seats, when crying and cannot be soothed in a short time, it is necessary to stop the car and then take the infant or young child out of the safety seat for soothing. The operation is cumbersome, time-consuming and laborious. Not only is it difficult to soothe the infant or young child in time, but it is also easy to cause safety problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a car safety seat to solve the above problems. When an infant cries, the safety seat can be shaken to comfort the infant in time, without the need to carry the infant out, thus saving time and effort.

[0005] The present invention achieves the above-mentioned purpose through the following technical scheme: a vehicle safety seat, comprising a safety seat body, a support mechanism is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body, and the support mechanism comprises a support seat, a mounting seat, a top block, a mounting groove and a support spring, wherein: The support seat is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body, the mounting seat is provided at the bottom of the support seat, the top block is fixedly connected to the bottom of the support seat, the mounting seat is provided with the mounting groove at the corresponding position of the top block, the top block is slidably connected in the mounting groove, and a plurality of the support springs are sandwiched between the bottom of the top block and the inner wall of the mounting groove; The mounting seat is provided with a locking mechanism placed opposite to each other, the locking mechanism penetrates the mounting seat and extends into the mounting groove to lock the top block, the support seat is installed in cooperation with the safety seat body through two groups of mounting mechanisms, a limiting mechanism is provided inside the safety seat body, and the limiting mechanism is arranged corresponding to the two groups of mounting mechanisms.

[0006] Optionally, the cross-section of the top block is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, and the width of the mounting groove is greater than the width of the top block.

[0007] Optionally, the mounting mechanism includes a slide groove and a slider, two of the sliders are fixedly connected to the bottom of the safety seat body, the slide groove is opened inside the support seat, the positions of the slide groove and the slider are correspondingly arranged, and the two sliders are slidably connected to the two slide grooves respectively.

[0008] Optionally, the cross section of the slider is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, the cross section of the slide groove is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, and the length of the slide groove is greater than the length of the slider.

[0009] Optionally, one end of the slide groove passes through the support seat to set a through opening, the depth of the through opening is greater than the depth of the slide groove, and the sliding block can slide out along the through opening.

[0010] Optionally, the limiting mechanism includes a first locking tongue and a first spring, the first locking tongue is slidably connected to the inside of the support seat, two first locking tongues are arranged in the sliding groove close to the through opening, and the first spring is clamped between the two first locking tongues and the support seat respectively.

[0011] Optionally, a pedal is fixedly connected to one side of the two first locking tongues, and the pedal extends to the outside of the support seat.

[0012] Optionally, one side of the first lock tongue is in an arc-shaped structure, and a cross-section of the first lock tongue is in an inverted “T”-shaped structure.

[0013] Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a second locking tongue, a second spring, a sliding rod and a buckle. The second locking tongue is slidably connected to the inside of the mounting seat near the mounting groove, and the second locking tongue is used to lock the top block. The second spring is clamped between the two second locking tongues and the mounting seat respectively, and the sliding rod is fixedly connected to one side of the two second locking tongues facing away from the top block. The two sliding rods are slidably connected to the mounting seat respectively, and the ends of the two sliding rods extending to the outside of the mounting seat are fixedly connected to the buckle.

