OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICE

• US 20150066308A1
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: NAGASAWA, Isamu
• Granted Patent: US 9,283,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0053 Legs
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0055 Pelvis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A controller of an occupant protection device identifies the positions of the lower legs of an occupant seated in a seat based on detection signals of sensor modules, and controls the expansion states of airbag modules for lower legs as to the identified positions of the lower legs to support the lower legs of the occupant in the identified positions of the lower legs using the expanded airbag modules for lower legs.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device comprising:

a plurality of airbag modules including an airbag module for lower legs that expands toward the lower legs of an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle;

a controller that controls the plurality of airbag modules; and

a sensor module that detects the occupant seated in the seat;

wherein the controller is connected with the sensor module, identifies the positions of the lower legs of the occupant seated in the seat based on a detection signal of the sensor module, and controls the expanded state of the airbag module for lower legs as to the identified positions of the lower legs to support the lower legs of the occupant in the identified positions of the lower legs.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of airbag modules include

a below-knee airbag module that expands toward the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat;

and

and the controller identifies the positions of the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat as the positions of the lower legs based on the detection signal of the sensor module, and expands the below-knee airbag module toward the identified positions of the below-knee portions to support the below-knee portions of the occupant in the identified positions of the below-knee portions by the expanded below-knee airbag module.

3. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of airbag modules include, as the lower leg airbag modules,

a front airbag module that expands backward on the front side of the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat, and

a rear airbag module that expands forward on the rear side of the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat;

and

the controller identifies the positions of the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat as the positions of the lower legs based on the detection signal of the sensor module, and expands the front airbag module and the rear airbag module from the front and rear toward the identified positions of the below-knee portions to restrain the below-knee portions of the occupant in the identified positions of the below-knee portions from the front and rear using the expanded front airbag module and the expanded rear airbag module.

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the front airbag module and the rear airbag module restrain two portions including at least the knees out of the knees, shins, and ankles of the occupant.

5. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein

the sensor module includes

a pair of sensor modules provided to a structural object of the vehicle in the vicinity of the seat arrayed in the horizontal direction;

and

the controller identifies the positions of the below-knee portions of the occupant seated in the seat by computation of by triangulation employing detection signals of the pair of sensor modules and the relative positions of the pair of sensor modules.

6. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor module includes at least one sensor module selected out of

a sensor module that detects the positions of the front of the knees, shins, or ankles of the occupant seated in the seat,

a sensor module that detects the positions of the rear faces of the knees, shins, or ankles of the occupant seated in the seat,

a sensor module that detects the position of the seat within cabin, and

a sensor module that detects a body pressure distribution of the occupant seated in the seat;

and

the controller identifies the positions of the lower legs of the occupant seated in the seat based on the detection signal of at least one of the sensor modules.

7. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor module includes a sensor to detect the position of the occupant in a noncontact manner, such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and an image sensor.