Infant car seat/carrier assembly and method of controlling an infant carrier position

• US 6,454,350 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Carnahan, Michael, Celestina-Krevh, Mary Ann, Pope, LeNard
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/421,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.11, 297/216.19, 297/256.13, 297/256.16
• US Class Current: 297/216.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2821 having a seat and a base part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/286 forward facing B60N2/2866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2875 inclinable, as a whole or partially
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2884 with protection systems against abnormal g-forces

Abstract

An infant carrier assembly and a method controlling an infant carrier position use a base and a movable trolley mounted to a vehicle in a rearwardly facing direction. An infant carrier is detachably mounted to the trolley. The trolley is movable so that the carrier is movable between two reclined positions, 58° and 49° from the vertical to the infant carrier seatback. A sacrificial link and springs connect the trolley to the base to limit the movement between the two positions. During a front collision, e.g., when 1 or more G-force is created, the sacrificial link breaks away to release the trolley/carrier from the reclined positions to an upright position, where the carrier seatback can be upright up to about 15% (14°) from the vertical.

Claims

1. An infant carrier assembly comprising:

a base adapted to be secured to a vehicle seat;

a trolley movably mounted to the base, the trolley being limited to move between a first reclined position and a second reclined position, which is less reclined than the first reclined position;

an infant carrier detachably mountable to the trolley in a rearwardly facing direction relative to the vehicle seat; and

a linkage assembly connecting the trolley to the base and limiting the trolley to move between the first and second reclined positions,

wherein the linkage assembly has a sacrificial link adapted to break when a predetermined force is applied to the trolley in a forward direction of the vehicle, and to move the trolley out of the first and second reclined position to an upright position.

2. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein in the first reclined position, the carrier is angled about 58°

from the vertical and in the second reclined position, the carrier is angled about 49°

degrees from the vertical.

3. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 2, wherein the base has a front rail and a rear rail, and the trolley carries a front recline rod and a rear recline rod, the front rail receiving and guiding the front recline rod and the rear rail receiving and guiding the rear recline rod so that the trolley is movable relative to the base along the front and rear rails.

4. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 3, wherein the linkage assembly includes a recline adjusting rod latchable to the base, the sacrificial link coupling the rear recline rod, which is connected to the trolley, to the recline adjusting rod, which is latchable to the base.

5. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 4, wherein the linkage assembly further includes at least one spring coupling the recline adjusting rod to the rear recline rod, the spring being active when the sacrificial link breaks.

6. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 5, wherein the base has first and second recesses that receive the recline adjusting rod, the trolley being locked in the first reclined-position when the recline adjusting rod is seated in the first recess and locked in the second reclined position when the recline adjusting rod is seated in the second recess.

7. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 6, further including a recline actuator movably mounted to the base and having a first engaging member that engages the recline adjusting rod, the recline being adapted to move the recline adjusting rod away from one of the first and second recesses to release the trolley, upon which the trolley is movable to the other of the first and second recesses.

8. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 7, wherein the recline actuator includes a second engaging member laterally spaced apart from the first engaging member, and wherein the actuator is pivotally mounted to the base.

9. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 4, wherein the sacrificial link comprises a first member pivotally connected to the recline adjusting rod and a second member pivotally connected to the rear recline rod to the recline adjusting rod, and a breakable member connecting the first and second members.

10. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 9, wherein the first member comprises a first bushing pivotally journalled about the recline adjusting rod, and a first pair of spaced apart linking arms extending from the first bushing, and wherein the second member comprises a second bushing pivotally journalled about the rear recline rod, and a second linking arm extending from the second bushing, wherein the breakable member connects free ends of the first and second linking arms.

11. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is angled upright up to about 15% or 14°

from the vertical when the carrier is in the upright position.

12. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein the base includes a tilting mechanism that tilts the trolley relative to the vehicle seat.

13. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 12, wherein the base comprises a foot, a lower base, and an upper base, the lower base being tiltably connected to the foot and the upper base being fixedly attached to the lower base.

14. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 13, wherein the tilting mechanism comprises an actuator, a first height adjusting tower, and a height adjusting rod, the actuator being movably mounted to the base and engaging the height adjusting rod, the height adjusting tower being fixedly connected to the foot and having a plurality of rod receiving slots, the height adjusting rod being movably mounted to the lower base, the actuator being adapted to move the height adjusting rod out of the respective slot, which allows the lower and upper bases to tilt relative to the foot.

15. An infant carrier assembly according to claims 14, further including a second height adjusting tower spaced apart from the first height adjusting tower, the first and second height adjusting towers receiving opposite ends of the height adjusting rod.

16. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 15, wherein the actuator has a slot that receives the height adjusting rod, between the ends thereof.

17. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 1, further including a carrier latch assembly comprising a pair of opposing slots formed at the carrier, a latch actuator, and first and second spring-biased latch plungers movably mounted to the trolley and movable into the opposing slots, wherein the latch actuator is operably connected to the latch plungers to withdraw the plungers from the opposing slots to detach the carrier from the trolley.

18. An infant carrier assembly according to claim 17, wherein the latch actuator has a pair of mirror-imaged diagonal slots, and wherein each latch plungers has a pin extending therefrom and guided in one of the diagonal slots, the slots being configured to move the pins toward each other when the latch actuator is pulled.

19. A base assembly for an infant carrier comprising:

a base adapted to be secured to a vehicle seat;

a trolley movably mounted to the base, the trolley being limited to move between a first reclined position and a second reclined position, which is less reclined than the first reclined position, the trolley being adapted to mount an infant carrier in a rearwardly facing direction relative to the vehicle seat; and

a linkage assembly connecting the trolley to the base and limiting the trolley to move between the first and second reclined positions,

wherein the linkage assembly has a sacrificial link adapted to break when a predetermined force is applied to the trolley in a forward direction of the vehicle, and to move the trolley out of the first and second reclined position to a third position, which is an upright position.

20. A base assembly according to claim 19, wherein the trolley is in the first reclined position so that the carrier mounted thereto is about 58°

from the vertical and in the second reclined position so that the carrier mounted thereto is about 49°

degrees from the vertical.

21. A base assembly according to claim 20, wherein trolley moves to the upright position so that the carrier mounted thereto is angled upright up to about 15% or 14°

from the vertical.

22. A method of controlling an infant carrier position in a vehicle, comprising:

providing a base, which is adapted to be secured to a vehicle seat;

mounting a trolley to the base and limiting the trolley between a first reclined position and a second reclined position, which is more upright than the first reclined position, relative to the base;

detachably mounting an infant carrier to the trolley in a rearwardly facing direction relative to the vehicle seat;

providing a linkage assembly, having a sacrificial link, to connect the trolley to the base; and

breaking the sacrificial link when a predetermined force is applied to the carrier in a forward direction of the vehicle to move the trolley out of the first or second reclined position to an upright position.