Child safety seat

Abstract

The invention relates to a child safety seat which has a seat main part and an integrated belt system. The integrated belt system has a belted state and a non-belted state and comprises a belt arrangement, a buckle device which is connected at least indirectly to the seat main part, at least one reversing device and a belt retractor arrangement with at least one retractor (54, 54b). In the belted state, at least one section of the belt arrangement close to the buckle extends between the buckle device and the deflection device, and a section (52a, 52b) of the belt arrangement close to the retractor connects the section close to the buckle to the belt retractor arrangement. In order to further improve the protective effect, the integrated belt system additionally comprises at least one belt tensioning arrangement (60) which comprises an expandable element that is arranged between a structural element of the seat main part and the section (52a, 52b) of the belt arrangement which is close to the retractor.

Description

[0001] Child seat

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a child seat according to claim 1.

[0004] Such child seats are, of course, known in the prior art and comprise a seat body with a contact surface for accommodating at least the child's head, back, and rear end. Such a seat body typically comprises a dimensionally stable shell element and padding.

[0005] Furthermore, an integrated belt system is provided, which is designed to prevent a child sitting in the seat from climbing out of the child seat (which is usually a baby seat). If the child seat is installed rearward-facing in the vehicle, the belt system does not play a central role in the event of a frontal crash, as the child's back is pressed against the contact surface of the seat. Nevertheless, the belt system can still prevent the child from being ejected from the seat in the event of an accident. In some cases (usually not for babies), however, the child seat is also installed forward-facing in the vehicle, so that in this case the belt system - like a conventional car belt system - takes over the restraint in the event of an accident.The integrated belt system has a fastening device - usually a belt buckle - which extends from the seat body and is connected to it; furthermore, a belt arrangement is provided which generally has two sections near the buckle which, when buckled in, are located in front of the upper body of the small child. In the prior art, the length of the belt arrangement, particularly the sections near the buckle, is usually adjusted manually, which can, however, be a time-consuming and nerve-wracking task, since the belt length is generally adjusted when a child is in the child seat. It has therefore already been proposed to provide a belt retractor arrangement having at least one retractor for retracting the belt arrangement, thus resulting in automatic length adjustment similar to that in a car.Such a retractor is arranged on the back or underside of the seat body, providing at least one deflection device for the load arrangement. The belt arrangement can consist of two completely separate belts, but it is also possible for the belt arrangement to have a branching belt, so that only one retractor is required.

[0006] Such an arrangement with a retractor naturally makes the buckling process much easier and the sections of the belt arrangement closest to the buckle fit snugly against the child's body.

[0007] Typically, the retractor must have a non-emergency locking mechanism with a first and a second state. In the first state, the belt assembly can be pulled out of the retractor, and in the second state, the belt assembly is prevented from being pulled out of the retractor. The second state is active in the transport state, preventing the child from "freeing" themselves. Switching between the two states can be done manually, for example.

[0008] Based on this, the invention aims to further develop a generic child seat in such a way that safety is further improved in the event of an accident.

[0009] This object is achieved by a child seat having the features of claim 1.

[0010] According to the invention, the integrated belt system additionally features a belt tensioning arrangement, so that in the event of an accident—as in a modern car—at least one section of the belt arrangement near the buckle is pulled tight. Typically, there are two sections near the buckle, both of which are tightened by the belt tensioning arrangement. Belt tensioning arrangements are, of course, known in the art and can, for example, act on the belt reel of the refractor. However, it has been found that the forces generated here are generally far too high for this new application.

[0011] A belt tensioning arrangement is therefore proposed which comprises at least one expandable element which is arranged between a structural element of the seat body and the section of the belt arrangement near the retractor.

[0012] With a belt tensioning arrangement designed in this way, a portion of the section of the belt assembly near the retractor is deflected perpendicular to the direction of extension, resulting in only a relatively small movement of the corresponding section of the belt assembly near the buckle. The deflection is relatively small, as is the force acting on the child by the section near the buckle, thus achieving the goal of achieving a better restraint effect without additionally endangering the child. It has proven particularly advantageous to effect the movement of the expandable element using an airbag inflated by a blow-out device, such as a pyrotechnic gas generator.

[0013] Such an arrangement with an airbag is cost-effective to produce, robust and shows a desired expansion behavior.

