There is a requirement for a restraint which may be used in a motor vehicle to provide protection for the occupant of a wheelchair within the vehicle. Various prior proposals have been made concerning the provision of such restraints, but such proposals either use anchoring points which are mounted to the body of the vehicle, meaning that wheelchairs can only be located in vehicles at positions immediately adjacent these anchoring points, or the arrangements are in the form of restraint mechanisms that can be connected to rails mounted in the floor of the motor vehicle, necessitating, in many cases, the removal of a seat from the vehicle to enable the restraint mechanism to be located in place.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved restraint.

This invention also relates to a mechanism for applying a force to an object.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a restraint for restraining a wheelchair occupant in a motor vehicle, the restraint comprising a support structure to be mounted on the floor of the vehicle, the support structure carrying a seat squab, and a movable seat-back which is provided with a safety-belt arrangement, the seat-back being locatable in a rear position adjacent the rear of the support structure in which the seat-back and the squab form a seat, the seat-back being movable from the rear position to a front position adjacent the front of the support structure, the restraint further comprising a securing arrangement to engage a wheelchair, and secure the wheelchair in a predetermined position with the back of the wheelchair adjacent the back-rest of the seat when the back-rest is in its forward position.

Preferably the squab is removable. When the squab is removed the seat- back may be easily moved from the rear position to the front position, without the seat-back being impeded by the squab.

In one embodiment the support structure is mounted on carriages adapted to engage tracks provided in the floor of a vehicle.

In an alternative embodiment the support structure is provided with a mount to be directly mounted to the floor of a vehicle.

Conveniently the squab is releasably held in position on the support structure by means of a manually releasable catch.

In a preferred embodiment the back-rest is connected to the support structure by a swinging link arrangement.

Conveniently the swinging arrangement comprises two links, one on each side of the back-rest, each link being pivotally connected to a lower end thereof to the support structure, and at an upper end thereof to part of the back- rest.

Preferably the back-rest is provided with at least one clamp to clamp the back-rest in position on the support structure.

Conveniently said clamp is in the form of a twist-lock engageable with an appropriate aperture provided in the upper part of the support structure.

Advantageously the upper part of the support structure is in the form of a plate, the plate defining at least one axially extending slot, the or each twist- lock being engageable with a said slot.

Preferably the upper part of the support structure is provided with upstanding means constituting elements that engage the back-rest, when the back-rest is in either said rear position or said front position.

Conveniently the upstanding elements are constituted by lips provided on the plate.

In an alternative embodiment the back-rest is mounted on a carriage, the carriage being supported by a bush, the bush being mounted for sliding movement along an axially extending bar carried by the support structure.

Conveniently the bush is provided with internal linear bearings.

Advantageously the carriage is provided with laterally projecting fingers, the fingers being received in slots defined at the upper parts of two opposed plates which constitute the support structure.

The retractor mechanism preferably includes a spring-biased reel on which the elongate element is wound, and a lock to lock the reel, the lock being actuated by a mechanism that responds to a tilting of the retractor relative to an initial position in which the reel is not locked.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the securing arrangement to secure the wheelchair in a predetermined position comprise at least one retractor mechanism having an integral locking mechanism and having a length of elongate element wound therein, the elongate element being provided with an engaging element each adapted to engage a part of the wheelchair, a drive being provided to move the retractor to follow an arcuate path so that the integral locking mechanism within the retractor locks, and the retractor then moves to apply tension to said elongate element to pull the wheelchair into firm engagement with the restraint.

The retractor may be a conventional safety-belt retractor and the elongate element may be a webbing strap.

Preferably two said retractors are provided.

Conveniently the or each retractor is mounted on a horizontally rotatable bar, the bar being provided with a biasing mechanism biasing the bar to a first predetermined position in which the locking mechanism of the or each retractor is unlocked, the drive being adapted to move the bar rotationally so that the retractors follow said arcuate path.

Advantageously the drive is a foot-pedal operable to rotate the bar, and a ratchet mechanism is provided to retain the bar in position when it has been rotated, manually operable means being provided to release the ratchet mechanism to permit the bar to return to the initial position thereof.

