AUTOMATIC RESTRAINT SYSTEM ARMING CONTROL

• US 3,672,699 A
• Filed: 07/13/1970
• Issued: 06/27/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Edward Mandell De Windt
• Inventors: De Windt, Edward Mandell
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/054,353
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15SB,15B 296/84K 180/82,104,102 340/278 200/85
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means

Abstract

An occupant restraint mechanism which is mounted in a vehicle and automatically operable for restraining movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle in response to the vehicle being involved in a collision, including means for detecting the presence of an occupant and means for preventing operation of the restraint mechanism if no occupant is present to be restrained thereby.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in a vehicle designed for transporting a plurality of passengers, said vehicle having a predetermined seating position for each of said passengers, a plurality of passenger restraint systems which are automatically actuatable upon receipt of a signal sent in response to said vehicle encountering a collision, each of said passenger seating positions being associated with a particular one of said automatically actuatable passenger restraint systems whereby movement of a passenger seated in a particular seating position will be restrained upon actuation of the restraint system associated therewith, and means for sensing the occurrence of a collision and for sending said signal, said apparatus comprising means associated with each of said seating positions for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger therein, and means responsive to said passenger detecting means for interrupting transmission of said signal to the restraint system associated with a particular seating position if no passenger is present in that seating position while permitting transmission of said signal to the restraint systems associated with seating positions where passengers are present.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the improvement further comprises a time delay mechanism operably associated with said means responsive to said passenger detecting means for delaying operation thereof for a predetermined time period after the absence of a passenger has been detected to thereby prevent interruption of said signal in the event that the passenger has only been momentarily jostled out of position by the effects of collision forces acting thereon.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said passenger detecting means comprises a normally closed switch for each seating position disposed to be opened by the weight of an occupant sitting in the vehicle seat.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said automatically actuatable passenger restraint systems each comprise an inflatable confinement having a collapsed inoperative condition and an expanded operative condition, means for expanding said confinement to the operative condition and electrically actuated valve means operable in response to receipt of said signal for actuating said means for expanding said confinement.

5. Apparatus for use in a vehicle designed for transporting a plurality of passengers, said vehicle having a predetermined seating position for each of said passengers, said apparatus comprising a plurality of passenger restraint systems adapted to be mounted in said vehicle in confronting relation to said predetermined seating positions, said restraint systems being automatically actuatable from an inoperative position to an operative position in response to said vehicle encountering a collision, each of said passenger seating positions being associated with at least one of said automatically actuatable passenger restraint systems whereby movement of a passenger seated in a particular seating position will be restrained upon actuation of the restraint system associated therewith, means disposed on said vehicle for sensing the occurrence of a collision and actuating said restraint systems, means associated with each of said seating positions for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant therein, and means responsive to said passenger detecting means for preventing actuation of the restraint system associated with a particular seating position if no passenger is present in that seating position while permitting actuation of the restraint systems associated with seating positions in which passengers are present whereby excessive damage to the vehicle interior may be eliminated and the unneeded restraint systems preserved in the inoperative position for future use.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the improvement comprises time delay means operably associated with said means for preventing actuation of said restraint system for delaying operation thereof for a predetermined time period after the absence of a passenger has been detected.

7. The invention of claim 5 wherein each of said restraint systems comprise an inflatable confinement having a collapsed inoperative position and an expanded operative position and fluid supply means actuatable for expanding said confinement to the operative position.