US 12,472,854 B2
Child restraint
Stephen B. Oltman, Hope, IN (US)
Assigned to Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., Foxboro, MA (US)
Filed by Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., Foxboro, MA (US)
Filed on Sep. 25, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/372,320.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/409,942, filed on Sep. 26, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0101004 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. B60N 2/28 (2006.01)
CPC B60N 2/2884 (2013.01) [B60N 2/2851 (2013.01); B60N 2/2872 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A child restraint comprising
a seat bottom adapted to rest on a vehicle seat,
a backrest coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom, the backrest including a rear backrest wall, a first backrest side wall, and a second backrest side wall, the first and second backrest side walls extend away from the rear backrest wall to define a child-receiving space between the first and second backrest side walls and in front of the rear backrest wall, and
a headrest coupled to the backrest and arranged to lie within the child-receiving space for supporting a head of a child seated in the child-receiving space, the headrest including a rear headrest wall arranged to extend along the rear backrest wall of the backrest, a first headrest side wall arranged to extend outwardly away from the rear headrest wall and along the first backrest side wall, and a second headrest side wall arranged to extend outwardly away from the rear headrest wall and along the second backrest side wall, the headrest side walls establish a head-confinement space between each of the headrest side walls and an energy-redirection space located forward of the head-confinement space
wherein the first and second headrest side walls includes a head-movement controller configured to provide means for guiding the head of the child from the head-confinement space to the energy-redirection space in response to the head of the child impacting one of the headrest side walls during a lateral impact event while the head of the child remains in contact with the one of the headrest side walls and moves from the head-confinement space to the energy-redirection space during the lateral impact event so that a potential, cumulative force from the head of the child is transformed into at least a first force extending into the one of the headrest side walls and a second force extending outwardly away from the rear headrest wall and the head of the child does not experience the potential, cumulative force and a Head Injury Criterion (HIC) score is minimized,
wherein the head-confinement space is defined at least partially by a first convexly-shaped surface that faces toward the head of the child, and the energy-redirection space is defined at least partially by a first concavely-shaped surface that faces toward the head of the child, and
wherein the head-confinement space is partially defined by a second concavely-shaped surface coupled to the rear headrest wall to locate the first convexly-shaped surface between the first concavely-shaped surface and the second concavely-shaped surface of each headrest side wall.