Comparison of two-point ISOFix dynamic test performance on the ECE R44 test bench and car rear seats

摘要

ISOFix is an ISO standard for the dedicated universal attachment of child restraints (CRSs) in cars, based on two horizontal pins situated in the seat bight. The ISO standard calls for an additional means to prevent the rotation of the child restraint under impact conditions. In the USA and Canada, the top tether has been included as a requirement to achieve this. In Europe, it has been proposed that the reaction of the vehicle seat cushion and a pre-compression mechanism can achieve this. This paper reports on a test programme designed to explore whether this approach could be used when determining the performance of child restraints for universal approval by testing, using the standard ECE R44 test seat. Comparison is made between the performance of three specially designed ISOFix child restraints on the R44 test bench and on three different car seats, both when the child restraint is attached using the ISOFix attachments and when attached by the standard three point adult seat belt.