Vehicle seat having an anti-submarining device and method

• US 8,272,687 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH (Adient plc)
• Inventors: Gross, Bernd, Mund, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANMER, LAURIE K
• Application Number:
  US12/306,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.1, 297/216.14, 297/284.11
• US Class Current: 297/216.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42718 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42763 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

The invention relates to vehicle seat comprising a seat part and to a restraint device and a corresponding method of manufacture. The vehicle seat comprises an anti-submarining restraint device for preventing an occupant from slipping through on the vehicle seat when decelerated due to a crash, said restraint device being settable to a retracted inactive position and said restraint device being settable to an extended active position. The seat part, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, has lateral seat parts on both sides of the seat, a padding defining a seat area and a padding support (34) below said padding. The restraint device also comprises a tilting element (24) between the padding support and the padding and spaced apart from the lateral parts, said tilting element having at least one deformable element (24) as an energy dissipation element.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat having a seat section and a restraint device for preventing submarining of a passenger on the vehicle seat in the case of an accident-induced deceleration comprising:

a seat section having a padding defining a seat surface, and a padding support located beneath the padding, and the seat section has seat side sections extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

a restraint device having a retracted inactive position and, an extended active position, wherein the restraint device includes a positioning element disposed between the padding support and the padding and located a distance from the seat side sections, and an upper section located between the positioning element and the padding, and one of the positioning element and the upper section has at least one energy dissipation element, such that a rotation of at least one part of the positioning element around an essentially vertically extending axis is provided between the retracted position and the extended position of the positioning element and the positioning element is telescopically extendable.

2. The vehicle sea as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restraint device has a reversibly operating actuator arranged between the padding support and the padding and the actuator operates before an accident-induced deceleration.

3. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 2 wherein the positioning element is provided in a manner movable by the actuator, wherein the positioning element is adjusted by the actuator from a retracted position which corresponds to the inactive position of the restraint device into an extended position which corresponds to the active position of the restraint device.

4. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 3 wherein a rotation around an essentially horizontally extending axis is provided between the retracted position and the extended position of the positioning element, wherein the positioning element is a generally planar element.

5. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotation around the essentially horizontally extending axis is in the direction of travel of the vehicle seat.

6. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the positioning element includes at least one of a shock absorber and a gas-pressure damper.

7. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the restraint device has a deformation element.

8. A vehicle seat having a seat section and a restraint device for preventing submarining of a passenger on the vehicle seat in the case of an accident-induced deceleration comprising:

a seat section having a padding defining a seat surface, and a padding support located beneath the padding, and the seat section has seat side sections extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

a restraint device having a retracted inactive position and an extended active position, wherein the restraint device includes a positioning element disposed between the padding support and the padding and located a distance from the seat side sections, and an upper section located between the positioning element and the padding, and one of the positioning element and the upper section has at least one energy dissipation element, and the positioning element has a plurality of material zones of a different material, and the different material zones each have a different deformation behavior.

9. A vehicle seat having a seat section and a restraint device for preventing submarining of a passenger on the vehicle seat in the case of an accident-induced deceleration comprising:

a seat section having a padding defining a seat surface, and a padding support located beneath the padding, and the seat section has seat side sections extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

a restraint device having a retracted inactive position and an extended active position, wherein the restraint device includes a positioning element disposed between the padding support and the padding and located a distance from the seat side sections, and an upper section located between the positioning element and the padding, and one of the positioning element and the upper section has at least one energy dissipation element; and

a locking device movable by the movement of the positioning element, and the locking device has a slot and a bolt and the bolt has an axial first section with reduced diameter, and an axial second section with enlarged diameter, and an axial movement of the bolt brings about the locking.