Vehicle safety system
First Claim
1. A system for enhancing the safety of a passenger secured to a rearwardly-displaceable seat in a vehicle during a front-end collision of the vehicle, comprising:
- a) an actuator connected in rearward motivating displacement relationship between said passenger seat and said vehicle, said actuator having an explodable charge therein which operates said actuator;
b) an electrical sensor mounted on said vehicle for sensing the onset of said front-end collision and for transmitting an electrical signal indicative thereof to said actuator; and
c) an electrical igniter in said actuator responsive to said electrical signal for igniting said explodable charge within said actuator to rapidly displace said seat and said secured passenger rearwardly of said vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved system for passenger safety in a front-end vehicle collision, whereby the kinetic energy of a passenger may be reduced before the passenger is exposed to the crash deceleration. An electrical sensor mounted at the extreme front end of the vehicle senses the onset of a front-end collision and sends a crash signal to the passenger compartment. Preferably, the sensor is a normally-closed momentum-activatable switch. A passenger seat is mounted on translating means permitting rearward motion and has a harness to secure a passenger to the seat. The seat is held in place by a shearable pin. Beneath the seat, attached between the floor of the vehicle and the frame of the seat, is a linear actuator powered by an explosive charge which is ignitable electrically in response to the crash signal. Upon firing of the actuator, a guillotine edge on the seat frame shears the pin, and the seat and passenger are thrust rapidly rearward so that the passenger is travelling rearward with respect to the vehicle and more slowly forward with respect to the ground. Thus, the kinetic energy of the passenger is reduced and the intensity of his deceleration from the crash pulse is minimized. The seat back and cushion may be hinged for rotation backwards on the seat frame. A second explosive actuator causes rotation about the hinge coincident with the rearward translation of the frame. Rotation of the seat can orient the passenger more favorably to withstand the remaining shock of the crash pulse.
48 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A system for enhancing the safety of a passenger secured to a rearwardly-displaceable seat in a vehicle during a front-end collision of the vehicle, comprising:
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a) an actuator connected in rearward motivating displacement relationship between said passenger seat and said vehicle, said actuator having an explodable charge therein which operates said actuator; b) an electrical sensor mounted on said vehicle for sensing the onset of said front-end collision and for transmitting an electrical signal indicative thereof to said actuator; and c) an electrical igniter in said actuator responsive to said electrical signal for igniting said explodable charge within said actuator to rapidly displace said seat and said secured passenger rearwardly of said vehicle.
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2. A system for enhancing the safety of a passenger in a vehicle during a front-end collision of the vehicle, comprising:
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a) a seat for a passenger, said seat being mounted on translating means attached to said seat and to said vehicle, said seat being displaceable rearwardly within said vehicle; b) a restraining harness attached to said seat for securing said passenger to said seat during an actuation cycle of said system; c) a linear actuator for displacing said seat and said secured passenger rearwardly within said vehicle, said actuator being attached to a fixed element of said vehicle and to said seat, said actuator being powered by an explodable charge; and d) an electrical circuit for sensing the onset of said front-end collision and responsively igniting said charge in said actuator to rapidly thrust said seat and said passenger rearwardly within said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21)
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18. A method for enhancing the safety of a passenger in a vehicle during a front-end collision of the vehicle, the passenger being secured to a rearwardly-displaceable seat having a seat back and seat cushion disposed on a seat frame in a passenger compartment in the vehicle and being subject to an intense decelerative pulse transmitted in a finite period of time from the front of the vehicle to the passenger compartment, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an electrically-ignitable explosive-powered actuator operable rearwardly within said vehicle and disposed between said vehicle and a frame of said displaceable seat; b) providing a momentum-activatable electric switch in a forward area of said vehicle, said switch being connected in an electric circuit including a source of electric power and said electrically-ignitable actuator; c) sensing the onset of a front-end collision through actuation of said momentum-activatable switch; d) providing an electrical signal indicative of said accident onset from said switch to said actuator; and e) igniting said actuator in response to said signal to begin displacing said seat frame and said seated passenger rearwardly within said vehicle, said steps c, d, and e being completed during said finite period of time. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification