Vehicle occupant restraint device

• US 10,189,432 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Tetsuya, Morita, Gaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Drew J
• Application Number:
  US15/509,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20170259774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4235 transversal
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/427 Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0058 Shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21506 comprising tearing tabs, legs or the like for holding the lid before deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23509 Fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/00 Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/12 Construction of belts or harnesses B60R21/18 takes precedence ; woven fabrics for safety belts D03D1/0005

Abstract

An occupant restraining device capable of coping with a plurality of collision directions without additional airbags is provided. An occupant restraining device (100) is adapted to restrain an occupant P sitting in a vehicle seat (110), and the device includes a seatbelt (120) fixed to left and right sides of a seat cushion (116) of the seat to restrain the occupant'"'"'s hips (P2), airbags (130a) and (130b) stored inside a seat back of the seat on the left and right sides thereof and inflated and deployed on the left and right sides of the occupant. Tensile fabric (140) is connected to each of the airbags and the seat cushion and applied with tension, when the airbags are inflated and deployed, so as to be extended between the airbags inflated and deployed and both side surfaces of the seat cushion.

Claims

1. An occupant restraining device configured to restrain an occupant sitting in a vehicle seat, comprising:

a seatbelt fixed at left and right sides of a seat cushion of the seat to restrain the hip of the occupant;

left and right airbags stored inside a seat back of the seat on left and right sides respectively thereof and inflated and deployed on left and right sides of the occupant; and

a tensile fabric connected to each of the left and right airbags and the seat cushion, the tensile fabric placed under tension when the left and right airbags are inflated and deployed, so as to be extended between the left and right airbags inflated and deployed and both side surfaces of the seat cushion, the left and right airbags are deployed such as to protect at least a shoulder of the occupant and come around to a front side of the occupant thereby restricting movement of the occupant in the front-back and the left-right directions,

wherein the tensile fabric has a first end and a second end, and the tensile fabric in the form of separate left and right tensile fabric components is connected respectively to the left and right airbags at the first end and to the seat cushion at the second end.

2. The occupant restraining device of claim 1, further comprising the seatbelt is a two-point seatbelt adapted to restrain the hip of the occupant.

3. The occupant restraining device of claim 1 further comprising the tensile fabric is connected to a surface of the left and right airbags in the inflated and deployed state on opposite sides to surfaces of the left and right airbags contacted by the occupant.

4. The occupant restraining device of claim 1 further comprising the tensile fabric has a part exposed upward and outside the seat cushion when the left and right airbags are inflated and deployed.

5. The occupant restraining device of claim 1 further comprising the tensile fabric has at least a portion stored under at least one trim cover of the seat, and upon deployment of the respective left or right airbags, the portion tears through the at least one trim cover to be exposed outside the seat cushion.

6. The occupant restraint device of claim 1 further comprising the seatbelt fixed to the left and right sides of the seat cushion and positioned laterally inside of the tensile fabric with respect to the occupant such that upon the left and right airbags being inflated and deployed the tensile fabric is positioned laterally outside of the seatbelt.

7. An occupant restraining device configured to restrain an occupant sitting in a vehicle seat, comprising:

a seatbelt fixed at left and right sides of a seat cushion of the seat to restrain the hip of the occupant;

left and right airbags stored inside a seat back of the seat on left and right sides respectively thereof and inflated and deployed on left and right sides of the occupant; and

a tensile fabric connected to each of the left and right airbags and the seat cushion and placed under tension when the left and right airbags are inflated and deployed, the tensile fabric extending between the left and right airbags when inflated and deployed on both side surfaces of the seat cushion, the tensile fabric is a fabric member connected to each of the left and right airbags through an inside part or a lower part of the seat cushion.

8. The occupant restraining device of claim 7 further comprising the left and right airbags are deployed such as to protect at least a shoulder of the occupant and come around to a front side of the occupant.

9. The occupant restraining device of claim 7, further comprising the seatbelt is a two-point seatbelt adapted to restrain the hip of the occupant.

10. The occupant restraining device of claim 7 further comprising the tensile fabric is connected to a surface of the left and right airbags in the inflated and deployed state on opposite sides to surfaces of the left and right airbags contacted by the occupant.

11. The occupant restraining device of claim 7 further comprising the tensile fabric has a part exposed upward and outside the seat cushion when the left and right airbags are inflated and deployed.

12. The occupant restraining device of claim 7 further comprising the tensile fabric has at least a portion stored under at least one trim cover of the seat, and upon deployment of the respective left or right airbag, the portion tears through the at least one trim cover to be exposed outside the seat cushion.

13. The occupant restraint device of claim 7 further comprising the seatbelt fixed to the left and right sides of the seat cushion and positioned laterally inside of the tensile fabric with respect to the occupant such that upon the left and right airbags being inflated and deployed the tensile fabric is positioned laterally outside of the seatbelt.

14. An occupant restraining device configured to restrain an occupant sitting in a vehicle seat, comprising:

a seatbelt fixed at left and right sides of a seat cushion of the seat to restrain the hip of the occupant;

left and right airbags stored inside a seat back of the seat on left and right sides respectively thereof and inflated and deployed on left and right sides of the occupant; and

a left and a right tensile fabric component connected to the left and right airbags respectively and to the seat cushion, the left and right tensile fabric components placed under tension when the left and right airbags are inflated and deployed, so as to be extended between the left and right airbags inflated and deployed and both side surfaces of the seat cushion for restricting the airbag'"'"'s movement, the left and right airbags are deployed such as to protect at least a shoulder of the occupant and come around to a front side of the occupant thereby restricting movement of the occupant in the front-back and the left-right directions,

wherein each of the left and right tensile fabric components has a first end and a second end, and the tensile fabric components are connected respectively to the left and right airbags at the first end and to the seat cushion at the second end.

15. The occupant restraining device of claim 14, further comprising the seatbelt is a two-point seatbelt adapted to restrain the hip of the occupant.

16. The occupant restraining device of claim 14 further comprising the left and right tensile fabric components are connected to a surface of the left and right airbag in the inflated and deployed state on opposite sides to surfaces of the left and right airbags contacted by the occupant.

17. The occupant restraining device of claim 14 further comprising the left and right tensile fabric components each have at least a portion stored under at least one trim cover of the seat, and upon deployment of the respective left or right airbag, the portion tears through the at least one trim cover to be exposed outside the seat cushion.

18. The occupant restraint device of claim 14 further comprising the seatbelt fixed to the left and right sides of the seat cushion and positioned laterally inside of the left and right tensile fabric components with respect to the occupant such that upon the left and right airbags being inflated and deployed the left and right tensile fabric components are positioned laterally outside of the seatbelt.