The present invention relates to a pad for a seat belt, in particular the seat belt of a vehicle seat, and more particularly, though not exclusively, the seat belt of a child safety seat, in which the seat belt forms part of the seat's harness.

Such a pad is adapted to be mounted on the seat belt for engagement with the shoulder of a user, particularly of a child. The use of child restraints to accommodate infants and young children whilst travelling in a vehicle is a well-established practice. Most countries have

established various laws and regulations that dictate the manner in which infants and children are to be transported in vehicles, and the types of restraints that are acceptable for such use. Most laws adopted for such purposes require the infant or child to be restrained in a dedicated and approved child safety seat that is anchored or otherwise secured to a front or rear seat of the vehicle. The child safety seat may include a dedicated harness that restrains the child in position within the seat, or the child safety seat may utilise the vehicle seat belt or a separate harness to restrain the child therein, depending upon the size and/or age of the child.

As such, there exist a variety of types of child safety seats that are approved for use with children of a variety of ages and/or sizes. In Europe, in accordance with ECE regulation 44.04 (or 44.03) or the new i-size regulation ECE R129, the types of child safety seats can be broadly characterised as follows. Group 0 seats typically refer to rear facing seats or capsules suitable for accommodating babies or infants up to around 6-9 months of age and/or 70 cm in length and up to 12 kg. Group 1 seats typically refer to forward facing seats used to accommodate toddlers and young children from approximately 6 months to 4 years, and/or from 8 - 18 kg. Group 2 seats typically refer to high-backed booster seats used to accommodate children between 4 - 6 years old, or approximately from 15 - 36 kg, and which are typically used in combination with the vehicle seat belt. Group 3 seats typically refer to booster cushions used to accommodate children from 6 - 1 1 years old, or 22 - 36 kg and 125 cm or taller. Many child safety seats cover more than one group and are adjusted as the child grows. They may be called combination seats, extended seats or multi-group seats. For example:

-Group 0+ and 1 seats start as rearward-facing until the baby is at least 9 kg and are then turned forward-facing - some stay rearward facing until the child has reached 18 kg, -Group 0+, 1 and 2 seats (which are not very common) start as rearward-facing up to 18 kg and are then turned forward-facing (they can be turned forward facing from 9 kg),

-Group 1, 2 and 3 seats are forward-facing. The child uses the seat's integral harness, or an impact cushion, until they are 15 kg and then uses the vehicle's seat belt, which secures the child and the seat,

-Group 2 and 3 seats are high-backed booster seats, although they can also be booster cushions without a back. On some of the high-backed seats, the back can be removed once the child reaches 22 kg, but it is far better to keep the back on the seat.

When a vehicle is subject to an accident involving impact from the front, the shoulders of occupants who are retained by seat belts tend to slide forwards relative to the shoulder straps of their seat belts. This results in the heads of the occupants moving forwards relative to the car body, where the occupants may hit some part of the car body in front of their seats. It has been proposed to reduce this forward movement by providing shoulder pads on the seat belt shoulder straps that have the effect of increasing the friction between the seat belt and the occupant's clothing. However, in the initial phase of an accident, this can have the effect of subjecting the occupant's neck to unacceptably high forces.

The present invention relates in particular to group 1 , group 2 and/or group 3 child safety seats, i.e. groups of child safety seats that are forward facing and where the child safety seats are suitable for children weighing between 8 -36 kg, this corresponding to an age range of approximately 6 months to 1 1 years. The group 1 child safety seats are equipped with an integral harness system, where the harness system usually is a three-point or five-point harness system. Child safety seats of group 2 and group 3 are usually not equipped with an integral harness system for securing the child seated in the child safety seat. Instead, a child seated in such a child safety seat is secured to the child safety seat with a seat belt provided in the vehicle the child safety seat is placed in. According to the present invention, it is provided a pad for a harness system, where the harness system could be a seat belt of a vehicle seat, or an integral harness of a child safety seat.

EP 2.777.983 Bl discloses a child safety seat for transporting a child in a vehicle, where the child safety seat is configured for the child to be secured to the child safety seat with a safety belt of the vehicle, and is characterized in that the child safety seat comprises a belt pad which is adapted to be arranged on the safety belt. The belt pad of the child safety seat preferably comprises a lower component and an upper component, wherein the lower component is configured to be positioned between the safety belt and the child when the child is seated in the child safety seat and is secured in the child safety seat with the safety belt, and wherein the upper component is configured to be positioned on the side of the safety belt opposite to the side the lower component is positioned on. The belt pad is connected to the child safety seat.

WO 2012/129613 Al discloses a restraint system for a child safety seat, where the restraint system comprises a body for receiving a lap belt and a sash belt of a vehicle seat belt system. The body is configured to distribute the lap belt and the sash belt such that the lap belt travels over a lap of the child and the sash belt travels over a first shoulder of the child. A strap member is attachable to the body at a first end and is configured to extend from the body to pass over a second shoulder of the child to be secured at a free end with respect to the child safety seat.

EP 2.925.558 Bl discloses a vehicle child safety seat, where the vehicle child safety seat includes: a seat main body on which an occupant sits; a seat belt for restraining the occupant to the seat main body, the seat belt including a shoulder harness having a long belt shape and facing a shoulder of the occupant; and a shoulder pad including a hold member formed of a material having a flexibility into an elongated shape and placed between the shoulder of the occupant and the shoulder harness along a longitudinal direction of the shoulder harness, attached to the shoulder harness slidably in the longitudinal direction, and including a plurality of hard members formed of a material harder than the hold member and provided side by side at intervals therebetween in a longitudinal direction of the hold member, the plurality of hard members being attached to a shoulder-harness-side surface of the hold member.

JP 2006205873 A discloses a seat belt-mounted cushion headrest capable of suppressing unnatural tilting of a head of a user wearing a seat belt. The seat belt- mounted cushion pillow comprises a cushion material having a shape three- dimensionally extending in a J-shape, and an attaching member installing the cushion material to the seat belt. The cushion material has an area positioned at a temporal portion of the user, and an area positioned under a jaw of the user.

JP 20051 12054 A discloses a neck position holder, preventing bending of baby's neck so as not to cause airway obstruction and lowering of oxygen saturation. The neck position holder holds the position of the neck of a baby laid on a seat of a child-care device. The holder includes: jaw protection pads supporting a region extending from the lower sides of the ears of the baby to the lower side of the jaw; and connecting members for connecting the jaw protection pads to shoulder belts.

EP 2.777.983 Al discloses a child safety seat for transporting a child in a vehicle being configured for the child to be secured to the child safety seat with a safety belt of the vehicle, where the child safety seat comprises a belt pad which is adapted to be arranged on the safety belt. The belt pad of the child safety seat preferably comprises a lower component and an upper component, wherein the lower component is configured to be positioned between the safety belt and the child when the child is seated in the child safety seat and is secured in the child safety seat with the safety belt, and wherein the upper component is configured to be positioned on the side of the safety belt opposite to the side the lower component is positioned on. It is an object of the present invention to minimize and possibly alleviate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

These objects are achieved with a pad for a seat belt according to the following independent claim, with additional embodiments set forth in the dependent claims.

The present invention relates to a pad for a seat belt of a vehicle or a "seat belt" of a child safety seat, where the pad is adapted to be mounted on the seat belt, where the pad comprises a first region adapted to be positioned, when the pad is in use, between the seat belt and a shoulder of a user, and a groove for reception of the seat belt, where the pad further comprises a second region, and where the second region, when the pad is in use, is positioned in between a chin and a chest of the user.

The pad may, for instance, be mounted to a diagonal part of the seat belt of a vehicle seat, or to one of the seat belts forming the five-points integral harness of the child safety seat.

The groove for reception of the seat belt will, when the pad is in use, form a first and second opening for a lead-through of the seat belt, where at least one of the first or the second openings of the groove for reception of the seat belt will be arranged between a first and second longitudinal end of the pad.

