Motor vehicle seat arrangement and method for protecting a vehicle occupant

• US 20100090448A1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Inventors: Sievers, Thomas, Nozu, Hiroshi, Breuninger, Martin, Pursche, Oliver, Geiselhart, Werner, Sendelbach, Hans-Peter, Miller, Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 8,474,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26094 characterised by fluid flow controlling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/268 using instantaneous release of stored pressurised gas B60R21/26005 takes precedence

Abstract

A motor vehicle seat arrangement for a motor vehicle. The seat arrangement comprising a vehicle seat, at least one inflatable element, means for inflating the inflatable element which inflate the inflatable element depending on a control signal. The vehicle seat arrangement is arranged in the vehicle and the inflatable element is designed and arranged in or on a side wall of a backrest of the vehicle seat in a way that it exerts a momentum on the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant while it is inflated in answer to the control signal, so that the whole vehicle occupant is moved away from a collision section of the vehicle that collides or is going to collide with the object or that the thorax region of the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant performs a tilting movement away from the collision section of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle seat arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising

a vehicle seat;

at least one inflatable element arranged on the vehicle seat which element can be inflated in order to protect a vehicle occupant occupying the vehicle seat;

means for inflating the inflatable element which inflate the inflatable element depending on a control signal that signals a collision of the motor vehicle or an impending collision of the motor vehicle with an object,

wherein the vehicle seat arrangement is to be arranged in the vehicle and the inflatable element is designed and arranged in or on a side wall of a backrest of the vehicle seat in a way that it exerts a momentum on the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant while it is inflated in answer to the control signal, so that the whole vehicle occupant is moved away from a collision section of the vehicle that collides or is going to collide with the object or that the thorax region of the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant performs a tilting movement away from the collision section of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a backrest of the vehicle seat is limited by opposing side walls, wherein an inflatable element is arranged in each of the side walls, respectively, wherein the vehicle seat arrangement is designed such that the inflatable element which faces the vehicle longitudinal side that is expected to be affected by the collision is activated.

3. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein due to the momentum substantially only the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant is moved.

4. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable element exerts a momentum which moves the vehicle occupant towards the longitudinal side of the motor vehicle being nearest to the vehicle seat in case the collision section contains the longitudinal side of the motor vehicle facing the longitudinal side of the motor vehicle being nearest to the vehicle seat.

5. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the vehicle seat changes due to the inflation of the inflatable element and thereby the momentum is exerted on the vehicle occupant.

6. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the means for inflating the inflatable element are designed and arranged to quickly inflate the inflatable element upon an impending collision in a way that moving-away the vehicle occupant starts before the incidence of the collision.

7. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the means for inflating the inflatable element comprise:

at least one pressure reservoir which is designed and provided to deliver gas to the inflatable element in an impulse-like manner, and

at least one pressure storage which is integrated into the vehicle seat or is arranged outside the vehicle seat for filling the pressure reservoir.

8. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 7, wherein a flow channel running between the pressure reservoir and the inflatable element, which flow channel can be set free abruptly in answer to a control signal, so that the inflatable element can be inflated abruptly.

9. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the pressure reservoir is a reception filled with gas or liquid gas.

10. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable element is designed to again resume after an inflation and emptying its state before the inflation.

11. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising at least two inflatable elements which are arranged such that they are able to exert a momentum on the vehicle occupant in substantially the same direction.

12. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable element comprises at least one inflatable chamber being designed non gas-tight.

13. The vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable element is fastened with a section to a fastening section of the vehicle seat in a way, that upon inflation it performs a rotation movement around the fastening section towards the vehicle occupant.

14. The vehicle seat arrangement for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable element comprises means damping an impact of the vehicle occupant onto the inflatable element being in an inflated state, wherein the means comprise at least one exhaust port via which gas can be exhausted out of the inflatable element.

15. A method for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising the steps of:

providing a vehicle seat having at least one inflatable element arranged in or on a side wall of a backrest of the vehicle seat;

generating a control signal signalling a collision of the motor vehicle or an impending collision of the motor vehicle with an object;

inflating the inflatable element depending on the control signal,

wherein the inflatable element, while it is inflated in answer to the control signal, exerts a momentum on the upper part of the body of a vehicle occupant occupying the vehicle seat, such that the whole vehicle occupant is moved away from a collision section of the vehicle which collides with the object or is going to collide with the object or such that the thorax region of the upper part of the body of the vehicle occupant performs a tilting movement away from the collision section of the vehicle, wherein

at a first point in time a first control signal and at a second point in time a second control signal is generated; and

the inflatable element is filled with a first filling velocity due to the first control signal and filled with a second filling velocity due to the second control signal, which second filling velocity is different from the first filling velocity.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second filling velocity is larger than the first one.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein control signals are generated at more than two points in time and depending on these control signals thus more than two different filling velocities for filling the inflatable element are used.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle seat comprises two opposing inflatable elements, wherein only the inflatable element facing the expected collision location is inflated.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle seat comprises a plurality of inflatable elements acting in the same direction, wherein due the control signal all of these inflatable elements are inflated.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein only one or a few of these inflatable elements are inflated for adapting the vehicle seat to a vehicle occupant occupying the seat.