Passenger protecting apparatus for use in a vehicle

• US 6,385,517 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2000
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kore, Haruhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHRIVER II, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US09/504,331
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 280/806, 180/268, 180/271, 180/273, 180/282, 701/45
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0028 of a body part, e.g. of an arm or a leg
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/865 providing a fore-and-aft movement with respect to the occupant's head
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/18 Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/20 Radar
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/26 Ultrasonic, e.g. sonar
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/40 Force or pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/50 Inertial sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195

Abstract

A passenger protecting apparatus is provided with a head rest driving mechanism for driving a head rest forward according to a pressing contact force generated when a passenger'"'"'s back is pressed against a seat back during a rear crash of the vehicle, a rear crash predictor for predicting a rear crash of the vehicle, and a passenger moving mechanism for moving the passenger toward the seat back when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor. The passenger'"'"'s head can be effectively supported by the head rest during the rear crash of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A passenger protecting apparatus for use in a vehicle, comprising:

a head rest driving mechanism which drives a head rest forward according to a pressing contact force generated when a passenger'"'"'s back is pressed against a seat back during a rear crash of the vehicle;

a rear crash predictor which predicts a rear crash of the vehicle before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs;

a passenger moving mechanism which moves the passenger toward the seat back and makes the passenger contact the seat back before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor;

a distance detector which detects a distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest; and

a moving mechanism controller which controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism according to the distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest detected by the distance detector, wherein the moving mechanism controller controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism to cause the passenger to move backward with a larger force when the distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest detected by the distance detector is large than when it is small.

2. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the passenger moving mechanism includes a pre-tensioner for the seat belt which takes up the seat belt before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor to thereby move the passenger toward the seat back.

3. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism controller controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism to cause the passenger to move backward with a larger force as the distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest detected by the distance detector increases in a range where the detected distance is smaller than a predetermined reference value.

4. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle speed detector which detects a running speed of the vehicle, wherein the operation of the passenger moving mechanism is prohibited if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a predetermined reference vehicle speed.

5. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a pre-tensioner controller which controls a seat belt take-up force of the pre-tensioner according to the distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest detected by the distance detector, wherein the pre-tensioner controller controls the pre-tensioner such that the seat belt take-up force increases as the distance between the passenger'"'"'s head and the head rest detected by the distance detector increases in a range where the detected distance is smaller than a predetermined reference value.

6. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a vehicle speed detector which detects a running speed of the vehicle, wherein the take-up of the seat belt by the pre-tensioner is prohibited if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle detector is higher than a predetermined reference vehicle speed.

7. A passenger protecting apparatus for use in a vehicle, comprising:

a head rest driving mechanism which drives a head rest forward according to a pressing contact force generated when a passenger'"'"'s back is pressed against a seat back during a rear crash of the vehicle;

a rear crash predictor which predicts a rear crash of the vehicle before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs;

a passenger moving mechanism which moves the passenger toward the seat back and makes the passenger contact the seat back before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor;

a pulled amount detector which detects a pulled amount of the seat belt; and

a moving mechanism controller which controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism such that the driving force increases as the pulled amount of the seat belt detected by the pulled amount detector increases.

8. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a seat pressure detector which detects a pressure acting on a seat cushion, wherein the moving mechanism controller controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism such that the driving force increases as the pressure detected by the seat pressure detector increases.

9. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a vehicle speed detector which detects a running speed of the vehicle, wherein the operation of the passenger moving mechanism is prohibited if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a predetermined reference vehicle speed.

10. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 7, Wherein the passenger moving mechanism includes a pre-tensioner for the seat belt which takes up the seat belt before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor to thereby move the passenger toward the seat back.

11. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a seat pressure detector which detects a pressure acting on a seat cushion, wherein the moving mechanism controller controls the driving force of the passenger moving mechanism such that the driving force increases as the pressure detected by the seat pressure detector increases.

12. A passenger protecting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a vehicle speed detector which detects a running speed of the vehicle, wherein the operation of the passenger moving mechanism is prohibited if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a predetermined reference vehicle speed.

13. A passenger protecting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a head rest driving mechanism which drives a head rest forward according to a pressing contact force generated when a passenger'"'"'s back is pressed against a seat back during a rear crash of the vehicle;

a rear crash predictor which predicts a rear crash of the vehicle before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs; and

an inclining mechanism which causes the seat back to incline forward of a vehicle body and makes the passenger contact the seat back before the rear crash of the vehicle occurs when the rear crash of the vehicle is predicted by the rear crash predictor.