Occupant protection device

• US 9,283,911 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US14/457,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 701 45- 49, 280/728.1, 280734-735, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0053 Legs
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0055 Pelvis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A controller of an occupant protection device identifies the positions of the lower legs of an occupant seated in a seat based on detection signals of sensor modules, and controls the expansion states of airbag modules for lower legs as to the identified positions of the lower legs to support the lower legs of the occupant in the identified positions of the lower legs using the expanded airbag modules for lower legs.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device comprising:

one or more airbag modules comprising a lower leg airbag module having a lower leg airbag that expands toward at least one lower leg of an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle;

a controller that controls the lower leg airbag module; and

one or more sensor modules comprising an occupant sensor module that includes a sensor that detects the occupant seated in the seat, wherein

the lower leg airbag has a stored state and an expanded state, the expanded state of the lower leg airbag being variable via the controller, and

the controller is connected with the occupant sensor module and identifies a position of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat based on a detection signal of the occupant sensor module, and controls the expanded state of the lower leg airbag to correspond with the identified position to support at least one lower leg of the occupant in the identified position.

2. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein

the lower leg airbag module is a below-knee airbag module, and the lower leg airbag is a below-knee airbag that expands toward at least one below-knee portion of the occupant seated in the seat;

and

the controller identifies a position of the at least one below-knee portion of the occupant seated in the seat as the position of at least one lower leg based on the detection signal of the sensor, and expands the below-knee airbag toward the identified position to support the at least one below-knee portion in the identified position.

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

a plurality of lower leg airbag modules, comprising

a front lower leg airbag module having a front lower leg airbag that expands backward on the front side of the at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat, and

a rear lower leg airbag module having a rear lower leg airbag that expands forward on the rear side of the at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat,

wherein the controller identifies the position of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat based on the detection signal of the sensor, and expands the front lower leg airbag and the rear lower leg airbag respectively from the front and rear toward the identified position to restrain the at least one lower leg of the occupant in the identified position from the front and the rear.

4. The occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein

the front lower leg airbag module and the rear lower leg airbag module restrain at least two portions of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat,

a first of the two portions includes the knees of the occupant, and

a second of the two portions includes the shins or the ankles of the occupant.

5. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein

the one or more sensor modules includes a pair of sensors in the vicinity of the seat;

and

the controller identifies the position of the at least one below-knee portion of the occupant seated in the seat by triangulation employing detection signals of the pair of sensors and the relative positions of the pair of sensors.

6. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more sensor modules includes an occupant sensor module selected from:

a sensor module that detects the positions of the front of the knees, shins, or ankles of the occupant seated in the seat,

a sensor module that detects the positions of the rear of the knees, shins, or ankles of the occupant seated in the seat,

a sensor module that detects the position of the seat within the vehicle cabin, and

a sensor module that detects a body pressure distribution of the occupant seated in the seat; and

the controller identifies the position of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat based on a detection signal of at least one occupant sensor module.

7. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor modules includes an occupant sensor module having a sensor that detects the position of at least one lower leg of the occupant in a noncontact manner.

8. The occupant protection device according to claim 7, wherein the sensor that detects the position of at least one lower leg of the occupant in a noncontact manner comprises an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or an image sensor.

9. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the expanded state of the lower leg airbag to correspond with the position of at least one lower leg of the occupant by adjusting a position of the lower leg airbag while in the stored state.

10. The occupant protection device according to claim 9, wherein the lower leg airbag module comprises a movable plate that supports the lower leg airbag, and the controller adjusts the position of the lower leg airbag while in the stored state by adjusting the position of the movable plate.

11. The occupant protection device according to claim 10, wherein controller adjusts the position of the movable plate in the fore-and-aft directions of the vehicle.

12. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the lower leg airbag module comprises a movable plate that supports the lower leg airbag, and the controller controls the expanded state of the lower leg airbag to correspond with the identified position of at least one lower leg of the occupant by adjusting the position of the movable plate.

13. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, wherein the controller adjusts the position of the movable plate in a state in which no collision is detected.

14. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, wherein the controller adjusts the position of the movable plate in a collision prediction state.

15. The occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein the lower leg airbag module comprises an inflator for injecting gas into the lower leg airbag to inflate the airbag, and the controller controls the expanded state of the airbag to correspond with the identified position of at least one lower leg of the occupant by controlling the amount of gas injected by the inflator.

16. An occupant protection device comprising:

one or more airbag modules comprising at least two lower leg airbags that expand toward at least one lower leg of an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle;

a controller that controls the lower leg airbags; and

one or more sensor modules comprising an occupant sensor module that includes a sensor that detects the occupant seated in the seat, wherein

the lower leg airbags have stored states and expanded states, and

the controller is connected with the occupant sensor module and identifies a position of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat based on a detection signal of the sensor, and controls one of the two lower leg airbags to expand to the expanded state to correspond with the identified position of at least one lower leg of the occupant, and controls the other of the two lower leg airbags to remain in the stored state.

17. The occupant protection device according to claim 16, wherein the at least two lower leg airbags are in a single airbag module.

18. An occupant protection device comprising:

one or more airbag modules comprising at least two lower leg airbags that expand toward at least one lower leg of an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle;

a controller that controls the lower leg airbags; and

one or more sensor modules comprising an occupant sensor module that includes a sensor that detects the occupant seated in the seat, wherein

the lower leg airbags have stored states and expanded states,

the controller is connected with the occupant sensor module and identifies a position of at least one lower leg of the occupant seated in the seat based on a detection signal of the sensor, and controls the two lower leg airbags to expand both airbags to the expanded states to correspond with the identified position of at least one lower leg of the occupant,

the controller controls the two lower leg airbags to expand with offset timings.

19. The occupant protection device according to claim 18, wherein the at least two lower leg airbags are in two separate airbag modules.