CHILD SAFETY SEAT FOR USE IN A VEHICLE

• US 20160046213A1
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hauck (Hong Kong) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hauck (Hong Kong) Ltd.
• Inventors: Kirstein, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,592,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/103 attachable to adult's chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2803 Adaptations for seat belts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2845 having handles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/286 forward facing B60N2/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2875 inclinable, as a whole or partially

Abstract

A child safety seat comprising a base placeable on and securable to a vehicle seat and a seat element releasably engageable with the base. The base has an inclination adjustor which is selectively adjustable in at least two different positions relative to a base body in order to adjust the inclination of the base with respect to the vehicle seat. The adjustor includes a locking mechanism for locking the adjustor in a selected adjustment position and for releasing the adjustor in order to allow for selection of another adjustment position. An actuator operates the locking mechanism to lock or release the adjustor. The actuator is positioned on the base so that the actuator is covered by the lower surface of the seat element when the latter is fixed to the base. The actuator therefore cannot be accessed without unlocking and separating the seat element from the base.

Claims

1. A child safety seat for use in a vehicle comprising:

a base adapted to be placed on and secured to a vehicle seat, said base comprising a base body;

a seat element having an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface of the seat element defining a seat area and a backrest;

the seat element further having a first connector;

the base having a second connector for lockably interacting with the first connector when the seat element is placed in a receiving position on the base with the lower surface of the seat element facing the base in order to releasably attach the seat element to the base;

the base further having an inclination-adjustor connected to the base body and being selectively adjustable in at least two different adjustment positions relative to the base body for adjusting the inclination of the base with respect to the surface of the vehicle seat the base is placed on;

the inclination-adjustor comprising a locking mechanism for locking the adjustor in a selected adjustment position and for releasing the adjustor in order to allow for selection of another adjustment position;

wherein the locking mechanism includes an actuator for operating the locking mechanism to lock or release the adjustor and wherein the actuator is placed on the base in a position that is covered by the lower surface of the seat element when the latter is fixed to the base and in such a way that the actuator cannot be accessed by a user without unlocking the first and second connectors and separating the seat element from the base.

2. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the base contains a belt receiver adapted to receive a vehicle seatbelt in order to secure the base to the vehicle seat, and wherein the belt receiver comprises a belt clamping element for clampingly fixing the seatbelt to the receiver, wherein said belt clamping element is movable between a clamping position, in which the clamping element clampingly fixes the seatbelt fed into the belt receiver, and an open position, in which the clamping element releases the seatbelt, and wherein the belt clamping element further comprises the actuator of the locking means.

3. The child safety seat according to claim 2, wherein the belt clamping element is a belt clamping lever.

4. The child safety seat according to claim 2, wherein the locking comprises

a locking element being movably connected to the base for moving between a locking position and a release position and including a locking pin,

and a connecting member being fixed to the inclination-adjustor, said connecting member having at least two slots at different positions for interlockingly receiving the locking pin when the inclination-adjustor is adjusted in respective adjustment positions,

wherein the locking element further includes a first abutment face and the belt clamping element includes a second abutment face,

wherein the first and second abutment faces are arranged in a way that when moving the belt clamping lever to an unlocking position the second abutment face engages the first abutment face thereby forcing the locking element to move from the locking position in which the locking pin rests in one of the slots of the connecting member, to the release position in which the locking pin is retracted from the slots and the connecting member is movable relative to the locking element in order to adjust the inclination adjustor.

5. The child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the locking element is a locking lever.

6. The child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the belt clamping element includes a third abutment face and the locking element includes a fourth abutment face, wherein the third abutment face engages the fourth abutment face in a way so as to retain the locking element in the locking position when the belt clamping element is in the clamping position.

7. The child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the belt clamping element must be moved from its clamping position beyond the open position to reach the unlocking position.

8. The child safety seat according to claim 2, wherein the belt clamping element is pivotable relative to the base body about a first pivot axis.

9. The child safety seat according to claim 4, wherein the locking element is pivotable relative to the base body about a second pivot axis.

10. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the inclination-adjustor comprises an adjustment plate which is connected to the base via a pivot axis which axis is generally parallel to a surface plane of the adjustment plate, wherein the adjustment plate is pivotable with respect to the base body between differing pivot positions and is lockable in at least two different of said pivot positions by of the locking mechanism.

11. The child safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism contains a resilient element applying a spring load to the locking mechanism forcing the locking mechanism into a position locking the adjustor.

12. The child safety seat according to claim 4, comprising a spring element acting on the locking element and applying a spring force that forces the locking element into the locking position.

13. The child safety seat according to claim 2, wherein the clamping element is arranged on an upper surface of the base which upper surface of the base faces the lower surface of the seat element when the seat element and the base are attached to one another by of the first and second connectors and when the seat element is attached to the base, the lower surface of the seat element is in close proximity to the upper surface of the base at least in a region where the clamping element is arranged.

14. A base for a child safety seat adapted for being placed on and secured to a vehicle seat and for interlockingly receiving a seat element, said base having

a base body;

an inclination-adjustor connected to the base body and being selectively adjustable to at least two different adjustment positions relative to the base body for adjusting the inclination of the base with respect to a seat surface of the vehicle seat the base is placed on;

an upper surface adapted to receive the seat element with a lower surface thereof resting against said upper surface; and

a connector for connecting to the seat element being received on the base;

the inclination-adjustor comprising a locking mechanism for locking the adjustor in a selected adjustment position and for releasing the adjustor in order to allow for selecting another adjustment position;

wherein the locking mechanism comprises an actuator for operating the locking mechanism to lock or release the adjustor and wherein the actuator is placed on the upper surface of the base.

15. The base according to claim 14, comprising a belt receiver adapted to receive a vehicle seatbelt in order to secure the base to the vehicle seat, and wherein the belt receiver comprises a belt clamping element for clampingly fixing the seatbelt to the receiver, wherein said belt clamping element is movable between a clamping position, in which the belt clamping element clampingly fixes the seatbelt fed into the belt receiver, and an open position, in which the belt clamping element releases the seatbelt, wherein the belt clamping element further comprises the actuator of the locking means.

16. The base according to claim 15, wherein the belt clamping element is a belt clamping lever.

17. The base according to claim 15, wherein the locking comprises

a locking element being movably connected to the base for moving between a locking position and a release position and including a locking pin,

and a connecting member being fixed to the inclination-adjustor, said connecting member having at least two slots at different positions for interlockingly receiving the locking pin when the inclination-adjustor is adjusted in respective adjustment positions,

wherein the locking element includes a first abutment face and the belt clamping element includes a second abutment face,

wherein the first and second abutment faces are arranged in a way that when moving the belt clamping lever to an unlocking position, the second abutment face engages the first abutment face thereby forcing the locking element to move from the locking position, in which the locking pin rests in one of the slots of the connecting member, to the release position, in which the locking pin is retracted from the slots and the connecting member may be moved relative to the locking element in order to adjust the inclination-adjustor.

18. The base according to claim 17, wherein the locking element is a locking lever.

19. The base according to claim 17,wherein the belt clamping element includes a third abutment face and the locking element includes a fourth abutment face, wherein the third abutment face engages the fourth abutment face in a way to retain the locking element in its locking position when the belt clamping element is in its clamping position

20. The base according to claim 17, wherein the belt clamping element must be moved from its clamping position beyond the open position to reach the unlocking position.

21. The base according to claim 15, wherein the belt clamping element is pivotable relative to the base body about a first pivot axis

22. The base according to claim 17, wherein the locking element is pivotable relative to the base body about a second pivot axis.

23. The base according to claim 14, wherein the inclination-adjustor comprises an adjustment plate which is connected to the base via a pivot axis, which axis is generally parallel to a surface plane of the adjustment plate, wherein the adjustment plate is pivotable with respect to the base body between differing pivot positions and is lockable in at least two different of said pivot positions by of the locking mechanism.

24. The base according to claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism contains a resilient element applying a spring load to the locking mechanism forcing the locking mechanism into a position locking the adjustor.

25. The base according to claim 17, comprising a spring element acting to the locking element and applying a spring force that forces the locking element into the locking position.