Inflatable head restraint

• US 20040075252A1
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Y.M. Pan
• Original Assignee: James Y.M. Pan
• Inventors: Pan, James Y.M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,150,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/165 reusable, e.g. in case of multiple collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2074 in head rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01544 detecting seat belt parameters, e.g. length, tension or height-adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

An inflatable head restraint device for vehicle is disclosed. An inflatable head restraint device comprising an inflatable air bag, an inflation device, a sensing device, characterized in that the inflatable air bag can be deployed to be a U-shaped cushion for restraining the head and neck and back portion of an occupant, preventing whiplash injury from either rear, front or side impact crash.

Claims

1. An inflatable head restraint device, comprising:

an inflatable air bag mounted in the headrest and back of a vehicle seat;

an inflation device connected to said inflatable air bag and controlled by a control valve; and

a sensing device for detecting sudden pulling force when an impact happens and initiating the trigger of said inflation device.

2. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1 wherein said inflatable air bag comprises three portions, in which the head bag portion and the pair of side bags portion form a U-shaped cushion located at the headrest and an extended tag bag portion located at the upper center part of the seat back.

3. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1 wherein said inflatable air bags are folded in a pattern that can be easily folded back and packed inside the headrest.

4. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1 whereon the surface of the seat back and the headrest that covers those folded air bags is provided with a resealable seam for egress of said air bags during deployment.

5. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1 wherein said resealable seams are provided to seal said repackable airbags for allowing repeated use.

6. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1, wherein the inflation device comprises a pressurized gas cylinder that connects to said inflatable air bags with tubes, and a controllable valve that disposed at the nozzle of the gas cylinder to control the release of the air.

7. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises a sensing box that sets at the top of the seat back;

said sensing box comprising a torsion spring with an axis gear, a trigger gear bound by a linking cable. Said sensing device is able to detect the sudden pulling force of the seat belt that exceeds a preset threshold to trigger the control valve to deploy the air bags.

8. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 7, wherein an electrical sensing element is used as an alternative switch to detect the pulling of the seat belt. Said electrical sensing element comprising an axis gear, an electric switch and a cable. Said electrical sensing device is able to detect the sudden pulling force of the seat belt that exceeds a preset threshold to trigger the control valve to deploy the air bags.

9. The inflatable head restraint device of claim 1, wherein its sensing device is directly connected to the sensing device within the vehicle.