Biasing Buckle Assembly for Child Safety Seat Harness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child safety seat harness assemblies are difficult to position for initial child placement and removal, causing discomfort and difficulty in securing children due to buckle placement issues, especially when the buckle is biased inwardly towards the back portion.
Innovation Solution
A harness assembly with a buckle assembly that includes a buckle pad for cushioning and a biasing member to bias the buckle assembly away from the back portion in the disengaged state, facilitating easier access and reducing discomfort during child placement and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the buckle assembly is positioned inwardly towards the back portion of the child safety seat, then the harness assembly provides secure restraint during impact, but the buckle becomes difficult to access for initial child placement and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle assembly is made dynamically positionable through a biasing member (spring) that automatically adjusts the buckle position between two states: engaged position (inwardly towards back portion for secure restraint) and disengaged position (forwardly away from back portion for easy access). This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by providing both secure restraint during impact and ease of operation during child placement.
2Ease of operation
If the buckle assembly is positioned forwardly away from the back portion of the child safety seat, then the buckle is easily accessible for child placement, but the harness assembly may not provide adequate restraint during impact
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member (spring) ensures that when the buckle is not engaged, it is automatically biased forwardly away from the back portion, making it easily accessible for child placement. When engaged, the buckle is pulled inwardly towards the back portion to provide secure restraint. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by providing ease of operation during placement while maintaining reliability during impact.
3Device complexity
If the buckle is held in a fixed position, then the harness assembly structure is simple, but the buckle cannot adapt to both ease of access and secure restraint requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member (spring) adds minimal complexity to the buckle assembly structure while enabling the buckle to adapt between two positions: engaged position for secure restraint and disengaged position for ease of access. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by providing versatility without significant increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a secure and comfortable child safety seat experience by allowing easier engagement and disengagement of the harness, reducing the likelihood of injury and improving user convenience during impact scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member engaged with the buckle pad. The biasing member is configured to bias the buckle assembly toward a first position away from an occupant of the child safety seat in the disengaged state
Implementation Method 2
a buckle pad, where at least a portion of the buckle pad is generally aligned with and adjacent to the buckle... the buckle pad may be configured to provide the occupant with cushioning from the buckle
Data Source
AI summary
A harness assembly for a child safety seat is provided that is configurable between an engaged state and a disengaged state. The harness assembly may include a plurality of shoulder straps, each having a buckle tab. The harness assembly may further include a buckle assembly having a buckle that can receive the buckle tabs for securing the shoulder straps in the engaged state. The buckle assembly may also include a buckle pad, at least a portion of the buckle pad being generally aligned with and adjacent to the buckle. A buckle webbing may extend from the buckle for attaching the buckle to the child safety seat, and a biasing member may be engaged with the buckle pad to bias the buckle assembly toward a first position away from an occupant of the child safety seat in the disengaged state. A corresponding child safety seat is also provided.