Abstract:
A vehicle child seat restraining system automatically retracts out of the way of folding portions of the seat, so that the striker of the system does not impinge on and damage portions of the seat.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to devices, systems, and processes useful as vehicle child seat restraints, and more specifically to such restraints that are positioned in the bightline of a seat. 
   2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
   ISO-FIX is a child seat restraining system standard that arose out of the need to secure child seats in vehicles, particularly in automobiles, in a secure, convenient, and uniform manner. ISO-FIX is defined in ISO 13216-1, “Road vehicles—Anchorages in vehicles and attachments to anchorages for child restraint systems—Part 1: Seat bight anchorages and attachments”, (International Organization for Standards, Geneva, Switzerland, 15 Jul. 2004), the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
   According to the ISO-FIX standard, a 6 mm loop or wire, called a “striker”, is firmly and rigidly attached, e.g., by welding, to the vehicle seat frame or the vehicle body itself. The striker is positioned in vehicle seating locations so that a person installing a child seat can attach a hook or other similar structure on the child seat to the striker, thus anchoring the child seat to the vehicle. One typical location for these IOS-FIX strikers is in the bightline of a vehicle seat, that is, in the space between a seat back and the seat bottom cushion. While this system can be secure, it presents difficulties in vehicle design. 
   More particularly, because of the shape and rigidity of the fixed striker wires, and the bightline location required by the ISO-FIX standard, many design and packaging compromises must be made to avoid damaging the seat&#39;s cushion material, e.g., foam, and the seat&#39;s trim. For example, a mid-row seat that folds flat can not include large, comfortable bolsters or thick foam, because the striker(s) at that seat location push into the seat back when the seat is folded, thus damaging the seat. 
   There remains a need, therefore, for a child seat anchor striker that can be incorporated into vehicle seating which does not limit the design of the seat and which does not damage folding seats. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to a first aspect of the invention, a retracting child seat restraining striker system comprises a vehicle seat having a bottom cushion and a back, the back configured and arranged to be movable between an upright position and a folded position, the bottom cushion having a front portion and a rear portion, the back having a lower portion adjacent to the bottom cushion rear portion, a support extending laterally across the vehicle seat adjacent to the bottom cushion rear portion and to the back lower portion, a striker extending through the support and at least partially toward the bottom cushion front portion, the striker having a front loop and a rear, a load transmission member attached to the striker rear, and means for automatically sliding the striker away from the bottom cushion, from the seat back, or from both, when the seat back is folded. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of retracting a child seat restraining striker positioned in the bightline of a vehicle seat comprises attaching the striker to a load transmission element, moving a portion of the seat, transmitting motion of said portion of the seat to said load transmission element, and moving said striker with said load transmission element. 
   According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of retracting a child seat restraining striker positioned in the bightline of a vehicle seat comprises attaching the striker to a load transmission element, moving a portion of the seat, sensing motion of said portion of the seat, and moving said striker with said load transmission element upon said sensing. 
   Still other aspects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of embodiments constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and method, given only by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a simplified side view of a vehicle seat including an ISO-FIX striker of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the enlarged portion A from  FIG. 1 , including an exemplary embodiment of a striker in accordance with the present invention; and 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an enlarged perspective view of portions of the striker mechanism of  FIG. 1 , including a further embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to the drawing figures, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements throughout the several figures. 
   In general terms, a principle of the present invention includes a striker which retracts away from seat cushions when the seat is folded. Retracting the striker can be accomplished in numerous ways, including retracting the striker using a mechanical linkage with a portion or portions of the seat that move when the seat is folded, and/or retracting the striker using an electromechanical device, coupled with a limit switch, which is activated when the seat is folded. 
   With specific reference to the drawing figures,  FIG. 1  illustrates a vehicle seat  10  having a foldable seat back  12 , a seat bottom  14 , and an ISO FIX striker  16  located in the bightline between the back and the bottom. The seat  10  can be a seat in any known vehicle, e.g., automobile, train, airplane, boat, and the like. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates the enlarged portion A from  FIG. 1 , including the bightline portion of the seat  10 . The seat  10  is attached to the vehicle (not itself illustrated) via a mounting foot  18  using known methods, such as attaching via bolts  22 , welding, or the like. A striker mechanism  20  embodying principles of the present invention is located in the bightline of the seat, and includes an ISO-FIX striker  16  which extends from a location of the seat behind a rear portion of the seat bottom  14  toward the front of the seat bottom, and optionally can extend somewhat upward from the same location toward the upper portions of the seat back  12 . A tube, plate, bracket, or other support  24  extends laterally across the seat roughly in the bightline, and is rigidly attached to portions of the seat or the vehicle itself, preferably in a manner that satisfies the ISO-FIX standard. While the support  24  is illustrated as having an annular cross-section, i.e., is a tube, the support can have any cross-sectional shape which can adequately bear the load of a child seat when secured to the striker  16 . 
   The support  24  includes a front opening  26  and a rear opening  28 , through which the striker  16  extends with sufficient clearance that the striker can slide, as schematically indicated by slide direction  30 . Rear portions of the striker  16  are firmly attached to a load bearing and transferring element  32  which is positioned at the rear of the support  24 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the striker  16  extends through the rear opening  28  and is attached to the load bearing and transferring element  32 , which has a shape  36 , on portions adjacent to the support  24 , which is complementary to the external shape of the rear of the support  24 . In this manner, when the striker  16  is in its most forward position, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the load bearing and transferring element  32  bears against the support over a large surface area, thus transferring and distributing load from the striker to the support. The present invention is not limited to the concave and convex shapes of the support  24  and element  32  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and numerous other shapes are within the scope of this invention. 
   According to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a link  38  acts to transfer motion of a portion of the seat, e.g., the pivoting of the seat back  12 , to the striker  16  to move the striker from its forward, operational position ( FIG. 2 ) to one in which the striker is out of the way of the seat components and will, therefore, not damage the seat. The link  38  is attached to the load element  32 , e.g., directly or via a secondary link  40  at a point  42 , and to a portion of the seat, e.g., the seat back  12 . By way of non-limiting example, the seat back  12  can include a pin  46  which extends into and is secured in a slot  44  formed in the link  38 . When the seat back  12  is rotated down  48 , the pin  46  rides through the length of the slot  44  until it reaches the rearmost end of the slot, at which point the pin pushes the link  38  rearward and optionally downward. Rearward (and optional downward) motion of the link  38  is transferred to the load element  32 , which moves in the same direction  30 , pulling the striker  16  through the openings  26 ,  28  in the support  24  and away from the seat. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates additional exemplary details of the mechanism described above. The link  38  can be any shape that will perform the functions described herein, including, but not limited to, a multi-angled link as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Such a link  38  can include end links  50 ,  54 , joined by an intermediate link  52  that joins the two end links and which transfers the motion toward a point spaced from the sear frame or mounting foot  18 . The secondary link  40 , when provided to attach to the link  38 , is attached at a point, e.g., a through hole  70  of link  38 , via a crossmember  58  joined to the load element  32  by a pair of legs  56   a, b.    
   The striker  16  can take any of numerous forms, and is not restricted to the form illustrated herein. By way of example and not of limitation, the striker  16  can include a pair of legs  60 ,  62 , which extend through the support  24  and have rearward ends  66 ,  68 , respectively, which are attached to the load element  32 , as described above, and a crossmember  64  to which a child safety seat can be attached. 
     FIG. 3  also illustrates another exemplary embodiment in accordance with the present invention, which can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, certain structures described herein. In this additional embodiment, motion of the striker  16  away from the seat can be affected by an electromechanical device, e.g., a motor  100 , e.g., a linear motor. The motor is attached to the load element  32  by a simple link  102 , so that activation of the motor  100  pulls the load element and striker  16  backwards (and optionally downwards). While  FIG. 3  illustrates the motor  100  positioned generally behind the load element  32 , the motor and link  102  can be positioned in any position at which motion in these directions can be caused. Activation of the motor  100  can be made by one or more of numerous ways, including the generation of a signal by a limit switch  104  communicated to the motor via an electrical circuit  106 . By way of example, the limit switch  104  can be positioned to sense whether a portion of the seat, e.g., a portion of the seat back  12 , is in an upright position; when it is not, the switch generates a signal which is communicated to the motor  100  (and any associated control circuitry) and causes the motor to retract the striker  16 . 
   While the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the invention. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.