Vehicular passive safety device

• US 9,004,526 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu, Ito, Daisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/044,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20140097601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23192 Roof bags, i.e. protecting the occupant in a roll-over situation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A vehicular passive safety device includes a vehicular seat, a far-side airbag device, and a roof airbag device. The vehicular seat has a seat cushion and a seat back. In the far-side airbag device, a far-side airbag that is accommodated in a lateral portion of the seat back located inside in a vehicle width direction is supplied with a gas from a far-side inflator, and is expanded and deployed forward of the lateral portion with respect to a vehicle. In the roof airbag device, a roof airbag that is accommodated in a ceiling portion of a vehicle body is supplied with a gas from a roof inflator, and is expanded and deployed downward of the ceiling portion, and the expanded and deployed roof airbag abuts on or faces an upper portion of the expanded and deployed far-side airbag from inside in the vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. A vehicular passive safety device comprising:

a vehicular seat including a seat cushion and a seat back;

a far-side airbag device having a far-side airbag that is accommodated in a lateral portion of the seat back located inside in a vehicle width direction, the far-side airbag being supplied with a gas from a far-side inflator upon detection or prognosis of a side collision, and the far-side airbag being expanded and deployed forward of the lateral portion with respect to a vehicle; and

a roof airbag device having a roof airbag that is accommodated in a ceiling portion of a vehicle body, the roof airbag being supplied with a gas from a roof inflator upon detection or prognosis of a side collision, and being expanded and deployed downward with respect to the ceiling portion, wherein;

the expanded and deployed roof airbag includes a lower portion that supports an upper portion of the expanded and deployed far-side airbag from inside in the vehicle width direction.

2. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a center console box that is provided inside the vehicular seat in the vehicle width direction, wherein

the center console box abuts on or faces a lower portion of the far-side airbag from inside in the vehicle width direction, when the far-side airbag is in an expanded and deployed state.

3. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the far-side airbag is configured to be located inside a head of an occupant seated in the vehicular seat in the vehicle width direction, when the far-side airbag is in an expanded and deployed state.

4. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit that operates the far-side inflator of the far-side airbag device prior to the roof inflator of the roof airbag device.

5. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein a maximum internal pressure of the roof airbag during expansion and deployment thereof is equal to or higher than a maximum internal pressure of the far-side airbag during expansion and deployment thereof.

6. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicular seat is coupled to a vehicle body floor portion slidably in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

a dimension of the roof airbag in an expanded and deployed state in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle is larger than a dimension of the far-side airbag in an expanded and deployed state in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

7. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a side airbag that is provided in a lateral portion of the seat back of the vehicular seat located outside in the vehicle width direction; and

a control unit that operates inflators of each airbag device, wherein the control unit controls a first timing at which a gas is supplied to the far-side airbag and a second timing at which the gas is supplied to the side airbag, and

the first timing is delayed with respect to the second timing.

8. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein

the expanded and deployed roof airbag extends across a sun roof in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

a two-forked bifurcation portion is provided at a front portion of the roof airbag.

9. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 8, wherein the two-forked bifurcation portion contacts a lower face of the ceiling portion in front of the sun roof with respect to the vehicle.

10. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the roof airbag is configured to be located below a lower end of a head of an occupant seated in the vehicular seat, when the roof airbag is in an expanded and deployed state.

11. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of an upper end of the far-side airbag in an expanded and deployed state in the vehicle width direction is larger than a dimension of a lower end of the far-side airbag in the expanded and deployed state in the vehicle width direction.

12. The vehicular passive safety device according to claim 1, wherein the expanded and deployed roof airbag does not extend below a top of the seat back.