The pad for a seat belt may also be provided with locking means, where the locking means are arranged in connection with the groove for reception of the seat belt, such that the groove can be opened to place the seat belt in the groove or to remove the seat belt out from the groove. The locking means ensures that the seat belt is not accidentally removed from the pad. The locking means may in one embodiment comprise one or more pressure studs. However, other locking means may also be used, for instance one or more snap fasteners, Velcro or the like. The groove for reception of the seat belt may in one embodiment extend through an entire length of the pad, but the groove for reception of the seat belt may also extend through a part of a longitudinal direction of the pad. In one embodiment, the pad for a seat belt may comprise three layers of material, where a first layer will form an upper side of the pad, a second layer will form a lower side of the pad, and a third layer will form a groove for reception of the seat belt, i.e. an inside of the pad facing the seat belt when the pad is in use. The first, second and third layer are connected to each other around their peripheries to form the pad with the groove for reception of the seat belt.

When the pad is in use, the second layer will face towards the user, the first layer will face away from the user, and the third layer will, forming the groove, enclose and face towards the seat belt being arranged in the groove for reception of the seat belt.

In one embodiment, the pad may be filled with a soft or absorbing material.

In a further embodiment the third layer may, on a surface facing the seat belt when the pad is in use, over at least a part of the surface, be coated with a slip agent or slip additive, such that the friction between the pad and the seat belt is reduced, whereby the pad easily can slide up and down the seat belt when for instance the user moves forth and back in the child safety seat.

Similarly, the second layer may be coated with a friction increasing material on a surface facing the user, such that the pad will be able to follow the movements of the user.

The pad may have a form, for instance a bent or curved form, which allows the second region of the pad to be positioned in between the chin and chest of the user when the pad is in use. In the event of a frontal impact with a vehicle carrying a child safety seat with a child, the head of the child sitting in the child safety seat will rotate forwards. This head rotation puts a lot of strain on the child's neck and head. According to the present invention, the pad is configured to reduce the head rotation during frontal impact, as the pad, being arranged in between the chin and the chest of the child, will receive the child's chin as the child's head rotates forward. As a result, by using the pad of the invention, head rotation can be controlled by cushioning the head's impact on the belt pad.

In one embodiment, the pad according to the present invention may be used with a child safety seat which is not provided with an integral harness system for securing a child seated in the child safety seat, whereby the seat belt of the vehicle seat is used to secure the child to the child safety seat and possible also the child safety seat to the vehicle. Alternatively, the child safety seat may be secured to the vehicle through Isofix connectors provided in the child safety seat and Isofix anchorages provided in the vehicle seat. The pad is then mounted on a diagonal part of the seat belt.

In another embodiment, the pad according to the present invention may be used with a child safety seat provided with an integral harness system, whereby the child is secured to the child safety seat through the integral harness system and the child safety seat is secured to the vehicle either through the seat belt of the vehicle or through Isofix connectors provided in the child safety seat and Isofix anchorages provided in the vehicle seat.

The pad may in one embodiment, when seen in a transverse cross-section, have a decreasing thickness from a center plane and towards each edge.

Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, the appended drawings and the following claims, wherein Figure 1 shows a pad for a seat belt which is adapted to be mounted on a seat belt according to the present invention, seen from above,

Figures 2A and 2B show the pad according to figure 1 in a partial cross-section along a longitudinal length of the pad (figure 2A) and a traverse cross-section of the pad (figure 2B),

Figure 3 shows a user in a child safety seat, using the pad according to figure 1 ,

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a pad according to the present invention, and

Figure 5 shows a user in a child safety seat, using the pad according to figure 1.

Figures 1 and 2A show a pad 1 for a seat belt according to the present invention, where the pad 1 comprises a first region 2 which is, for instance, positioned between a diagonal part D of a vehicle seat belt B and a shoulder of a user U when the pad 1 is attached to the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B, such that at least a part of the first region 2 of the pad will be in contact with the shoulder of the user U. A second region 3 of the pad 1 is positioned in between the chin and the chest of the user U when the pad 1 is attached to the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B and in use. A groove 4 for reception of a part of the seat belt B is also provided in the pad 1 , where the groove 4 for the reception of a part of the seat belt B is adapted to receive the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B when the pad 1 is connected to the diagonal part of the vehicle seat belt B.

