CONTROL CIRCUIT, CHILD SAFETY SEAT AND SEAT ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE

Abstract

A child safety seat comprising a base (300); a seat (200) mounted on the base (300); and a control circuit arranged on at least one of the base (300) and seat (200) components and configured to adjust an angle of inclination of the seat (200) according to an angle of inclination of the base (300) relative to the horizontal plane, comprising: a sensor module (140) configured to detect a current angle of the seat (200) relative to a horizontal plane; a drive module (130) configured to drive and adjust the angle of inclination of the seat (200); and a control module (170) electrically connected to the sensor module (140) and the drive module (130) for outputting a control signal to the drive module (130) based on the current angle of the seat (200) relative to the horizontal plane to dynamically adjust the tilt angle of the seat (200); wherein: a seat adjustment structure (100) is adapted to adjust an inclination angle of the seat (200), the seat (200) is slidable along a rail and is positioned with respect to the base (300), and the seat adjustment structure (100) comprises: a first fixed element (110) attached to the seat (200) and located at least partially below the seat (200); and a second fixed element (120) attached to the base (300) and located at least partially above the base (300), and wherein the drive module (130) is pivotally mounted on the second fixed element (120) via a transverse pivot axis (134), a drive part of the drive module (130) is movably coupled to the first fixed element (110) with respect to the first fixed element (110), and the first fixed element (110) moves under the drive of the drive module (130) to cause the seat (200) to slide along the rail; and the sensor module (140) is arranged on either the seat (200) or the base (300) to detect an angle of inclination of the seat (200) with respect to the horizontal plane, and the drive module (130) operates on the basis of a control signal generated according to the angle of inclination.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application relates to a child safety seat. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] A child safety seat is a common device that can be used by young children of different ages. It is designed for child safety. It can limit dangerous behavior while traveling in a vehicle and protect children from injury in sudden collisions and other accidents.

[0003] To accommodate children of different sizes or seating and reclining positions, the child safety seat may be equipped with an angle adjustment function, and some safety seats also feature an electric adjustment function for convenient use and operation. However, when the vehicle is traveling uphill or downhill, the angle of the child safety seat changes, which is uncomfortable for the children in the seat.

[0004] Known child seats are disclosed, for example, in US 2016 / 0 207 497 A1 and CN 210 212 125 U.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the invention is to propose an adjustment structure for child safety seats that automatically detects the change in the tilt angle and adjusts the tilt angle of the seat accordingly to provide a better user experience and more comfort to the children sitting on the seat.

[0006] This object is achieved by a child seat according to claim 1. DEMOLITION

[0007] A control circuit according to the present application is suitable for controlling an inclination angle of a carrier, the control circuit comprising: a sensor module that detects a current angle of the carrier relative to a horizontal plane; a drive module that drives and adjusts the inclination angle of the carrier; and a control module electrically connected to the sensor module and the drive module for outputting a control signal based on the current angle of the carrier relative to the horizontal plane to dynamically adjust the inclination angle of the carrier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The embodiments of the application are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which they are shown: Fig. Figure 1 is a side view of a carrier according to the application with a seat positioned at a first angle with respect to a base; Fig. Figure 2 is a side view of the support according to the application, wherein the seat forms a second angle with respect to the base which is greater than the first angle; Fig. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the seat according to the application from below; Fig. Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the base according to the application; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a seat adjustment structure according to the application; Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a circuit according to the application; Fig. 6B is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship according to the application; Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a control method according to an embodiment of the application; Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a control method according to another embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The directional terms "front," "rear," "top," and "bottom" used in the disclosure are for convenience only. The present invention is not limited to these directions, but can be adapted depending on the actual situation. Although the application has been listed and described with reference to typical embodiments, the terms used are merely illustrative and exemplary and not restrictive.

[0010] Based on Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a carrier according to the application is described as a whole.

[0011] As shown in the application, the carrier may be (but is not limited to) a child safety seat comprising a seat 200 and a base 300. The base 300 is a component that is attached to a vehicle, and the seat 200 is a component for carrying an occupant, e.g., a child. For simplicity, the left side is shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is referred to as the front of the carrier and the right side as the rear of the carrier, but this does not imply any limitation on the carrier's installation direction. The carrier can be mounted on the vehicle in a forward, rearward, or transverse direction. The seat 200 can slide relative to the base 300 along an arcuate rail that extends approximately back and forth. In this way, the angle of inclination between the seat 200 and the base 300 changes as the seat 200 slides along the rail into different positions. Fig. 1, for example, the angle of inclination is relatively small, while in Fig. 2 the angle of inclination is relatively large.