[0014] Optionally, a limiting rod is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting seat, and a fixed lock buckle is provided at the free end of the limiting rod.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention discloses a vehicle safety seat, comprising a safety seat body, a support mechanism is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body, the support mechanism comprises a support seat, a mounting seat, a top block, a mounting groove and a support spring, a support seat is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body, a mounting seat is provided at the bottom of the support seat, a top block is fixedly connected to the bottom of the support seat, a mounting groove is provided at a corresponding position of the top block on the mounting seat, the top block is slidably connected in the mounting groove, a plurality of support springs are clamped between the bottom of the top block and the inner wall of the mounting groove; a locking mechanism placed oppositely is provided on the mounting seat, the locking mechanism passes through the mounting seat and extends into the mounting groove to lock the top block, the support seat is installed in cooperation with the safety seat body through two sets of mounting mechanisms, a limiting mechanism is provided inside the safety seat body, and the limiting mechanism is provided correspondingly to the two sets of mounting mechanisms. When a child is crying, in the case of temporary parking or a short stop in a service area, the locking mechanism is controlled to disengage from the limit on the top block, and the top block can be moved and shaken in the installation groove by the support spring. The adult can pull the safety seat body by hand to make the safety seat shake left and right, so as to quickly comfort the crying infant or young child, without opening the safety seat, to avoid the time-consuming and laborious process of holding and putting down the infant or young child back and forth when stopping for a short time or the vehicle cannot be stopped. When the car starts, the safety seat body can be pressed to one side of the mounting seat, and the safety seat body drives the top block to move. While the top block moves, the locking mechanism limits the top block to prevent the safety seat body from shaking during the driving of the car. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 An enlarged view of the structure of part A is shown; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the connection structure between the safety seat body and the support mechanism shown; Figure 4 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the support base and the mounting mechanism shown.

[0019] In the figure: 1. safety seat body, 2. supporting mechanism, 21. supporting seat, 22. mounting seat, 23. limiting rod, 24. top block, 25. mounting groove, 26. supporting spring, 3. mounting mechanism, 31. slide groove, 32. slider, 4. limiting mechanism, 41. pedal, 42. first locking tongue, 43. first spring, 5. locking mechanism, 51. second locking tongue, 52. second spring, 53. sliding rod, 54. buckle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] See also Figure 1-4 As shown, a car safety seat comprises a safety seat body 1, a support mechanism 2 is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body 1, the support mechanism 2 comprises a support seat 21, a mounting seat 22, a top block 24, a mounting groove 25 and a support spring 26, the mounting seat 22 is provided at the bottom of the seat body, the support seat 21 is provided at the bottom of the support seat 21, the top block 24 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the support seat 21, the mounting seat 22 is provided with the mounting groove 25 at the corresponding position of the top block 24, the top block 24 is slidably connected to the mounting groove 25, and a plurality of the support springs are clamped between the top block 24 and the mounting seat 22 26. Specifically, one end of the support spring 26 is fixedly arranged on the inner bottom wall of the mounting groove 25, and the other end is fixedly connected to the bottom of the top block 24. The support spring 26 can be a compression spring. The limiting rod 23 is fixedly connected to one side of the mounting seat 22. The mounting seat 22 is relatively provided with a locking mechanism 5 at the corresponding position of the mounting groove 25. Specifically, the locking mechanism 5 passes through the mounting seat 22 and extends into the mounting groove 25, and is used to lock the top block 24. Two groups of mounting mechanisms 3 are provided between the support seat 21 and the safety seat body 1, and the interior of the safety seat body 1 is provided with limiting mechanisms 4 at the corresponding positions of the two groups of mounting mechanisms 3.

[0022] Among them, in the specific implementation process, the mounting seat 22 can be directly installed on the car by bolts, etc. Of course, the car safety seat can also include a limiting rod 23, which can be fixedly connected to one side of the mounting seat 22, and the free end of the limiting rod 23 can be provided with a fixed lock buckle, and the safety seat can be installed on the lock buckle of the car seat by the limiting rod 23 and the fixed lock buckle, which will not be elaborated in detail here.

[0023] During the specific implementation process, the cross-section of the top block 24 is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, the width of the mounting groove 25 is greater than the width of the top block 24, and the bottom structure of the inverted "T"-shaped structure is used to be slidably connected to the mounting groove 25 to achieve sliding of the top block 24 in the mounting groove 25.

