Half fold belt tensioner

A child safety seat having a base member for being mounted on a vehicle seat and secured in place in a conventional manner by lap and shoulder straps of the vehicle's adult seat belt. A child support in the child seat includes a squab attached to a base member and a back pivotally connected to the squab by a pivot axis. The base member has two L-shaped side members, each having a lap belt guide and a clampable shoulder belt guide between the pivot rod and upper bar.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a child safety seat for use in a vehicle, particularly though not exclusively a passenger vehicle.

As used herein, the term “squab” means the part of the seat which reacts to the user's weight.

The child safety seat with which the invention is concerned is of the type adapted to be secured to a vehicle's adult seat by its adult seat belt and comprises a child support as such, having a child support squab, a child support back, an actuating formation and strap deflecting means; a generally L shaped base adapted to rest on the vehicle seat and having a squab portion for resting on a squab of the adult seat with the support squab above it, a back portion for abutting against the back of the adult seat with the child support back in front of it and guide means defining a strap path for the adult seat belt; the arrangement being such that movement in a tightening direction of the actuating formation relative to the base causes movement of the strap deflecting means between a first position clear of the strap path and a second position in which a strap following the strap path is deflected therefrom, thereby tightening the strap.

applicant's prior European Patent No. 0822115 disclosed a seat of this type in which the actuating formation is integral with the seat assembly. Angular movement of the child support requires a relatively high force due to the friction between the strap and the strap deflecting means. In order to reduce this force, applicant's European Patent No. 1077152 disclosed a child safety seat of this type in which the strap deflecting means comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the base for angular movement about a transverse pivot axis, and the child support is coupled to the lever so that angular movement of the child support towards a normal use position causes angular movement of the lever to deflect the strap from the strap path.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Both of the above child safety seats require the entire child support to move relative to the base.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the size, and therefore the weight, of the part of the child safety seat that has to be move in order to tighten the adult seat belt strap.

According to the invention, in a child safety seat of the type defined above, wherein a fixed one of the child support squab and the child support back is fixedly attached to the base member, the other, pivotal one is pivotally attached to the base member or to the fixed one, the projection is integrally formed with the pivotal one and means is provided for latching the pivotal one in its use position with the strap tensioned.

While it can be envisaged that the pivotal one is the child support squab; in the preferred embodiments, the pivotal one is the child support back. Further in the preferred embodiments, the child support back is pivotally attached to the child support squab.

Preferably the latching means is provided at a high position in the child support back and the back portion of the base.

In one embodiment, the actuating formation is integral with the strap deflecting means. In another, the actuating formation is arranged to engage with a separate strap deflecting member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND BEST MODE

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a child safety seat of the invention comprises a base member10mounted on a vehicle seat12and secured in place by the lap and shoulder portions14and16of the strap of the vehicle's adult seat belt. A child support in the child seat comprises a child support squab18, which is attached to the base member10, and a child support back20, which is pivotally connected to the squab18about by a pivot axis22and shown in a forward folded position.

The base member10consists of a central, generally horizontal squab portion24, extending below the child support squab18, and a back portion having two L-shaped side members26and28, with feet integral with the squab portion24and stems extending upwardly from opposite sides of the squab portion24. The side members26and28are interconnected both by an upper bar30and by a pivot rod32. Each side member26,28has a lap belt guide34,36below the pivot axis22and a shoulder belt guide38,40between the pivot rod32and the upper bar30. Each shoulder belt guide38,40incorporates a clamp42,44for preventing movement of the adult seat belt relative to them once clamped. For the side of the car shown, the lap belt guides34and36and the shoulder belt guide40are engaged by the lap and shoulder straps14and16of the vehicle seat belt. The other shoulder belt guide38is provided for use when the child safety seat is used on the other side of the car.

A strap deflector46projects radially from its pivot rod32and is shown inFIG. 1in a position just above the path of the lap strap14between the lap belt guides34and36. A projection48extends rearwardly from the back of the child support back20to a position just above and in front of the strap deflector46—in the folded forwards position of the back20—so as to allow clearance for the lap strap14to pass therebetween as it is fitted round the lap belt guides34and36.

After the child safety seat has been positioned on the adult seat the adult belt has been passed over the based member and buckled as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the clamp44is secured so as to prevent slack from the shoulder strap16from feeding through the seat belt buckle50to the lap strap14. Next, the child support back20is pivoted rearwardly so that the projection48engages with the radially outer end of the strap deflector46, causing it to pivot to the position shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, thus tightening the lap strap14by deflecting it from its direct path between the lap belt guides34and36. The back20is retained in this position by engagement of hook formations52and54thereon with latches (not shown) on the L members26and28.

FIGS. 5 to 7show another child safety seat60of the invention, most of the parts of which are identical with the corresponding parts of the seat10shown inFIGS. 1 to 4, are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again in detail. However, there is no strap deflector46. Instead, the single central projection46on the back of the child support back20is replaced by strap deflector projection means comprising two projections62and64spaced apart so that, when the support back20is moved from the position shown inFIG. 5to the position shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, both projections62and64engage with the lap strap14between the two lap belt guides34and36, thus tightening the lap strap14by deflecting it from its direct path between the lap belt guides34and36. As before, the support back20is retained in this position by engagement of hook formations52and54thereon with latches (not shown) on the L members26and28.

In an alternate arrangement of both embodiments described above, the child support back20is attached to be fixed to the base member10and the child support squab is pivotable about axis22. With reference toFIGS. 1 and 5, such arrangements would involve rotating the illustrated embodiments counterclockwise and relocating the headrest and belt path for the shoulder portion16of the adult seat belt.