Child restraint system for an infant
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional child restraint systems, such as booster seats and infant car seats, are bulky and space-consuming, often not used as required due to their size, which limits the ability to transport adult passengers and luggage, especially in vehicles like taxis and ride-sharing services where space is a concern and additional seats are impractical.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible child restraint system with a concave rigid shell that folds into a compact configuration for storage, featuring a hinged design with interlocking panels and a harness system, allowing it to be securely attached to a car seat and configured for both rear-facing and forward-facing positions, with optional tethers for secure installation and a handle for easy carrying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional booster seats and infant car seats are used, then child safety is ensured, but the vehicle space is significantly reduced, limiting the ability to transport adult passengers and luggage
Solution Approach 1:
The child restraint system is divided into a base unit and a removable infant carrier. The base remains in the vehicle providing safety anchoring, while the carrier can be removed or folded, segmenting the safety function from the bulk of the seat structure to reduce space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The infant carrier incorporates foldable sides and a removable top section, transforming the static bulky seat into a dynamic structure that can be collapsed to a fraction of its original volume for storage, while maintaining full safety functionality during use.
2Reliability
If bulky infant car seats are installed in vehicles, then infants can be safely restrained, but the seats occupy passenger seats even when empty, preventing transportation of adult passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the safety-critical base (which remains installed) from the infant-containing carrier (which can be removed). This allows the base to maintain safety certification while the carrier can be stowed elsewhere, freeing the passenger seat for adults when the infant is not traveling.
Solution Approach 2:
The folded carrier can be nested within or adjacent to the base unit, allowing both components to occupy minimal space in the vehicle while maintaining their individual safety functions. The nested configuration enables the seat to serve multiple purposes across different trips.
3Reliability
If traditional booster seats are used to raise children for proper seatbelt positioning, then seatbelt effectiveness is improved, but the booster seats are large and bulky, consuming storage space in the vehicle trunk
Solution Approach 1:
The booster seat incorporates collapsible sides and a foldable backrest that allow the seat to compress to a thin profile for storage in the trunk, while maintaining the elevated seating position and proper seatbelt geometry when in use. The dynamic structure reduces storage volume without compromising the safety function.
Data Source
AI summary
A child restraint system for securely carrying an infant in a vehicle, said child restraint system comprising a rigid shell that is concave of an inner side and which may be attached to a seat of a vehicle, to provide a unitary element that serves as both seat and back for supporting the infant, and a harness for holding the infant within the concave side of the shell; the unitary element comprising two parts that are hinged together so that the shell folds along a center line running through the rigid shell, each part comprising at least two panels, such that each panel is attachable to adjacent panels to form the rigid shell, or disconnectable from the adjacent panels so that the child restraint system is compactable into a substantially flattened configuration for storage.