AU2023202933A1

AU2023202933A1 - Crotch buckle adjustment mechanism

Info

Publication number: AU2023202933A1
Application number: AU2023202933A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Mark Purchas; Alan Tanner; Kim Tat
Original assignee: Dorel Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Dorel Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2017-02-28
Filing date: 2023-05-11
Publication date: 2023-06-01
Also published as: AU2018201438A1

Abstract

A vehicular child restraint, comprising a seat portion having a front and a rear and at least one slot extending from an upper surface to a lower surface, a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing, each section including an upper portion extending above the upper surface of the 5 seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and each section having a lower portion with a fixed portion that is fixed in position with respect to the seat portion, and an adjustment mechanism intermediate the dual crotch strap, the adjustment mechanism being operable to adjust both the depth location of the upper portions with respect to the rear of the seat portion and the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion. 10

Description

Crotch buckle adjustment mechanism

Cross reference to related application

This application is a divisional of Australian patent application no. 2018201438, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the invention

This invention relates generally to vehicular child restraints and more particularly to an adjustable harness assembly for child restraints. The term 'child restraints' includes child's car seats, booster seats, convertible seats and rearward facing restraints such as baby carriers or capsules.

Background of the invention

Several types of child restraint systems for vehicles, notably child's car seats and baby carriers or capsules, include an inbuilt harness assembly. Convertible booster seats often provide for a harness which may be mounted separately in the vehicle and may or may not be engageable with the booster seat. The usual form of inbuilt harness assembly in Australia is a so called 5 or 6-point configuration that includes a single or dual crotch strap with a female buckle component and a pair of shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are fixed in position at lap locations and extend through respective slots in the back portion of the restraint body, which is typically a moulded shell, or through a vertically moveable headrest. The shoulder straps carry male tongue components at intermediate positions that engage with the female buckle.

Generally, two separate means are provided for adjusting inbuilt harness assemblies. Firstly, the restraint body is provided with respective arrays of vertically spaced slots through which the shoulder straps can be selectively passed to suit the size of the child who will ordinarily occupy the restraint: manufacturers typically recommend a specific height relationship between the child's shoulders and the selected slots. Alternatively, slots are provided in a headrest portion that is vertically adjustable to raise or lower the strap location.

A final adjustment fit is achieved by means of a pull strap that is connected to the shoulder straps in a position behind or under the restraint body and emerges from an opening at the front of the body for being gripped by hand and drawn outwardly to selectively adjust the shoulder straps to a tighter fit. A locking device maintains this fit unless it is released by a push or lift actuator to allow retraction of the pull strap when the shoulder straps are drawn forwardly. The shoulder straps are typically connected to the pull strap via an arrangement that permits disengagement of each shoulder strap to alter the slot of the restraint body through which it passes.

Children of different sizes need different types of restraints. For forward facing child restraints of Type B in Australian Standards, a built-in 5 or 6 point harness is used. Type B restraints are designed to accommodate children from 6 months to 4 years of age. A newer forward-facing restraint with an inbuilt harness is a Type G in Australian Standards and is designed to accommodate children from 6 months up to 8 years of age.

Due to this increase in the age range, the child restraint must be able to allow enough room and comfort for the child at each growth stage. However, a child does not only grow in height, they also grow in girth. As a child grows, their crotch extends a greater distance from the rear of the seat. Crotch buckle adjustment methods that are available on the market only allow a one directional adjustment which adds slack to the webbing for additional height only. These methods require the user to manually unthread the crotch webbing and re-thread it, which if not performed correctly can be a concern.

It is therefore desired to provide a crotch buckle adjustment mechanism to allow a child restraint to accommodate a larger range of child sizes.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

Summary of the invention

Described herein is a vehicular child restraint, comprising:

a seat portion having a front and a rear and at least one slot extending from an upper surface to a lower surface; a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing extending downwardly from a buckle at an upper end, the buckle extending above the upper surface of the seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and having lower ends that are fixed in position with respect to the seat portion; and an adjustment mechanism intermediate the crotch strap, the adjustment mechanism being slidable with respect to the seat portion and the crotch strap to adjust both the location of the buckle with respect to the rear of the seat portion and the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion.

Also described herein is a vehicular child restraint, comprising:

a seat portion having a front and a rear and at least one slot through which a crotch strap extends;

a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing extending downwardly from a buckle at an upper end, the buckle extending above the upper surface of the seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and having lower ends that are fixed in position with respect to the seat portion;

an adjustment plate slidable in a forward and rearward direction with respect to the seat portion and the fixed lower end of the crotch strap, the adjustment plate having at least one slot through which the crotch strap slidingly extends;

locking means defining at least two set positions of the adjustment plate, wherein in a forward position the height of the buckle is higher than when the adjustment plate is in a rearward position, and the crotch strap extends out of the seat portion slot further towards the front of the seat portion when in the forward position than when in the rearward position.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a vehicular child restraint, comprising:

a seat portion having a front and a rear and at least one slot extending from an upper surface to a lower surface;

a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing, each section including an upper portion extending above the upper surface of the seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and each section having a lower portion with a fixed portion that is fixed in position with respect to the seat portion; and an adjustment mechanism intermediate the dual crotch strap, the adjustment mechanism being operable to adjust both the depth location of the upper portions with respect to the rear of the seat portion and the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a vehicular child restraint, comprising:

a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing, each section including an upper end portion extending above the upper surface of the seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and each section having a lower portion that with a fixed portion that is fixed in position with respect to the seat portion;

locking means defining at least two set positions of the adjustment plate, wherein in a forward position the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion is longer than when the adjustment plate is in a rearward position, and the crotch strap extends out of the seat portion slot further towards the front of the seat portion when in the forward position than when in the rearward position.

The fixed portion of the crotch strap can be fixed at or towards the front of the slot in the seat portion. Preferably, in the forward position the adjustment plate is closer to the lower portion of the crotch strap than in the rearward position, such that moving the adjustment plate from the forward position to the rearward position lengthens the crotch strap portion extending between the lower portion and the adjustment plate and shortens the crotch strap portion extending between the adjustment plate and the upper portion, such that the height of the upper portion is lower in the rearward position and the crotch strap extends out of the seat portion slot further towards the rear of the seat portion.

The present invention provides simultaneous adjustment of the upper portion in terms of both height and depth position with respect to the seat portion.

In one embodiment a base plate is fixed to the underside of the seat portion, with the adjustment plate positioned between the underside of the seat portion and the base plate, the fixed portion of the crotch strap being fixed in position with respect to the base plate. Alternatively, the fixed portion of the crotch strap could be fixed directly to the underside of the seat portion.

In an embodiment, the locking means provides an intermediate position between the forward position and the rearward position. The location of the upper portion may be between the forward-most location of the forward position and the rear-most location of the rearward position, and the height may be intermediate the longest length of the forward position and the shortest length of the rearward position. It will be appreciated that any number of intermediate positions may be provided, but would be typically one or two, making a total of three or four positions to select.

The locking means may include at least one manually adjustable pin which can be manually adjustable to lock and release the moveable adjustment plate. The locking means may include a series of depressions provided in the underside of the seat portion, with at least one manually adjustable pin in the form of a retractable pin, such that the pin may be retracted to allow the adjustment plate to slide, and releasable to extend into a depression to lock the adjustment plate in a selected position. The sliding pins are preferably spring loaded pins that are biased to extend into a depression and a locked position.

The ends of the sliding pins may extend through slots in the base plate making them graspable from underneath the child seat. The ends of the pins preferably have handles or enlarged ends to make grasping by the user easier. The slots in the base plate and the pins provide a guide along which the adjustment plate slides. A boss or spacer may be provided about the sliding pins to space the adjustment plate from the base plate and prevent lateral movement of the locking pin.

The crotch strap may be a dual crotch strap, whereby two sections of webbing extend from the buckle with the lower portion comprised of two ends. The two sections may be integral. The dual crotch strap may include a buckle. The buckle may be disposed toward or at the upper end portion of the crotch strap or webbing. The two sections may be integral such that the webbing loops through the buckle.

Alternatively, the crotch strap may be a single section of webbing with the lower portion comprising one fixed portion. The fixed portion may be fastened by being threaded through slots in the base plate and being fixed to a 3 bar slide to prevent the fixed ends from pulling through the base plate. The 3 bar slide makes the crotch strap easy to replace if needed, however the crotch strap could be fastened via rivets or similar fastening means.

