Rollover protection for motor vehicles
First Claim
1. A vehicle safety system comprising:
- a vehicle seat; and
a support member having an undeployed mode and a deployed mode, the support member being housed at least in part within the vehicle seat when the support member is in the undeployed mode, the support member being converted from the undeployed mode into the deployed mode upon receiving a signal indicating rollover conditions, wherein the support member in the deployed mode is disposed in effective engagement with the vehicle roof to limit movement of part of the roof toward the vehicle seat during the rollover condition, wherein the system is prevented from deploying if the vehicle seat is reclined beyond a pre-determined angle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a new type of safety system that is designed to protect a vehicle occupant during a rollover crash. The safety system will generally include a vehicle seat and a sensor. The sensor is designed to sense the occurrence of a rollover crash. The safety system also includes a support member that has an undeployed mode and a deployed mode. The support member converts from the undeployed mode into the deployed mode when a signal is received from the sensor indicating a rollover. The support member will generally be housed within the vehicle seat when the support member is in the undeployed mode. The support member is also anchored to the floor pan of the vehicle. When the support member is deployed into the deployed mode, the support member is disposed in effective engagement with the vehicle roof to limit movement of the roof toward the vehicle seat during rollover conditions. Accordingly, the likelihood that the vehicle roof will be collapsed onto the vehicle occupant during a crash is significantly reduced.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vehicle safety system comprising:
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a vehicle seat; and a support member having an undeployed mode and a deployed mode, the support member being housed at least in part within the vehicle seat when the support member is in the undeployed mode, the support member being converted from the undeployed mode into the deployed mode upon receiving a signal indicating rollover conditions, wherein the support member in the deployed mode is disposed in effective engagement with the vehicle roof to limit movement of part of the roof toward the vehicle seat during the rollover condition, wherein the system is prevented from deploying if the vehicle seat is reclined beyond a pre-determined angle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A vehicle safety system comprising:
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a sensor that detects rollover conditions and generates a signal; a vehicle seat; and a support member having a undeployed mode and a deployed mode, the support member extending along the entire height of the vehicle seat and being anchored to a floor pan of the vehicle, the support member being housed at least in part within the vehicle seat when the support member is in the undeployed mode, the support member being converted from the undeployed mode into the deployed mode upon receiving a signal indicating rollover conditions, wherein the support member in the deployed mode is disposed in effective engagement with the vehicle roof to limit movement of the roof toward the vehicle seat during the rollover condition, wherein the system is prevented from deploying if the vehicle seat is reclined beyond a pre-determined angle. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising:
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installing a support member having a undeployed mode and a deployed mode into the vehicle, the support member being housed at least in part within the vehicle seat when the support member is in the undeployed mode, wherein the support member in the deployed mode is disposed in effective engagement with the vehicle roof to limit movement of the roof toward the vehicle seat during the rollover condition; sensing rollover conditions using a sensor; generating a signal upon sensing a rollover condition; and converting the support member from the undeployed mode into the deployed mode in response to the a signal received from the sensor indicating a rollover condition, wherein the support member is prevented from deploying if the vehicle seat is reclined beyond a pre-determined angle. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification