VEHICULAR OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM

• US 20100025972A1
• Filed: 08/03/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nezaki, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/027 Four-point seat belt systems, e.g. with the two upper points connected together
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• 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 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

A vehicular occupant restraint system including: a four-point seatbelt system having left and right webbings for restraining an occupant, each of the left and right webbings having an upper body restraining portion that restrains the upper body of the occupant; a left first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the left webbing and which inflates by receiving a gas supply and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant, and a right first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the right webbing and which inflates by receiving a gas supply and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant; and a second inflating portion which inflates by receiving a gas supply when the first inflating portions inflate, and deploys to support the first inflating portions from the outside in the seat width direction.

Claims

1. A vehicular occupant restraint system comprising:

a four-point seatbelt system having left and right webbings for restraining an occupant, each of the left and right webbings having an upper body restraining portion that restrains the upper body of the occupant;

a left first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the left webbing and which inflates by receiving a supply of gas and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant, and a right first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the right webbing and which inflates by receiving a supply of gas and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant; and

a second inflating portion which inflates by receiving a supply of gas when the first inflating portions inflate, and deploys to support the first inflating portions from the outside in the seat width direction.

2. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one gas supplying device that supplies the gas,

wherein the gas is supplied to the first inflating portions and the second inflating portion by the at least one gas supplying device.

3. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion is set to finish deploying before the first inflating portions finish deploying.

4. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion includes a left second inflating portion to support the left first inflating portion, and a right second inflating portion to support the right first inflating portion.

5. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion functions to restrain the pelvic area of the occupant by inflating.

6. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 5, wherein the left and right webbings each have a waist restraining portion that restrains the pelvic area of the occupant;

and the second inflating portion is provided on the waist restraining portions of the webbings.

7. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 5, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a position to support the first inflating portions from underneath.

8. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a portion that constitutes i) a member provided in a vehicle cabin or ii) an inside wall of the vehicle cabin.

9. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 8, wherein the second inflating portion includes a second inflating portion that is provided in a side door and a second inflating portion that is provided in a center console or an armrest.

10. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 8, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a position to support the first inflating portions from underneath.

11. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a side portion of a seatback.

12. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 11, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a position to support the first inflating portions from underneath.

13. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 1, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a side portion of a seat cushion.

14. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 13, wherein the second inflating portion is provided in a position to support the first inflating portions from underneath.

15. A vehicular occupant restraint system comprising:

a four-point seatbelt system having left and right webbings for restraining an occupant, each of the left and right webbings having an upper body restraining portion that restrains the upper body of the occupant;

a left first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the left webbing and which inflates by receiving a supply of gas and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant, and a right first inflating portion which is provided on the upper body restraining portion of the right webbing and which inflates by receiving a supply of gas and deploys in front of the upper body of the occupant; and

inhibiting mechanisms that inhibit the upper body restraining portions of the left and right webbings from becoming displaced in the seat width direction with respect to the occupant when the first inflating portions inflate.

16. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 15, wherein the inhibiting mechanisms are formed of i) a belt guide provided on an end portion of a seatback in the width direction of the seatback on one side of a seat in the seatback width direction, together with a second inflating portion provided on the other side of the seat in the seat width direction and which inflates by receiving a supply of gas when the first inflating portions inflate and deploys to support one of the first inflating portions from the outside in the seat width direction, or ii) a plurality of belt guides, one of which is provided on each end portion of the seatback in the width direction of the seatback.

17. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 16, wherein the belt guide has a guide main body that is formed in an inverted U-shape on an upper end surface of the seatback, a shaft supporting portion that supports an outer end portion of the guide main body in the seat width direction such that the shaft supporting portion can pivot about a shaft that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a guide maintaining portion that keeps the inside end of the guide main body in the seat width direction in contact with the upper end surface of the seatback.

18. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 17, wherein a stopper is formed on an end portion, on the shaft supporting portion side, of the guide main body, and the stopper allows the guide main body to pivot only a predetermined angle.

19. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 16, further comprising at least one gas supplying device that supplies the gas,

wherein the gas is supplied to the first inflating portions and the second inflating portion by the at least one gas supplying device.

20. The vehicular occupant restraint system according to claim 16, wherein the second inflating portion is set to finish deploying before the first inflating portions finish deploying.