Where a dual crotch strap is utilised, two slots may be provided in the seat portion, spreading the ends apart, with correspondingly spread slots provided in the adjustment plate.

As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or steps. Neither is "having" intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or steps.

Brief description of the drawings

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG 1 is a perspective front view of a child's car seat according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the crotch buckle in a forward position;

FIG 2 is a perspective front view of the seat portion of the child's car seat of Figure 1, with the crotch buckle in rearward position;

FIG 3 is a perspective front view of the seat portion of Figure 2, with the crotch buckle in an intermediate position;

FIG 4 is a perspective front view of the crotch strap and adjustment plate without the seat portion;

FIG 5 is a perspective front view from underneath of the seat portion of FIG 3;

FIG 6 is an exploded perspective front view of FIG 5;

FIG 7 is a perspective front view from underneath of the seat portion with the base plate removed and the crotch strap in the forward position;

FIG 8 is a perspective front view from underneath of the seat portion with the base plate removed and the crotch strap in the intermediate position;

FIG 9 is a perspective front view from underneath of the seat portion with the base plate removed and the crotch strap in the rearward position;

FIG 10 is a side cross-sectional view through a locking pin of the seat portion, with the crotch strap in the forward position;

FIG 11 is a view similar to FIG 10, with the crotch strap in the intermediate position;

FIG 12 is a view similar to FIG 10, with the crotch strap in the rearward position;

FIG 13 is a side cross-sectional view through one of the slots of the seat portion, with the crotch strap in the forward position;

FIG 14 is a view similar to FIG 13, with the crotch strap in the intermediate position; and

FIG 15 is a view similar to FIG 13, with the crotch strap in the rearward position.

Detailed description of the embodiments

The child's car seat 10 illustrated in FIG 1 includes a seat portion 12, which comprises a moulded shell body 14. The seat 10 includes a back portion 16, which extends upwardly from the rear 18 of the seat portion 12. The shell body 14 would usually be appropriately covered with fabric and padding for comfort and safety.

The child's car seat 10 is fitted with an inbuilt harness assembly 20 that includes a dual crotch strap 22 and a pair of shoulder straps 24. The crotch strap 22 carries a twin socket female buckle component 30. The shoulder straps 24 extend from respective male tongue buckle components 32 to pass rearwardly through respective slots 33 in the upper region or head rest portion 35 of the back portion 16. The height of the head rest 35 is adjustable with respect to the back portion 16. In some embodiments (not illustrated) there may be vertically spaced rows of slots at which the location of the shoulder straps suits children of different heights.

Tongue buckle components 32 are separately releasably engageable with respective sockets of the female buckle component 30. The assembled buckle is released by operation of a single central push button 34 on the female buckle component 30.

Additional lateral straps would usually also extend from the male tongue buckle portion to the sides of the seat to make a 5-point harness. It will be understood that any other harness arrangement may encompass the invention.

Crotch strap 22 has two webbing portions 26 that each extend into the seat portion 12 of the child's car seat body through slots 28. The slots 28 have a generally rectangular shape with the elongate sides extending in a direction running front to back of the seat portion 12 (see FIG 2). The slots are positioned generally centrally in the seat portion and are spaced apart so that the two webbing portions 26 extend from the buckle 30 in an inverted "V" configuration. The slots 28 extend through the shell body 14 to the underside of the seat portion.

The elongate shape of the slots 28 allows the crotch strap 22 to be located in a number of positions along the slot 28 so that the distance from the rear 18 of the seat portion can be increased or decreased allowing the accommodation of children of different sizes from a body depth perspective at the hip region. FIG 1 shows the crotch strap 22 in a forward most position where it is located at the front 36 of slots 28 to accommodate a child of a relatively larger size. FIG 2 shows the crotch strap 22 in rear most position where it is located at the rear 38 of slots 28 to accommodate a child of relatively smaller size. FIG 3 shows the crotch strap 22 in an intermediate position where it is located at a distance between the front 36 and the rear 38 of the slots.

FIG 4 shows the crotch strap 22 with two webbing portions 26 extending from the buckle 30. The top webbing ends 40 together form the upper end 42 of the crotch strap. The two spread apart bottom webbing ends 44 together form the lower end 46 of the crotch strap. It will be appreciated that the present invention according to another embodiment may utilise a single webbing portion having a single top end and a single bottom end.

