Occupant protection system

• US 20050184491A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Itoga, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,377,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42718 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26094 characterised by fluid flow controlling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt

Abstract

To simplify the mechanism of an occupant protection system in which a seat bag at the front part of a seat cushion and a lap bag are inflated to protect an occupant and also to simplify the mounting structure of the occupant protection system to a seat frame, a holder is mounted to the side frame of a seat. The holder includes a pretensioner connected to a lap anchor, an inflator for inflating a seat bag and a lap bag, and a manifold for distributing gas from the inflator to the seat bag and the lap bag. The connecting structure of the lap anchor and the pretensioner is of a latch type (insert-lock type).

Claims

1. An occupant protection system for a vehicle seat, the occupant protection system comprising:

a seat belt for restraining a passenger in the seat;

anchors for the belt on both sides of the seat with one of the anchors comprising a releasably connected buckle and tongue on one side of the seat and a lap anchor on the other side of the seat;

a seat airbag for being arranged to cause a portion of the seat to be lifted upon inflation thereof;

a belt airbag extending along the seat belt to push the passenger toward the seat upon inflation thereof;

a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the seat and belt airbags and being disposed at the other side of the seat; and

a common mounting member to which both the gas generator and the lap anchor are mounted with the common mounting member being disposed at the other side of the seat.

2. The occupant protection system according to claim 1, wherein the gas generator and seat and belt airbags include a distribution passage therebetween for distributing inflation gas from the gas generator to the airbags with the distribution passage being substantially entirely disposed at the other side of the seat.

3. The occupant protection system according to claim 1 wherein the lap anchor and common mounting member include a detachable connection therebetween.

4. The occupant protection system of claim 3 including a pretensioner mounted to the common mounting member with the detachable connection being between the lap anchor and the pretensioner so that the pretensioner is operable to drive the lap anchor for tightening the seat belt about the passenger.

5. The occupant protection system of claim 1 wherein the belt airbag has a coupling portion adjacent the lap anchor, and

a gas supply member mounted to the common mounting member to receive gas from the gas generator and being arranged to permit the coupling portion to be connected to the gas supply member with the lap anchor connected to the common mounting member.

6. The occupant protection system of claim 5, wherein the gas supply member comprises a manifold that has an inlet for receiving gas from the gas generator, a seat airbag outlet for supplying gas to the seat airbag, and a belt airbag outlet for supplying gas to the belt airbag.

7. The occupant protection system of claims 5 wherein the lap anchor includes a latch plate, the gas supply member has a gas outlet, and

a latch plate opening for receiving the latch plate with the gas outlet and latch plate opening being fixed relative to the common mounting member to both face in a predetermined direction so that connecting the latch plate in the latch plate opening generally brings the coupling portion into alignment with the gas outlet for being connected thereto.

8. The occupant protection system of claim 1 wherein one of the common mounting member and the lap anchor include a pivot mounting shaft for pivotal movement thereof.

9. The occupant protection system of claim 8 including a flexible connector between the gas generator and the belt airbag for supplying gas from the gas generator to the belt airbag and substantially freely bending during the pivotal movement about the pivot mounting shaft.

10. The occupant protection system claim 1 wherein the gas generator and the airbags include a gas distribution passage therebetween in which a check valve is arranged and operable to substantially keep inflation gas from reverse flow out from one of the airbags.

11. The occupant protection system of claim 10 wherein the check valve has a substantially full flow position with gas from the gas generator substantially freely flowing through the gas distribution passage to the one airbag and a limited flow position with gas from the gas generator being restricted in flow to the one airbag to avoid excessive gas supply thereto.

12. The occupant protection system of claim 1 wherein the gas generator comprises a single inflator.

13. The occupant protection system of claim 1 including a manifold connected to the gas generator for distributing gas therefrom to the airbags with the manifold fixed to the common mounting member for mounting the gas generator thereto.

14. An occupant protection system comprising:

a seat airbag for being arranged inside or under a seat cushion;

a lap belt airbag for being arranged along a lap belt portion of a seat belt;

a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the airbags; and

variable size flow passages between the gas generator and the airbags to permit flow passage size to be selected for providing control over gas amounts distributed to the airbags.

15. The occupant protection system of claim 14 wherein the variable size flow passages comprise variable size orifices through which gas from the generator flows prior to reaching the airbags.

16. The occupant protection system of claim 14 wherein the variable size flow passages comprise tubular gas feed members between the gas generator and the airbags that have variable inside diameters.

17. The occupant protection system of claim 14 wherein the variable size flow passages comprise a manifold that receives gas from the gas generator and has gas flow channels to distribute gas to the airbags, and at least one flow restrictor member received in one of the manifold gas flow channels that has an orifice that varies in size depending on the selected flow restrictor member.

18. The occupant protection system of claim 17 wherein the at least one flow restrictor member comprises two flow restrictor members for being received in the gas flow channels of the manifold.

19. The occupant protection system of claim 17 wherein the variable size flow passages comprise a valve member received in another one of the manifold gas flow channels.

20. The occupant protection system of claim 18 wherein the variable size flow passages further comprise coupling pipes connected to the manifold via the restrictor members.

21. The occupant protection system of claim 14 wherein the variable size flow passage for the seat airbag is selected to be larger than the variable size flow passage for the lap belt airbag so that inner pressure of the seat airbag is greater than that of the lap belt airbag.