Support Leg Rebound Lock for Child Seat Rotation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Child safety seats in vehicles can rotate about a lateral axis during collisions, leading to severe risks of injury due to uncontrolled movement and rebound, particularly in rear-end collisions, where the seat pivots upwards and falls back down without controlled contact with the vehicle floor.
Innovation Solution
A child safety seat with a pivotally connected support leg and a locking mechanism that allows inward pivoting during impact but limits outward swing during the rebound phase, using a pawl and biasing member to secure the leg at a defined angle, preventing uncontrolled rotation and improving contact with the vehicle floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a support leg is used to prevent rotation of the child safety seat about the lateral axis, then the seat stability is improved, but the support leg becomes uncontrolled and free to pivot during the rebound phase after rear-end collision, causing harmful uncontrolled movement
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism dynamically changes the support leg's state from free-pivoting to locked-at-defined-angle based on collision conditions. During normal use, the leg pivots freely for adjustment, but during rear-end collision rebound, the mechanism activates to lock the leg at a predetermined safe angle, transforming the static structure into a dynamically responsive safety system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful uncontrolled rebound movement into a beneficial controlled positioning. The support leg's natural outward pivoting motion during rebound, which previously caused harm, is now harnessed to trigger the locking mechanism that secures the leg at a defined angle, transforming the harmful kinetic energy into a safety-locking action
2Device complexity
If the support leg is allowed to pivot outward freely during rebound, then the mechanism simplicity is maintained, but the child's head may hit the headrest with high acceleration causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is pre-configured with a pawl and ratchet geometry that automatically engages at a predetermined outward angle of the support leg. This preliminary geometric arrangement ensures that when the leg pivots outward during rebound, the locking action occurs automatically at the optimal moment and position to prevent excessive head acceleration, without requiring complex sensors or control systems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces the risk of head and neck injuries by controlling the support leg's angle upon rebound, ensuring safer positioning of the seat and reducing the likelihood of the child's head hitting the headrest more softly, while also potentially reducing the size and complexity of the seat.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member (70) which applies a force to the pawl (60) towards a disengaged state
Implementation Method 2
a support leg (40) pivotally connected with respect to a forward facing portion of the child safety seat (1) so as to swing inward toward the seat and outward away from the seat
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a foot prop or support leg for a child safety seat, a child safety seat, a seat base comprising such a foot prop and a child safety seat comprising such a foot prop or such a seat base. In one aspect, a support leg pivotally is connected with respect to a forward facing portion of the child safety seat so as to swing inward toward the seat and outward away from the seat, being characterised in that it further comprises a releasable locking means activated responsive to a forward acceleration of the seat to impose a limit to an extent of outward swing of the leg.