[0012] By adjusting the angle of inclination between the seat 200 and the base 300, it is possible to provide the occupants of the carrier with various seating postures, such as a sitting or lying posture. According to the seat adjustment structure 100 of the application, the angle of inclination between the seat 200 and the base 300 can be automatically adjusted, allowing the seat 200 to maintain its angle of inclination relative to the horizontal plane when the angle of inclination of the base 300 relative to the horizontal plane changes (e.g., when the vehicle is on an uphill or downhill slope).

[0013] A block diagram of a circuit according to the application is shown by Fig. 6. The circuit part of the seat adjustment structure 100 comprises a sensor module 140, a control module 170, an adjustment knob 190, a drive module 130, a communication module 180 and a terminal 185, see also Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 6A. The sensor module 140 may include, among other things, a posture sensor 150 and a position sensor 160. The sensor module 140, the control module 170 and the communication module 180 are variable in their shape and installation position and can all implement the functions of the application. The terminal 185 is not arranged on the carrier, so that these components in Fig. 1-5 are not shown.

[0014] The control module 170 is electrically connected to the sensor module 140. In this embodiment, the sensor module 140 includes the posture sensor 150. The posture sensor 150 is used to detect the tilt angle between the base 300 and the horizontal plane and to transmit the detected tilt angle data to the control module 170. The control module 170 calculates a movement amount of the drive module 130 based on the tilt angle detected by the posture sensor 150, converts the movement amount into a control signal, and transmits it to the drive module 130.

[0015] In some embodiments, the control module 170 may be a single chip, a microprocessor, or an embedded system, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0016] In addition, the drive module 130 is located between the seat 200 and the base 300. It comprises a motor 131, a screw 132 and a nut 133 (see Fig. 5).

[0017] A connecting structure of the seat 200 according to the application is described with reference to Fig. 3 described.

[0018] As shown, a slide bar 210 is arranged on the underside of the seat 200. In this embodiment, the slide bar 210 extends laterally, but it should be understood that the slide bar 210 may also extend obliquely or in an arc, and the slide bar 210 may be one continuous bar from left to right or two separate bars, one on the left and one on the right. In this embodiment, two slide bars 210 are distributed back and forth along the rail on the underside of the seat 200. However, it should be understood that only one slide bar 210 or more than two slide bars 210 may be provided.

[0019] A connection structure of the base 300 according to the application is described with reference to Fig. 4 described.

[0020] As shown, the base 300 is provided with a sliding groove 310 extending toward the rail, and the sliding rod 210 is inserted into the sliding groove 310 to limit the sliding of the seat 200 toward the rail. In this embodiment, two sets of sliding grooves 310 are distributed back and forth along the rail on the base 300, but it should be understood that only one set of sliding grooves 310 or more than two sets of sliding grooves 310 may be provided.

[0021] The seat adjustment structure 100 is disposed in the base 300 and operatively connected to the slide bar 210. The seat adjustment structure 100 changes a relative inclination angle between the seat 200 and the base 300 by driving the slide bar 210. In this embodiment, only one seat adjustment structure 100 is provided, but it should be understood that a plurality of seat adjustment structures 100 may be provided.

[0022] The seat adjustment structure 100 according to the application is based on Fig. 5 described in detail.

[0023] As shown, the seat adjustment structure 100 includes a first fixed member 110, a second fixed member 120, a drive module 130, and a posture sensor 150 (not shown).

[0024] The first fixed element 110 is attached to the seat 200 and is located at least partially below the seat 200. More specifically, the first fixed element 110 is a transversely extending tube that is inserted onto a crossbar of the seat 200.

[0025] The second fixed element 120 is attached to the base 300 and is located at least partially above the base 300. Specifically, the second fixed element 120 is a frame with two opposite side walls, between which a transverse pivot axis 134 is arranged.

[0026] The drive module 130 is pivotally mounted on the second fixed member 120, and a drive part of the drive module 130 is movably coupled to the first fixed member 110 with respect to the first fixed member 110. Under the drive of the drive module 130, the first fixed member 110 moves to slide the seat 200 along the rail. The posture sensor 150 is disposed on either the seat 200 or the base 300 to detect an inclination angle of the seat 200 with respect to the horizontal plane, and the drive module 130 operates based on a control signal generated according to the inclination angle.

[0027] In this embodiment, the drive module 130 is pivotally connected to the second fixed member 120 via a transverse pivot axis 134, so that the entire drive module 130 can be pivoted about a transverse axis with respect to the second fixed member 120. The drive module 130 is located between the seat 200 and the base 300 and includes a motor 131, a screw 132, and a nut 133. Among them, the motor 131 is pivotally attached to the second fixed member 120; the screw 132, as the drive part of the drive module 130, extends along the rail (from the motor 131 forward) and is coupled to a drive shaft of the motor 131 so that it can be driven by the motor 131 to rotate. the nut 133 is fixed to the first fixed member 110 and is pushed onto the screw 132 and moves on the screw 132 with the rotation of the screw 132 to move the first fixed member 110 along the rail.

