OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICE

• US 20160325641A1
• Filed: 04/28/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: OHNO, Mitsuyoshi, SHIMAZU, Katsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,889,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/665 using inflatable bladders
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/666 vertically adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6671 with cable actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6673 with motor driven adjustments
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0273 automatically movable to an operative position, e.g. in case of collision or impending collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195

Abstract

An occupant protection device includes: a lumbar support section that is displaceable between an upper limit position and a lower limit position, and is displaceable between an advanced position pressing against the lumbar region and a retreated position further to a seatback rear side than the advanced position; a displacement mechanism that displaces a frontmost location of the lumbar support section; a rear collision prediction section that predicts a rear-end collision to a vehicle; and an actuation controller that, in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position, controls the displacement mechanism, and sets the frontmost location at the lower limit position and at the advanced position.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device comprising:

a lumbar support section that is provided at a seatback of a vehicle seat, that supports a lumbar region of an occupant seated on a seat cushion of the vehicle seat, and that has a frontmost location disposed furthest to a seatback front side, the frontmost location is displaceable at least between an upper limit position in a seatback up-down direction and a lower limit position in the seatback up-down direction, the upper limit position being a position supporting an upper portion side of the lumbar region and the lower limit position being a position supporting a lower portion side of the lumbar region, and the frontmost location is also displaceable between an advanced position pressing against the lumbar region and a retreated position further to a seatback rear side than the advanced position;

a displacement mechanism that displaces the frontmost location of the lumbar support section;

a rear collision prediction section that predicts a rear-end collision to a vehicle; and

an actuation controller that, in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position, controls the displacement mechanism, and sets the frontmost location at the lower limit position and at the advanced position.

2. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the lumbar support section is capable of moving in the seatback up-down direction; and

in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section, a movable range of the lumbar support section in the seatback up-down direction is extended further to a seatback lower side than a normal movable range of the lumbar support section in the seatback up-down direction.

3. The occupant protection device of claim 1, further comprising:

a three-point seatbelt device that restrains an upper body of the occupant seated on the seat cushion with shoulder webbing, and that restrains the lumbar region of the occupant with lap webbing; and

a pre-tensioner that actuates, and applies tension to the shoulder webbing in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section,

wherein, in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position, the actuation controller actuates the pre-tensioner and then controls the displacement mechanism, and sets the frontmost location at the lower limit position and at the advanced position.

4. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the displacement mechanism includes a raising-and-lowering mechanism that moves the lumbar support section in the seatback up-down direction, and an advancing-and-retreating mechanism that moves the frontmost location in a seatback front-rear direction; and

in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position,

when the frontmost location is not disposed at the advanced position, the actuation controller controls the raising-and-lowering mechanism, moves the lumbar support section to a seatback lower side movement limit, then controls the advancing-and-retreating mechanism, and moves the frontmost location to the advanced position on the seatback front side, and

when the frontmost location is disposed at the advanced position, the actuation controller controls the raising-and-lowering mechanism, and moves the lumbar support section to the seatback lower side movement limit.

5. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the displacement mechanism includes a raising-and-lowering mechanism that moves the lumbar support section in the seatback up-down direction, and an advancing-and-retreating mechanism that moves the frontmost location in a seatback front-rear direction; and

in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position,

when the frontmost location is not disposed at the advanced position, the actuation controller controls the raising-and-lowering mechanism and the advancing-and-retreating mechanism, and moves the frontmost location toward the advanced position at the seatback front side while moving lumbar support section toward a seatback lower side movement limit.

6. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the displacement mechanism includes a raising-and-lowering mechanism that moves the lumbar support section in the seatback up-down direction, and an advancing-and-retreating mechanism that moves the frontmost location in a seatback front-rear direction; and

in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is not at the lower limit position,

when the frontmost location is not disposed at the advanced position, the actuation controller controls the advancing-and-retreating mechanism, moves the frontmost location to the advanced position, then controls the raising-and-lowering mechanism, and moves the lumbar support section to a seatback lower side movement limit.

7. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the lumbar support section includes an upper side air bladder, a lower side air bladder, and a dedicated rear collision air bladder provided at the seatback front side of the lower side air bladder;

the displacement mechanism is configured by increasing pressure and decreasing pressure of the upper side air bladder, the lower side air bladder, and the dedicated rear collision air bladder; and

in cases in which a vehicle rear-end collision has been predicted by the rear collision prediction section in a state in which the upper side air bladder is in an inflated state, and the lower side air bladder and the dedicated rear collision air bladder are each in a deflated state, and in which the frontmost location of the lumbar support section is neither at the lower limit position nor at the advanced position, the actuation controller controls the displacement mechanism such that the upper side air bladder adopts a deflated state, and the lower side air bladder and the dedicated rear collision air bladder adopt an inflated state.