Preferably the manually operable means comprise a lanyard adapted to release a dog which engages a serrated face.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a mechanism for applying a force to an object, the mechanism comprising at least one retractor support member supporting a retractor incorporating an integral locking mechanism and having a length of elongate element wound therein which is adapted to be connected to the object, and a drive to move the said support member so as to move the retractor along an arcuate path from an initial position in which the locking mechanism of the retractor is unlocked, to an intermediate position in which the locking mechanism of the retractor becomes locked, and to a final position in which force is being applied to the elongate element extending from the retractor.

Preferably two retractors are provided.

Conveniently the or each retractor is mounted on a horizontally rotatable bar, the bar being provided with a biasing mechanism biasing the bar to the initial position in which the or each retractor is unlocked, the drive being adapted to move the bar rotationally so that the retractors follow said arcuate path.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a side perspective view of a restraint in accordance with the invention in an initial condition, FIGURE 2 is a view of the restraint of Figure 1 in an alternate position showing a wheelchair located adjacent the restraint, FIGURE 3 is a view, from the rear, showing part of the restraint when in the position shown in Figure 2, FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of a"winching"arrangement which forms part of the restraint of Figures 1 to 3, FIGURE 5 is a side view of the winching arrangement of Figure 4 in a first position, FIGURE 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 showing the winching system in an alternate position, and FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view partly in phantom illustrating part of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

It is to be understood that embodiments of the invention involve the use of retractors. Retractors are components which are in wide use in connection with safety-belt systems in motor vehicles. A typical retractor comprises a housing containing a rotatably mounted spring-biased spool. One end of a length of webbing, typically a safety-belt, is connected to the spool and, on rotation of the spool in the appropriate sense, can be paid-out by the retractor or withdrawn into the retractor. The spool is associated with a spring which is adapted to impart a bias to the spool which tends to draw the webbing into the housing. The retractor incorporates an integral locking mechanism which is adapted to lock the spool in response to an accident situation. In many cases the locking mechanism of a retractor has an inertia member in the form of a pendulum, or a ball in a cup, or a so-called"standing man". When each of these inertia members is subjected to a deceleration in excess of a predetermined threshold, the inertia member will execute a predetermined movement. Thus the pendulum will swing, the ball will rise up in the cup, and the"standing man"will topple over to be restrained in a slightly inclined position by a surrounding guide. The locking mechanism becomes locked in response to this predetermined movement.

It has long been known that the sensors used in retractor reels are gravity-sensitive, and if a conventional retractor is inclined, relative to its ordinary position, for example when a motor vehicle in which the retractor is mounted is parked on a slope, then the retractors may"lock"even though it is not subjected to any deceleration whatsoever. Often this feature of retractors is a problem, but, in the present invention, advantage is taken of this particular feature of known retractor reels.

There are many commercially available retractor reels which possess the feature of locking when inclined relative to an initial operating position, and any of those retractor reels could be used in embodiments of this invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, a preferred restraint is a device 1 which can have a first configuration, as shown in Figure 1, in which the device may function as a conventional seat, and a second configuration as shown in Figure 2 in which the device can function as a wheelchair restraint to restrain a wheelchair and provide a degree of protection for an occupant of the wheelchair. The device includes a support structure which comprises two spaced apart vertical support plates 2,3, each provided at a lower edge with a horizontal floor mount-plate 4 which can be mounted, by means of appropriates bolts, to the floor of the vehicle. The lower edge of each vertical plate 2,3 may, of course, alternatively, be provided with a carriage adapted to be releasably connected to an appropriately extending rail or track provided in the floor of the vehicle, or some other arrangement which secures the vertical plates to the vehicle floor.

Each vertical support plate has a lower portion 5 of uniform width and an upper portion 6 of increasing width so that the two plates form an upright support section carrying a forwardly cantilevered section 8. The upper edges of the two vertical support plates are interconnected by a substantially horizontal transverse plate 7 with apertures formed therein. In the particular embodiment now described the apertures comprise a large central aperture 9, provided primarily for weight saving purposes and four identical elongate slots 10,11 (only two of which are shown in Figure 3) provided for locating and clamping purposes, or either side of the central aperture.

At the side edges of the transverse plate 7, upstanding lips 12,13 may be provided. Each lip has a length less than the length of said transverse plate 7.

A transverse element 14 is provided at the rear of the plate 7. The element 14 defines a vertical face 15.

