DE29708736U1 - Child seat to attach to an adult seat unit - Google Patents

Description

Johannes Hartmann
Wilhelmsbaderstrasse 37

63477 Maintal-1

Hanau, 16.05.1997

Utility model application

"Child seat for attachment to an adult seat unit"

The present invention relates to a child seat for attachment to a seat unit for adults, which has a seat surface part and a backrest part which are held adjustable relative to one another via a connection in such a way that they can be placed on top of one another in a folded position, and which has a retaining belt associated with the seat surface part and/or backrest part.

Such a child seat is known, for example, from DE-A1 28 45 983. This seat is attached to an adult seat using straps. For transport, the backrest part can be folded onto the seat and thus transported as a compact unit. In use, the backrest part is folded out into an approximately right-angled arrangement to the seat surface and, if necessary, attached to the backrest of an adult seat. In order to be able to adjust the height of a child's sitting position, a scissor-type frame is attached to the underside of the seat surface part, by means of which the seat surface can be raised or lowered.

In addition, child seats are known that either have only one seat part, which is attached to the seat of an adult seat, or in the form of

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formed by silicone shells, with a seat part and a backrest part, which are firmly connected to one another in an angular relationship or are made in one piece.

Normal seats in vehicles are designed for adults of average height. If a child seat is fitted to such seats, one problem for the child sitting in the seat is that the legs do not hang down freely, as they rest on the edge of the adult seat, which usually protrudes over the child seat. This results in an uncomfortable sitting position for the children, especially on long journeys in the vehicle. If, in order to make the sitting position of a child more comfortable, the seat is raised further, for example by means of a scissor frame on the underside of the child seat, as described at the beginning, the seat must be raised very far above the seat of the main seat in order to ensure the necessary legroom. However, this high arrangement results in a very unfavorable sitting position for the child from a safety perspective. Particularly in airplanes, child seats must meet particularly high requirements. Especially in airplanes, a high position cannot be accepted for safety reasons.

Based on the above-described prior art, the present invention is based on the object of creating a child seat for vehicles which allows a child to sit comfortably despite a low seating position and which can also be constructed compactly so that it can be easily stowed away when not in use. Furthermore, such a child seat should be particularly suitable for aircraft and meet the requirements in this regard.

The above object is achieved in a child seat of the type described above in that the backrest part has a spacer device on its outside facing away from the seat surface, which protrudes beyond the outside of the backrest part in the position of use, and in that on the backrest part

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and/or the seat part is provided with a holding device that can be connected to a seat unit for adults.

The spacer device allows the backrest part of the child seat to be placed at a suitable distance from the seat back of the adult seat unit to which the child seat is attached. At the same time, this spacer part provides good support for the backrest part on the seat back. Due to this forward-shifted position of the backrest part, the front edge of the seat surface part is pushed forward so far that it roughly coincides with the front edge of the seat surface of the main seat unit and a child sitting on the child seat can move its legs freely while hanging downwards. The seat surface part of the child seat can be made relatively thin and therefore lightweight, since it is practically not necessary to create a raised sitting position for the child with the seat surface part. The same applies to the backrest part, since the sufficient distance from the seat back of the main seat can only be achieved by the spacer device. Because the backrest part is connected to the seat surface via a connection, preferably a joint or a pin connection, the two parts can be folded together when not in use and thus stowed away in a small space, which is particularly advantageous in airplanes. In this context, the spacer device is also attached to the backrest part of the child seat in a foldable manner so that it can be folded onto the rear surface of the backrest part when not in use. For a thin design, it can also be advantageous to provide recesses in the backrest part in which the foldable spacer device can be inserted when not in use.

In order to be able to keep the spacer elements narrow or thin, but still achieve sufficient support on the main seat unit, the spacer device is made up of at least two spacer elements, which are attached at a distance from each other, preferably on the two side edges of the backrest part. Furthermore, for weight reasons, it can be advantageous to design each spacer element in a bow shape, for example in a U-shape. The two free

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The ends can be designed as joints to make the U-shaped bracket foldable.

It is necessary to lock the spacer device or the spacer elements from which such a spacer device is constructed in the unfolded position protruding from the back of the backrest part, so that when pressure is applied to the backrest part, the spacer device or the spacer elements retain their tilted-out position. To this end, in order to avoid special locking devices that would have to be activated when the spacer elements are unfolded, swivel angles for the spacer elements, starting from the folded-in position, are selected that are greater than 90°. In the unfolded position, these spacer elements can then rest against a stop surface against which the unfolded spacer element is then pressed when pressure is applied to the backrest part.

In order to securely attach the child seat to the main seat of a vehicle, two straps are assigned to the backrest part as a holding device, which are then hooked onto the seat backrest of the main seat or, in the case of a free seat backrest part, as is the case with individual seats, for example in coaches or airplanes, are led around the seat backrest part so that the two ends can be connected to one another and pulled tight. Especially when a child seat is not in use, such straps hang in the backrest part in an inconvenient way and can, under certain circumstances, get caught in storage spaces. Since such straps should be firmly attached to the backrest part for safety reasons, a pocket is provided on the backrest part in which these straps can be stowed when not in use. This pocket is therefore easily accessible even when the child seat is folded up, so that they can be accessed quickly and easily for attaching the child seat to the main seat.

A child seat should not only be secured to the main seat in the area of its backrest, but also with its seat surface to the seat surface of the adult seat on which it is placed. Such additional securing of the seat surface is necessary when using the child seat in aircraft, so that, in particular in an emergency, the child seat can be secured both in relation to the 0200E/970259/Hartmann

The backrest part and the seat part form a structural unit with the main seat. For such an attachment of the seat part, hook elements are provided on the underside of the seat surface, into which a safety belt from the seat unit for adults, which is assigned to the main seat on which the child seat is placed, is then hooked. Such hook elements provide an easy way of attaching the seat surface, especially when a lap belt is present on the main seat, as is the case in airplanes. This lap belt can be hooked into the hooks and tightened. To make hooking easier, such hook elements are positioned with their opening pointing towards the free, front edge of the seat surface. To give the seat additional stability in relation to the attachment points of the hook elements, these hook elements are provided on longitudinal rails running in the longitudinal direction, whereby the hook elements can each be formed by a slot in the respective rail. The lap belt, for example, can then simply be inserted into this slot. If the hook elements are arranged near the joint, it is also possible to insert the straps into the slots when the backrest part is already attached to the main seat and the seat part is tilted up, i.e. folded onto the backrest part, so that the hook elements or slots are freely accessible.

In particular, if the child seat is constructed from molded parts made of a light material, preferably polycarbonate or polyurethane foam, a reinforcing rail running in the longitudinal direction of the backrest part is inserted into the backrest part, to which all forces that can act on the seat, for example via the retaining belts, can be brought together. In addition, the spacer device with its hinge points can also be attached to this reinforcing rail if necessary. Furthermore, such a reinforcing rail offers a force absorption point for a head section that extends the backrest part at the upper edge and can be attached to the reinforcing rail in a movable manner if necessary in order to be able to adjust the height of the head section and thus the length of the backrest part to the height of the child sitting in the child seat. If such a head section is provided, the ends of second safety belts are attached to this head section or passed through this head section.

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so that the height of the anchor points of these safety belts can be adjusted accordingly when the headrest is adjusted.

The spacer device on the back of the seat surface part, with which the child seat is spaced from the backrest of the seat for an adult, can also be formed by inflatable parts. Such a spacer device with inflatable parts, for example two tube-like air chambers, are suitable for the arrangement of such a child seat in motor vehicles or rail vehicles, but not in aircraft, since the large pressure fluctuations in aircraft would lead to differently inflated air chambers; furthermore, a drop in pressure in the aircraft cabin could result in such a spacer device bursting.

Further details and features of the invention emerge from the following description of embodiments based on the drawings. In the drawings show

Figure 1 shows a seat for an adult, such as is used in buses or aircraft, with a child seat according to the invention attached to it in the unfolded position, in a side view,

Figure 2 shows the seating arrangement of Figure 1 with a child sitting on the child seat,

Figure 3 the arrangement as shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the seat part folded up,

Figure 4 is a view of the seat of Figure 3 from the direction of arrow IV in Figure 3, whereby in this view, in addition to the seat with the child seat attached to it, another individual seat is shown arranged on the back,

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the left half of the backrest part and the headrest, with the headrest additionally shown in an extended position,

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Figure 6 is a section along the line VI-Vi in Figure 6,

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of a seat according to the invention in the area of the joint with a different design of the joint compared to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5, and

Figure 8 is a schematic representation of a seat according to the invention in order to explain the individual elements of the seat.

Figure 10 is another side view of a child seat, comparable to the structure of a child seat as shown in Figures 1 to 7, but with a modified connection between the seat part and the backrest part,

Figure 10 is a section along the line X-X in Figure 9,

Figure 11 a view from the direction of the arrow Xl in Figure 9, but with the seat part folded up,

Figure 12 shows a section through the seat arrangement of Figure 11 along the section line XiI-XH in Figure 11, but with the seat in an unfolded position according to the illustration in Figure 9,

Figure 13 is a view of the backrest part from the perspective of the arrow XlII in Figure 9, although in Figure 13 only the left half of the backrest part is shown, with two different positions of the headrest, and

Figure 14 is a section along the line XIV-XIV in Figure 13.

The child seat 1 according to the invention, as shown in the figures, has a seat part 2, a backrest part 3, which is connected to the seat part 2 via a hinge-like joint 4, and a headrest 5, which extends the backrest part 3 at its upper transverse edge. The child seat 1 is, as shown in figures 1 to 4, attached to a seat unit or a main seat 6 for adults. The main seat shown is a seat such as is found in buses or

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Such seats have a backrest 7 that is separate from the neighboring seat 6 (see Figure 4) and a flat, fold-away tray 8 on the back of the backrest 7, which is assigned to the sitting position or the seat behind the seat shown in the figures and can be folded down into a position for use, as shown in Figure 3.

The child seat shown has two U-shaped brackets 9 on the back of the backrest part 3. These U-shaped brackets 9 are each provided with a ball-like joint 10 at the ends of the free legs, whereby these joint balls are guided in respective bearing shells 11, as can be clearly seen in the sectional view in Figure 6. The two joints 10 or the bearing shells 11 are arranged near the longitudinal edge 12 of the backrest part 3, so that the longitudinal bar 13 of the U-shaped bracket 9 runs vertically or parallel to the longitudinal edge 12 of the backrest part 3. When the child seat 1 is not in use, the U-shaped bracket 9, held at the joints 11, is pivoted so that the longitudinal bar 13 rests on the back of the backrest part 3, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In order to attach the child seat 1 to the main seat 6 in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4, the U-shaped brackets 9 are unfolded from the starting position, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, so that they protrude approximately vertically in a direction as indicated in Figure 6 by the dot-dash line 15. The U-shaped brackets 9 are, however, pivoted beyond a small angle, designated in Figure 6 by the reference numeral 16, so that a pressure exerted on the longitudinal bar 13 of the bracket 9 from the direction of the arrow 17 in Figure 6 holds the bracket in the unfolded position.

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, these two U-shaped brackets 9, which form spacer elements, keep the backrest part 3 of the child seat at a distance from the backrest 7 of the main seat 6, so that the front edge 18 of the seat surface part 2 of the child seat 1 lies approximately above the front edge 19 of the seat surface 20 of the main seat 6. This creates a sitting position for a child sitting on the child seat 1 such that the child's legs can hang down freely, as shown in Figure 2, without being caught by the front edge 19 of the

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main seat 6. At the same time, a low seating position is maintained for the child.