[0024] As a technical optimization scheme of the present invention, the locking mechanism 5 includes a second locking tongue 51, a second spring 52, a sliding rod 53 and a buckle 54. The interior of the mounting seat 22 is relatively slidably connected with the second locking tongue 51 at the corresponding position of the mounting groove 25. The second locking tongue 51 is used to lock the top block 24. The two locking tongues respectively clamp the second spring 52 between the mounting seat 22. The two second locking tongues 51 are fixedly connected to the side away from the top block 24 with the sliding rod 53. The two sliding rods 53 are respectively slidably connected to the mounting seat 22. The ends of the two sliding rods 53 that are away from the two locking tongues penetrate the mounting seat 22, and the ends that extend to the outside of the mounting seat 22 are fixedly connected with the buckle 54; according to the position of the top block 24.

[0025] During the specific implementation process, the second locking tongue 51 is relatively slidably installed inside the mounting seat 22, and the second spring 52 is respectively installed between the two second locking tongues 51 and the mounting seat 22, and then the sliding rod 53 is welded on the side of the two second locking tongues 51 away from the top block 24, and finally the pull buckle 54 is respectively installed on the other end of the two sliding rods 53. When in use, the safety seat body 1 can be installed on the car seat through the mounting seat 22 and the limit rod 23. When the infant cries, the two pull buckles 54 are pulled back and forth at a temporary parking or service area for a short stop. 4. The buckle 54 drives the slide bar 53 and the second lock tongue 51 to move, and the second lock tongue 51 squeezes the second spring 52 while moving. When the two second lock tongues 51 slide to the inside of the mounting seat 22, the top block 24 is disengaged from the limit, and the support spring 26 drives the top block 24 to pop out of the mounting groove 25. The adult can pull the safety seat body 1 by hand to make the safety seat shake, so as to quickly comfort the crying infant without opening the safety seat, avoiding the time-consuming and laborious process of carrying and putting the baby back and forth when the vehicle cannot stop for a short time. When the car starts, the safety seat body 1 can be pressed toward one side of the mounting seat 22, and the safety seat body 1 drives the top block 24 to move. The top block 24 squeezes the second locking tongue 51 and the supporting spring 26 while moving, and the second locking tongue 51 causes the second spring 52 to contract. When the top block 24 moves to the bottom of the second locking tongue 51 at its maximum, the second spring 52 drives the second locking tongue 51 to reset, thereby limiting the top block 24 and preventing the safety seat body 1 from shaking during the driving of the car. When disassembling the safety seat, the pedal 41 can be stepped on, and the pedal 41 drives the two first locking tongues 42 to move while squeezing the first spring 43. When the two first locking tongues 42 are retracted inside the support seat 21, the safety seat body 1 can be pulled, and the slider 32 slides out of the slide groove 31, thereby realizing the disassembly of the safety seat body 1. During installation, the slider 32 is slid into the inside of the slide groove 31 through the positioning between the slider 32 and the slide groove 31. The slider 32 squeezes the first locking tongue 42 when sliding, and the first locking tongue 42 drives the first spring 43 to contract. When the slider 32 slides to one side of the first locking tongue 42, the first spring 43 drives the first locking tongue 42 to reset, thereby realizing the limiting of the slider 32. The structure is simple and convenient for the rapid disassembly and installation of the safety seat body 1.

[0026] In the specific implementation process, the mounting mechanism 3 includes a slide groove 31 and a slider 32. Two sliders 32 are fixedly connected to the bottom of the safety seat body 1. The inside of the support seat 21 is provided with the slide groove 31 at the corresponding positions of the two sliders 32. The two sliders 32 are respectively slidably connected with the two slide grooves 31. Specifically, the cross section of the slider 32 is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, the cross section of the slide groove 31 located inside the support seat 21 is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, and the length of the slide groove 31 located inside the support seat 21 is greater than the length of the slider 32. One end of the slide groove 31 penetrates the support seat 21 to set a through opening, the depth of the through opening is greater than the depth of the slide groove 31, and the slider 32 can slide out along the through opening, so that the safety seat body 1 can be replaced or cleaned without causing rust inside the support mechanism 2 due to splashing water, shortening the service life, etc.

