Occupant Protection Device

• US 20080004775A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoda, Motomi
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems

Abstract

A vehicle occupant protection device comprising a headrest configured to be movable forward with respect to a vehicle, and an actuator configured to implement the forward movement is disclosed. The device is configured to protect a vehicle occupant by operating the actuator to move the headrest forward in a pre-crash stage in the course of an object crashing into the vehicle from backside of the vehicle. The headrest is provided with an electrical capacitance sensor. The device is configured to control an amount of the forward movement of the headrest according to a variation manner of electrical capacitance, which electrical capacitance is detected by the electrical capacitance sensor when the headrest moves forward.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant protection device comprising

a headrest configured to be movable forward with respect to a vehicle, and

an actuator configured to implement the forward movement of the headrest,

said device being configured to protect a vehicle occupant by operating the actuator to move the headrest forward in a pre-crash stage in the course of an object crashing into a backside of the vehicle,

wherein the headrest is provided with an electrical capacitance sensor, and said device is configured to control an amount of the forward movement of the headrest according to a variation manner of electrical capacitance, said electrical capacitance being detected by the electrical capacitance sensor when the headrest moves forward.

2. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is configured to control the amount of the forward movement of the headrest according to a rate of change in the detected electrical capacitance and a forward moving speed of the headrest.

3. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device has movement stop means for stopping the forward movement of the headrest if the rate of change in the detected electrical capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said device is configured to correct the predetermined threshold or the rate of change in the detected electrical capacitance according to a forward moving speed of the headrest.

5. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 2, wherein an operating voltage or an operating current of the actuator is used instead of the forward moving speed of the headrest.

6. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said device has second movement stop means for stopping the forward movement of the headrest if a magnitude of the detected electrical capacitance exceeds a predetermined threshold.

7. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the headrest is provided with a touch sensor, and said device has another movement stop means for stopping the forward movement of the headrest if contact between the headrest and a head of the occupant is detected by the touch sensor.

8. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device has voltage control means for controlling an operating voltage or an operating current of the actuator to be maintained constant.

9. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 4, wherein an operating voltage or an operating current of the actuator is used instead of the forward moving speed of the headrest.

10. The vehicle occupant protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the headrest is provided with a touch sensor, and said device has another movement stop means for stopping the forward movement of the headrest if contact between the headrest and a head of the occupant is detected by the touch sensor.