Juvenile Seat Base Anchor Storage for LATCH Hook Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing juvenile vehicle seat systems lack an efficient method for storing and managing lower anchors and tethers, which are essential for securing the seat to a vehicle, leading to clutter and potential misuse.
Innovation Solution
A seat base with a storage compartment that houses the anchor hooks of the LATCH system, featuring a pivotable closure door, allows for secure storage and easy access, ensuring the anchors are always available and properly secured when not in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the LATCH system components are left exposed or loosely stored, then easy access is achieved, but clutter and potential misuse occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the anchor hooks from the general seat base structure and places them into a dedicated storage compartment. This separation isolates the LATCH components from the rest of the seat base, preventing clutter while maintaining organized accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage compartment is nested within the seat base structure itself, creating a hierarchical organization where the LATCH system components are housed within the larger seat base. This nested arrangement eliminates clutter in the vehicle while keeping components accessible through the compartment door.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a storage compartment is added to house the anchor hooks, then clutter is reduced and organization is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage compartment serves multiple functions: it houses the anchor hooks, provides structural organization to the seat base, and creates a clean integrated appearance. By making the compartment multi-functional, the added structural element justifies its presence through multiple benefits rather than being purely additive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage compartment is merged with the seat base structure as an integrated unit rather than being a separate add-on component. This merging approach consolidates the overall structure, reducing the number of separate parts and simplifying the system while achieving clutter reduction.
3Reliability
If the anchor hooks are stored in a compartment with a closure door, then security and protection are improved, but ease of access is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closure door acts as an intermediary element that provides secure protection while allowing controlled access. The door mechanism mediates between the need for secure storage and the need for easy access, offering a balance that satisfies both requirements through its design.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure door is positioned and designed to facilitate quick opening and closing actions. By preparing the door mechanism in advance and positioning it for easy operation, the system enables rapid access when needed while maintaining secure closure during storage, reducing the operational burden on the user.
Data Source
AI summary
A child restraint including a juvenile seat configured to be mounted on a seat base. The seat base includes a seat support and a LATCH system including first and second anchor belts for anchoring the seat support to the seat of a vehicle. The seat base includes a storage compartment for storing free ends of the anchor belts when the anchor belts are detached from the vehicle.