Rotatable Child Seat Base With Pivoting Seatbelt Retainer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child safety devices, particularly child seats for vehicles, lack efficient mechanisms for securing the seat to the vehicle seat and allowing flexible orientation and detachment of the juvenile seat for easy access and installation.
Innovation Solution
A child restraint system featuring a seat base with a pivotable vehicle seatbelt retainer and a rotatable seat-orientation controller, along with a tether system for maintaining connection between the juvenile seat and the seat base, enabling secure attachment to the vehicle seat, flexible orientation, and easy access for installation and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the juvenile seat is directly coupled to the seat base, then the structure is simple, but the seatbelt retainer cannot be accessed for proper installation
Solution Approach 1:
The child restraint system is divided into separate functional components: the seat base with seatbelt retainer, the juvenile seat, and the seat-orientation controller. This segmentation allows the seatbelt retainer to be accessed independently by positioning the juvenile seat away from the seat base during installation, resolving the accessibility issue while maintaining structural simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic positioning where the juvenile seat can be moved between a use position (coupled to seat base) and a base-installation position (spaced apart). This dynamic reconfiguration enables access to the seatbelt retainer during installation while maintaining the simple coupled structure during normal use.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the seatbelt retainer is fixed in position, then the structure is stable, but the seat cannot be properly secured to the vehicle seat
Solution Approach 1:
The seatbelt retainer is designed with pivotable movement capability between opened and closed positions, allowing it to transition from a non-obstructing position during installation to a clamping position for secure attachment. This dynamic design enables both proper seat securing and structural stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the juvenile seat is permanently installed on the seat base, then the structure is stable, but the seat cannot be rotated for different orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The seat-orientation controller enables dynamic rotation of the juvenile seat about a vertical axis, allowing transition between forward-facing, rearward-facing, and sideways orientations. The controller maintains the juvenile seat in the selected orientation, providing both stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat-orientation controller provides multi-functional capability by enabling the juvenile seat to assume multiple orientations (forward-facing, rearward-facing, sideways) while maintaining stable installation. This universal orientation capability resolves the contradiction between stability and flexibility.
4Ease of operation
If the juvenile seat is moved away from the seat base for retainer access, then the retainer is accessible, but the connection between seat and base is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The seat connection system acts as an intermediary mechanism that maintains connection between the juvenile seat and seat base even when the juvenile seat is positioned away from the seat base. This allows the seatbelt retainer to be accessed while ensuring the connection is not lost.
Data Source
AI summary
A child restraint includes a seat base adapted to be secured to a vehicle seat. The seat base includes a seat-base foundation formed to include a vehicle seatbelt path and a vehicle seatbelt retainer coupled to the seat-base foundation and configured to pivot between a released position spaced away from the vehicle seatbelt path and a clamped position overlying the vehicle seatbelt path to clamp a vehicle seat belt to the seat-base foundation to secure the seat base to the vehicle seat. The child restraint further includes a juvenile seat adapted to be secured to the seat base and a seat connection system configured to maintain connection between the juvenile seat and the seat base.