Vehicle Occupant Safety System with Variable Support and Method of Operating the Same

• US 20100264632A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Bacher, Werner, Ruedebusch, Clark
• Application Number:
  US12/740,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20100264632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23115 with inflatable support compartments creating an internal suction volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle occupant safety system having an airbag prevents an excessive force from acting upon the thorax of an occupant who has fastened the seat belt, in the event of an impact. The vehicle occupant safety system comprises an airbag, a sensor device for sensing at least one situation parameter and a control device for controlling the inflation and/or deflation and/or unfolding and/or positioning of the airbag in dependence of the at least one situation parameter. The unfolding, position or shape of the airbag and/or distribution of pressure within the airbag at the end of the filling phase, is directly or indirectly controlled in a targeted manner by a control device based on the at least one situation parameter. A modification of the shape of the airbag in the thorax region can be obtained in particular by a releasable constriction.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A vehicle occupant safety system comprising:

at least one airbag;

at least one sensor device for sensing at least one situation parameter; and

at least one control device for controlling at least one of inflation, unfolding, positioning, and deflation of the airbag based on the at least one situation parameter;

wherein, at least one of the form of the airbag, its unfolding or positioning, and a distribution of pressure in the airbag are controlled by the control device in a targeted manner, based on the situation parameter.

12. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, wherein the situation parameter characterizes at least one of an accident type, accident severity, an impact direction, a type of occupant, occupant weight, occupant size, occupant contour, occupant position, occupant kinematics and a belt state.

13. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, wherein:

The sensor device is operable to detect an imminent or current accident; and

at least one of the shape, unfolding, positioning, and pressure of the airbag can be changed directly or indirectly by the control device prior to or during the accident.

14. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, wherein the control device controls at least one of the shape, unfolding, positioning, and pressure of the airbag directly or indirectly in such a manner that, if the sensor device recognizes a closed belt, a region of the airbag predetermined for the support of the thorax of an occupant delivers less support force than in the case of a belt which is not closed.

15. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, wherein the shape of the airbag can be adapted to a predetermined or predicted contour in several regions in a different manner.

16. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, wherein the airbag has a plurality of segments that are separated from each other and can be inflated with pressures that are different from each other or adapted with damping behaviors that are different from each other.

17. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, further comprising active or passive elements for directly or indirectly changing the shape, unfolding, or positioning of the airbag, or the distribution of pressure in the airbag.

18. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 11, further comprising means for releasably constricting the airbag.

19. The vehicle occupant safety system according to claim 18, further comprising a multi-stage gas generator for inflating the airbag;

wherein the control device for a first release stage of the gas generator leaves the constriction of the airbag and releases the constriction for a second release stage.

20. A method for operating a vehicle occupant safety system with an airbag, said method comprising:

sensing at least one situation parameter; and

controlling at least one of inflation, deflation, unfolding, positioning of the airbag depending on the at least one situation parameter;

wherein at least one of the shape, unfolding, the positioning, and distribution of pressure within the airbag is controlled in a targeted manner depending on the at least one situation parameter.