Automotive seat—seat back with integrated protective device and process to prevent injuries caused by accident

• US 6,478,373 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Strieder, Lutz, Müller, Hans-Joachim, Schmale, Gerhard, Hake, Ernst-Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US09/640,427
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/216.13, 297/216.14
• US Class Current: 297/216.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/815 Release mechanisms, e.g. buttons
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/847 with stepwise positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/853 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• 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: F16B 39/282 Locking by means of special shape of work-engaging surfaces, e.g. notched or toothed nuts

Abstract

A seat back for an automotive seat with an integrated protective device and a process for preventing injuries to a seat occupant caused by an accident in the event of a rear-end impact. The seat back features a bottom seat-back part and a top seat-back part that, by means of a torque, pivots around an axis in the seat back that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, out of a position of standard use and into a safety position. To improve the efficiency of such a seat back, it is proposed that the protective device features a device that generates the torque regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied, and means for detecting a rear-end impact, which are actively linked with the torque-generating device in such a way that the device is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started.

Claims

1. A seat back for an automotive seat comprising:

a bottom seat-back part, connectable to a seat part;

a top seat-back part connected to said bottom seat-back part for pivotal movement in an angular range relative to said bottom seat-back part out of a position of standard use, around an axis in said seat back that runs perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and along a pivot direction pointing in the direction of vehicle travel;

a torque generating means for generating a torque operating on said top seat-back part in said pivot direction, regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied; and

detecting means for detecting a rear-end impact, which is actively linked with said torque-generating means in such a way, that said torque-generating means is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started.

2. The seat back of claim 1 further comprising a head restraint coupled to said top seat back part, wherein said head restraint moves out of a comfort position, in which its distance to the head of the seat occupant is about 80 to 120 mm, into an intercept position, in which the distance to a head of the seat occupant is zero or nearly zero.

3. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said torque-generating means includes an energy accumulator or energy storage device.

4. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said torque-generating means includes a prestressed spring element.

5. The seat back of claim 1 further comprising arresting means for fastening said top seat-back part into its standard use position.

6. The seat back of claim 3 wherein said detecting means for detecting a rear-end impact are actively linked in such a way with said arresting means for fastening said top seat-back part into its standard use position, that said fastening of said top seat-back part into its standard position is canceled in the event of a rear-end impact.

7. The seat back of claim 5 wherein said arresting means for fastening said top seat-back part into its standard use position is made by latching elements.

8. The seat back of claim 1 further comprising arresting means for fastening said top seat-back part against a return movement from its safety position into its standard use position.

9. The seat back of claim 8 wherein said arresting means for fastening said top seat-back part against a return movement from its safety position into its standard use position is formed by an overrunning spring.

10. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said detecting means for detecting the rear-end impact include an acceleration sensor.

11. The seat back of claim 10 wherein said vehicle acceleration is set in such a manner that it reacts at an acceleration of approximately 40 to 280 m/sec².

12. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said means for detecting the rear-end impact includes a mechanical control system located within said automotive seat.

13. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said torque-generating means is designed in such a manner, that, in the event of its activation, it accelerates said top seat-back part in said pivot direction at a greater rate than said automotive seat experiences from the rear-end impact.

14. The seat back of claim 1 wherein said bottom seat-back part and said top seat-back part are synchronized to each other in a defined manner with respect to their respective lengths and said axis running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, around which said top seat-back part pivots, is installed at a defined height about 400 to 580 mm above said seat part.

15. A seat back for an automotive seat comprising:

a bottom seat-back part, connectable to a seat part;

a top seat-back part connected to said bottom seat-back part for pivotal movement in an angular range relative to said bottom seat-back part out of a position of standard use, around an axis in said seat back that runs perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and along a pivot direction pointing in the direction of vehicle travel;

a torque generating means for generating a torque operating on said top seat-back part in said pivot direction, regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied, wherein said torque generating means includes a prestressed spring element;

detecting means for detecting a rear-end impact, which is actively linked with said torque-generating means in such a way, that said torque-generating means is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started; and

wherein said spring element features a descending characteristic curve that generates a high starting force for generating a strong acceleration, but only a very small final force.

16. A seat back for an automotive seat comprising:

a bottom seat-back part, connectable to a seat part;

a top seat-back part connected to said bottom seat-back part for pivotal movement in an angular range relative to said bottom seat-back part out of a position of standard use, around an axis in said seat back that runs perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and along a pivot direction pointing in the direction of vehicle travel;

a torque generating means for generating a torque operating on said top seat-back part in said pivot direction, regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied, wherein said torque generating means includes a prestressed spring element;

detecting means for detecting a rear-end impact, which is actively linked with said torque-generating means in such a way, that said torque-generating means is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started; and

wherein said spring element is formed by a torsion spring arranged around said swiveling axis.

17. A seat back for an automotive seat comprising:

a bottom seat-back part, connectable to a seat part;

a top seat-back part connected to said bottom seat-back part for pivotal movement in an angular range relative to said bottom seat-back part out of a position of standard use, around an axis in said seat back that runs perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and along a pivot direction pointing in the direction of vehicle travel;

a torque generating means for generating a torque operating on said top seat-back part in said pivot direction, regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied, wherein said torque generating means includes a prestressed spring element;

detecting means for detecting a rear-end impact, which is actively linked with said torque-generating means in such a way, that said torque-generating means is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started; and

wherein said spring element is formed by a pressure spring that is fastened in said bottom seat-back part and acts upon said top seat-back part.

18. A process for preventing injuries to a seat occupant caused by accidents in case of a rear-end impact, by means of a protective device integrated into the seat back of an automotive seat with a bottom seat-back part connected with a seat part and with a top seat-back part, whereby in the case of a rear-end impact said top seat-back part pivots in an angular range relative to said bottom seat-back part out of a position of standard use around an axis in said seat back that runs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and into a pivot direction pointing in the direction of travel into a safety position by means of a torque operating in said pivot direction, wherein said top seat-back part is accelerated in said pivot direction at a considerable rate, as it is a more moderate or empirically determined more average acceleration rate that said automotive seat experiences from the collision, and wherein the protective device operates regardless of whether said seat is occupied.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein the empirically determined more average acceleration rate that the automotive seat experiences from the rear-end impact lies in the range of approximately 35-200 m/sec².

20. The process of claim 18 wherein the swinging of the top seat-back part commences quickly enough, that the top seat-back part is situated in its safety position before a head movement of the seat occupant, caused by the rear-end impact, begins.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein the top seat-back part is situated in its safety position in the state of rest or nearly in the state of rest.

22. The process of claim 18 wherein the swinging of the top seat-back part out of its position of standard use into its safety position is completed no more than 35 to 60 ms after the rear-end impact.

23. The process of claim 18 wherein the torque is generated by a device of the protective device that generates a torque operating on the top seat-back part in the pivot direction, regardless whether the automotive seat is occupied, and the rear-end impact is detected by means that are actively linked with the torque-generating device in such a way, that the device is activated in the event of a rear-end impact and the swinging movement is started.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein the means for detecting the rear-end impact become operative within no more than about 8 to 17 Ms.

25. The process of claim 23 wherein the torque-generating device is activated no more than approximately 15 to 33 ms after the rear-end impact.

26. The process of claim 18 wherein the swinging of said top seat-back part is triggered at an acceleration of approximately 40 to 80 M/sec.