Break-away Buckle with Anti-spread Tabs for Child Restraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child safety seat buckle designs are complex and difficult to use, especially in emergency situations where quick removal of the child is necessary, and they often have loops that pose safety hazards when not in use.
Innovation Solution
A buckle design with a buckle body that includes a tang portion and a loop element with anti-spread tabs, allowing for easy connection and disconnection of the shoulder and lap belts, featuring a break-away mechanism for the shoulder belt portion from the lap belt portion, and a simple assembly process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If continuous loop belts are used in child safety seats, then the belts can be easily manufactured and assembled, but they pose safety hazards when not in use and inhibit emergency removal of the child
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous loop belt is divided into separate lap belt portions and shoulder belt portions that connect through a modular buckle assembly. This segmentation allows the belts to be securely fastened during normal use but easily separated in emergencies, eliminating the safety hazards of continuous loops while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
2Reliability
If restraint belt connectors are made complex to meet safety standards, then safety requirements are satisfied, but the buckles become difficult to use for caregivers
Solution Approach 1:
The complex safety mechanisms are extracted and consolidated into a dedicated modular buckle assembly that handles all safety functions internally. The simple loop elements and tang portions provide easy connection, while the buckle body contains the complexity of meeting safety standards, separating the simplicity of use from the complexity of safety compliance.
3Ease of operation
If simple buckle designs are used, then they are easy to use, but they cannot meet necessary safety standards
Solution Approach 1:
The modular buckle assembly acts as an intermediary between the simple loop elements and the safety requirements. The loop elements provide ease of operation with their simple engagement design, while the buckle body serves as the intermediary component that implements the complex safety mechanisms, allowing both simplicity of use and compliance with safety standards.
Data Source
AI summary
A buckle for a child safety seat comprising a body having an opening for receiving and selectively retaining in position a tang portion of a first belt portion connector, a loop element for connecting a second belt portion, the loop element engaging the tang portion to connect the first and second belt portions, the loop element comprising a base with a pair of legs extending therefrom and abutting at distal ends at a split surface. Each leg includes an anti-spread tab extending generally perpendicularly from the leg configured to engage the opening when the buckle is operably assembled to prevent separation of the split surface and retain the loop element engaged on the tang portion. The anti-separation tabs allow separation of the split surface as the tang is partially withdrawn from the opening so that the lop portion may be disengaged from the tang by movement generally transverse to the tang.