The child seat 1 is held on the backrest 7 of the main seat 6 with two belts 21, which are fastened to the backrest part 3 in the area of the upper joint 10 of the bracket 9. For this purpose, the two belts 21 are guided around the backrest 7 of the main seat and connected and tensioned by means of a connecting element (not shown in detail) so that the brackets 9 are pressed against the inside of the backrest 7. In order to fasten these belts 21 to the backrest 7, if the main seat 6 has a tray 8, this tray is first folded down, the belts 21 are fastened, and then folded up again so that the tray 8 can continue to be used by the person sitting behind this seat. Furthermore, the seat part 2 of the child seat 1 is also secured using a lap belt 22, which is usually present on a main seat 6 used in buses or airplanes. For this purpose, two longitudinal rails 23 are attached to the underside of the seat part 2 of the child seat 1 or are integrated into the seat part 2, each of which has a hook element 24 formed by a slot 25, as shown in the embodiment of the seat shown in Figure 7. When the seat part 2 is folded up, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lap belt 22 is guided through these rails 25, connected to the lock 26, and pulled tight. The seat part 2 can then be folded down to the sitting position as shown in Figures 1 and 2. It has been shown that the seat part 2 can be pivoted more easily via the hinge-like joint 4 if the hook elements 24, i.e. the slots 25 in the embodiment shown, are arranged very close to the rear edge of the seat part 2 (near the pivot axis of the seat part).

In order to be able to stow the belts 21 assigned to the backrest part 3, which are firmly attached to the backrest part 3 and thus form an integral part of the child seat 1, when the child seat 1 is not in use so that they do not represent an obstacle, a pocket 27 is provided on the back of the backrest part 3.

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provided. !&eegr; this pocket 27, which has a closure flap 28, is used to store the belts.

As can be seen in the side views of Figures 1 to 3, the seat part and the backrest part 2, 3 are each made up of a rear or lower shell element or molded body part 29, 30, which is provided with soft padding on the seat side. These molded body parts 29, 30 are preferably made of polycarbonate (foamed), which is characterized by its high inherent stability and low weight.

If greater stability is required, in particular in relation to the fact that the belts 21, the U-shaped brackets 9 and/or the rails 23 must be anchored to the child seat 1, a reinforcing rail 31 is provided in the child seat 1. This reinforcing rail 31 can be seen in the area of the longitudinal axis 32 of the seat 1 in Figure 5. The reinforcing rail 31, for example a flat metal rail, continues into the seat part 2 and into the headrest 5. Furthermore, a rod 33 is guided in the reinforcing rail 31, which runs along the longitudinal axis 32 of the backrest part 3, so that the headrest 5 can be adjusted between a lower position, in which the headrest 5 forms a direct extension of the backrest part 3, to an extended position by moving the rod 33 along the double arrow 34 (Figure 8). This extended position is shown in Figure 8 by the additionally shown headrest part 5 which is offset upwards, while this upper position is indicated in Figure 5 by the headrest part 5 shown in the dashed line.

While in the embodiment of the child seat 1 of Figures 1 to 4 the seat surface part 2 and the backrest part 3 are directly connected to one another on their transverse sides via the hinge-like joint 4, in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 this joint is made by two connecting parts 35, which make it possible for the seat and backrest to be brought together in as flat a state as possible in order to keep the volume as small as possible.

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These connecting parts 35 are firmly connected to the seat part 7 at their lower end 36, while the pivot axis 38 runs at their upper end 37, for example formed by a tenon connection (not shown in detail) or a rod. Instead of the two connecting parts 35 according to Figure 7, an intermediate part 39 can be inserted between the seat part 2 and the backrest part 3, as shown in Figure 8, which also has the task, similar to the connecting parts 35 of the embodiment of Figure 7, of accommodating the mechanism and, as described in Figure 7, of placing the seat and backrest shells on top of each other as flat as possible.