[0014] A particularly advantageous feature is that by providing a ventilation arrangement, a virtually "integrated" belt force limiter can be realized. As with belt systems for cars, the provision of a belt force limiter is also preferred in this case to reliably rule out injury to the child caused by the belt system. There are several ways to implement such a ventilation arrangement, the simplest being the provision of a vent or the provision of a gas-permeable area in the airbag so that the airbag can be compressed again after it has expanded. However, to prevent gas from escaping from the airbag during the inflation process, it may be preferable to provide the vent as an overpressure vent that only opens when the pressure inside the airbag exceeds a predefined threshold.

[0015] It is also possible to provide an active vent valve with an actuator.

[0016] In principle, it would be possible for the airbag to act directly on the section of the belt arrangement near the retractor, thus forming the expandable element itself, but it has been found to be preferable to arrange the airbag in a housing consisting of at least two parts, wherein the relative position of the two housing parts is changed by the deploying airbag.

[0017] Often, two completely separate belts are provided, with a refractor for each belt. In this case, it is generally preferable to provide one pretensioner for each belt, so that the pretensioning arrangement in this case has two separate pretensioners.

[0018] However, it is also possible for the retractor-proximal section of the belt arrangement to comprise a common retractor-proximal section connected to a common refractor, a first connecting section connecting the common retractor-proximal section to the first buckle-proximal section, and a second connecting section connecting the common retractor-proximal section to the second buckle-proximal section. In this case, it is generally preferred to provide only one belt tensioner acting on the common retractor-proximal section. In this case, only one belt tensioning device is provided. This, of course, saves components and weight.

[0019] The invention will now be described in more detail using exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a child seat,

[0020] Figure 2 shows the shell element of the child seat of Figure 1,

[0021] Figure 3 shows the shell element from Figure 2 in a plan view from the front,

[0022] Figure 4 shows the shell element from Figure 2 in a plan view from behind as well as parts of the integrated belt system (not shown in Figure 2),

[0023] Figure 5 shows a belt tensioning arrangement, as schematically indicated in Figure 4, in a perspective exploded view,

[0024] Figure 6 shows the housing parts and the airbag package of the belt tensioning arrangement shown in Figure 5 in a schematic cross-sectional view,

[0025] Figure 7 shows the elements shown in Figure 6 in the assembled state,

[0026] Figure 8 shows the belt tensioning arrangement from Figure 7, which is arranged on the seat body of the seat, in the non-activated state of the airbag,

[0027] Figure 9 shows what is shown in Figure 8 after the airbag has been activated so that the belt tensioning arrangement is in its expanded state,

[0028] Figure 10 shows what is shown in Figure 9 after the belt force limitation has been inserted,

[0029] Figure 11 shows an embodiment of a covered vent opening for forming an overpressure vent,

[0030] Figure 12 shows an overpressure vent in the form of a check valve and Figure 13 shows a second embodiment of the child seat according to the invention in a representation corresponding to Figure 4.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a child seat according to the invention, although the essential features of the invention are not visible in Figure 1. The child seat 10 has a seat body 12 (i.e., the actual seat), which in turn has a shell element (see Figure 2) and a padding 30. Furthermore, a handle 25 can be arranged on the seat body.

[0032] The shell element 14 here consists of a main part 15 with a base section 16 and a back section 17, and an adjustable part 20 which is slidably held on the back section 17 and by whose displaceability the size of the shell element can be adjusted.

[0033] Furthermore, an integrated belt system is provided, which in the present embodiment comprises a belt arrangement consisting of two separate belts 50a, 50b and a central belt buckle 40 serving as a fastening device. The central belt buckle is arranged on the floor section 16 by means of a belt 44 serving as a connecting element, and the two belts 50a, 50b can each be fastened to the central belt buckle 40 by means of a belt tongue. The sections of the two belts near the buckle can be partially covered by belt covers 51.

[0034] Slots 18a, 18b are provided in the back section of the main part, and the adjustable part 20 has slot-shaped holes 22a, 22b arranged in front of the slots in the back section. The straps 50a, 50b are passed through these slot-shaped holes, so that the slot-shaped holes serve as deflection devices for the straps 50a, 50b.

