Patent ID: 7744154
Filing Date: 2010-06-29
Classification: B60N,B60R

Abstract:
1. A child restraint comprising a juvenile vehicle seat an energy-dissipation system coupled to the juvenile vehicle seat, the energy-dissipation system comprising a first force dissipater including a first bag formed to include a first air chamber and a first air-discharge port opening into the first air chamber and a first support frame located in the first air chamber and made of a deformable material and configured to support the first bag to maintain at least a predetermined volume of air in the first air chamber until the first bag and the first support frame are deformed when exposed to an external impact force, wherein the first air-discharge port is configured to provide means for discharging air from the first air chamber to the surroundings at a metered rate when the first bag is exposed to the external impact force so that the first force dissipater absorbs external energy associated with the external impact force to minimize g-loads experienced by a child seated in the juvenile vehicle seat; wherein the energy-dissipation system further comprises a second force dissipater formed to include a second air chamber and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the juvenile vehicle seat to locate the first force dissipater between the second force dissipater and the juvenile vehicle seat and the second force dissipater cooperates with the first force dissipater to define means for absorbing external energy applied to the second force dissipater and transferred to the juvenile vehicle seat via the first force dissipater to minimize g-loads experienced by a child seated in the juvenile vehicle seat; wherein the second force dissipater includes a second bag formed to include the second air chamber and a second air-discharge port opening into the second air chamber and a second support frame located in the second air chamber and made of a deformable material and configured to support the second bag to maintain at least a predetermined volume of air in the second air chamber until the second bag and the second support frame are deformed when exposed to an external impact force, wherein the second air-discharge port is configured to provide means for discharging air from the second air chamber to the surroundings at a metered rate when the second bag is exposed to the external impact force so that the second force dissipater absorbs external energy associated with the external impact force to minimize g-loads experienced by a child seated in the juvenile vehicle seat; and wherein the first and second bags are oriented relative to one another to cause the first air-discharge port of the first bag to face in a first direction and to cause the second air-discharge port to face in an opposite second direction.