At the rear edge of the horizontal transverse plate, two spaced-apart tubular bushes 16,17 are provided, the axes of the bushes being substantially vertical. The bushes are spaced-apart by a predetermined distance.

Provided at the front of the cantilevered portion of each vertical support plate is a respective horizontal axially moveable location pin 18,19. Each location pin 18,19 is slidable within a horizontal sleeve that is secured to the forward-most part of the respective vertical support plate. Each location pin has an enlarged end 20,21. Each location pin 18,19, as will become clear from the following description, may be moved axially to such a position that a part of the frame work of a wheelchair may be moved into position in contact with the location pin.

Initially the location pins 18,19 may be located in inner positions in which the location pins do not project substantially beyond the width of the support structure formed by the vertical support plates 2,3.

Pivotally connected 22 to each vertical support plate 2,3 is the lower end of a respective seat back support link 23. Each seat back support link 23 is a rigid elongate element of uniform width. The upper end of each seat back support link 23 is pivotally connected 24 to an end of a seat back support element 25. The links are identical with common pivot axes and form a swinging link system. The seat back support element has the rest of the seat back 26 securely mounted thereon. As will be described, the seat back may be moved from an initial rear position at the rear of the support structure to a final front position at the front of the support structure on operation of the swinging link system, and vice-versa.

The seat back support element 25 is provided with two rearwardly extending tabs 27,28, each of which carries a respective clamp 29,30. Each clamp is of the"twist-lock"form and has a vertical shaft, which passes through a bush supported by one of the rearwardly extending tabs. A spring within the bush biases the shaft upwardly. The upper end of the shaft is provided with a horizontally extending handle that may be manually grasped to effect rotation of the shaft. The lower end of the shaft carries a clamping head, adapted to pass through and engage with one of the elongate clamping slots 10,11 formed in the transverse plate that forms part of the support structure. Each clamping head is dimensioned so that, in one orientation thereof, the clamping head maybe inserted through one of the slots, and may then be rotated on actuation of the handle. The upper part of the clamping head is provided with a cam-face so that on rotation of the clamping head the cam-face provided on the upper part of the clamping head is brought into engagement with the under surface of the plate adjacent the elongate slot, so that a clamping effect can be achieved, in either the rear position or the front position, to clamp the seat-back.

In the described embodiment the seat back is provided with two integral safety-belt arrangement 31,32. Thus the seat back is provided with two arrangements 31,32, each having an internal safety-belt retractor which is associated with a safety-belt having a tongue which can be engaged within a buckle which is mounted on the seat. In the illustrated embodiment two such retractors and associated safety-belts and buckles and two tongues are provided, the safety-belts and buckles being located so that either one of the safety-belts may be utilised at any one time, thus providing a lap-end-diagonal safety-belt.

By selecting which safety-belt is utilised it is possible for a seat occupant to be provided with a lap-end-diagonal safety-belt over the left shoulder or over the right shoulder.

A seat squab 33 is provided.

The under-surface of the squab is provided with a spring-clip adapted to releasably engage part of the support structure. The under-surface of the squab is also provided with a mounting plate 34 which carries two parallel pins 35.36 which lie in a plane parallel to, but slightly spaced from the plane of the under- surface of the squab. The spacing between the pins is the same as the spacing between the vertical tubular bushes 16,17 provided at the rear edge of the horizontal transverse plate 7.

Initially, as shown in Figure 1, the squab 33 is in position with the rear edge of the squab engaging the seat back support element 25, and the spring clip engaging the said part of the support structure. The squab 33 rests on the horizontal transverse plate 7 with the mounting plate 34 and pins 35,36 being accommodated in the large central aperture 9.

A lower transverse element 40 is provided, (see Figures 5 and 6) located towards the lower part and the rear of each of the support plates, the lower transverse element being in the form of a rectangular sectioned box beam which is welded in position, or in the form of a narrow transverse plate which is connected to the support plates by means of tennon-type joints. If a transverse plate is utilised, the plate may be provided with, on its under-surface, with depending ribs which engage the floor of the vehicle to enhance the strength of the transverse plate. The upper part of the transverse element (be it box beam or be it plate) is provided with a wedge-shaped element 41 provided with a serrated sloping upper surface 42.