[0027] In the specific implementation process, the limiting mechanism 4 includes a pedal 41, a first locking tongue 42 and a first spring 43. The first locking tongue 42 is slidably connected to the corresponding positions of the two slide grooves 31 inside the support seat 21. The two first locking tongues 42 are arranged in the slide groove 31 close to the through-hole. The two first locking tongues 42 respectively clamp the first spring 43 between the support seat 21, and one side of the two first locking tongues 42 is fixedly connected to the pedal 41. Moreover, in the specific implementation process, one side of the two first locking tongues 42 is fixedly connected to the pedal 41, and the pedal 41 extends to the outside of the support seat 21, so that the two first locking tongues 42 can be driven to move by the action of the pedal 41 while squeezing the first spring 43. When the two first locking tongues 42 are retracted inside the support seat 21, the safety seat body 1 can be pulled, and the slider 32 slides out of the slide groove 31, thereby realizing the disassembly of the safety seat body 1.

[0028] In a specific implementation process, one side of the first locking tongue 42 is in an arc-shaped structure, and the cross section of the first locking tongue 42 is in an inverted “T”-shaped structure, so as to ensure that the first locking tongue 42 can lock the slider 32 .

[0029] When the present invention is used, firstly, two sliders 32 are installed at the bottom of the safety seat body 1, and the safety seat body 1 is installed on the support seat 21 through the sliders 32. According to the positions of the two sliders 32, two first locking tongues 42 are slidably installed inside the support seat 21, and then first springs 43 are respectively installed between the two first locking tongues 42 and the support seat 21, and a pedal 41 is welded on one side of the two first locking tongues 42. Then, a top block 24 is installed at the bottom of the support seat 21, and then the top block 24 is installed on the mounting seat 2 with a limiting rod 23 welded on one side. 2, and then the support spring 26 is installed between the top block 24 and the mounting seat 22. According to the position of the top block 24, the second locking tongue 51 is relatively slidably installed inside the mounting seat 22, and the second springs 52 are respectively installed between the two second locking tongues 51 and the mounting seat 22. Then, the sliding rods 53 are welded on the sides of the two second locking tongues 51 away from the top block 24, and finally, the buckles 54 are respectively installed on the other ends of the two sliding rods 53. When in use, the safety seat body 1 can be installed on the car seat through the mounting seat 22 and the limiting rod 23. When an infant cries, the user can stop for a short time at a temporary parking lot or service area, and even when the car is driving, the two buckles 54 can still be pulled back and forth, and the buckles 54 drive the slide bar 53 and the second locking tongue 51 to move. The second locking tongue 51 squeezes the second spring 52 while moving. When the two second locking tongues 51 slide to the inside of the mounting seat 22, the top block 24 is disengaged from the limit, and the supporting spring 26 drives the top block 24 to pop out of the mounting groove 25. The adult can pull the safety seat body 1 by hand to make the safety seat shake, so as to quickly comfort the crying infant without opening the safety seat, avoiding the time-consuming and laborious process of holding and putting the baby back and forth when stopping for a short time. When the car starts, the safety seat body 1 can be pressed toward one side of the mounting seat 22, and the safety seat body 1 drives the top block 24 to move. The top block 24 squeezes the second locking tongue 51 and the supporting spring 26 while moving, and the second locking tongue 51 causes the second spring 52 to contract. When the top block 24 moves to the bottom of the second locking tongue 51 at its maximum, the second spring 52 drives the second locking tongue 51 to reset, thereby limiting the top block 24 and preventing the safety seat body 1 from shaking during the driving of the car. When disassembling the safety seat, the pedal 41 can be stepped on, and the pedal 41 drives the two first locking tongues 42 to move while squeezing the first spring 43. When the two first locking tongues 42 are retracted inside the support seat 21, the safety seat body 1 can be pulled, and the slider 32 slides out of the slide groove 31, thereby realizing the disassembly of the safety seat body 1. During installation, the slider 32 is slid into the inside of the slide groove 31 through the positioning between the slider 32 and the slide groove 31. The slider 32 squeezes the first locking tongue 42 when sliding, and the first locking tongue 42 drives the first spring 43 to contract. When the slider 32 slides to one side of the first locking tongue 42, the first spring 43 drives the first locking tongue 42 to reset, thereby realizing the limiting of the slider 32. The structure is simple and convenient for the rapid disassembly and installation of the safety seat body 1.