[0028] The motor 131 may be powered by a battery installed in the base 300 or connected to the vehicle's power supply. The posture sensor 150 may be mounted in the base 300 or in the seat 200 and electrically connected to the motor 131. Such connections are known in the art and will not be redundantly described here.

[0029] When the posture sensor 150 is mounted on the seat 200, it directly detects the inclination angle of the seat 200 with respect to the horizontal plane. When the posture sensor 150 is mounted on the base 300, it detects the inclination angle of the base 300 with respect to the horizontal plane and the inclination angle of the seat 200 with respect to the horizontal plane by calculating a positional relationship between the seat adjustment structure 100 and the seat 200 and the base 300. For example, to detect a positional relationship between the seat 200 and the base 300, the drive module 130 may be provided with a grid and a grid detector (not shown), with the grid fixedly mounted on the screw 132 and the grid detector mounted on the motor 131.As the screw 132 rotates relative to the motor 131, the grid and grid detector can detect and record the revolutions of the screw 132 to calculate the relative positions of the seat 200 and the base 300. In other embodiments, a counting sensor can be attached to the motor 131, which counts the clockwise or counterclockwise revolutions of the screw 132 and outputs the counting data to the control module 170. The control module 170 can assess the angle of inclination of the seat 200 relative to the horizontal plane based on the received counting data. In other embodiments, a gyroscope can also be used to determine the angle of inclination of the seat 200 relative to the horizontal plane, although the invention is not limited thereto.

[0030] In this embodiment, the screw 132 extends along a straight line, while the movement path of the seat 200 is curved. Thus, when the nut 133 moves on the screw 132, the drive module 130 rotates accordingly about the transverse pivot axis 134, so that the distance of the nut 133 from the rail remains substantially unchanged.

[0031] In other embodiments, the drive module 130 can take various forms. For example, the drive module 130 can be a gear driven by the motor 131, and the first fixed member 110 can be a rack extending along a rail. The gear engages the rack, causing the first fixed member 110 to slide along the rail, thus moving the seat 200 along the rail.

[0032] The position sensor 160 is arranged at both ends of the sliding groove 310 and detects the position of an end point of the seat adjustment structure 100. When the seat 200 reaches the end point of the drive of the seat adjustment structure 100, the position sensor 160 sends a signal to the control module 170 to stop the drive of the seat adjustment structure 100.

[0033] The adjustment knob 190 is located outside the seat 200 and is electrically connected to the control module 170. The adjustment knob 190 sends a repositioning signal to the control module 170 upon user actuation to readjust the tilt angle of the seat 200.

[0034] The seat adjustment structure 100 further includes a communication module 180. The communication module 180 is electrically connected to the control module 170 and wirelessly connected to the terminal 185. The terminal 185 can send a repositioning signal to the communication module 180, and the communication module 180 sends the repositioning signal to the control module 170 to readjust the recline angle of the seat 200.

[0035] In some embodiments, the terminal 185 may be a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook, a handheld computer, etc., and the communication module 180 may be a communication module such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, a cellular network, Bluetooth, etc. In these embodiments, the caregiver may install appropriate application software, such as an APP, on the terminal 185 to control a tilt angle of the seat 200 via the terminal.

[0036] The seat adjustment procedure according to the application is based on the Fig. 7-8 described.

[0037] At the Fig. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, an initial angle A0 of the seat 200, i.e., an inclination angle A0 of the seat 200 relative to the horizontal plane, is first recorded. Then, the inclination angle A of the seat 200 is detected in real time by a sensor on the support. If A = A0 is detected, the drive module 130 on the support is not started. If A≠A0 is detected, the drive module 130 is operated in a direction that decreases the difference between A and A0 until A=A0 is detected.

[0038] In this way, regardless of the horizontal angle of the base 300, the wearer can automatically adjust the angle of inclination of the seat 200 relative to the horizontal plane (within a range permitted by the sliding groove 310) so that the angle of inclination of the seat 200 remains unchanged.

[0039] See the Fig. 8 illustrated embodiment. Compared to Fig. 7, in this embodiment, a user repositioning signal is added, and other parts are the same as in Fig. 7. Specifically, a repositioning signal is sent to the control module 170 on the carrier, and the repositioning signal specifies a predetermined angle of the seat 200 on the carrier; the control module 170 starts the drive module 130 on the carrier, moves the seat 200 to the predetermined angle, and records the predetermined angle as A0.

[0040] For example, the caregiver can set the current angle of the seat 200 with the horizontal plane as the initial angle A0 via the above-mentioned application software. In this way, the control module 170 can dynamically adjust the angle of the seat 200 based on the set initial value A0.

[0041] This allows the user to adjust the tilt angle of the seat 200 and place the seat 200 in a sitting or reclining position. After completing the adjustment, the support automatically maintains the tilt angle, keeping the seat 200 at that angle.

