Inflatable head restraint

• US 7,150,468 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James Y.M. Pan
• Original Assignee: James Y.M. Pan
• Inventors: Pan, James Y. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sliteris, Joselynn Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/274,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0011 Rear collision or recoiling bounce after frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/165 reusable, e.g. in case of multiple collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2074 in head rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01544 detecting seat belt parameters, e.g. length, tension or height-adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

An inflatable head restraint device for vehicle is disclosed. An inflatable head restraint device comprising an inflatable air bag, an inflation device, a sensing device, characterized in that the inflatable air bag can be deployed to be a U-shaped cushion for restraining the head and neck and back portion of an occupant, preventing whiplash injury from either rear, front or side impact crash.

Claims

1. An inflatable head restraint device for mounting on a headrest and back of a seat having a seat belt, comprising:

a cushion device comprising a head bag, a pair of side bags and an extended tag bag, said bags being inflation bags, said head bag and side bags being mounted into a headrest and capable of expanding into a U-shaped head portion, said extended tag bag being a downward extension from said head bag and fitted into an upper center part of said back;

an inflation device which is a pressurized gas cylinder, said pressurized gas cylinder being connected to said air bags by inflation tubes and disposed within said headrest, said pressurized gas cylinder being provided with a control valve for releasing air; and

a seat belt pulling force sensing device mounted at a shoulder of a seat back, said sensing device being provided with a channel in which are mounted a torsion spring and an axis gear mounted at a center of said torsion spring, a seat belt passing through said channel between an inner wall of said channel and said axis gear, a trigger gear being arranged in said sensing device and connected with said control valve via a linking cable, a spring being put over said linking cable and mounted between said control valve and an anchor plate;

whereby when an impact happens to a car, said seat belt will be pulled forward due to inertia force of a passenger, and once pulling force of said seat belt is stronger than preset elastic threshold of said torsion spring, said axis gear is pressed to be in contact with said trigger gear thereby driving said trigger gear and winding up said linking cable and therefore vigorously pulling said seat belt to initiate opening of said control valve to release air from said pressurized gas cylinder and deploy said bags through said inflation tubes, so that said head bag and said side bags are expanded to form a U-shaped cushion to protect a head of said passenger and a neck portion of said passenger from whiplash injury.