Retractable Tether Assembly for Low-Profile Child Safety Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Child safety seats with tall bases for securing the seat in a vehicle compromise aesthetics and increase the center of gravity, affecting crash performance.
Innovation Solution
A child safety seat with a tether assembly featuring a tether driving component that is extendable and retractable relative to the base, allowing for proper height adjustment while maintaining a low profile and lower center of gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the base is made tall to provide adequate crash performance, then the crash performance is improved, but the aesthetics and center of gravity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The tether driving component is designed to be movable relative to the base, allowing it to extend to a used position for adequate crash performance and retract to a stored position for improved aesthetics and lower center of gravity. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between maintaining tall base benefits and achieving compact aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether driving component can be received within or nested relative to the base structure when in the stored position, allowing the tether assembly to maintain a low profile while still providing adequate crash performance when extended. This nesting approach enables the system to achieve both compact aesthetics and functional performance.
2Reliability
If the tether driving component is extended to provide adequate height for crash performance, then the crash performance is improved, but the profile and center of gravity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The tether driving component transitions between a retracted stored position and an extended used position, dynamically adjusting the profile height to provide adequate crash performance only when necessary while maintaining a low center of gravity during normal use.
Data Source
AI summary
A child safety seat includes a base, a seat body and a tether assembly. The seat body is movably, detachably, or fixedly disposed on the base. The tether assembly is for securing the base on a vehicle. The tether assembly includes a tether driving component, a tether anchor and a tether strap. The tether driving component is movably disposed on the base. The tether driving component is extendable relative to the base to a used position and retractable relative to the base to a stored position. The used position is higher than the stored position along a vertical direction. The tether anchor is for engaging with the vehicle. The tether strap is connected to the tether anchor and one of the base and the tether driving component. The present invention allows an aesthetic design of the base and maintains a lower profile and a lower center of gravity.