Passive safety device

• US 8,474,872 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Odate, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/967,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/748, 280/753, 280/801.1, 280/802, 280/806, 297469-472, 296/68.1, 701/45
• US Class Current: 280/806
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/986 Side-rests B60N2/2872, B60N2/885 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/99 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/50 Inertial sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/10 using a database
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4685 with means to adjust or regulate the tensioning force in relation to external parameters

Abstract

There is provided a passive safety device which can prevent an occupant from moving when an acceleration that causes the occupant to move in a vehicle is working on the occupant, and which can improve the ride comfort. A passive safety device of the present invention comprises an acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration of a vehicle, a seat adjusting unit that expands a seat side of a seat in order to prevent an occupant sitting down the seat from moving, a safety belt adjusting unit that controls tension of a safety belt worn by the occupant, and a control unit that controls an expansion of the seat side and/or the tension of the safety belt through the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A passive safety device comprising:

an acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration of a vehicle;

a seat adjusting unit that expands a seat side of a seat in order to prevent an occupant sitting down the seat from moving, the seat adjusting unit including a left side support and a right side support that are adapted to be adjacent a left side and a right side, respectively, of the occupant sitting in the seat so that the left side support and the right side support face one another;

a safety belt adjusting unit that controls tension of a safety belt worn by the occupant; and

a control unit that controls an expansion of the seat side so as to decrease a distance between the left side support and the right side support and the tension of the safety belt through the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle, wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is a front-side direction opposite to a shoulder where the safety belt is put on, the seat adjusting unit largely expands the seat side larger in comparison with a direction other than the front-side direction.

2. The passive safety device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit determines whether or not to control either one of or both of the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit in accordance with a direction of an acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle.

3. The passive safety device according to claim 2,

wherein the control unit determines whether or not to use each of the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit in accordance with a value of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle.

4. The passive safety device according to claim 1,

wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is a rearward direction of the vehicle, the seat adjusting unit is actuated to expand the seat side.

5. The passive safety device according to claim 1,

wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is the front-side direction;

of the vehicle, the seat adjusting unit expands the seat side and the safety belt adjusting unit applies tension to the safety belt.

6. The passive safety device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit starts either one of or both of controlling of expansion of the seat side by the seat adjusting unit and controlling of tension of the safety belt by the safety belt adjusting unit when the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is not less than a predetermined value.

7. The passive safety device according to claim 1,

wherein when the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting unit becomes not more than a predetermined value, the control unit terminates controls of the seat adjusting unit and/or the safety belt adjusting unit in operation.

8. The passive safety device according to claim 7,

wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is the front-side direction;

opposite to a shoulder where the safety belt is put on, the control unit first terminates a control of the seat adjusting unit, and then terminates a control of the safety belt adjusting unit.

9. The passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit that controls a deflation of the seat side so as to increase a distance between the left side support and the right side support based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle.

10. A passive safety device comprising:

an acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration of a vehicle;

a seat adjusting unit that expands a seat side of a seat in order to prevent an occupant sitting down the seat from moving;

a safety belt adjusting unit that controls tension of a safety belt worn by the occupant; and

a control unit that controls an expansion of the seat side and/or the tension of the safety belt through the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle, wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is a front-side direction opposite to a shoulder where the safety belt is put on, the seat adjusting unit largely expands the seat side larger in comparison with a direction other than the front-side direction.

11. A passive safety device comprising:

an acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration of a vehicle;

a seat adjusting unit that expands a seat side of a seat in order to prevent an occupant sitting down the seat from moving;

a safety belt adjusting unit that controls tension of a safety belt worn by the occupant; and

a control unit that controls an expansion of the seat side and/or the tension of the safety belt through the seat adjusting unit and the safety belt adjusting unit, based on the detected acceleration of the vehicle, wherein when the direction of the acceleration working on the occupant due to inertia to move the occupant in the vehicle by the detected acceleration of the vehicle is a front-side direction opposite to a shoulder where the safety belt is put on, the control unit first terminates a control of the seat adjusting unit, and then terminates a control of the safety belt adjusting unit.