Extending horizontally between the two support plates is a transverse rotatable bar 43. The bar is provided, at a central point, with a rearwardly and upwardly directed radially extending arm 44 which terminates in a foot- pedal 45 which is located to the rear of the support structure, which is thus readily accessible. The foot-pedal 45 acts as a drive to rotate the rotatable bar 43. A short transverse rod 46 extends through the radially extending arm 44, with part of the rod being on either side of the arm. A biasing mechanism is provided, constituted by two springs 47,48. Each spring engages a respective projecting end of the short transverse rod 46, and also engages a transverse anchoring rod 49 which extends between the two vertical support plates 23. The biasing mechanism applies a bias to the rotatable bar tending to rotate the bar in one sense.

A further central lug 50, carried by the rotatable bar 43 adjacent the base of the arm carrying the foot-pedal, extends radially downwardly beneath the bar. The lug 50 pivotally supports one end of a dog 51. A lanyard 52 is connected to the dog 51. The lanyard may pass through guide loops on the support structure so that one end of the lanyard is accessible.

The forward end of the dog is pointed, thus together presenting an edge that can engage the serrated face 42 of the wedge-shaped element 41 provided on the upper surface of the lower transverse element.

The transverse rotatable bar 43 carries, adjacent each end thereof, but spaced slightly inwardly of the adjacent support plate 2,3, a respective radially extending retractor carrying plate 53,54. Each radially extending retractor carrying plate 53,54has, mounted thereon, a conventional retractor mechanism 55,56, which has a length of webbing 57,58 wound on the spool thereof.

In an initial position of the rotatable bar 43 the retractors 55,56 on the retractor support plates 53,54 are biased by the springs into contact with the anchoring rod 49 to which the springs 47,48 are connected. The anchoring rod 49 thus acts as a stop to limit the movement of the rotatable bar 43.

The webbing 57,58 from each retractor mechanism 55,56 passes over the adjacent anchoring rod 49 and optionally through a guide, which is located at a low level, and terminates with a karabiner or some other releasable hook mechanism 59,60.

When the seat is in an initial condition, the back-rest 26 is located towards the rear of the support structure, the squab 33 is in position supported by the support structure, the rotatable bar 43 is forwardly biased by the springs 47,48. The retractors 55,56 are positioned so that webbing 57,58 may be drawn out from the retractors. Thus the retractors are not locked. The hooks or karabiners 59,60 may conveniently be retained on the locating pins 20, although in Figure 1 the hooks are shown located in front of the seat. The lugs 27,28 on the seat-back support element 25 are trapped between the ends of the lips 12,13, and the face 15 on the transverse element 14 at the rear of the horizontal plate 7.

With the seat in this condition, it is envisaged that the transverse rotatable bar 43, and the retractor mechanisms carried thereby will be substantially invisible, and the only part of the support structure and the associated mechanisms described above that would be at all visible would be the foot-pedal 45. Indeed, a masking casing could be provided to mask the various components that have been described above, should such a casing be considered to be necessary.

The seat, in this condition, can be used as an ordinary vehicle seat.

Should an accident arise, with the seat in this condition, involving a frontal impact of the vehicle, the occupant of the seat will be retained by the safety-belt system 31,32 that is integral with the back of the seat 26, and a substantial force may be applied to the back of the seat tending to move the top part of the back of the seat forwardly. The lower part of the back of the seat will be retained in position firstly by the two twist-lock clamps 29,30, and secondly by the engagement of the lugs 27,28 with the end of each of the two lips 12,13 provided which extend upwardly above the horizontal transverse plate 7.

If the described arrangement is to be used with a wheelchair, the squab of the seat may simply be removed, by grasping the squab 33 and pulling it upwardly, thus releasing the engagement of the spring clip. The squab may be put to one side, temporarily. The hooks on karabiners 59,60 may be removed from the locating pins 18,19 and stretched out in front of the support as shown in Figure 1.

With the squab of the seat 33 removed, the entire back-rest 26 may be moved forwardly relative to the support structure simply by releasing the clamps 29m 30, and moving the seat back support element 25 with a consequent pivoting of the seat back support link 23. The seat back support member may thus be moved to a forward position, and here the lugs 28,29 will engage the forward-most end of the lips 12,13 provided on a horizontal transverse plate, while the locking heads of the twist-locks will again engage the elongate slots provided for that purpose. The twist-lock clamps 28,29 may be operated to clamp the seat back support member in position. This is the situation shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The back rest will then be in a forward position.

