Development of the Car Seat through a Wider Range of Active Elements Implementation

Car seats represent a constructive - functional system including a variety of elements, assembled on a specific frame, among those the main components are the seat pan, the seat backrest, and the seat headrest. In order to improve the comfort of the driver and passengers, as well vehicle general safety, the car seats are under of intensive research and implementation of advanced developments.Thus, through of variety of sensors integrated into the seat, some important parameters are analysed for keeping the drivers alert and comfortable while driving semi-autonomous or autonomous cars. For adjustment of the seat linear and angular positions, a special system has been implemented, comprising electric, electronic, and pneumatic elements. Also, seat micro-adjustments are possible through the action of specific actuators. The car seat design and manufacture take into consideration a diverse array of data, based on a large range of parameters to face the diversity of drivers requirements. The present paper is advancing a conceptual development of car complex seat, integrating a number of active elements, with multiple possible adjustments. The new seat model is designed to satisfy a larger diversity of people both in terms of comfort and safety.

Measuring the effectiveness of a car seat program in an urban, level one pediatric trauma center

Background Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a significant safety issue in the United States. Young children are disproportionally impacted by car accidents and suffer high rates of injuries and mortality. When used properly, car seats have been found to reduce the severity of injuries. However, individuals from low-income areas often do not have access to education or car seats compared to those in suburban or higher income areas. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to measure the effectiveness of a car seat program in an urban, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center on caregiver car seat knowledge. Methods Caregivers (N = 200) attended a single, one-hour car seat educational program with a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). The sessions included educational and hands-on components, where caregivers were asked to complete a seven-item pre-post knowledge assessment. For completion of the course, caregivers received a car seat for their child. Results A paired t-test revealed that the workshop significantly increased caregiver knowledge from pre-post: t (199) = − 12.56, p < .001; d = 1.27. McNemar’s Chi-Square analyses displayed that caregivers increased in all knowledge categories (p < .001). Conclusions While caregivers in urban areas or in low-income areas may have less access to resources, hospital-led car seat courses can increase knowledge of proper car seat usage in these communities. These findings should be used to establish programs in hospitals in areas where these resources are not readily available to caregivers.

A Novel Automated System for the Handling of Car Seat Wires on Plastic Over-Injection Molding Machines

The structure of car seats is becoming increasingly complex, with mixing of wire conformation and plastic injection. The plastic over-molding process implies some labor, which can be reduced if novel solutions are applied in this manufacturing area. The handling of the wires used in car seats is the main problem identified in the process, wasting time both in the feeding and in the extraction of the molds used in the wire over-molding process. However, these machines are usually extremely compact and the free space around them is too short. In classic molding injection machines, there are just two half-molds, the female, and the male. In the over-molding process of wires used in car seats, three half-molds are used in order to increase the cycle time. Thus, to solve this problem, the classic robotic solutions are not appliable due to lack of space and elevated cost. This work describes the development of an automated solution able to handle the wires in both the feeding and the extracting phases of the production cycle, avoiding the traditional labor costs associated with this type of machine. Departing from an industrial need, the developed novel solution is described in detail and can be successfully adapted to other situations of low added-value products where it is needed to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the product. The system developed uses mechanical and pneumatic solutions which, combined, can be used to solve the identified problem, occupying a restricted space and requiring a small budget. This solution can be translated into guidelines that will allow the analysis of situations where the same system can be applied.

Presence of Microorganisms and Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Car Seat Fabrics: A Brief Review

The present paper discusses the presence of microorganisms in textile materials, especially in car seats, and the use of antimicrobial agents. We observed that the main agent between the user and the car's microbial system are the seats, due to the direct contact with the users. In addition, the environment in which the car is inserted, the type of car, and the seat fabric-type influence directly the reproduction of the microbial system. Microorganisms found in different parts of cars, especially in seats, could be potential threats to human health. Thus, to combat these microorganisms, it is necessary to study antimicrobial agents aimed at eliminating or inhibiting their reproduction and, consequently, promoting hygiene, ensuring the health and well-being of car users.

Infant Seating Device Use and Language Exposure

Despite widespread use, we know little about how seating devices (e.g., car seats, jumpers) may shape infants’ experiences. The present study examined seating device use and language exposure in two samples of 4- to 6-month-old infants (primarily White, higher SES) with video analysis (Study 1; N=29; 13 girls), repeated surveys, and continuous audio recording (Study 2; N=60; 37 girls). Device use was associated with lower levels of concurrent language exposure compared to other locations (incidence rate ratio=0.59; 0.55, respectively). Further, infants who were more often in seating devices tended to experience fewer daily adult words (R2=.11) and less consistent adult speech (R2=.18). These findings indicate that seating device use has both within- and between-person associations with infants’ exposure to language.

Testing the car seat's comfort

In this paper, four commonly used car seat covers, made from leather as well as from woven, knitted and 3D spacer fabrics are tested as sandwiched and separate layers to determine the effect of the lamination and layers on air and water vapor permeability. Different combinations of interlining materials are also tested to obtain the optimum comfortable car seat cover. This analysis gives us a real idea of which layer negatively affects the breathability of the car seat. The focus of this part of research was to identify the issues within the car seat material instead of factors like external cooling or the clothing of the driver. It was observed that the polyurethane (PU) foam and lamination significantly reduce the permeability of the car seats. The 3D spacer fabric shows the best top layer properties as compared to classical woven, leather or knitted car seat covers. The research shows how layers and lamination cause thermo-physiological discomfort of car seats.