FR2841755A1 - Motor vehicle child seat includes seat adjustment device with thigh supporting elements that slides relative to foot supporting part so as to adjust seat according to length of child's leg as child grows - Google Patents

Abstract

The child seat includes a backrest (1) and a seat (2,3) comprising a device for adjusting the seat by moving a thigh supporting part that slides relative to a foot supporting part, on an inclined part of the foot supporting part, via toothed wheel (4) on a front face of the seat. This enables the seat to be adjusted according to the length of the child's legs, as the child grows.

Description

Child seat, with adjustable seat.

  The field of the invention is that of childcare. More precisely,

  the invention relates to seats, chairs, deckchairs, armchairs, ... for children.

  The invention applies in particular, but not exclusively, to child seats, intended to be installed in a vehicle. We already know, in the field of child seats intended to be mounted in vehicles, various systems for adjusting the width of the base, or seat, of a seat, in order to adapt it to the child being transported ( depending on its morphology and its clothing in particular). For example, a wheel placed on the front face of the seat can be used to act on a rack, or

  a thread, to distance or bring the side edges of the seat closer.

  However, this is clearly not enough for the seat to be

  perfectly adapted to the morphology of the child, as he grows.

  In particular, the headrest, intended to hold the child's head, must be perfectly placed. A known technique consists in fixing this headrest using removable fixing means (fixing by hook-and-loop strips for example). However, this technique remains limited to the maximum height of the backrest. The same problem arises for the harness straps, which must be

  positioned at shoulder level.

  The patent application published under the number FR-2 787 977 and filed under the same name as the present application describes a child seat whose backrest is adjustable: an element carrying the headrest and the strap guides is movable in height. At the same time, the release of the headrest is variable. This solution,

  although very effective, is limited to the level of the file.

  In other words, it is planned to take into account the fact that the child grows at the level of the shoulders, but not at the level of the legs. This results in discomfort and, if applicable, safety concerns, either when the child is

small, either when he grows up.

  However, an essential objective, both for comfort and for safety, is

  obtaining seats with maximum scalability and adaptability.

  The invention particularly aims to overcome the shortcomings and

  disadvantages of prior techniques.

  More specifically, an objective of the invention is to provide a child seat, which easily and effectively adapts to the morphological evolution of a young child, in particular in the lower limbs, on a

as long as possible.

  In particular, an objective of the invention is to provide such a child seat, which maintains the latter securely and completely, whatever its

  size, of course retaining maximum comfort.

  Another object of the invention is still to provide such a seat for

  easy to adjust and handle.

  In particular, the invention aims to provide a child seat intended to adapt to all of the child's morphological changes, including

  understood with regard to the seat.

  The invention also aims to allow simple use

  and optimized (in relation to the morphology of the child) of the holding straps.

  Yet another objective of the invention is to provide such a child seat, which is easy to manufacture, and which has the lowest possible cost price. A particular object of the invention is to provide such a seat for

  child, can be installed in a vehicle.

  These objectives, as well as others which will appear subsequently, are achieved by a child seat, comprising a backrest and a seat. According to the invention, this seat comprises means for adjusting said seat making it possible to adapt

  the length of the child's legs.

  Thus, according to the invention, it is possible to adjust the dimensions and / or the

  configuration of the seat according to the length of the child's legs.

  We therefore obtain a seat which can be adapted to all the morphological changes of the child, by combining if necessary this type of adjustment with other adjustments as will be explained later, providing the child with a

  maximum comfort and safety.

  The realization and the implementation of the seat remain very simple. According to an advantageous embodiment, said seat has two elements, an element intended to support the child's thighs and an element intended to support the child's feet, said adjustment means acting on

at least one of said elements.

  Advantageously, said adjustment means act on said element

  feet support, and for example on its inclination.

  Preferably, said adjustment means are actuated using

  a wheel placed on the front face of said seat.

  It should be noted that the adjustment of the seat means any conceivable displacement of the latter and in particular a translational movement and / or

  of inclination thereof or of only one of its parts.

  The positioning of this wheel allows access to the wheel in all circumstances. Advantageously, said adjustment means comprise at least one

  first shaft mounted movable in rotation under said seat.

  According to a preferred solution, said backrest is also adjustable, said

  adjustment means acting simultaneously on said seat and on said backrest.

  In particular, said backrest may include an adjustable headrest at least

in height along said backrest.

  In other words, it only takes a single manipulation to simultaneously adjust the seat and the height of the headrest (these two aspects will evolve in

  parallel when the child grows).

  Preferably, said headrest has at least one light for the

  passage of at least one child support strap.

  Thus, the adjustment of the position of the strap (or of the straps in the case of a harness) is automatic, the latter being always adjusted by

relationship to the child's body.

  Advantageously, said first shaft is coupled to at least one second shaft intended to cooperate with said headrest for its height adjustment. This arrangement ensures efficient and reliable operation of the

  single control via the wheel.

  According to a first embodiment, said first and second shafts are coupled by a cardan type link. According to a second embodiment, said first and second shafts are coupled by a link of the gear type. According to yet another embodiment, said first and second shafts are coupled using a connecting piece capable of being

  angled and made of a flexible material.

  According to one or other of these embodiments, said first shaft preferably has at least one first endless screw whose rotation causes the displacement along said first screw, of an integral part of

  said part of the seat adjustable in position.

  This type of transmission is in fact particularly efficient and reliable, being little subject to the effects of possible fouling or jamming phenomena. According to an advantageous solution, said support element for the feet of the seat is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said seat. In this case, said pivot axis of said part of the seat adjustable in position is preferably located near the face

before said seat.

  The configuration of the seat, and in particular of the seat, can therefore be adapted to the child's morphology and implicitly to the natural position that

takes the child as it ages.

2841755

  Indeed, by pivoting in this way, the adjustable part of the seat adjusts to the length of legs in particular to the length of the thighs of the child, and allows to pass from a configuration in which it is rather lengthened to one

  position in which he is rather seated, and vice versa.

  Preferably, said second shaft has at least one second worm whose rotation causes displacement, along said second

  screw, of an integral part of said foot support element.

  Again, this type of transmission is effective and reliable but may, however, as is also the case for the seat, be replaced by other types of transmission according to other possible embodiments, and in particular

  by a rack or other mechanism.

  The seat of the invention is in particular intended for seats intended to be mounted in a vehicle. The invention can also be applied to other types of child seats and in particular: - stroller seats or baby carriages; - children's deckchairs; - children's high chairs;

  - children's table chairs.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more

  clearly on reading the following description of an embodiment

  preferred of the invention, given by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example, and of the appended drawings among which: - Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a seat with adjustable seat according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a perspective sectional view of an adjustable seat seat according to the invention;

  - Figure 3 is a top view of the seat of Figures 1 and 2.

  As mentioned above, the invention relates to child seats having at least one adjustable seat, so as to take account of

  the evolution of the morphology of the child who uses it.

  This technique finds applications in very many types of seats intended for children. The preferred embodiment described below relates to a car seat. It is of course obvious that the same approach

  can be adapted to other types of seats, without departing from the scope of the invention.

  Such a seat is illustrated in FIG. 3. It has a shell 31, and handles 32, 33 facilitating its transport (these handles are advantageously removable). The hull is designed to be able to be secured to a base mounted in a vehicle. Thus, the seat can be used for "manual" transport of the child, as a car seat, and can also, if necessary, be mounted on a stroller chassis. There are in FIG. 3 the support element for the feet 34,

  discussed in more detail later.

  In the figures, the seat is presented "naked", so as to reveal the mechanism. It will then be covered with a covering piece, resting on the hull. This part fully (or for the most part) defines the backrest and the seat. It is of course flexible enough to follow the

  movements applied by the mechanism, especially at the seat.

  Referring to Figure 1, this child seat includes a backrest 1 and a seat comprising, according to the present embodiment of the invention, two

parts 2, 3.

  Part 2 of the seat is intended to support the child's buttocks and thighs (thigh support element), while part 3 supports the part of the

  legs extending below the knee (foot support element).

  As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a thumb wheel 4 is placed on the front

  of the seat on part 3 of the seat (substantially in the middle of the width of the latter 25 so as to be able to be positioned between the legs of the child).

  This wheel 4 is carried by a shaft 41 extending under the seat and

  having an endless screw 411, the shaft 41 being mounted movable in rotation.

  On the endless screw 411 is mounted a ring 31 connected by a link 32 to

  part 3 of the seat, so as to allow adjustment in position thereof.

  Note that the link 32 is pivotally mounted both on the ring 31 and

on part 3 of the seat.

  According to this embodiment, part 3 of the seat is pivotally mounted around an axis located in the vicinity of the front face of the seat, allowing this part 3 to be pivotally movable as illustrated by the double arrow F2, between at least two positions indicated by a solid line on the one hand, and by a line

dotted on the other hand.

  The shaft 41 is also connected to a second shaft 11 by a cardan link 33 (which may, according to other conceivable embodiments, be replaced by a gear link or a connecting piece made of a

flexible material).

  This second shaft 11 extends under the backrest 1 in order to cooperate with the

  headrest 5 for adjusting it along the backrest 1.

  To do this, the shaft 11 carries an endless screw 111 on which is mounted a part 51 secured to the headrest 5, so that the rotation of the shaft 11 causes the part 51 (and therefore the headrest) to move. 5) along the screw

endless 111.

  Note that the headrest 5 includes a support plate in which is formed a light 521 allowing the passage of a strap for holding the child. Of course, a second symmetrical light is provided for the other shoulder. The operation of the adjustment of the seat position and that of the

  The headrest will now be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

  By actuating the wheel 4 as indicated by the double arrow Fl, a rotational movement is transmitted to the shaft 41, which causes the displacement of the ring 31 and consequently a tilting movement of the part 3 of

  the seat illustrated by the double arrow F2.

  At this stage, we note that by doing so, we vary the distance between the free end of part 3 of the seat of the common ends of the backrest 1 and part 2 of the seat. In other words, the position of part 3 of the seat can be adjusted according to the length of the child's legs, this

  which increases the length of support at the child's thighs.

  Simultaneously, when adjusting the seat which has just been described, the shaft 41 transmits its rotational movement to the shaft 11 (and therefore to the worm 111) via the universal joint 33. Consequently, the part 51 moves along the worm 111,

  thus adjusting the position of the headrest 5 along the backrest 1.

  In addition, the position of the child support strap is

  automatically adjusted to the child's shoulder position.

  It will be understood that the seat according to the invention offers adjustment possibilities allowing to take into account the evolution of the morphology of the child,

  these settings can be made using a single command.

  It should be noted that other adjustments can be combined with those which have just been described, in particular an adjustment of the type described in the request for

  Patent published under number FR-2 787 977.

  Although the embodiment which has just been described relates to a seat for a motor vehicle, it is clear that the invention relates to all types of seats which can be used in the field of childcare, and in particular: - the seats of stroller or baby carriage; - children's deckchairs; - children's high chairs; - children's table chairs;

  In addition, numerous variants and supplements can be provided.

  As already mentioned, the mechanisms used can be adapted

  (actuation by racks, cables ...).

  The kinematics can also be modified. For example, part 3 can be movable in translation (only or in combination with a

  pivoting). A displacement can also be printed on a support of part 2.

  For example, it may be a plate movable in translation, allowing

  lengthen or reduce the length under the child's thighs.

Claims (15)

  1 - Child seat, comprising a backrest (1) and a seat (2, 3), characterized in that it comprises means for adjusting said seat (2, 3)   allowing it to be adapted to the length of the child's legs.   2 - Child seat according to claim 1, characterized in that said seat has two elements, an element intended to support the thighs of the child and an element intended to support the feet of the child, and in that   said adjustment means act on at least one of said elements.   3 - Child seat according to claim 2, characterized in that said   adjustment means act on said foot support element.   4 - Child seat according to claim 3, characterized in that said   adjustment means act on the inclination of said foot support element.   5 - Child seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that said adjusting means are actuated by means of a   wheel (4) placed on the front face of said seat (2, 3).   6 - Child seat according to any one of claims 1 to 5,   characterized in that said adjusting means comprise at least one   first shaft (41) mounted movable in rotation under said seat (2, 3).   7 - Child seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6,   characterized in that said backrest (1) is also adjustable, said means for   adjustment acting simultaneously on said seat and on said backrest.   8 - Child seat according to claim 7, characterized in that said backrest (1) comprises a headrest (5) adjustable at least in height along said folder (1).   9 - Child seat according to claim 8, characterized in that said headrest (5) has at least one light (521) for the passage of at least one child support strap.   il 2841755 - Child seat according to claim 6 and any one of   Claims 7 to 9, characterized in that said first shaft (41) is coupled to the   at least a second shaft (11) intended to drive said headrest (5).   11 - Child seat according to claim 10, characterized in that said first and second shafts (41), (11) are coupled by a gimbal type connection (33), by a gear type connection, or to the using a connecting piece   can be bent and made of a flexible material.   12 - Child seat according to claims 4 and 6, characterized in that   said first shaft (41) has at least a first endless screw (411) whose rotation causes the displacement, along said first screw, of a part (31)   integral with said foot support element (3).   13 - Child seat according to Claims 4 and 6, characterized in that   said leg support element (3) of the seat is pivotally mounted around   a horizontal axis and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said seat.   14 - Child seat according to claim 13, characterized in that said   pivot axis is located in the vicinity of the front face of said seat.   - Child seat according to any one of claims 10 to 14,   characterized in that said second shaft (11) has at least one second worm (111) whose rotation causes displacement, along said   second screw, of a part (51) integral with said headrest (5).   16 - Child seat according to any one of claims 1 to 15,   characterized in that it is designed to be mounted in a motor vehicle.   17 - Child seat according to any one of claims 1 to 15,   characterized in that it belongs to the group comprising: - stroller seats or baby carriages; - children's deckchairs; - children's high chairs;   - children's table chairs.