When the back-rest is in the forward position, a wheelchair 70 may be located in position just in front of the support structure. The karabiners or hooks 59,60 mounted on the webbing straps 57,58 associated with the retractor mechanisms 55, 56 may then be pulled forwardly and engaged with part of the frame of the wheelchair. This is facilitated by the fact that the retractor mechanisms are in such a position that the webbing may be freely withdrawn from the retractors.

The wheelchair 70 may then be moved so that the rear part of the wheelchair is located in front of the support structure. The transversely extending horizontal location pins 18,21 may be selectively positioned so that the pins may engage an appropriate part 71 of the frame of the wheelchair. As the wheelchair is moved to this position, the retractors automatically retract the webbing so that the webbing is held with a slight degree of tension provided by the retractor springs within the retractor mechanisms.

The foot-pedal 45 may now be actuated to rotate the rotatable bar. As the rotatable bar rotates, so the angle of inclination of the radial retractor carrying plates increases 53,54, and thus the angle of inclination of each retractor mechanism 55, 56 will increase, and doing this movement some webbing will be paid-out. When the angle of inclination of the retractor mechanisms 55,56 reaches a predetermined threshold, the integral gravity- sensitive locking mechanism within each retractor will lock, thus preventing further webbing 57,58 being withdrawn from the retractors. As continued pressure is applied to the foot-pedal 45, the rotatable bar 43 will continue to rotate, thus moving the retractors 55,56 about an arcuate path gently moving the retractors away from the front part of the support structure, applying tension to the webbing 57,58 and thus applying a force to the wheelchair which firmly urges the wheelchair 70 into contact with the front part of the support structure.

As the transversely extending bar 43 is rotated, so the wedge-shaped end of the dog 51 defining the edge will move down the inclined serrated face 42 provided on the wedge-shaped element 41 located on the first lower transverse element 40 located at the base of the support plates. When pressure is removed from the foot-pedal, the rotatable bar 43 will tend to rotate in the opposite direction due to the resilient force applied thereto by the resilient mechanism constituted by the two springs 47,48 and the tension in the webbing. This will bring the end of the dog 51 defining said edge firmly into engagement with one of the serrations, with the dog and serrations acting as a ratchet locking arrangement, thus preventing further movement of the rotatable bar 41 in that direction. The wheelchair is thus held firmly in position by the tension in the webbing with parts of the frame of the wheelchair firmly engaging the horizontal location pins.

As the retractors, and the optional guides that the webbing passes through, are relatively low, the webbing applies a rearwardly and downwardly directed force to the frame of the wheelchair, firmly pulling the wheelchair into position adjacent the restraint.

It is to be appreciated that, if desired, the foot-pedal 45 may be utilised to draw the wheelchair into position adjacent the described restraining device from a position spaced away from the restraining device. As described above, the karabiners or hooks 59,60 will be engaged with the wheelchair 70. The foot-pedal 45 may then be operated which will serve to draw in some of the belt or webbing 57, 58 that has been drawn out from each retractor. If an accessible end of the lanyard 52, which may be guided by guide loops provided on the support structure, is pulled, the effect is that the dog 51 is lifted from the serrated face 42 of the wedge-shaped element 41 and the retractors 55,56 are returned to their initial position under the influence of the two springs 47,48.

As the retractors 55,56 move back to their initial position, the locking mechanisms become released, and the spring-biased spools within the retractors draw in the webbing 57,58. Thus the wheelchair 70 remains stationary during this particular phase of operation, and webbing 57,58 is drawn into the retractors 55,56. When again the foot-pedal 45 is pressed, the described cycle of operation will be repeated, the retractors locking, and the subsequent movement of the retractors causing the draw the wheelchair closer to the described restraint. This procedure may therefore be repeated until the wheelchair has been"winched"firmly into position adjacent the restraint.

The wheelchair is thus secured against the combination of the support structure and the back-rest 26 of the seat, with the back-rest 26 of the seat being located at the front part of the support structure so that the back-rest 26 of the seat is then positioned immediately behind the back-rest of the wheelchair 70.

The occupant of the wheelchair can then easily use one of the safety-belt arrangements 31,32 provided on the back-rest of the vehicle seat and will be retained thereby.