The bottom ends 44 are respectively connected to a 3-bar slide 48. Between the upper end 42 and the lower end 46, the webbing extends through slots 50 provided in an adjustment plate 52. The 3-bar slide 48 prevents the bottom end 44 from pulling through the adjustment plate 52.

In use the 3-bar slides 48 are located underneath a base plate 54, as shown in FIG 5. The base plate 54 is fastened to the underside of the seat portion 12. The adjustment plate 52 is located between the underside of seat portion and the base plate 54, as shown in FIG 6. The bottom ends 44 of the webbing portion extend through slots 64 provided in a recessed portion 58 of the base plate. The lower end 46 of the crotch strap 22 is therefore fixed from movement in a forward and rearward direction and a lateral direction with respect to the base plate and seat portion. They are also prevented from upward movement; however they are able to move downwards.

As can be seen in FIGS 7 through 9, where the base plate 54 has been omitted, the adjustment plate 52 is able to slide in a forward and backward direction with respect to the seat portion 12. The adjustment plate 52 slides across the surface of the slots 28, with the crotch strap 22 sliding backwards and forwards within the slots 28 to provide the depth adjustment.

Projecting from the adjustment plate 52 are locking pins 60 (shown in FIG 4). Two locking pins 60 are provided, one towards each side of the adjustment plate 52, outward of the slots 28. Although it will be appreciated that a single locking pin could be provided and positioned centrally to the slots 28. The locking pins 60 are biased by springs 61 to engage within one of a series of locator depressions 62 provided in the underside of the seat portion formed in the shell body 14 (see FIG 6). In use, the two locking pins 60 are pulled outwardly by hand and the adjustment plate 52 is slid forwards or backwards. The locking pins are then released to project into the desired locator depressions 62.

FIGS 10 through 12 show the three different positions of the locking pins 60 in the locator depressions 62. The locking pins 60 are fixed in position to the adjustment plate 52, and extend through slots 64 in the base plate 54. The slots 64 effectively provide rails for the pins 60 to guide the sliding of the adjustment plate 52. A spacer or boss 66 is provided on the underside of the adjustment plate for holding the locking pins 60 in position, being secured via screws 68 through the adjustment plate. The spacer 66 appropriately spaces the adjustment plate 52 from the base plate 54.

The head of the locking pins 60 include a bulbous end grip 70 to allow for easy grasping with fingers to pull outwards and slide to the next position.

FIGS 13 through 15 show the movement of the crotch strap 22 as the adjustment plate is moved between the three locking positions. In FIG 13, the adjustment plate 52 is in the forward position with the locking pin 60 engaged in the forward most locator depression 62. In this position the adjustment plate 52 is closest to the fixed bottom end 44 of the crotch strap 22. This forward most position accommodates a child of greater size, as the crotch strap buckle is located higher with respect to the upper surface of the seat portion 12 and is spaced a greater distance from the rear 18 of the seat portion.

To accommodate a child of smaller size, the two end grips 70 are grasped and pulled outwardly, disengaging the locator depressions 62. The locking pins are slid backwards until they align and engage in the intermediate locator depressions 62. In this intermediate position (FIG 14), the adjustment plate 52 is further from the fixed bottom end 44 of the crotch strap than when in the forward position. As the adjustment plate 52 moves rearwardly the slots 50 slide over the webbing strap 26. Moving the adjustment plate 52 from the forward position to the intermediate position lengthens the crotch strap portion 72 extending between the fixed bottom end 44 and the adjustment plate 52. This simultaneously shortens the crotch strap portion 74 extending between the adjustment plate 52 and the buckle 30, such that the height of the buckle 30 is lower in the intermediate position and the crotch strap 22 extends out of the seat portion slot 28 further towards the rear of the seat 18.

Further adjustment can be achieved by moving the crotch strap into the rearward position (FIG 15). In the rearward position, the locking pin 60 is located in the rear most locator depression 62 and the adjustment plate 52 is in a rearmost position. This lengthens the crotch strap portion 72 extending between the fixed bottom end 44 and the adjustment plate 52 and shortens the crotch strap portion 74 extending between the adjustment plate 52 and the buckle 30. This lowers the buckle 30 with respect to the upper surface of the seat portion 12 and moves it closer to the rear of the seat 18.

It will be appreciated that the above described and illustrated crotch buckle adjustment mechanism in a child restraint substantially facilitates adjustment of the harness by a parent or carer, especially as a child grows or when a different child is using the seat. The present invention provides simultaneous adjustment in the height/length of the crotch strap and in its position with respect to the rear of the seat portion.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A vehicular child restraint, comprising:

a dual crotch strap having two sections of webbing, each section including an upper portion extending above the upper surface of the seat portion, the two sections of webbing extending through the at least one slot and each section having a lower portion with a fixed portion that is fixed in position with respect to the seat portion; and

an adjustment mechanism intermediate the dual crotch strap, the adjustment mechanism being operable to adjust both the depth location of the upper portions with respect to the rear of the seat portion and the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion.

2. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion has two slots through which the two sections of webbing respectively extend.

3. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment plate slidable in a forward and rearward direction with respect to the seat portion and the fixed portions of the crotch strap.

4. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 3 wherein the adjustment plate includes at least one slot through which the crotch strap slidingly extends.

5. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 3 or claim 4, further including locking means defining at least two set positions of the adjustment plate including a forward position and a rearward position, wherein in a forward position the length of the crotch strap extending above the seat portion is longer than when the adjustment plate is in a rearward position, and the crotch strap extends out of the seat portion slot(s) further towards the front of the seat portion when in the forward position than when in the rearward position.

6. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 5 , wherein, in the forward position, the adjustment plate is closer to the fixed portions of the crotch strap than in the rearward position, such that moving the adjustment plate from the forward position to the rearward position lengthens the crotch strap portion extending between the fixed portions and the adjustment plate and shortens the crotch strap portion extending above the adjustment plate

7. The vehicular child restraint according to claim any one of the preceding claims, wherein simultaneous adjustment in terms of both length and depth position with respect to the seat portion is provided with a single mechanism.

8. The vehicular child restraint according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the locking means provides an intermediate position between the forward position and the rearward position.

9. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 8, wherein the locking means includes at least one manually adjustable pin which is manually adjustable to lock and release the movable adjustment plate.

10. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 9 wherein a series of depressions are provided in the underside of the seat portion, wherein the at least one manually adjustable pin is in the form of a retractable pin, such that the pin is retractable to allow the adjustment plate to slide, and releasable to extend into a depression to lock the adjustment place in a selected position.

11. The vehicular child restraint according to any one of claims 3 to 6 or 8 to 10, wherein a base plate is fixed to the underside of the seat portion, with the adjustment plate positioned between the underside of the seat portion and the base plate, and whereby the fixed portions of the crotch strap are fixed in position with respect to the base plate.

12. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 11, wherein the at least one pin extends through a respective slot(s) in the base plate making them graspable from underneath the seat portion when the vehicular child restraint is not secured in position in a vehicle.

13. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 12, wherein the slot(s) in the base plate provide a guide for sliding movement of the at least one pin and a guide for sliding movement of the adjustment plate.

14. The vehicular child restraint according claim 2, wherein the two slots in the seat portion are parallel and spaced apart to spread the lower ends of the dual crotch strap apart, such that the dual crotch strap forms and inverted "V" configuration.

15. A vehicular child restraint, comprising:

16. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 15, wherein the seat portion has two slots through which the two sections of webbing respectively extend.

17. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the locking means is a series of depressions provided in the underside of the seat portion, with sliding pins extending from the adjustment plate, such that the pins may be retracted to allow the adjustment plate to slide, and released to extend into a corresponding depression to lock a selected position.

18. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 17, wherein the sliding pins are spring loaded pins that are biased to extend into a depression and a locked position.

19. The vehicular child restraint according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein a base plate is fixed to the underside of the seat portion, with the adjustment plate positioned between the underside of the seat portion and the base plate, and whereby the lower ends of the crotch strap are fixed in position with respect to the base plate.

20. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 18, wherein the ends of the sliding pins extend through slots in the base plate making them graspable from underneath the seat portion when the vehicular child restraint is not secured in position in a vehicle.

21. The vehicular child restraint according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dual crotch strap includes a buckle.

22. The vehicular child restraint according to claim 21, wherein the buckle is disposed at the upper end portion of the two sections of webbing.