Safety seat

• US 5,636,424 A
• Filed: 01/13/1994
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Singer, Neil C., Zirps, Christopher T., Gordon, Steven J., Russo, Massimo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorski, Joseph M.
• Application Number:
  US08/182,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 29/404, 29/407, 29/407.01, 29/434, 29/407.08, 364/424.05, 297/216.19
• US Class Current: 29/407.01
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42781 mechanical triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/43 Safety locks for back-rests B60N2/433
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4984 Retaining clearance for motion between assembled parts

Abstract

The vehicle safety seat supports an occupant and includes structure interconnecting the seat and the vehicle. The interconnecting structure is adapted to constrain the seat, upon vehicle deceleration, to follow a trajectory with respect to the vehicle which substantially minimizes a cost function associated with occupant injury. In a preferred embodiment, the structure constrains the mass center and seat angle to follow trajectories which substantially minimize primarily forward motion of the occupant in the vehicle frame of reference.

Claims

1. A method of making a vehicle seat for connection within a vehicle including the steps of:

modelling crash dynamics of a given seat in a specified vehicle with occupant movement on the seat during impact of the vehicle including predetermined geometry of the specified vehicle along with seat orientation and position therein, and including a given crash pulse defining predefined forces and timing of the specified vehicle during impact;

determining a seat travel trajectory for the travel of a point of the seat with respect to a predefined axis based on the crash dynamics which reduces occupant movement from the given seat;

determining a separate seat rotation trajectory for the change in angle of rotation of the seat with respect to the predefined axis based upon the modelled crash dynamics which reduces occupant movement from the given seat; and

fabricating connection means for connecting the seat to the vehicle so that upon impact, the seat moves along both of the seat travel trajectory and the seat rotation trajectory with respect to the vehicle in response to the given crash pulse to reduce occupant movement.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including selecting an initial linear seat travel trajectory having a predefined slope with respect to the predefined axis, and varying the slope of the travel trajectory to determine an improved travel trajectory which increase the reduction of occupant movement.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further including selecting an initial seat rotation trajectory of predefined slope and curve, and varying the slope and curve to determine improved angle trajectory which increases the reduction of occupant movement.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including by iterating the improved travel trajectory and improved rotation trajectory by varying the slopes and curves of the trajectories and determining occupant movement based on both trajectories from the modelled crash dynamics, and selecting resulting travel and rotation trajectories which minimize occupant movement.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said step of fabricating connection means includes constructing linkage between the seat and the vehicle which controls the seat to approximately move along the resulting travel and rotation trajectories with respect to the vehicle.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the predefined axis comprising an axis of the vehicle along a line of impact forces.