In order to be able to strap in a child seat as shown in the figures, two safety belts 40 are provided which, as shown in Figure 8, are guided through corresponding openings in the headrest 5 and are fastened to the reinforcement rail 31 in the middle of the seat part, i.e. in the area of the longitudinal axis 32, so that they run in the area of the seat part 2 between the legs of a child sitting on the child seat 1.

It will be understood that the individual parts and features described with reference to the various embodiments in the figures are transferable to the other embodiments, even if these features are not described in relation to the other embodiment of the child seat according to the invention.

The embodiment of the child seat as shown in Figures 9 to 14 differs from the embodiment of Figures 1 to 7 in that instead of an articulated connection, i.e. a pivoting of the backrest part 3 around the pivot axis 38, which is formed by the connecting parts 35 on both sides, the backrest part 3 is held on the seat surface part 2 in the unfolded position shown in Figure 9 by pins 42 being provided on the respective rear edge of the seat surface part 2, which are inserted into grooves or recesses 43 in the backrest part 3. The connecting part 41, which is firmly attached to both sides of the seat surface part 2, in accordance with the embodiment of Figures 1 to 7, only serves to connect the seat surface part 2 and

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to guide the backrest part 3 to the respective positions, for which purpose, as can be seen from Figure 10, a pin 44 is provided at the end of the connecting part pointing towards the backrest part 3, which is guided in a slot 45 of a guide part 46. This arrangement with pins 42 and grooves 43 on the backrest part 3 and the seat part 2 has the advantage that in the sitting position the two parts are held in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner without any significant mechanical parts being required for this purpose. In contrast, the two connecting parts 41 only serve to connect the seat part 2 and the backrest part 3 to one another in such a way that they form an inseparable unit even in the folded position, as shown in Figure 11.

In contrast to the previously described embodiments, in the embodiment of Figures 9 to 14, the lap belt 22 of the adult seat is inserted into slots 47 formed in the two connecting parts 41 in order to arrange the child seat 1 thereon. The slots 47 are carried out from the front edge 18 of the seat surface part 2 so that the lap belt (not shown in Figures 9 to 14) of an adult seat can be simply inserted and pulled in order to firmly position the child seat on such an adult seat. So that the lap belt of the adult seat, which is inserted into the slots 47, does not form an uncomfortable pressure point for the child sitting in the child seat 1, the padding of the seat surface and the backrest surface can be shaped accordingly in order to accommodate this lap belt in a recess.

The child seat of Figures 9 to 14 again has U-shaped brackets 9, which form a spacer device to space the child seat from the backrest 7 of a main seat 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. However, these U-shaped brackets 9 are shown in the folded-in position in Figures 9 to 14. According to the embodiment of Figure 8, the ends of the free legs 14 of the U-shaped brackets 9 are designed as spherical joints, which are inserted into corresponding joint shells 48, which in turn are formed on a reinforcing rail. For assembly, the spherical ends 49 can be fastened with a cover plate, as can be seen in Figure 13. As can also be seen from Figure 13, the reinforcing rail 31 is in the

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H-shaped in plan view, so that the reinforcing rail 31 extends up to the balls 49, so that the joint shells 48 can be formed at these ends. With such a structure, all forces that are generated in the area of the U-shaped brackets 9 are transferred to the reinforcing rail 31.

It should be noted that the pins 42 and the grooves 43 can be arranged on both the seat surface part 2 and the backrest part 3, it is also possible to form pins and grooves alternately on the seat surface part 2 and the backrest part 3, so that a kind of interlocking is created. Furthermore, the number of pins 42 and grooves 43 is not limited to two, as shown in Figures 11 to 14.

