Occupant protection device

• US 8,286,999 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Shuji, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): ROCCA, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US13/039,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20110148085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 242/374, 242/384.1, 242/390.8, 242/390.9, 280/806, 280/807, 280/808, 297/474, 297/475, 297/476, 297/477, 297/478, 297/479, 297/480, 297/483
• US Class Current: 280/807
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/287 of torsion rods or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/3413 operating between belt reel and retractor frame B60R22/4676 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/4628 characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators actuating a cable B60R22/4619

Abstract

An occupant protection device includes a plurality of gas generators that actuate respective mechanisms, and a control portion that actuates the gas generators. If a condition for actuating at least one of the gas generators is fulfilled and a condition for actuating the other gas generators are unfulfilled, the other gas generators are controlled by the control portion at a timing that is uninfluential on an actuation state of one of the mechanism actuated by the one of the gas generators and that is different from a preset timing for actuating the other mechanisms actuated by the other gas generators.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device comprising:

a retraction mechanism for protecting an occupant, the retraction mechanism retracts a seat belt for restraining the occupant;

a change mechanism for supplementing an occupant protection function of the retraction mechanism, the change mechanism changes a tensile force applied to the retracted seat belt, the change mechanism having a cam;

a first gas generator that generates a gas for actuating the retraction mechanism;

a second gas generator that generates a gas for actuating the change mechanism; and

a control portion that performs control such that the first gas generator is actuated if a condition for actuating only the first gas generator is fulfilled, and the control portion performs control such that the second gas generator is actuated at a timing that is uninfluential on an actuation state of the retraction mechanism and that is different from a preset timing for actuating the change mechanism;

wherein the gas generated by the second gas generator for actuating the change mechanism moves the cam to change the tensile force applied to the retracted seat belt.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detection portion that detects information on a build of the occupant;

wherein the change mechanism is a tensile force adjustment portion that adjusts the tensile force applied to the seat belt so as to reduce the tensile force if the occupant is retrained by the seat belt, and wherein the second gas generator generates gas for actuating the tensile force adjustment portion based on the information on the build of the occupant detected by the detection portion.