The groove 4 for reception of a part of the seat belt B is designed in such a way that the groove 4 will extend only through a part of a longitudinal direction of the pad 1 , such that the groove 4 will not extend over the whole length of the pad 1. The second region 3 will therefore form an angle with the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B when the pad 1 is mounted to the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B.

The pad 1 is provided with locking means 9, where the locking means 9 are arranged in connection with the groove 4 for reception of the seat belt, such that the groove 4 can be opened to place the seat belt B in the groove 4 or to remove the seat belt B from the groove 4. The locking means 4 will ensure that the seat belt B is not accidentally removed from the pad 1. The locking means 9 may in one embodiment comprise one or more pressure studs or push buttons. However, a person skilled in the art would know that also other locking means could be used, such as one or more snap fasteners, Velcro or the like.

In the shown embodiment, the pad 1 has a bent or curved form, but it should be understood that the pad 1 also could be designed with other forms, as long as the second region 3 forms an angle with the diagonal part D of the vehicle seat belt B extending partly through the pad 1.

The pad 1 further comprises a first layer 5, a second layer 6 and a third layer 7, where the layers 5, 6, 7 in appropriate ways are connected to each other to form the pad 1. The first layer 5 will then form an upper side of the pad 1 , the second layer 6 will form a lower side of the pad 1 , and the third layer 7 will then form a groove 4 for reception of the seat belt, i.e. an inside of the pad facing the seat belt when the pad 1 is in use.

The pad 1 is also partly covered with a piece 8 of a skin-friendly material, where the piece 8 of the skin-friendly material is arranged to cover an outer surface of at least the second region 3 of the pad 1 , as the second region 3 could be brought into contact with the chin of the user U during normal use of the pad 1 , and where the second region 3 is brought into contact with the chin of the user U during a frontal impact with the vehicle (not shown).

Figures 3 and 4 show two different embodiments of the pad 1 according to the present invention mounted on the diagonal part D of a seat belt B of a vehicle (not shown) when the user U is seated in a child safety seat S, where the seat belt B is used to secure the user U in the child safety seat S and in the vehicle. Figure 3 shows an embodiment where the second region 3 of the pad 1 is arranged in between the chin and the chest of the user, but where the pad 1 is designed in such a way that there is a space between the chin and an upper side of the pad 1. In figure 4 the second region 3 of the pad 1 is also arranged in between the chin and the chest of the user U, but in this embodiment the upper side of the pad 1 is in contact with a neck area and the chin of the user U. Figure 5 shows how the pad 1 according to the present invention is used with a child safety seat S with an integrated harness system. The harness system is a five- point harness, where the harness system comprises two seat straps or seat belts extending from the shoulder portion of the user U to a hip portion of the user U when seated and wherein both seat straps or seat belts are centrally linked to a further seat strap or seat belt originating from the crotch region of the user U when seated about a linkage.

The child safety seat S is secured to the vehicle by means of a seat belt B of the vehicle seat or by means of standard Isofix connectors provided on the child safety seat S and Isofix anchorages provided in the vehicle seat.

The pad 1 is mounted to one of the seat straps or seat belts extending from the shoulder portion to the hip portion of the user, such that the first region 2 of the pad 1 is arranged between the shoulder of the user U and the seat belt and the second region 3 of the pad 1 is arranged in between the chin and the chest of the user U.

The pad 1 according to the present invention will, in the event of a frontal collision, firstly absorb some of the collision forces, whereby this will reduce the forward movement of the user U, whereafter the pad 1 will reduce the head rotation of the user U, as the pad 1 , being arranged in between the chin and the chest of the user U, will receive the user's chin as the user's head rotates forward.

The invention has now been explained with the aid of several non-limiting exemplary embodiments. A person of skill in the art will understand that a number of variations and modifications can be made to the pad as described within the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims.