Occupant protection system

• US 7,377,544 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Itoga, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm; Timothy
• Application Number:
  US11/060,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20050184491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 280/733, 280/748, 280/806, 280/728.2, 180/268, 180/271
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42718 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26094 characterised by fluid flow controlling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt

Abstract

To simplify the mechanism of an occupant protection system in which a seat bag at the front part of a seat cushion and a lap bag are inflated to protect an occupant and also to simplify the mounting structure of the occupant protection system to a seat frame, a holder is mounted to the side frame of a seat. The holder includes a pretensioner connected to a lap anchor, an inflator for inflating a seat bag and a lap bag, and a manifold for distributing gas from the inflator to the seat bag and the lap bag. The connecting structure of the lap anchor and the pretensioner is of a latch type (insert-lock type).

Claims

1. An occupant protection system for a vehicle seat, the occupant protection system comprising:

a seat belt for restraining a passenger in the seat;

anchors for the belt on both sides of the seat with one of the anchors comprising a releasably connected buckle and tongue on one side of the seat and a lap anchor on the other side of the seat;

a seat airbag for being arranged to cause a portion of the seat to be lifted upon inflation thereof;

a belt airbag extending along the seat belt to push the passenger toward the seat upon inflation thereof;

a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the seat and belt airbags and being disposed at the other side of the seat; and

a common mounting member to which both the gas generator and the lap anchor are mounted with the common mounting member being disposed at the other side of the seat,

wherein the gas generator and the airbags include a gas distribution passage therebetween in which a check valve is arranged and operable to substantially keep inflation gas from reverse flow out from one of the airbags, and the check valve has a substantially full flow position with gas from the gas generator substantially freely flowing through the gas distribution passage to the one airbag and a limited flow position with gas from the gas generator being restricted in flow to the one airbag to avoid excessive gas supply thereto.

2. An occupant protection system comprising:

a seat airbag for being arranged inside or under a seat cushion;

a lap belt airbag for being arranged along a lap belt portion of a seat belt;

a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the airbags; and

variable size flow passages between the gas generator and the airbags to permit flow passage size to be selected for providing control over gas amounts distributed to the airbags,

wherein the variable size flow passages comprise a manifold that receives gas from the gas generator and has gas flow channels to distribute gas to the airbags, and at least one flow restrictor member removably received in one of the manifold gas flow channels with the flow restrictor member having an orifice of a predetermined, fixed size with the orifice varying in size depending on the selected flow restrictor member for allowing selective control of the flow rate of gas to at least one of the airbags.

3. The occupant protection system of claim 2 wherein the variable size flow passages comprise a valve member received in another one of the manifold gas flow channels.

4. The occupant protection system of claim 2 wherein the variable size flow passage for the seat airbag is selected to be larger than the variable size flow passage for the lap belt airbag so that inner pressure of the seat airbag is greater than that of the lap belt airbag.

5. An occupant protection system comprising:

a seat airbag for being arranged inside or under a seat cushion;

a lap belt airbag for being arranged along a lap belt portion of a seat belt;

a gas generator for supplying inflation gas to the airbags; and

variable size flow passages between the gas generator and the airbags to permit flow passage size to be selected for providing control over gas amounts distributed to the airbags,

wherein the variable size flow passages comprise a manifold that receives gas from the gas generator and has gas flow channels to distribute gas to the airbags, and at least one flow restrictor member received in one of the manifold gas flow channels that has an orifice that varies in size depending on the selected flow restrictor member, and the at least one flow restrictor member comprises two flow restrictor members for being received in the gas flow channels of the manifold.

6. The occupant protection system of claim 5 wherein the variable size flow passages further comprise coupling pipes connected to the manifold via the restrictor members.