Seat structure having a side impact air bag apparatus

• US 5,860,673 A
• Filed: 09/16/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Araco Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Araco Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Kenji, Nakai, Shigeharu, Ohno, Mituyoshi, Kanehara, Masahito, Yanase, Hitoshi, Hasegawa, Yasunori, Kato, Hisaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth, Eric D.
• Application Number:
  US08/714,344
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/728.3, 297/216.13, 297/216.12, 297/452.62, 297/452.61
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2176 the air bag components being completely enclosed in a soft or semi-rigid housing or cover

Abstract

A seat structure having a side impact air bag apparatus, constructed such that the air bag apparatus, which is integrated into a side portion of a seat back which side portion opposes a vehicle door, is activated at the time of a side impact such that a sewn portion of a seat surface layer, which is formed by sewing a front seat surface layer for covering the front of the seat back to a side seat surface layer for covering the side of the seat back, breaks and an air bag body inflates between a side portion of a vehicle body and the side of a vehicle occupant, comprising a sheet member provided inside the side seat surface layer integrally with the side seat surface layer, the sheet member being harder to stretch than the side seat surface layer, and one end of the sheet member being sewn to the sewn portion; and a fixing member provided inside the seat back, the fixing member being engaged with another end of the sheet member which is provided on the opposite side of the one end of the sheet member.

Claims

1. A seat structure having a side impact air bag apparatus, said seat structure having a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat back having a front and a side opposing a vehicle door, said seat structure being constructed such that said air bag apparatus, which is integrated into a side portion of the seat back, which side portion opposes the vehicle door, is activated at the time of a side impact such that a sewn portion of a seat surface layer, which is formed by sewing a front seat surface layer for covering the front of the seat back to a side seat surface layer for covering the side of the seat back, breaks and an air bag body inflates between a side portion of a vehicle body and the side of a vehicle occupant most proximate said vehicle door, comprising:

a sheet member provided inside said side seat surface layer integrally with said side seat surface layer, said sheet member being harder to stretch than said side sat surface layer, and one end of said sheet member being sewn to said sewn portion; and

a fixing member provided in side the seat back, said fixing member being connected to another end of said sheet member which is provided on the opposite side of said one end of said sheet member.

2. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said one end of said sheet member is tacked to said side seat surface layer and is, together with said side seat surface layer, sewn to said front seat surface layer by sewing thread at a position located at a vehicle transverse direction outer side of the position where said one end of said sheet member is tacked to said side seat surface layer.

3. A seat structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

an engaging member which, together with said side seat surface layer, is attached to said another end of said sheet member.

4. A seat structure according to claim 3, wherein said engaging member engages said fixing member.

5. A seat structure according to claim 4, wherein said fixing member is a wire fixed to a frame of the seat back.

6. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said sheet member is shaped in the form of a strap having a width narrower than a vertically-extending width of the air bag body, and is disposed at a position including a vertically-extending central portion of the air bag body.

7. A seat structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

a welt provided at said sewn portion sewn to said front seat surface layer, said side seat surface layer and said sheet member, and composed of a welt fabric and a welt cord, said welt remaining on said side seat surface layer side in a region in which said welt is sewn to at least said sheet member when the air bag body inflates.

8. A seat structure according to claim 7, wherein said welt fabric is sewn by second sewing thread for sewing the side seat surface layer and said sheet member together, said second sewing thread being located further toward an inner side of a seat than the position of a first sewing thread for sewing said front seat surface layer, said side seat surface layer and said sheet member together.

9. A seat structure according to claim 8, wherein said second sewing thread has at least one of a higher strength that a strength of said first sewing thread and a smaller sewing pitch than a sewing pitch of said first sewing thread.

10. A seat structure according to claim 7, wherein said sheet member is provided within a range of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body, and is provided so as to have a width greater than or equal to one-half of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body.

11. A seat structure according to claim 7, wherein said welt cord has at least one weak portion which is provided within a range of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body and breaks when the air bag body expands.

12. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said sheet member is made of cloth.

13. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said sheet member is fit closely to an inner surface of said side seat surface layer.

14. A seat structure according to claim 1, wherein said sheet member is positioned at a passage through which gas discharged from an inflator reaches said sewn portion.

15. A seat structure having a side impact air bag apparatus, said seat structure having a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat back having a front and a side opposing a vehicle door, said seat structure being constructed such that said air bag apparatus, which is integrated into a side portion of the seat back, which side portion opposes the vehicle door, is activated at the time of a side impact such that a sewn portion of a seat surface layer, which is formed by sewing a front seat surface layer for covering the front of the seat back to a side seat surface layer for covering the side of the seat back, breaks and an air bag body inflates between a side portion of a vehicle body and the side of a vehicle occupant most proximate said vehicle door, comprising:

a sheet member provided inside said side seat surface layer and provided such that a front end of said sheet member located at a vehicle longitudinal direction front side of the seat back is fixed to said side seat surface layer, said sheet member being harder to stretch than said side seat surface layer; and

a fixing member provided inside the seat back, said fixing member being connected to a vehicle longitudinal direction rear end of said sheet member located at a vehicle longitudinal direction rear side of the seat back.

16. A seat structure according to claim 15, wherein said front end of said sheet member is tacked to said side seat surface layer and is, together with said side seat surface layer, sewn to said front seat surface layer by sewing thread at a position located at a vehicle transverse direction outer side of the position where said front end of said sheet member is tacked to said side seat surface layer.

17. A seat structure according to claim 16, further comprising:

an engaging member attached to the rear end of said sheet member, said rear end of said sheet member connected to said fixing member through said engaging member.

18. A seat structure according to claim 15, wherein said sheet member is shaped in the form of a strap having a width narrower than a vertically-extending width of the air bag body, and is disposed at a position including a vertically-extending central portion of the air bag body.

19. A seat structure according to claim 15, further comprising:

a welt provided at the sewn portion sewn to said front seat surface layer, said side seat surface layer and said sheet member, and composed of a welt fabric and a welt cord, said welt remaining on said side seat surface layer side in a region in which said welt is sewn to at least said sheet member when the air bag body inflates.

20. A seat structure according to claim 19, wherein said welt fabric is sewn by second sewing thread for sewing said side seat surface layer and said sheet member together, said second sewing thread being located further toward an inner side of a seat than the position of a first sewing thread for sewing said front seat surface layer, said side seat surface layer and said sheet member together.

21. A seat structure according to claim 20, wherein said second sewing thread has at least one of a higher strength than a strength of said first sewing thread and a smaller sewing pitch than a sewing pitch of said first sewing thread.

22. A seat structure according to claim 19, wherein said sheet member is provided within a range of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body, and is provided so as to have a width greater than or equal to one-half of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body.

23. A seat structure according to claim 19, wherein said welt cord has at least one weak portion which is provided within a range of the vertically-extending width of the air bag body and breaks when the air bag body expands.

24. A seat structure according to claim 15, wherein said sheet member is made of cloth.

25. A seat structure according to claim 15, wherein said sheet member is fit closely to an inner surface of said side seat surface layer.

26. A seat structure having a side impact air bag apparatus, said seat structure having a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat back having a front and a side opposing a vehicle door, said seat structure being constructed such that said air bag apparatus, which is integrated into a side portion of the seat back, which side portion opposes the vehicle door, is activated at the time of a side impact such that a sewn portion provided at a seat surface layer breaks and an air bag body expands between a side portion of a vehicle body and the side of a vehicle occupant most proximate said vehicle door, comprising:

a tensile force transfer member for connecting a side seat surface layer, which covers the side of the seat back, and a fixing member, which is provided inside the seat back, to each other.

27. A seat structure according to claim 26, wherein said tensile force transfer member is provided at the vehicle transverse direction inner side of an air bag case so as to extend along an external periphery of the air bag case provided at said air bag apparatus.

28. A seat structure according to claim 27, wherein said air bag case has an aperture defined in a portion thereof opposed to said tensile force transfer member.

29. A seat structure according to claim 26, further comprising:

an engaging member attached to a longitudinal direction end portion of said tensile force transfer member, said tensile force transfer member being connected to said fixing member via said engaging member.

30. A seat structure according to claim 29, wherein:

said tensile force transfer member is provided at the vehicle transverse direction inner side of an air bag case so as to extend along the external periphery of the air bag case provided at said air bag apparatus; and

said fixing member is mounted to said air bag case.

31. A seat structure according to claim 29, wherein said fixing member is mounted to a side frame which is a portion of the seat back.

32. A seat structure according to claim 29, wherein said fixing member is provided at a seat wire which is a portion of the seat back.

33. A seat structure according to claim 26, wherein said tensile force transfer member is made of cloth.

34. A seat structure according to claim 26, wherein said sewn portion is sewn to a portion of said side seat surface layer positioned further toward a front of the vehicle body than a sewn-together portion of a portion of said side seat surface layer, which portion is positioned at an outer side of the side portion of the seat back, and a portion of said seat surface layer, which portion covers a cover of said air bag apparatus.

35. A seat structure according to claim 26, wherein said tensile force transfer member is fixed to a frame which is a fixed member provided at an inner portion of the seat back.