OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM

• US 3,774,936 A
• Filed: 10/16/1970
• Issued: 11/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George Drach Jr, Ronald R. Barnett
• Original Assignee: George Drach Jr, Ronald R. Barnett
• Inventors: Barnett, Ronald R., Drach, George Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/081,249
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB,15B,15SB 296/84K 244/121,122
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A vehicle body includes front and rear seats and a roof structure overlying the seats. Generally parallel disposed diffuser and pressure vessel tubes are mounted on the roof structure above the front seat and span the body transversely thereof. One end of each tube is sealed. A cross-over passage interconnects the other ends of the tubes. The other end of the pressure vessel tube opening to the passage is sealed by a glass diaphragm. Detonators are located adjacent the glass diaphragm. The detonators are electrically connected with a sensor which senses acceleration pulses of predetermined amplitude and time applied to the vehicle body. A sectioned inflatable cushion is of a width to generally span the body transversely thereof and has one transverse edge portion secured to the diffuser tube. The slots in the tube open to the interior of the cushion. The cushion is of a length so that the other transverse edge portion thereof can be located in a position to engage the pelvic area of any occupant seated on the rear seat when the cushion is inflated from the diffuser tube. A pulley is mounted on the roof structure adjacent each end of the diffuser tube. A continuous loop cable extends over each pulley and is secured at one point to a respective side edge portion of the cushion adjacent the other transverse edge portion. Each cable also passes through a one-way cleat on the body to each side of the rear seat. When the cushion is in a deflated folded or rolled-up condition, the cables are positioned above the headlining. Upon a pulse of the required amplitude and time being applied to the vehicle, the detonators break the glass diaphragm to inflate the cushion from the diffuser tube. As the cushion inflates, it unfolds or unrolls downwardly and pulls the cables through the headlining, around the pulleys, and through the cleats to locate the cushion in a position wherein it provides a barrier for the torso of a rear seat occupant and the other transverse edge portion thereof will engage the pelvic area of any such occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon.

Claims

1. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an elongated inflatable member, means securing the member to the roof structure for projection therefrom upon inflation, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, and means operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the roof structure to locate the member in a position to engage the pelvic area of a seated occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

2. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an elongated inflatable member, means securing the member adjacent one edge portion thereof to the roof structure for projection therefrom upon infLation, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, and means operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the roof structure to locate the member in a position wherein an opposite edge portion thereof is engageable with the pelvic area of a seated occupant to exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

3. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an elongated inflatable member of a width to generally span the interior of the body transversely thereof, means securing a transverse edge portion of the member to the roof structure for projection of the member upon inflation, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, and means operative upon inflation and projection of the member from the roof structure to locate an opposite transverse edge portion of the member in a position to engage the pelvic area of any occupant seated on the seat and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

4. In a vehicle body including front and rear seats for supporting occupants in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seats, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an elongated inflatable member, means securing the member to the roof structure intermediate the front and rear seats for projection therefrom upon inflation, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, and means operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the roof structure to locate the member in a position to provide a barrier intermediate the front and rear seats and in engagement with the pelvic area of any occupant of the rear seat to exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

5. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, diffusing means secured to the roof structure and spanning the interior of the body transversely thereof, an elongated inflatable member spanning the body transversely thereof, means securing an edge portion of the member to the diffusing means for projection therefrom upon inflation of the member by the diffusing means, means for selectively communicating the diffusing means with the pressure fluid source, and means operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the diffusing means to locate the member in a position to engage the pelvic area of a seated occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

6. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an inflatable member of generally rectangular shape and of a width generally spanning the roof structure transversely of the body, the member being normally located in a folded condition adjacent the roof structure, means securing the member to the roof structure for projection therefrom upon inflation and unfolding of the member, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, endless cable means located adjacent each side edge portion of the inflatable member, means fixedly securing each cable means at one point to a respective side edge portion of the member, means movably securing each cable means at a plurality of other points to the body for movement in one direction relative thereto, inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the roof structure moving the cable means in the one direction relative to the movable securing means to locate the member in a position to engage the pelvic area of a seatEd occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

7. The combination recited in claim 6 wherein the movable securing means includes at least one freely rotatable rotatable pulley and one one-way rotatable pulley mounted on the body to each side edge portion of the inflatable member.

8. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, and a source of pressure fluid, the combination comprising, an inflatable member of generally rectangular shape and of a width generally spanning the roof structure transversely of the body, the member being normally located in a folded condition adjacent the roof structure, means securing the upper edge portion of the member to the roof structure for projection therefrom with respect to the seat upon inflation and unfolding of the member, means for selectively communicating the member with the pressure fluid source, and means interconnecting the side edge portions of the inflatable member and the body and operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the roof structure to locate the member forwardly and upwardly with respect to the seat to provide a barrier against forward movement of the occupant, the lower edge portion of the member being located in a position to engage the pelvic area of the occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

9. The combination recited in claim 8 wherein the body includes flexible headlining covering the roof structure, the inflatable member being located upwardly of the headlining in folded condition, the headlining including predetermined tear lines for permitting penetration thereof by the inflatable member upon inflation and projection of the inflatable member from the roof structure.

10. The combination recited in claim 8 wherein the roof structure includes side rail structures providing the side edge portions thereof, and rear quarter structures located adjacent each side of the seat, the interconnecting means including freely rotatable pulleys mounted on one of such structures and one-way pulley means mounted on the other of such structures.

11. In a vehicle body including a seat for supporting an occupant in seated attitude, a roof structure overlying the seat, the combination comprising, an elongated inflatable member of generally rectangular shape and of a width generally spanning the roof structure transversely of the body, the member being normally located in a folded condition adjacent the roof structure, an elongated pressure vessel spanning the roof structure transversely of the body and providing a source of pressure fluid, an elongated pressure fluid diffuser communicating with the pressure vessel and spanning the roof structure transversely thereof, means securing the upper edge portion of the member to the diffuser for projection therefrom with respect to the seat upon inflation and unfolding of the member, means for selectively communicating the diffuser with the pressure vessel, and means interconnecting the side edge portions of the inflatable member and the body and operated by inflation and projection of the member downwardly and rearwardly from the diffuser to locate the member in a predetermined position with respect to the seat to provide a barrier engageable by the torso of a seated occupant, the lower edge portion of the member being located in a position to engage the pelvic area of a seated occupant and exert a rearward and downward restraining force thereon with respect to the body.

12. The combination recited in claim 11 wherein the roof structure includes side rail structures providing the side edge portions thereof, the pressure vessel and diffuser extending between such side rail structures and communicating with each other at one end thereof, the means locating the inflatable member including at least one freely rotatable pulley member and at least one oNe-way rotatable pulley member located to each side of the inflatable member and an endless cable extending around each pair of pulley members and secured at one point to the inflatable member, at least one pulley member of each pair being mounted on the roof rail structure and the other pulley member being mounted on the body adjacent the seat.

13. A vehicle safety assembly comprising:

an inflatable means having a collapsed position and an extended position for limiting movement of an occupant, said inflatable means being elongated in the extended position, guide means attached to an extending end portion of said inflatable means for movement therewith as said inflatable means toward the extended postion, and control means adapted for attachment to support structure and coacting with said guide means for allowing movement of said guide means and said inflatable means toward said extended position while preventing movement thereof toward said collapsed position.