Child seat

Abstract

Child seat (100), comprising: a seat shell (102) having a seat portion (104), a backrest portion (106) and a side wall (110), the side wall (110) projecting forwardly from the backrest portion (106); a headrest (108) connected to the backrest portion (106) and movable along the backrest portion (106), the headrest (108) having a side support portion (114) projecting forward; and a side protection member (116) disposed adjacent to the side wall (110) on an inner side thereof, wherein the side protection member (116) extends along the inner side of the side wall (110) from a location adjacent to the seat portion (104) toward a top side of the backrest portion (106), wherein a portion of the side protection member (116) is disposed between the side wall (110) and the side support portion (114) of the headrest (108), wherein the side protection member (116) has a first damping structure (120) and a second damping structure (122) formed integrally with the side protection member (116), wherein the first damping structure (120) is disposed to be generally associated with the headrest (108), and the second damping structure (122) is disposed below the first damping structure (120), wherein the first damping structure (120) and the second damping structure (122) are designed tothat an elasticity of the side protection part (116) is different in areas corresponding to the first damping structure (120) and the second damping structure (122).,

Description

Background1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to child seats.2. Description of the Prior ArtA child seat is generally used in a vehicle to provide protection and reduce the impact of an accident on a child. Child seats are known, for example, from the documents DE 10 2016 101 616 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 2018 / 0178 682 A1 and EP 2 679 439 A1. For example, in a frontal impact, the child seat can effectively prevent the child's body from abruptly moving forward, which can result in a harmful impact. In the event of a rear impact, a backrest portion and a headrest of the child seat may support the body and head of the child, thus preventing abrupt rearward movement of the child's neck which would result in neck injuries. Child seats can thus reduce the risk of injury and improve the safety of children in a vehicle.However, in the event of a lateral impact of the vehicle, conventional child seats may only rely on the side walls of the backrest portion and the side walls of the headrest to cushion the impact, which does not provide sufficient protection.It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved child seat which can provide better cushioning against lateral collisions. The present invention achieves this object with the features of claim 1.OverviewIn the present application, a child seat is described which provides better protection and at least solves the aforementioned problem.According to an embodiment, the child seat includes a seat pan, a headrest, and a side guard. The seat pan has a seat portion, a backrest portion, and a side wall, the side wall protruding forward from the backrest portion. The headrest is connected to the backrest portion and movable along the backrest portion, the headrest including a forwardly projecting side support portion. The side guard is disposed adjacent to the side wall at an inner side thereof, the side guard extends along the inner side of the side wall from a location adjacent to the seat portion toward an upper side of the backrest portion, a portion of the side guard is disposed between the side wall and the side support portion of the headrest, the side guard includes a first cushioning structure and a second cushioning structure integrally formed with the side guard, the first cushioning structure is disposed to be generally associated with the headrest, and the second cushioning structure is disposed below the first cushioning structure, the first cushioning structure and the second cushioning structure are formed such that an elasticity of the side guard is different in areas corresponding to the first cushioning structure and the second cushioning structure.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a child seat; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a side guard suitable for use in the child seat; and FIG. 3 is another perspective view showing the side guard member of FIG. 2.Detailed Description of EmbodimentsFIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a child seat 100. The child seat 100 may include a seat pan 102. The seat pan 102 may include a seat portion 104, a backrest portion 106, and two side walls 110. The seat pan 102, including the seat portion 104, the backrest portion 106, and the two side walls 110, may be made of plastic materials.The two side walls 110 may project forward from the backrest portion 106 and extend along left and right sides of the backrest portion 106, respectively. The two side walls 110 may laterally define an interior of the seat pan 102 suitable for receiving a child and may provide lateral protection for the child's body. The backrest portion 106 may be equipped with an adjustable headrest 108 arranged between the two side walls 110. The headrest 108 can be moved along the backrest portion 106 between the two side walls 110 in order to adjust it in accordance with the height of a child placed in the seat pan 102.According to an embodiment, the headrest 108 may include a central support portion 112 and two side support portions 114 protruding forward at left and right sides of the central support portion 112, respectively. The two side support portions 114 of the head restraint 108 may provide lateral protection for the child's head.The child seat 100 may further include two side protecting parts 116 each disposed on an inner side of the two side walls 110. On each of the left and right sides, the side guard 116 may extend along the inside of the corresponding side wall 110 from a location adjacent to the seat portion 104 toward an upper side of the backrest portion 106, with a portion of the side guard 116 being disposed between the side wall 110 and the side support portion 114 of the headrest 108. According to an example of construction, the side guards 116 may include, by way of example, without limitation, plastic materials.In conjunction with FIG. 1, FIGS. 2 and 3 are two perspective views each showing two opposing sides of the side guard 116. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the side guard member 116 is illustratively a plate and has two major surfaces 116A and 116B and two peripheral portions 116C and 116D. The two main surfaces 116A and 116B are respectively located on two opposite sides of the side protection part 116. The edge portion 116C may be respectively connected to the two major surfaces 116A and 116B along one side of the side guard 116, and the edge portion 116D may be respectively connected to the two major surfaces 116A and 116B along another side of the side guard 116. Moreover, the edge portion 116C may include a rib 118 protruding from the main surface 116B. When the side guard 116 is installed in the seat pan 102, the major surface 116A faces the interior of the seat pan 102 and the corresponding side support portion 114 of the headrest 108, the major surface 116B faces and abuts the corresponding side wall 110, the edge portion 116C faces a front side of the seat pan 102, the edge portion 116D abuts the backrest portion 106, and the rib 118 abuts a front edge of the corresponding side wall 110.The side guard 116 may include one or more cushioning structures configured to provide resilient rebound and be deformable to cushion impact during lateral collisions. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the major surface 116A of the side guard 116 is generally planar, and the major surface 116B of the side guard 116 may include one or more damping structures, e.g., a plurality of damping structures 120 and 122. According to an embodiment, the damping structures 120 and 122 may be formed integrally with the side protection part 116, wherein a material thickness of the damping structures 120 and 122 in regions of the side protection part 116 that do not belong to the damping structures 120 and 122 is less than a material thickness of the side protection part 116. The damping structures 120 and 122 may thereby be elastically resilient and are deformable to cushion the impact during lateral collisions. According to a design example, the cushioning structures 120 and 122 may include one or more depressed regions that may have a thickness of bottom material less than the thickness of the material of the side guard 116 in the regions outside of the cushioning structures 120 and 122. When the side guard 116 is subjected to a lateral impact, the side guard 116 may deform and dissipate a portion of the impact energy, thereby providing effective cushioning against lateral impact impacts.The position of the cushion structure 120 may generally conform to the head restraint 108, which may cushion the head restraint 108 upon a lateral impact. In particular, the side support portion 114 of the headrest 108 may substantially overlap with a surface area of the cushion structure 120, and the side support portion 114 and the cushion structure 120 may overlap with each other within the vertical displacement range of the headrest 108. According to an embodiment, the cushioning structure 120 may have a surface area that is at least equal to a surface area of the side support portion 114, preferably slightly larger than the surface area of the side support portion 114.The cushioning structure 120 may include one or more recessed regions. A recessed region refers to a recess formed on the main surface 116B such that the damping structure 120 is clearly visible on the main surface 116B. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the cushion structure 120 is formed as a single recessed region on the main surface 116B of the side guard member 116, which may have a surface substantially overlapping with the side support portion 114 of the headrest 108. According to another embodiment, the cushioning structure 120 may include a plurality of recessed areas formed on the major surface 116B occupying an area substantially overlapping with the side support portion 114 of the headrest 108.According to another embodiment, the cushioning structure 120 may be formed as a hollow portion of the side guard 116 with one or more internal cavities between the two major surfaces 116A and 116B. In this case, the damping structure 120 may not be visible on either of the major surfaces 116A and 116B. In an example where the cushion structure 120 is a hollow portion having a single inner cavity, the single inner cavity may have a surface that substantially overlaps with the side support portion 114 of the headrest 108. In another example, where the cushion structure 120 is a hollow portion having a plurality of inner cavities, the inner cavities may occupy a region within the side guard 116 that substantially overlaps with the side support portion 114 of the head restraint 108.The damping structure 122 may be arranged below the damping structure 120, i.e. it is associated with a portion of the backrest portion 106 below the headrest 108. The damping structure 122 may be formed as one or more recessed regions (i.e., formed on the main surface 116B) or as a hollow portion (i.e., having one or more internal cavities formed between the two main surfaces 116A and 116B). According to one design example, the damping structure 122 may include a plurality of elongated parallel recessed areas, as shown in FIG. 3.According to a construction example shown in FIG. 3, the damping structure 120 is formed as a single recessed region, and the damping structure 122 arranged below the damping structure 120 comprises a plurality of elongated recessed regions running parallel to each other, wherein the damping structure 122 has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the damping structure 120. Due to the configuration of the damping structures 120 and 122 with different structural features and / or different sizes, the elasticity of the side protection part 116 can be different in the regions of the damping structures 120 and 122.Among the advantages of the child seat described herein is the ability to provide effective cushioning against lateral collisions. More specifically, the child seat comprises side protection parts with damping structures which offer better elastic resilience and are suitable for at least partially reducing the impact energy arising in lateral collisions. As a result, the child seat can provide better protection.

