A-Shaped Perforated Backrest for Child Car Seat Weight Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing child car seats are heavy and bulky, making them difficult to install, handle, and transfer between vehicles, while their rigid structures can pose challenges in absorbing energy during impacts.

Innovation Solution

A child car seat with a perforated backrest structure shaped like an A, featuring side uprights that converge towards the top, reducing weight and enhancing torsional resistance, combined with a foldable design and independent connection clamps for secure attachment to a vehicle seat.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a solid and rigid backrest structure is used, then safety and comfort are ensured, but the seat becomes heavy and bulky

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidweight of seat
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The backrest structure is segmented into a rigid upper part and a hollowed-out lower part, creating an A-shaped configuration. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain rigidity where needed (upper part for safety) while removing material from the lower part to reduce weight, directly resolving the contradiction between safety and weight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The backrest employs an asymmetric A-shaped design where the side uprights converge toward the top, creating a triangular configuration with the seat base. This asymmetric geometry provides structural efficiency by concentrating material in the upper region for safety while minimizing material in the lower region for weight reduction, overcoming the traditional symmetric rectangular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If a solid and rigid backrest structure is used, then safety is ensured, but handling and installation become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidhandling and installation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the backrest into rigid and hollowed regions, the overall weight is reduced while maintaining safety-critical rigidity. The lighter weight directly improves ease of handling and installation, allowing users to maneuver and position the seat without excessive effort, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a solid and rigid backrest structure is used, then comfort is ensured, but the seat becomes bulky

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecomfortVSAvoidbulk of seat
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The backrest is segmented to maintain rigidity in the upper portion for comfort while hollowing out the lower portion to reduce volume. This creates an A-shaped structure that preserves the comfort-functioning rigid structure while minimizing overall bulk, directly addressing the contradiction between comfort and volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The asymmetric A-shaped design concentrates the rigid structure where comfort is needed (upper backrest) while minimizing material usage in the lower region. This asymmetric configuration reduces the overall volume and bulk of the seat while maintaining the rigid structure necessary for comfort, resolving the contradiction between comfort and volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

4Reliability

If high rigidity structures are used, then safety is ensured, but energy absorption capability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidenergy absorption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The backrest is segmented into rigid upper and hollowed lower portions. The rigid upper part maintains safety while the hollowed lower part introduces energy-absorbing characteristics during impact. This segmentation allows the structure to provide safety through rigidity where needed while improving energy absorption through strategic material removal, resolving the contradiction between safety and energy absorption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3256344B1Car seat with an improved rigid structure
Publication Date: 2019.05.08 DOREL FRANCE SA
  • EP3256344B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3256344B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3A
  • EP3256344B1 patent drawingFigure 3B~3D

AI summary

The invention relates to a child car seat (1) comprising a seat part (12) and a back-rest (11), said back-rest having a rigid back-rest structure (20), the width at the top thereof being smaller than the width of the base thereof, and a lower part of said back-rest structure (20) being hollowed-out between side posts (201, 202) and an upper part of said back-rest structure (20) having two holes (204, 205) for passing a harness strap therethrough.