Child Safety Seat Gear Lock Feedback With Audible Reminder

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing child safety seats lack intuitive feedback during gear adjustment, leading to potential errors in determining if the locking mechanism is securely engaged.

Innovation Solution

An auxiliary reminding apparatus with a locking and unlocking mechanism featuring a trigger switch and alarm, which provides audible, vibrational, or visual prompts based on the locking state, ensuring correct engagement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a locking and unlocking mechanism is used for gear adjustment, then the gear can be adjusted and locked, but the user cannot directly see whether the gear is locked in place and must determine it by perception, which may be mistaken

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegear adjustment operationVSAvoidlocking state feedback
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies feedback by introducing a reminding mechanism that includes a trigger switch and an alarm. When the locking mechanism is in the unlocking state, the trigger switch is triggered and the alarm sends out a prompt signal. When the locking mechanism is in the locking state, the trigger switch is not triggered and the alarm does not send out a prompt signal. This provides intuitive feedback to the user about the locking state, resolving the information loss problem.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses the alarm (which can be a buzzer, vibration apparatus, or warning lamp) to provide visual or audible feedback about the locking state. The warning lamp specifically uses light changes to indicate the state, similar to the color changes principle, making the locking state directly observable rather than requiring tactile perception.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

2Loss of information

If no reminding mechanism is provided, then the device structure remains simple, but the user cannot obtain intuitive feedback on locking state

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocking state feedbackVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a feedback mechanism with minimal added complexity - a trigger switch and alarm system that automatically detects the locking state and provides appropriate feedback signals, gaining information feedback while adding only necessary components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The reminding mechanism automatically detects the locking state through the trigger switch and provides feedback without requiring user intervention or complex external systems, making the system self-monitoring with simple architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4147905B1Auxiliary reminding apparatus for gear adjustment of child safety seat
Publication Date: 2025.09.17 NINGBO BABY FIRST BABY PROD CO LTD
  • EP4147905B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4147905B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4147905B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An auxiliary reminding apparatus for gear adjustment of a child safety seat, comprising a locking and unlocking mechanism. The locking and unlocking mechanism comprises a locking state and an unlocking state; the child safety seat is provided with a reminding mechanism; the reminding mechanism comprises a trigger switch and an alarm (8); when the locking and unlocking mechanism is in the unlocking state, the trigger switch is triggered so that the alarm (8) sends out an indication signal; and when the locking and unlocking mechanism is in the locking state, the trigger switch is not triggered so that the alarm (8) does not send out the prompt signal. The auxiliary reminding apparatus for gear adjustment of the child safety seat is provided with the reminding mechanism, which can send out a sound indication when the locking and unlocking mechanism and a gear hole are not locked in place, thereby avoiding the risk of errors in manual determination, and moreover, making the determination of the gear adjustment locking state become more intuitive, thus achieving use convenience.