The squab 33 may then conveniently be temporarily located in position at the rear of the support structure by sliding the pins 35,36 on the mounting plate 34 on the under-surface of the squab 33 into the bushes 16,17 provided at the rear of the horizontal transverse plate. The squab will help protect the described support structure from inadvertent kicks from the rear, and will provide some protection if a passenger behind the seat is thrown forwardly in an accident.

In the event that an accident should occur involving a frontal impact of the vehicle in which the seat is mounted, the occupant of the wheelchair will be restrained by the safety-belt system provided on the back rest of the seat, and a substantial force may be applied to the support structure that has been described above. The support structure and the back-rest are designed to be strong enough to withstand anticipated force levels.

If there is a rear impact involving the motor vehicle in which the described restraint is fitted, the back-rest of the seat will be brought into contact with the back-rest of the wheelchair, and thus effectively into contact with the back of the occupant of the wheelchair.

When the vehicle has reached its destination and the wheelchair is to leave the vehicle, a further slight pressure is applied to the foot-pedal 45, thus rotating the rotatable bar 43 in a direction which applies a further slight tension to the webbing 57,58. The lanyard 52 that is connected to the dog 51 is then grasped and is pulled to move the dog slightly upwardly. Thus the edge of the dog 51 becomes disengaged from the serrated face 42 on the wedge-shaped element 41.

If the pressure applied to the foot-pedal 45 is then released, the rotatable bar 43 will then rotate, under the resilient bias provided by the spring, and due to the tension in the webbing, to its initial position in which the radially extending retractor carrying plates 53,54 are inclined such that the gravity- sensitive locking mechanism in each of the retractor mechanisms 55,56 is released. The webbing 57,58 can then be paid-out from the retractor mechanisms permitting the wheelchair 70 to be moved forwardly so that the karabiners or hooks 59,60 can be disengaged therefrom.

If the karabiners or hooks 59,60 are simply released, the retractor mechanisms would automatically wind-in the webbing, so that webbing is no longer exposed.

If the seat is again to be used as a conventional seat, the back rest 26 may be moved to its initial rear-most position simply by releasing the clamps 29,30 constituted by the twist-locks, and moving the seat back support element 25 rearwardly with a pivoting movement of the seat back supporting links 23, and then re-tightening the clamps 29,30 constituted by the twist-locks.

The squab 33 may be replaced in its initial place, and the seat is then again in its initial condition.

It is to be understood that since the restraining device of the present invention is in the form of a seat which can be used as a conventional seat, there is no need to remove the seat from the vehicle, if the vehicle is to carry a passenger in a wheelchair. All that is required is for the seat squab to be removed and the position of the seat-back to be adjusted, and then the restraining device may be used to restrain a wheelchair occupant. Consequently it is envisaged that there may be no need to remove a vehicle seat which constitutes a restraining device in accordance with the invention from the motor vehicle, enabling the seat to be mounted securely and permanently in position.

Whilst in the initially described embodiment as shown in Figures 1 to 6, the back of the seat is supported on a swinging arm structure, it is of course possible to have alternative mechanisms for supporting a back rest on a support structure so the back rest can move from a rear-most position to a forward-most position.

Referring now to Figure 7, an alternative arrangement for supporting the back rest to a support structure is illustrated.

In this embodiment the support structure again supports two spaced- apart parallel side plates 81,82, the upper part of which are interconnected at the rear by a first transverse element 83, and at the front by a second transverse element 84. A circular cross-section support bar 85 extends between these two transverse elements at the mid-point of the support structure, the bar thus being aligned with the axis of the seat. A bush 86 is slidably mounted on the bar.

The bush 86 may incorporate internal linear bearings. The bush supports two horizontal outwardly extending support arms 87,88which each extend towards the side plates 82,83. The very tip of each support arm is received within a slot 89,90 formed adjacent the top of each respective side plate.

The bush and the arms together support the back-rest 91 which incorporates a safety-belt 92.

It is to be appreciated that the bush 86 and the arms 87,88 may be moved from a rear-most position to a forward-most position, and vice-versa.

When in the rear-most position, squab may be mounted on the support in front of the back-rest, and when the squab has been removed, the back-rest may move forwardly to a forward-most position.

In the present Specification"comprises"means"includes or consists of' and"comprising"means"including or consisting of.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following Claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.