GB2293960A

GB2293960A - Vehicle child safety seat with linear retractor

Info

Publication number: GB2293960A
Application number: GB9519790A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William C Shelton
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1994-10-11
Filing date: 1995-09-28
Publication date: 1996-04-17
Also published as: GB9519790D0; DE19533347A1

Description

0 2293960 VEHICLE CHILD SAFETY SEAT WITH LINEAR RETRACTOR The present

invention relates to integral child safety seats integrated with adult vehicle seats and more particularly to integral child safety seats which incorporate a linear retractor into the child seat belt assembly.

Seat belt assemblies in automotive vehicles generally incorporate tensioners in order to assure a better fit for the occupant. This is also true for vehicle child seats, whether integral or removable. One conventional approach to retract a vehicle seat belt is to provide a manual tension system. A more convenient approach for the occupants provides a retractor that works as an automatic tensioner. Conventional automatic seat belt tension adjusters employ rotary retractors to effect the retraction of belt webbing. This is true for both adult seats and the removable and integral child restraint seats.

These rotary retractors are generally large and bulky, with an awkward concentrated shape. This makes them particularly difficult to package into child safety seats. Adult restraint systems generally allow for mounting retractors on the vehicle structure, giving more packaging room and flexibility. For integral child seats, as opposed to removable ones, it is especially difficult to package the rotary retractors since the integral child seats must 1 fold up into a stowed position in the adult seats and still allow an adult occupant to sit comfortably on the adult seat. Even in the child seat deployed position, rotary retractor packaging can be a problem in smaller vehicles that have limited space able to accommodate a bulky rotary retractor.

Thus, it is desirable to incorporate a retractor for an integrated child restraint system that can be packaged to minimise the space needed, and will still afford maximum is comfort to an adult occupant sitting in the adult seat. Further, many child restraint systems include a communication system between the buckle- and automatic retractor mechanism that locks up the belt assembly while in use. Typically, these incorporate sensors and wires or cables. Consequently, it is desirable to be able to package a retractor in the child seat cushion, adult seat cushion, vehicle seat back or other location in close proximity to the child seat to minimise cost and complexity 10 of the communication system.

Additionally, improved packaging of the retractor for the child seat would allow for greater flexibility in configuring the child restraint system while still allowing an adult seat back to be able to recline backward and tip forward when the child seat is stowed.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle seat incorporating an integral child safety seat comprising:

an adult seat, having a seat cushion portion and a seat back portion operatively engaging the seat portion; a child seat pivotally mounted to the adult seat and having a child seat cushion portion, with the child seat further including belt webbing telescopically protruding through the seat back portion at at least one location and a lower belt portion protruding through the child seat cushion portion; and a linear retractor means, engaging the belt webbing, for selectively retracting the belt webbing.

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a linear retractor for an integral child seat, having a conveniently narrow modular packaging profile, to allow for an increase in retractor packaging flexibility, while minimising any discomfort for occupants of the adult seat.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the small size and narrow shape allows for flexibility of design in locating the modular retractor in different 3 - vehicles depending upon the space limitations for that particular vehicle; this allows it to be located in the child seat cushion, the adult seat cushion or the adult seat back, as well as other locations.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an adult vehicle seat with an integral child seat shown in its deployed position; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a child seat belt assembly, including a linear retractor; Fig. 3 is a side view of the linear retractor and is buckle assembly of a child seat belt assembly; Fig. 4 is a side view of an adult vehicle seat with an integral child seat shown in its stowed position; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a side view of an adult vehicle seat with an integral child seat shown in its deployed position, as it is used for two different size children.

An adult seat 10, that mounts in a vehicle in a conventional way, incorporates an integral child safety seat 12 within it. Adult seat 10 includes an adult seat cushion 14 mounted to an adult seat back 16 in a conventional fashion. The two may be pivotable relative to one another for greater vehicle access (shown in phantom in Fig. 4). Seat back 16 has a recess 18 for receiving integral child safety seat 12.

Child safety seat 12 includes a child seat cushion 20, which has a soft cushion portion 19 secured to a firm backing portion 21. Child seat cushion 20 is pivotally mounted to a child seat foot rest 22 at one end. It is pivotally mounted at its other end to adult seat back 16 such that it will pivot up into a stowed position in recess 18 along with foot rest 22. When in the stowed position (Fig. 4), child seat cushion 20 forms part of adult seat back 16 and child foot rest 22 forms a head rest for an adult occupant. When rotated down to a child seat deployed position (Figs. 1 and 6), child seat cushion 20 and foot rest 22 will rest on adult seat cushion 14, ready to receive a child seat occupant.

Child safety seat 12 also includes a child seat belt assembly 24, in the present embodiment shown as a conventional five point configuration. Seat belt assembly 24 includes belt webbing 26 stitched, at one end, to anchor plates 28 that are bolted (not shown) to adult seat 10. It also includes a pair of tongues or clasps 30 slidably disposed on belt webbing 26. Belt webbing 26 slides is through a pair of openings 29 in adult seat back 16 and is mounted about belt guides 31.

The other end of webbing 26 is attached to a linear retractor 32. Linear retractor 32 is mounted within child seat cushion portion 19 to firm backing 21. Fastened to linear retractor 32 and protruding through an opening in firm backing portion 21 is a buckle assembly 34, which includes a buckle member 36. Buckle 36 receives the pair of clasps 30 to secure a child occupant in place.

Linear retractor 32 includes a linear roller 40 that is mounted in a housing 38 and slides from one end of housing 38 to the other. Belt webbing 26 is wrapped around linear roller 40, which is biased by a spring mechanism 42 to pull belt webbing 26 into housing 38. By wrapping around linear roller 40, it pulls in twice as much belt webbing 26 as the distance that it moves. This reduces the overall length needed for the retractor housing 38.

Buckle assembly 34 includes a sensor 44 and lock- up mechanism 46 connected by sensor wire 48 for limiting the movement of linear roller 40 while clasps 30 are engaging buckle 36.

While linear retractor 32 is shown here mounted in child seat cushion 20, it can also be mounted, in a similar fashion, in adult seat cushion 14 or adult seat back 16, among other locations, if so desired. Preferably, it is mounted in child seat cushion 20 in order to minimise the distance needed to connect sensor 44 to lock- up mechanism 46. Further, a pair of retractors could be used rather than just one to receive the belt webbing, or varying numbers of linear rollers can be used in the retractor to adapt the length and thickness of the linear retractor housing as needed to most easily package it in a vehicle.

is

Claims

1. A vehicle seat incorporating an integral child safety seat comprising:

an adult seat, having a seat cushion portion and a seat back portion operatively engaging the seat portion; a child seat pivotally mounted to the adult seat and having a child seat cushion portion, with the child seat further including belt webbing telescopically protruding through the seat back portion at at least one location and a lower belt portion protruding through the child seat cushion portion; and a linear retractor means, engaging the belt webbing, is for selectively retracting the belt webbing.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the linear retractor means is mounted to the child seat cushion portion.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the child seat cushion portion forms a part of adult seat back portion when the child seat is pivoted toward the adult seat back portion.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the child seat cushion portion forms a part of adult seat back portion when the child seat is pivoted toward the adult seat back portion.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the child seat is pivotally mounted on the adult seat back portion.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the linear retractor means is mounted in the adult seat cushion portion.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the linear retractor means is mounted in adult seat back portion.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the belt webbing includes two belt webbing portions and the linear retractor means includes two linear retractors, each one attached to a different one of the belt webbing 10 portions.

is

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a child foot rest pivotally mounted the child seat cushion portion.

10. A vehicle seat incorporating an integral child seat comprising:

an adult seat, having a seat cushion portion and a seat back portion operatively engaging the seat portion; a child seat, pivotally mounted to the adult seat back portion, having a child seat cushion portion, which includes a soft cushion affixed to a firm backing, with the child seat further including belt webbing telescopically protruding through the seat back portion and a lower belt portion protruding through the firm backing; and a linear retractor mounted to the firm backing and engaging the belt webbing.

11. A vehicle seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.