Impact-injury-minimizing seat structure and methodology

• US 7,354,106 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Old West Federal Credit Union
• Original Assignee: MJD Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Dennis, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US10/898,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20060061158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.1, 297/216.15, 297/216.16, 297/216.17, 297/311, 297/344.12, 297/338, 297/339, 280/730.1, 280/728.2, 280/735, 280/734, 180/271, 296/68.1, 244/122.R, 244/122.A, 244/141
• US Class Current: 297/216.17
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4242 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42754 of the cushion
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2029/043 Seats; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 29/04 Furniture peculiar to vessels floatable furniture B63C9/30
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0619 with energy absorbing means specially adapted for mitigating impact loads for passenger seats, e.g. at a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06205 Arrangements of airbags

Abstract

A vehicle safety seat and related methodology featuring (a) an anti-spring-back seat platform having a generally upwardly facing support surface, (b) a triggerable acceleration structure disposed cooperatively relative to that support surface in a manner whereby the acceleration structure is operatively interposed that surface and any person occupying the seat, with this acceleration structure being triggerable to accelerate such a person generally upwardly away from the support surface, and (c) trigger structure responsive to the detection of a preselected downward deceleration of the seat platform to trigger the acceleration structure. A viscoelastic, acceleration-rate-sensitive cushioning structure is selectively interposed the acceleration structure and any seated occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety seat for use in a vehicle having a vehicle frame comprising

a fixed-position, anti-spring-back, broad-expanse, generally planar seatpan mounted above and spaced from the vehicle frame having a generally upwardly facing, fixed-position support surface, adapted to provide effective underlying support for an overlying seat-occupant cushioning structure disposed above said support surface,

a triggerable acceleration structure disposed cooperatively relative to, and over and above, said support surface in a manner whereby said triggerable acceleration structure is operatively disposed between said support surface and any person occupying the seat, triggerable to accelerate such a person, translationally, and without rotation, upwardly away from, and relative to, said fixed-position support surface, thus to increase the vertical distance between such a person and said support surface, and

trigger structure responsive to a preselected downward deceleration of said fixed-position seatpan to trigger said acceleration structure.

2. The seat of claim 1, wherein said acceleration structure includes fluid-extensible structure.

3. The seat of claim 2, wherein said fluid-extensible structure takes the form of an inflatable air bag.

4. The seat of claim 1 which further includes an acceleration-rate-sensitive cushioning structure operatively interposed said acceleration structure and any person occupying the seat.

5. The seat of claim 4, wherein said acceleration-rate-sensitive cushioning structure is viscoelastic.

6. A vehicle-associated, seated-occupant, catastrophic-impact safety practice comprising

providing a non-springy seatpan for carrying the load of a seat occupant,

mounting the seatpan on a seat frame, which is fixed to a vehicle floor, wherein the seatpan is spaced apart from and above the vehicle floor;

detecting downward deceleration of such an occupant, and

on such detected deceleration exceeding a predetermined threshold value, and utilizing the provided seatpan as a non-moveable reaction structure, explosively upwardly, and translationally without rotation, accelerating the occupant relative to the seatpan thus to reduce that occupant'"'"'s downward vertical velocity.

7. The safety practice of claim 6 which further utilizes acceleration-rate-sensitivity in association with said explosively upwardly accelerating of a seat occupant relative to the seatpan.

8. A vehicle safety seat for use in a vehicle having a vehicle frame comprising

a seat frame fixed to the vehicle frame,

a fixed-position, anti-spring-back, broad-expanse, generally planar seatpan mounted on said seat frame, and carried thereby above and spaced from the vehicle frame, and having a generally upwardly facing, fixed-position support surface,

a triggerable acceleration structure disposed cooperatively relative to, and over and above, said support surface in a manner whereby said triggerable acceleration structure is operatively disposed between said support surface and any person occupying the seat, triggerable to accelerate such a person, translationally, and without rotation, upwardly away from, and relative to, said fixed-position support surface, thus to increase the vertical distance between such a person and said support surface, and

trigger structure responsive to a preselected downward deceleration of said fixed-position seatpan to trigger said acceleration structure.

9. The seat of claim 8, wherein said acceleration structure includes fluid-extensible structure.

10. The seat of claim 9, wherein said fluid-extensible structure takes the form of an inflatable air bag.

11. The seat of claim 8 which further includes an acceleration-rate-sensitive cushioning structure operatively interposed said acceleration structure and any person occupying the seat.

12. The seat of claim 11, wherein said acceleration-rate-sensitive cushioning structure is viscoelastic.