[0042] In summary, the application provides a seat adjustment structure and a seat adjustment method of a support that can automatically adjust a seat tilt angle so that the seat is always maintained at a specified tilt angle. The user can also set the tilt angle to be maintained, that is, the tilt angle at which the seat is automatically maintained after adjustment. In the application, the support is described using a child safety seat as an example, but it goes without saying that the support of the present application can be any support in other forms. List of reference symbols: 100 Seat adjustment structure 110 first solid element 120 second fixed element 130 drive module 131 engine 132 screw 133 Mother 134 Swivel axis 140 sensor module 150 posture sensor 160 Position sensor 170 control module 180 communication module 185 end devices 190 Adjustment knob 200 seats 210 sliding bar 300 Base 310 sliding groove

Claims

[1] A child safety seat comprising a base (300); a seat (200) mounted on the base (300); and a control circuit arranged on at least one of the base (300) and seat (200) and configured to adjust an angle of inclination of the seat (200) according to an angle of inclination of the base (300) relative to the horizontal plane, comprising: a sensor module (140) configured to detect a current angle of the seat (200) relative to a horizontal plane; a drive module (130) configured to drive and adjust the angle of inclination of the seat (200); and a control module (170) electrically connected to the sensor module (140) and the drive module (130) for outputting a control signal to the drive module (130) based on the current angle of the seat (200) relative to the horizontal plane to dynamically adjust the tilt angle of the seat (200); wherein: a seat adjustment structure (100) is adapted to adjust an inclination angle of the seat (200), the seat (200) is slidable along a rail and is positioned with respect to the base (300), and the seat adjustment structure (100) comprises: a first fixed element (110) attached to the seat (200) and located at least partially below the seat (200); and a second fixed element (120) attached to the base (300) and located at least partially above the base (300), and wherein the drive module (130) is pivotally mounted on the second fixed element (120) via a transverse pivot axis (134), a drive part of the drive module (130) is movably coupled to the first fixed element (110) with respect to the first fixed element (110), and the first fixed element (110) moves under the drive of the drive module (130) to cause the seat (200) to slide along the rail; and the sensor module (140) is arranged on either the seat (200) or the base (300) to detect an angle of inclination of the seat (200) with respect to the horizontal plane, and the drive module (130) operates on the basis of a control signal generated according to the angle of inclination. [2] Child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein: the drive module (130) comprises: a motor (131) pivotally mounted on the seat (200); a screw (132) as a drive part of the drive module (130), which is coupled to a drive shaft of the motor (131) and is configured to be rotated by the motor (131); and a nut (133) fixed to the seat (200) and seated on the screw (132) and adapted to move on the screw (132) with the rotation of the screw (132) to set the seat (200) in motion. [3] Child safety seat according to one of claims 1-2, wherein: the sensor module (140) is mounted on the seat (200) to detect an angle of inclination of the seat (200) relative to the horizontal plane; or the sensor module (140) is attached to a base (300) of the seat to detect an inclination angle of the base (300) with respect to the horizontal plane, and detects the inclination angle of the seat (200) with respect to the horizontal plane by calculation via a positional relationship between the drive module (130) and the seat (200). [4] Child safety seat according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the control module (170) is configured to calculate a movement amount of the drive module (130) according to an inclination angle detected by the sensor module (140) and to convert the movement amount into the control signal sent to the drive module (130). [5] A child safety seat according to claim 4, further comprising an adjustment knob (190) electrically connected to the control module (170) for sending a repositioning signal to the control module (170) in accordance with a user's operation to readjust the recline angle of the seat (200). [6] Child safety seat according to one of claims 4 or 5, further comprising a communication module (180) electrically connected to the control module (170) and wirelessly connected to a terminal (185), wherein the terminal (185) is configured to send a repositioning signal to the communication module (180), and the communication module (180) is configured to send the repositioning signal to the control module (170) to readjust the angle of inclination of the seat (200). [7] Child safety seat according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: the sensor module (140) includes a position sensor mounted on the drive module (130); when the drive module (130) drives the seat, the position sensor detects a relative amount of movement of the seat (200); and the control module (170) is configured to calculate the angle of inclination of the seat (200) in accordance with the relative amount of movement of the seat (200). [8] A child safety seat according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the base (300) is provided with a sliding groove (310) and the seat (200) is provided with a sliding rod (210), the sliding rod (210) being attached to the first fixed member (110) and being movable along the sliding groove (310) with the movement of the first fixed member (110). [9] A child safety seat according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the first fixed member (110) is in a sleeve configuration and the slide bar (210) passes through the first fixed member (110) and protrudes from both ends of the first fixed member (110); and the slide groove (310) is provided in pairs for receiving the two ends of the slide bar (210) protruding from the first fixed member (110).

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