Energy-dissipation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9315126-B2
Application number	US-201414562441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2014
Priority date	Jun 1, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A child restraint includes a juvenile vehicle seat and an energy-absorption apparatus coupled to the juvenile vehicle seat. The energy-absorption apparatus is configured to absorb external energy associated with an external impact force applied to the energy-absorption apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A child restraint comprising
a juvenile vehicle seat including a seat bottom and a seat back, the seat back including a backrest arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom, a headrest including a rear panel coupled to an upper portion of the backrest, a first side-wing panel coupled to a first side of the rear panel and arranged to extend forwardly away from the rear panel and to lie above the seat bottom, and a second side-wing panel coupled to an opposite second side of the rear panel and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first side-wing panel to extend forwardly away from the rear panel and to lie above the seat bottom,
wherein each of the rear, first side-wing, and second side-wing panels and the backrest have an interior surface defining an occupant-receiving space and an oppositely facing exterior surface,
wherein an energy-dissipation system is coupled to at least a part of the exterior surface of the first and second side-wing panels,
wherein the energy-dissipation system includes a first force dissipater coupled to an exterior surface of the first side-wing panel and a second force dissipater coupled to an exterior surface of the second-side wing panel, and
wherein the first and second force-dissipaters are each in the form of an array of crush strips and each crush strip of the first and second force-dissipaters includes a series of polygonal structures coupled to one another to establish a crush strip and each polygonal structure is formed to have walls that are arranged to lie generally in perpendicular relation to the exterior surface of an adjacent companion side-wing panel.

2. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second force dissipaters includes a plurality of crush strips and adjacent crush strips are coupled to one another to establish an array of crush strips that is arranged to extend laterally along the exterior surface of the adjacent companion side-wing panel.

3. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein a crush strip includes a series of crush cells coupled to one another and each crush cell is formed to include a crush aperture oriented to open away from the exterior surface of the adjacent companion side-wing panel.

4. The child restraint of claim 3 , wherein each crush cell in a crush strip has a polygonal shape.

5. The child restraint of claim 4 , wherein each crush cell has a hexagon shape.

6. The child restraint of claim 3 , wherein the crush aperture formed in each crush cell opens into a crush space formed in the crush cell and arranged to communicate with the exterior surface of an adjacent companion side-wing panel.

7. The child restraint of claim 3 , wherein each crush cell in a crush strip includes a plurality of walls coupled to one another to establish a crush-cell perimeter.

8. The child restraint of claim 3 , wherein each crush cell in a crush strip includes a wall that is appended to the exterior surface of an adjacent companion side-wing panel to establish a crush-cell perimeter.

9. The child restraint of claim 3 , wherein each crush cell is formed to include a crush aperture opening into a crush space formed in the crush cell.

10. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein the first and second force dissipaters are made from a crushable polymeric foam.

11. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein a ride-down pad included in each force dissipater includes a front surface and a back surface and the front surface is arranged to be impacted by an external object during application of the impact force.

12. The child restraint of claim 11 , wherein the front surface of the ride-down pad is defined by an array of crush strips.

13. The child restraint of claim 11 , wherein the back surface of the ride-down pad is coupled to a pad foundation.

14. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein the backrest includes a third side-wing panel located below and adjacent to the first side-wing panel, a fourth side-wing panel located below and adjacent to the second side-wing panel, and a center panel arranged to interconnect the third and fourth side-wing panels and lie between the seat bottom and the rear panel of the headrest, and the energy-dissipation system is also coupled to at least a part of the exterior surface of the third and fourth side-wing panels.

15. The child restraint of claim 14 , wherein the energy-dissipation system is also coupled to at least a portion of the interior surface of the third and fourth side-wing panels.

16. The child restraint of claim 1 , wherein the energy-dissipation system is also coupled to at least a portion of the interior surface of the first and second side-wing panels.

17. A child restraint comprising
a juvenile vehicle seat including a seat bottom and a seat back, the seat back including a backrest arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom, a headrest including a rear panel coupled to an upper portion of the backrest, a first side-wing panel coupled to a first side of the rear panel and arranged to extend forwardly away from the rear panel and to lie above the seat bottom, and a second side-wing panel coupled to an opposite second side of the rear panel and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first side-wing panel to extend forwardly away from the rear panel and to lie above the seat bottom,
wherein each of the rear, first side-wing, and second side-wing panels and the backrest have an interior surface defining an occupant-receiving space and an oppositely facing exterior surface,
wherein an energy-dissipation system is coupled to at least a part of the exterior surface of the first and second side-wing panels,
wherein the backrest includes a third side-wing panel located below and adjacent to the first side-wing panel, a fourth side-wing panel located below and adjacent to the second side-wing panel, and a center panel arranged to interconnect the third and fourth side-wing panels and lie between the seat bottom and the rear panel of the headrest, and the energy-dissipation system is also coupled to at least apart of the exterior surface of the third and fourth side-wing panels,
wherein the energy-dissipation system includes a first force dissipater coupled to exterior surfaces of the first and third side-wing panels and configured to include a first ride-down pad including at least one crush strip including a series of polygonal structures arranged to extend laterally across companion exterior surface, and a first pad foundation mounted on exterior surfaces and coupled to the first ride-down pad of the first and third side-wing panels and a second force dissipater coupled to exterior surfaces of the second and fourth side-wing panels and configured to include a second ride-down pad including at least one crush strip comprising a series of polygonal structures arranged to extend laterally across companion exterior structures and a second pad foundation mounted on exterior surfaces of the second and fourth side-wing panels and coupled to the second ride-down pad, and
each polygonal structure is formed to have walls that are arranged to lie generally in perpendicular relation to the exterior surface of an adjacent companion side-wing panel.

18. The child restraint of claim 17 , wherein the third side-wing panel includes a first armrest and the fourth side-wing panel includes a second armrest.

19. A child restraint comprising
a juvenile vehicle seat including a seat bottom and a seat back, the seat back including a backrest arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom,

Assignees

• Dorel Juvenile Group Inc

Inventors

• Tanner Alan
• Tat Kim
• Oltman Stephen B
• Lin Meihui

Classifications

• B60N2/2872

  provided with side rests · CPC title

• B60N2/4235

  transversal · CPC title

• B60N2/2884 Primary

  with protection systems against abnormal g-forces · CPC title

• B60N2/42709

  involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure · CPC title

• B60N2/4249

  fixed structures, i.e. where neither the seat nor a part thereof are displaced during a crash · CPC title