[0035] As just mentioned, the straps 50a, 50b each extend through the slot-shaped holes 22a, 22b to a retractor 54a, 54b, so that they each have a section near the buckle and a section 52a, 52b near the retractor (see Figure 4). The retractors 54a, 54b, which according to the definitions made here are part of the integrated strap system, are arranged in a lower region of the shell element 14 and are firmly connected thereto. The retractors 54a, 54b each have a strap spool 58a, 58b and a housing 56a, 56b, and the strap spools 58a, 58b are each pretensioned against their housing by a spring and can be locked against the housing. A locking device (not shown) is provided for this purpose.A belt-sensitive and / or acceleration sensor can be provided so that, as is known in the art, the belt reels are locked against the housings by means of their locking device in the event of rapid belt extension and / or when an acceleration limit is exceeded (emergency locking). Additionally or alternatively, a locking mechanism can be provided that is independent of this. This can, for example, be operated manually by the user or can be electrically operated, for example, such that the locking is activated when the belt tongues are inserted into the central belt buckle (non-emergency locking).

[0036] A belt tensioning arrangement 60 is provided between each of the slot-shaped holes 22a, 22b serving as deflection devices and the retractors 54a, 54b. These belt tensioning arrangements 60 are shown only schematically in Figure 4 and will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 12:

[0037] Figure 5 is an exploded view of such a belt tensioning arrangement (here generally designated by reference numeral 60). This belt tensioning arrangement has an airbag 70, an inflator 80, and a two-row housing. The housing consists of a first housing part 61 and a second housing part 62, each of which is designed as a half-shell such that the second housing part 62 can be fitted onto the first housing part 61. The airbag 70 is accommodated inside the housing thus formed, as shown, for example, in Figure 7. In this state, the airbag 70 is in its unfolded state, thus forming an airbag package 66 or a part thereof. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the airbag package 66 additionally has a tearable cover 68, which can facilitate assembly; however, this is not mandatory.The second housing 62 has an L-shaped guide element 64 through which the section of the strap near the retractor is guided. This is particularly clearly visible in Figure 8.

[0038] If the sensor and control unit (not shown) detects that a set threshold value has been exceeded, it controls the inflator 80 so that the gas bag 70 is inflated, whereby the second housing part 62 is raised and the belt 50b is thereby tensioned.

[0039] As can be seen from Figure 9, the airbag further comprises a gas-permeable region 72, which forms a ventilation arrangement. If a tensile force is now exerted on the belt 50b due to the inertial forward displacement of the belted child, the section 52 of the belt in question near the retractor presses against the second housing part 62, and gas can escape through the gas-permeable region 72, thus resulting in a belt force limitation. The provision of a belt force limitation, which is achieved by ventilating the airbag, is generally preferred.

[0040] Instead of a gas-permeable area, an opening could simply be provided, although this would pose the problem that too much gas might escape during inflation.

[0041] An alternative embodiment is shown in Figure 11, here a vent opening 74 is provided, which is covered by a cover element 76 fastened by means of a tear seam 78, so that when the gas pressure within the gas bag exceeds a predetermined value, the tear seam tears and the vent opening is released.

[0042] Instead of a gas-permeable area or an opening in the gas bag, a check valve, as shown in Figure 12, could also be provided. Furthermore, it would be possible to provide an actively controlled ventilation device, which, for example, opens a valve or a vent opening with a certain time delay after the gas generator is ignited. Figure 13 shows an embodiment with only one retractor and one belt tensioning arrangement, wherein the belt arrangement has a common section 52c near the retractor. Alternatively, it would also be possible to extend the common section 52c near the retractor to a single deflection device.

[0043] List of reference symbols

[0044] 10 child seat

[0045] 12 Seat body of the child seat

[0046] 14 shell element

[0047] 15 Main part

[0048] 16 floor section

[0049] 17 back section

[0050] 18a, b Slit in the back section

[0051] 19a, b stand section

[0052] 20 adjustable part

[0053] 22a, b slit-shaped hole

[0054] 25 handles

[0055] 30 upholstery

[0056] 40 central belt buckle

[0057] 44 Connecting element (belt)

[0058] 50a, b belt

[0059] 51 a, b Belt cover

[0060] 52a, 52b near-retractor section

[0061] 52c common retractor-near section

[0062] 54a, b Retractor

[0063] 56 a, b housing

[0064] 58 a, b Belt reel

[0065] 60 Belt tensioning arrangement

[0066] 61 first housing part

[0067] 62 second housing part

[0068] 64 Guide element io

[0069] 66 Airbag package

[0070] 68 tearable cover

[0071] 70 airbags

[0072] 72 gas-permeable area 74 vent opening

[0073] 76 sewn-on cover element

[0074] 78 tear seam

[0075] 79 Pressure relief valve

[0076] 80 Inflator (gas generator)

