Abstract: An improved passenger monitoring safety seat and system to monitor vital functions of a passenger placed in the vehicle safety seat. The system includes at least one sensor adapted of contact a passenger placed in the vehicle safety seat so that said sensor provides and transmits an electrical output signal indicative of a selected vital function pertaining to the passenger. A display unit, remote from the vehicle safety seat, includes a receiver and circuitry to acquire and amplify the output signal transmitted by the sensor, and the display unit provides a visual display indicative of said selected vital function. The display unit also provides an alarm if the output signal from the sensor falls outside a pre-selected range.

Abstract: A child's vehicle safety seat having an impact pad assembly rotatably attached to the safety seat. The impact pad assembly is rotatable toward or away from a child riding in the safety seat, and the assembly includes a padded portion upon which the child impacts during a vehicular event such as a collision. The impact pad assembly further includes an adjustable bias that applies a continuous force to rotate the impact pad assembly toward the seat portion. A stop limits the impact pad assembly rotation in order to place the padded portion at a riding position proximate to the child seated within the vehicle safety seat. The adjustable bias provides a mechanism to either increase or decrease the continuous force that rotates the impact pad assembly toward the riding position. The continuous force is adjusted to the weight of a child riding in the safety seat so that if the child's head and/or torso impacts upon the padded portion, the force of the impacting child is greater than the continuous force.

Abstract: An improved restraint apparatus for use on an infant vehicle seat to reduce head and neck injury in infants. The improved restraint apparatus comprises a shell and padded lining shaped to partially enclose an infant when the restraint apparatus is attached to the infant vehicle seat. A first envelope of support is formed in an upper portion of the shell and padded lining to receive and support an infant head, and the first envelope of support provides a support against head movement. A second envelope of support is formed in a lower portion of the shell and padded lining and provides a support against torso movement comparable to the support against head movement. This produces a unified restraint system between the head and torso when the restraint apparatus is attached to the infant vehicle seat.The padded lining has soft glove like pockets that are shaped to receive, support and restrain an infant head and torso. The lining is removable for lining replacement to fit different head and torso sizes.