The national standard "On board Child Restraint Devices" jointly developed by the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology and Yike Testing and Certification Co., Ltd. has been researched and organized through multiple surveys and seminars by experts such as child seat manufacturers, airline cabin professionals, Civil Aviation Administration cabin safety inspectors, and professional testing institutions. Currently, the draft standard has been basically completed and is in the stage of soliciting opinions. It is expected to be promulgated and implemented this year.

This standard mainly includes the following aspects:

l   Types of child restraint devices on board;

l   The compatibility between onboard child restraint devices and aircraft passenger seats;

l   The safety performance of onboard child restraint devices.

Types of child restraint devices on board

Based on three important physiological characteristics of children, including age, height, and weight, the standard divides child restraint devices into three categories.

Class I seats are suitable for newborns, and the restriction device must be used backwards;

Class II seats are suitable for infants under 12 months old and must also be installed backwards for use;

Class III seats are suitable for children over 12 months of age and weighing more than 10kg. These seats can be used in a forward or backward direction. Considering the space on the aircraft, the seats should be designed for upright use.

Compatibility between child restraint devices on airplanes and passenger seats

Unlike the three-point seat belt system on motor vehicles, airplane passenger seats are only equipped with two-point lap belt restraint systems. Therefore, when designing and using child seats, they should also rely solely on the two-point restraint system on airplane passenger seats for fixation.

At the same time, the design of child seats also takes into account the external dimensions to achieve wider installation on airplanes, as well as the impact of devices such as armrest adjustment buttons on the installation of child seats in three-dimensional space. The standard also defines a set of seat testing devices for detecting the adaptability of child seats.

Safety performance of onboard child restraint devices

The standard specifies the conditions for dynamic testing and the parameters of the relevant testing equipment. The impact speed of the dynamic test is 50 km/h, and the acceleration/deceleration channels of the trolley are specified. The main dimensions of the test seat and the physical properties of the filling material are also detailed in the standard.

In order to simulate the restraint performance of child seats during aircraft flipping, a flipping test procedure for child seats was defined in addition to dynamic testing, and the restraint performance of child seats during flipping tests was specified.

The dynamic protection performance of child seats is mainly reflected in the following aspects: the head injury standard (HIC36) of the test dummy, head displacement, upper neck performance, and chest acceleration, among which the HIC36 of the dummy should not exceed 1000. During the testing process, the child seat should maintain structural integrity and no connecting mechanisms or components should be separated.