Claims

1. A child seat (10) comprising: a seat body (12) with a contact surface for receiving at least the head, back, and rear end of a child, an integrated belt system, wherein the integrated belt system has a belted state and an unbelted state, and wherein the integrated belt system comprises: a belt arrangement, a fastening device connected at least indirectly to the seat body (12), at least one reversing device, a belt retractor arrangement with at least one retractor (54, 54a, 54b), wherein, in the belted state, at least a portion of the belt arrangement near the buckle extends between the fastening device and the deflection device, and a portion (52, 52a, 52b) of the belt arrangement near the buckle connects the portion near the buckle to the belt retractor arrangement, characterized in that the integrated belt system further comprises at least one belt tensioning arrangement (60, 60a, 60b),which comprises an expandable element arranged between a structural element of the seat body and the retractor-proximal portion (52, 52a, 52b) of the belt arrangement.

2. Child seat unit according to claim 1, wherein the belt arrangement further comprises a second section near the buckle which, in the belted state of the integrated belt system, extends between a second deflection device and the fastening device, wherein the retractor-near section (52, 52a, 52b) of the belt arrangement additionally connects the second section near the buckle and the belt retractor device.

3. Child seat unit according to claim 2, wherein the belt arrangement comprises two separate belts (50a), namely a first belt (50a) comprising the first section near the buckle and a first section near the retractor (52a), and a second belt (50a) comprising the second section near the buckle and a second section near the retractor (52c), so that the section near the retractor consists of these two separate sections near the retractor (52a, 52b).

4. A child seat according to claim 3, wherein the belt retractor assembly comprises a first refractor (54a) for the first belt (50a) and a second refractor (54b) for the second belt (50b).

5. Child seat according to claim 2, wherein the retractor-near part of the belt arrangement comprises a common retractor-near section (50c) connected to a common refractor (54c), a first connecting section connecting the common retractor-near section to the first buckle-near section, and a second connecting section connecting the common retractor-near section to the second buckle-near section.

6. Child seat unit according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein in the buckled state the first section near the lock and the second section near the lock are connected to a common lock (40) which forms the belt fastening device.

7. A child seat unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the expandable member comprises an airbag (70) and wherein the belt pretensioner assembly (60) further comprises an inflator (80) in fluid communication with the airbag (70).

8. Child seat unit according to claim 7, wherein the belt tensioning arrangement (60) further comprises a ventilation arrangement of the airbag (70) or for the airbag (70).

9. Child seat unit according to claim 8, wherein the airbag (70) comprises at least one gas-permeable region (72) which forms the ventilation arrangement.

10. A child seat unit according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the ventilation arrangement comprises at least one vent opening.

11. The child seat unit of claim 10, wherein the at least one vent is a positive pressure vent that opens when the pressure inside the airbag exceeds a predefined threshold.

12. Child seat unit according to claim 11, wherein the overpressure vent is an active vent valve comprising an actuator.

13. Child seat unit according to one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the airbag is located in a housing which comprises at least two parts (61, 62) whose relative position is changed by the deploying airbag (70).

14. Child seat unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the belt tensioning arrangement (60) further comprises at least one guide element (64) for the section of the belt arrangement near the retractor.

15. A child seat unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the integrated belt system comprises a non-emergency locking arrangement having a first state and a second state, wherein in the first state the belt assembly can be withdrawn from its belt retractor assembly and wherein in the second state the belt assembly is prevented from being withdrawn from the belt retractor assembly.

16. Child seat unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the integrated belt system has an emergency locking arrangement with a first state and a second state, wherein in the first state the belt arrangement can be pulled out of its belt retractor arrangement and wherein in the second state the belt retractor arrangement is blocked so that the belt arrangement is prevented from being pulled out of the belt retractor arrangement, wherein the emergency locking arrangement preferably comprises a belt-sensitive sensor and / or an acceleration-dependent sensor.

17. Child seat unit according to one of the preceding claims, which further comprises an electronic unit for triggering the belt pretensioning device.

18. Child seat unit according to claim 17 and at least one of claims 15 or 16, wherein the electronic unit further controls the emergency locking arrangement(s) of the belt retractor.

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