Inflatable restraint assembly for vehicles
First Claim
1. A restraint assembly for a motor vehicle, said restraint assembly comprising:
- a) a harness secured to a seat within the vehicle and positionable into and out of an occupant restraining position, b) said harness including a plurality of belt segments disposable in spaced relation to one another, c) at least one of said belt segments including a first inflatable member connected thereto and disposed and structured to be extendable outwardly from the harness when inflated, d) said harness comprising at least a second inflatable member connected thereto and disposed and structured to extend into protective relation to an occupant'"'"'s neck area when inflated into an operative position, and e) said second inflatable member being mounted on another of said plurality of belt segments and being dimensioned and configured to extend beneath a chin and laterally around opposite sides of the neck of the occupant when inflated.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A restraint assembly intended for use primarily, but not exclusively, within motor vehicles to protect occupants from injury resulting from a collision, crash or other impact type of accident in which the vehicle is involved. A plurality of inflatable members are mounted at a plurality of strategic locations relative to the various positions assumed by occupants within the vehicle, such that upon the vehicle being impacted, a central processing unit or like processor structured to sense the impact will automatically inflate the inflatable members so that they assume a protective position which will interact with the occupant to actively absorb and resist the force of the impact resulting from the occupant coming into contact, at an accelerated rate, with the inflatable member(s). A restraining harness is positionable into restraining relation to one or more occupants and includes a lap belt segment, a chest belt segment and a diagonal belt segment extending in overlying relation to an occupant'"'"'s frontal area and between opposite ends of the lap belt segment and chest belt segment, such that the belt segments collectively form a substantially “Z-shaped” configuration.
53 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A restraint assembly for a motor vehicle, said restraint assembly comprising:
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a) a harness secured to a seat within the vehicle and positionable into and out of an occupant restraining position, b) said harness including a plurality of belt segments disposable in spaced relation to one another, c) at least one of said belt segments including a first inflatable member connected thereto and disposed and structured to be extendable outwardly from the harness when inflated, d) said harness comprising at least a second inflatable member connected thereto and disposed and structured to extend into protective relation to an occupant'"'"'s neck area when inflated into an operative position, and e) said second inflatable member being mounted on another of said plurality of belt segments and being dimensioned and configured to extend beneath a chin and laterally around opposite sides of the neck of the occupant when inflated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A restraint assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising:
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a) a plurality of inflatable members mounted on the vehicle and collectively positioned in an occupant restraining orientation, b) a fluid source connected to said plurality of inflatable members, c) each of said inflatable members cooperatively structured with said fluid source to inflate into an operative orientation upon the occurrence of an emergency condition, d) a pressure sensing assembly disposed to sense pressure of at least some of said plurality of inflatable members, and e) a processor operatively connected to said pressure sensing assembly and said fluid source, wherein said processor regulates pressure within at least some of said plurality of inflatable members in response to the emergency condition. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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- 14. A restraint assembly as recited in clam 13 wherein said steering wheel member is disposed in substantially aligned relation with a diagonal belt segment of a restraining harness.
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17. A restraint assembly for a motor vehicle, said restraint assembly comprising:
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a) a harness secured to a seat within the vehicle and positionable into and out of an occupant restraining position, b) said harness including a lap belt segment and a chest belt segment disposed in spaced relation to one another, c) a diagonal belt segment extending from generally one end of said chest belt segment diagonally between said chest belt segment and said lap belt segment to a generally oppositely disposed end of said lap segment, and d) said lap belt segment, said chest belt segment and said diagonal belt segment collectively disposed in a substantially Z-shape configuration when oriented in said occupant restraining position. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification