Vehicle seat housing an airbag device

• US 6,450,528 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Makino, Hirokazu, Suezawa, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sliteris, Joselynn Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/407,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/728.1, 297/216.13, 297/216.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

A resin press felt, which is harder than a main portion of a seat pad, deforms by expansion pressure of an airbag pouch body and guides the airbag pouch body in a predetermined direction. The felt pad is disposed on a front side extending portion of a felt that extends toward a door from a flange of a side frame. A door side portion of the resin press felt is in front of the airbag pouch body, and an inside portion of the resin press felt in the vehicle width direction overlaps the flange of the side frame by a predetermined amount.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat housing an airbag device fixed to a door side portion of a seat back side frame in a concave portion of a seat pad which is open to a rear side of a vehicle and covered by a seat surface covering, the vehicle seat comprising:

guide means disposed on an airbag side of the seat pad, the guide means being positioned on a side of a plane connecting an axis of an inflator of the airbag device and a breakage sewn portion of the seat surface covering that is closer to a center of the seat, at an airbag pouch body expansion area, the guide means being harder than a main portion of the seat pad, the guide means being deformed by expansion pressure of the airbag pouch body and guiding an airbag pouch body in a predetermined direction, and the seat pad continuously covering a front side of the airbag pouch body; and

a concave portion formed in a portion of the seat pad near a door side front end portion of the airbag pouch body, the concave portion being defined by a concave surface facing inwardly of the seat pad, wherein the axis of the inflator, the breakage sewn portion of the seat portion and the concave portion lying on said plane and the guide means is disposed closer to the center of the seat than said plane.

2. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the guide means comprises resin press felt.

3. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the guide means comprises a hard pad which is harder than a main portion of the seat pad.

4. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the guide means extends to an inward position in a seat width direction which overlaps a front end portion of the seat back side frame by a predetermined amount.

5. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

supplemental guide means disposed at an inward surface in the seat pad facing a door side portion of the airbag device, the supplemental guide means being harder than the main portion of the seat pad, and being deformable by expansion pressure of the airbag pouch body.

6. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the supplemental guide means extends to a rear position which overlaps a protector, which is fixed to a door side portion of the seat back side frame and maintains an expansion space of the airbag pouch body during a side collision, by a predetermined amount.

7. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the airbag device is a caseless airbag, device.

8. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein the seat back side frame comprises a flange that faces in a substantially forward direction of the vehicle, the guide means being substantially parallel with the flange.

9. A vehicle seat housing an airbag device fixed to a door side portion of a seat back side frame in a concave portion of a seat pad which is open to a rear side of a vehicle and covered by a seat surface covering, the vehicle seat comprising:

guide means having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a portion of the first side facing the seat back side frame and the second side facing the seat pad, the guide means being positioned on a side of a plane connecting an axis of an inflator of the airbag device and a breakage sewn portion of the seat surface covering that is closer to a center of the seat, at an airbag pouch body expansion area, the guide means being harder than a main portion of the seat pad, the guide means being deformed by expansion pressure of the airbag pouch body and guiding an airbag pouch body in a predetermined direction, and the seat pad continuously covering a front side of the airbag pouch body; and

a concave portion formed in a portion of the seat pad near a door side front end portion of the airbag pouch body, the concave portion being defined by a concave surface facing inwardly of the scat pad, wherein the axis of the inflator, the breakage sewn portion of the seat portion and the concave portion lying on said plane and the guide means is disposed closer to the center of the seat than said plane.

10. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the guide means is a deformable plate, one end portion of which is fixed to a front end portion of the seat back frame.

11. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the guide means is a deformable plate, one end portion of which is fixed to a side surface portion of the seat back frame.

12. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the guide means extends to an inside position in the seat width direction which overlaps the front end portion of the seat back side frame by a predetermined amount.

13. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

supplemental guide means disposed at an inward surface in the seat pad facing a door side portion of the airbag device, the supplemental guide means being harder than the main portion of the seat pad, and being deformable by expansion pressure of the airbag pouch body.

14. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13,

wherein the supplemental guide means extends to a rear position which overlaps a protector, which is fixed to a door side portion of the seat back side frame and maintains an expansion space of tile airbag pouch body during a side collision, by a predetermined amount.

15. The vehicle scat as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the airbag device is a caseless airbag device.

16. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9, wherein the seat back side frame comprises a flange that faces in a substantially forward direction of the vehicle, the guide means being substantially parallel with the flange.

17. The vehicle seat as set forth in claim 9, wherein the guide means is disposed on an airbag side of the seat pad.