Child Seat Support Leg with Rotational Lock and Adjustable Length

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional child seat support leg devices face difficulties in smooth operation, length adjustment, and stability due to thin plate materials and complex mechanisms, leading to potential failure under high inertial forces during vehicle deceleration or collisions.

Innovation Solution

A child seat design featuring a U-shaped frame body with a rotational support and lock mechanism, allowing the support leg to be easily raised, collapsed, and adjusted in length using a one-handed operation, with a leg support that includes a biasing member to secure the leg portion at a predetermined length, ensuring stability on the vehicle body floor.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a thin plate support leg and support arm are coupled in an L shape to form a child seat supporting device, then the device structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the structure cannot resist the high inertial force during sudden deceleration or collision

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidstrength
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The support arm is constructed as a composite structure combining a leg support made of high-strength material (such as metal pipe) and a support arm made of different material properties, creating an L-shaped composite supporting member that resists high inertial forces during collision while maintaining manufacturability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The supporting structure is divided into distinct functional segments: a leg support portion that provides vertical support and an arm support portion that extends horizontally, coupled together to form an L-shaped configuration that distributes and resists collision forces more effectively than a single thin plate structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If an adjustment pin serving as a stopper is inserted into holes formed in the pipe support leg at predetermined intervals to adjust support leg length, then the support leg can be adjusted to different positions, but a clearance is generated between pipe parts of a double structure, causing rattling and abnormal noise

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadjustabilityVSAvoidnoise
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A cushioning member (such as a rubber or elastic element) is introduced as an intermediary component between the adjustment pin and the pipe support leg, filling the clearance and preventing direct metal-to-metal contact that causes rattling and abnormal noise during adjustment and operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The cushioning member is pre-installed in the adjustment mechanism to eliminate gaps and provide damping before any rattling or noise can occur, ensuring smooth operation and quiet performance throughout the adjustable range of the support leg

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the support leg is collapsed and contained in the lower surface of the base, then the support leg can be stored when not in use, but it is difficult to smoothly perform operations while holding the child seat

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestorabilityVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The support leg is designed to be easily extracted or detached from its collapsed position in the lower surface of the base, allowing quick deployment when needed without requiring complex manipulation or two-handed operations, thus maintaining ease of use while providing storability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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

Facilitates effortless operation and enhances safety by stabilizing the child seat during sudden deceleration or collisions, preventing forward rotation and ensuring secure attachment to the vehicle seat.

Implementation Method 1

a rotational support (20) attached to a site exposed at the base front end (10a) of the frame body (12) to be rotatable around the frame body (12)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRotation:

Implementation Method 2

containing a lock mechanism capable of being locked and unlocked at a predetermined angle with respect to the frame body (12)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical locking: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 3

a leg support (31) capable of adjusting and holding a leg portion coupled to the rotational support (20) at a predetermined length

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 4

the load acting on the child seat during the sudden deceleration of the vehicle or the like is transmitted from the support arm to the support leg and finally received by the vehicle body floor

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForce transmission: Force

Data Source

PatentEP2439102B1Child seat
Publication Date: 2020.04.01 JOYSON SAFETY SYST JAPAN KK
  • EP2439102B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2439102B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2439102B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A child seat includes a main frame (12) which is accommodated in a base (10) supporting a child seat main body, which stiffens the base (10), and which is fixed and disposed in the base (10) so that a front end is exposed from a notch formed in the base (10); a rotational support (20) attached to a site exposed at the base front end (10a) of the frame body (12) to be rotatable around the frame body (12), and containing a lock mechanism capable of being locked and unlocked at a predetermined angle with respect to the frame body (12); and a support leg (30) including a leg support (31) capable of adjusting and holding a leg portion coupled to the rotational support (20) at a predetermined length.