SAFETY INSTALLATION FOR THE PASSENGERS OF VEHICLES, ESPECIALLY PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLES

• US 3,779,577 A
• Filed: 11/23/1971
• Issued: 12/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karl Wilfert
• Original Assignee: Karl Wilfert
• Inventors: Wilfert, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/201,407
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB,15B
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

A safety installation for the passengers of motor vehicles, especially of passenger motor vehicles in which the backrests of the front seats are equipped with a headrest and accommodate within the area of each backrest underneath the headrest two inflatable gas cushions which are so arranged that upon inflation one gas cushion unfolds in front and one gas cushion unfolds behind the headrest.

Claims

1. An installation for increasing the safety of passengers in motor vehicles comprising passenger seat means, each of said seat means having a backrest means and a seat portion;

a fixed headrest means secured to a top portion of each of said backrest means; and

first and second gas cushion means connected to each of said backrests at said top portion, said first gas cushion means extending on inflation to a position in front of said headrest means and said second gas cushion means extending on inflation to a position behind said headrest means wherein said first and second gas cushion means are in a cooperative position with respect to said headrest means such that a passenger in one of said seat means having his head thrown backward during a collision is protected by at least one of said first gas cushion means and said headrest means and such that a passenger behind one of said seat means is protected by said second gas cushion means from impact with said seat means upon being thrown forward during a collision.

2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second gas cushion meAns is dimensioned on inflation to a size such that mutually facing surfaces of respective first and second gas cushion means connected to laterally adjacent backrest means at least approximately contact one another, such that gaps between said backrest means are minimized.

3. An installation according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second gas cushion means is dimensioned on inflation to a size larger than the size of said headrest means.

4. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said first and second gas cushion means in an uninflated condition are arranged in approximately horizontally extending recesses of the backrest means.

5. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said second gas cushion means arranged behind said headrest means has a greater volume than the volume of said first gas cushion means arranged in front of said headrest means.

6. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the first and second gas cushion means of a respective backrest means are inflated from a common gas source.