Airbag arrangement

• US 20070096444A1
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bostrom, Ola, Haland, Yngve
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• 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 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence

Abstract

An air-bag arrangement for a motor vehicle is disclosed to provide protection for the occupants (1, 2) of two adjacent seats (11, 12). Each seat is associated with two air-bag units (15, 16, 20, 21), one of which contains an air-bag to be deployed so as to occupy a space on the inboard side of the seat, and the other of which contains an air-bag to be deployed so as to occupy a space on the outboard side of the seat. There is a sensor and control arrangement (23) to sense impact and to determine which side of the vehicle has been impacted. The sensor and control arrangement (23) generates actuation signals capable of actuating the air-bag unit (15) associated with the first seat (11) closest to the point of impact I, and the air-bag unit (21) of the second seat (12) closest to the point of impact I.

Claims

1. An air-bag arrangement in a motor vehicle having at least a first and second vehicle seat positioned adjacent one another to provide side-impact protection for the occupant of one of the seats, the air-bag arrangement comprising two air-bag units provided for at least one of the seats;

a first air-bag unit containing an air-bag to be deployed to occupy a space on an inboard side of the seat and a second air-bag unit containing an air-bag to be deployed to occupy a space on an outboard side of the seat, a sensor and control arrangement to sense a side impact of the vehicle and to determine which side of the vehicle has been impacted, and to generate actuation signals capable of actuating only the first or second air-bag unit closest to the point of impact.

2. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising wherein the sensor and control arrangement is configured to generate actuation signals capable of actuating only the one of the first or second air-bag unit associated with first and the second seats closest to the point of impact.

3. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising wherein at least one of the first or second seats is provided with a sensor to sense the presence of an occupant in the seat, the sensor enabling actuation of at least one of the first or second air-bag units associated with seat in response to the actuation signal from the sensor and control unit.

4. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising wherein at least one of the first or second air-bag units is mounted in the back-rest of the seat.

5. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the air-bag unit is on the inboard side of the seat.

6. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 4 wherein both the first and the second air-bag units are mounted in the back-rest of the seat.

7. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first or the second air-bag units associated is mounted in an adjacent pillar of the motor vehicle.

8. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first or second seats is provided with a three-point safety-belt.

9. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the safety-belt is provided with a pretensioner.

10. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inboard side of the seat is associated with a support element, the support element being configured to extend inboard of the inflated inboard air-bag so as to provide lateral support to at least part of the inflated air-bag.

11. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the support element is mounted to the same seat as the inboard air-bag that it supports.

12. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the support element is moveable upon actuation of the air-bag on the inboard side of the seat, from an initial position to an operative position, the airbag being configured to extend to an operative position, the support element being configured to extend inboard of the inflated airbag when in the operative position.

13. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the support element is resiliently deformable and configured, when in the operative position, to yield under a force exerted thereon by the weight of the occupant of the seat in an impact, thereby absorbing energy.

14. An air-bag arrangement according to claim 12 wherein the support element is configured to move from a the initial position to the operative position in a generally forward direction relative to the back-rest.