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Claims (25)

-1 - Johannes Hartmann Wilheimsbaderstraße 37 63477 Maintal 1 Hanau, 16.05.1997 Utility model application "Child seat for attachment to a seat unit for adults" Protection claims 1. Child seat for attachment to a seat unit for adults, which has a seat surface part and a backrest part, which are held adjustable relative to one another via a connection in such a way that they can be placed on top of one another in a folded-up position, and which has a holding belt assigned to the seat surface part and/or the backrest part, characterized in that the backrest part (3) has a spacer device (9) on its outside facing away from the seat surface side, which protrudes beyond the outside of the backrest part (3) in the position of use, and that a holding device (21; 22) which can be connected to a seat unit for adults is arranged on the backrest part (3) and/or the seat surface part (2). 2. Child seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection is formed by a joint (10) which holds the seat part (2) and the backrest part (3) pivotable about an axis. 0199E/970259/Hartmann -2- 3. Child seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection is formed by pins or pins and grooves or recesses on the seat part (2) and/or the backrest part (3), which engage with one another in the position of use. 4. Child seat according to claim 3, characterized in that the seat part (2) and the backrest part (3) are held in the folded position via connecting parts (41) and guided by these connecting parts (41) from the folded position to the use position. 5. Child seat according to claim 4, characterized in that the connecting parts (41) are arranged laterally on the seat surface part (2) and the backrest part (3). 6. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the spacer device (9) can be folded between a position adjacent to the back of the backrest part (3) and a position away from the backrest part (3) is pivotably held in the above position of use. 7. Child seat according to claim 6, characterized in that the spacer device (9) in the position resting against the backrest part (3) is inserted into recesses which are formed in the backrest part (3). 8. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the spacer device is formed from at least two spacer elements (9) which are attached at a distance from one another. 9. Child seat according to claim 8, characterized in that the spacer elements are each a bow-shaped part. 10. Child seat according to claim 9, characterized in that the bow-shaped part (9) has an approximately U-shaped form, the two free ends (14) forming articulated connections with the backrest part (3). 0199E/970259/Hartmann -3- 11. Child seat according to one of claims 8 to 10 ₁ , characterized in that the two spacer elements are arranged running along the two lateral edges (12) of the backrest part (3). 12. Child seat according to claim 6, characterized in that the spacer device can be pivoted by more than 90° from the position adjacent to the backrest part to the position of use. 13. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the holding device which is assigned to the backrest part (3) is formed by two belts (21) whose free ends can be connected by means of a fastener. 14. Child seat according to claim 13, characterized in that a pocket (27) is provided on the backrest part (3) in which the belts (21) can be stowed when not in use. 15. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that two hook elements (24) for receiving a safety belt of a seat unit for adults are arranged on the underside of the seat surface part. 16. Child seat according to claim 5, characterized in that a slot (47) for receiving a safety belt of a seat unit for adults is arranged on the connecting parts (41). 17. Child seat according to claim 13, characterized in that the hook elements (24) are formed by two slots (25) in respective longitudinal rails (23). 18. Child seat according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the hook elements are open towards the front, free edge (18) of the seat surface part (2). 19. Child seat according to one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that the hook elements (24) are arranged near the joint (10; 35, 38; 39). 0199E/970259/Hartmann -4- 20. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that reinforcing rails (31) running in the longitudinal direction (32) are inserted into the backrest part. 21. Child seat according to claim 20, characterized in that the spacer device is connected to the reinforcing rail (31). 22. Child seat according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that a head part (5) extending the backrest part (3) on the upper side edge is cut onto the reinforcing rail (31) and is displaceable in the longitudinal direction (32) to the backrest part (3). 23. Child seat according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the seat surface part (2) and/or the backrest part (3) has a self-supporting molded part (29, 30). 24. Child seat according to claim 23, characterized in that the molded part (29, 30) is made of polycarbonate or polyurethane foam. 25. Child seat according to claim 22, characterized in that the ends of two safety belts (40) are guided through and/or fastened to the head part (5). 0199E/970259/Hartmann