[0030] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0031] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety seat, comprising a safety seat body (1), characterized in that: A support mechanism (2) is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body (1), wherein the support mechanism (2) comprises a support seat (21), a mounting seat (22), a top block (24), a mounting groove (25) and a support spring (26), wherein: The support seat (21) is provided at the bottom of the safety seat body (1), the mounting seat (22) is provided at the bottom of the support seat (21), the top block (24) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the support seat (21), the mounting seat (22) is provided with the mounting groove (25) at a corresponding position of the top block (24), the top block (24) is slidably connected in the mounting groove (25), and a plurality of support springs (26) are clamped between the bottom of the top block (24) and the inner wall of the mounting groove (25); The mounting seat (22) is provided with a locking mechanism (5) placed opposite to each other. The locking mechanism (5) penetrates the mounting seat (22) and extends into the mounting groove (25) to lock the top block (24). The support seat (21) is mounted in cooperation with the safety seat body (1) through two groups of mounting mechanisms (3). A limiting mechanism (4) is provided inside the safety seat body (1). The limiting mechanism (4) is arranged corresponding to the two groups of mounting mechanisms (3).

2. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the top block (24) is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, and the width of the mounting groove (25) is greater than the width of the top block (24).

3. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting mechanism (3) comprises a slide groove (31) and a slider (32); two sliders (32) are fixedly connected to the bottom of the safety seat body (1); the slide groove (31) is provided inside the support seat (21); the positions of the slide groove (31) and the slider (32) are arranged correspondingly; and the two sliders (32) are slidably connected to the two slide grooves (31) respectively.

4. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The cross section of the slider (32) is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, the cross section of the slide groove (31) is an inverted "T"-shaped structure, and the length of the slide groove (31) is greater than the length of the slider (32).

5. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: One end of the slide groove (31) passes through the support seat (21) to form a through opening, the depth of the through opening being greater than the depth of the slide groove (31), and the slide block (32) can slide out along the through opening.

6. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The limiting mechanism (4) comprises a first locking tongue (42) and a first spring (43); the first locking tongue (42) is slidably connected to the interior of the support seat (21); two first locking tongues (42) are arranged in the sliding groove (31) close to the through opening; and the first spring (43) is clamped between the two first locking tongues (42) and the support seat (21).

7. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: A pedal (41) is fixedly connected to one side of the two first locking tongues (42), and the pedal (41) extends to the outside of the support seat (21).

8. A vehicle safety seat as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: One side of the first locking tongue (42) is in an arc-shaped structure, and the cross-section of the first locking tongue (42) is in an inverted "T"-shaped structure.

9. The vehicle safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking mechanism (5) comprises a second locking tongue (51), a second spring (52), a sliding rod (53) and a buckle (54); the second locking tongue (51) is slidably connected inside the mounting seat (22) near the mounting groove (25); the second locking tongue (51) is used to lock the top block (24); the second spring (52) is clamped between the two second locking tongues (51) and the mounting seat (22); the sliding rod (53) is fixedly connected to one side of the two second locking tongues (51) facing away from the top block (24); the two sliding rods (53) are slidably connected to the mounting seat (22); and the ends of the two sliding rods (53) extending to the outside of the mounting seat (22) are fixedly connected to the buckle (54).

10. The vehicle safety seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: One side of the mounting seat (22) is fixedly connected to a limiting rod (23), and a fixed lock buckle is provided at the free end of the limiting rod (23).