Claims

A child seat (100) comprising: a seat pan (102) having a seat portion (104), a backrest portion (106), and a side wall (110), the side wall (110) protruding forwardly from the backrest portion (106); a headrest (108) connected to the backrest portion (106) and movable along the backrest portion (106), the headrest (108) having a side support portion (114) protruding forwardly; and a side guard (116) disposed adjacent the side wall (110) at an inner side thereof, the side guard (116) extending along the inner side of the side wall (110) from a location adjacent the seat portion (104) toward an upper side of the backrest portion (106), wherein a portion of the side guard (116) is disposed between the side wall (110) and the side support portion (114) of the headrest (108), wherein the side guard (116) includes a first cushioning structure (120) and a second cushioning structure (122) integrally formed with the side guard (116), wherein the first cushioning structure (120) is disposed to be generally associated with the headrest (108), and the second cushioning structure (122) is disposed below the first cushioning structure (120), wherein the first cushioning structure (120) and the second cushioning structure (122) are formed such that an elasticity of the side guard (116) is different in ranges corresponding to the first cushioning structure (120) and the second cushioning structure (122).The child seat (100) according to claim 1, wherein the side protector (116) has a main surface (116B) facing the side wall (110), which is provided with the first cushioning structure (120) and the second cushioning structure (122).The child seat (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first cushioning structures (120) and the second cushioning structure (122) each have a depressed portion.The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first cushion structure (120) is formed as a single recessed region having a surface substantially overlapping with the side support portion (114) of the headrest (108).The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second cushioning structure (122) comprises a plurality of elongated recessed portions parallel to each other.The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first cushioning structure (120) is formed as a single recessed portion, and the second cushioning structure (122) includes a plurality of elongated recessed portions parallel to each other.The child seat (100) of claim 1, wherein the side guard member (116) comprises two opposed major surfaces (116A, 116B), and each of the first and second cushioning structures (120, 122) is formed as a hollow portion of the side guard member (116) having one or more internal cavities between the two major surfaces (116A, 116B).The child seat (100) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a material thickness of the one or more cushioning structures (120, 122) is less than a material thickness of the side guard member (116) in regions thereof other than the one or more cushioning structures (120, 122), whereby the one or more cushioning structures (120, 122) are deformable.The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the side support portion (114) of the headrest (108) and the first cushioning structure (120) remain overlapped with each other within a vertical displacement range of the headrest (108).The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the second cushioning structure (122) occupies a larger surface area than the first cushioning structure (120).The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first cushioning structure (120) and the second cushioning structure (122) are formed with different structural features and / or different sizes such that an elasticity of the side guard member (116) is different in areas corresponding to the first cushioning structure (120) and the second cushioning structure (122).The child seat (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the side guard member (116) is formed as a plate.

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