Passenger protection system

• US 9,333,931 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cheng, James Chih, Weerappuli, Parakrama V., El-Jawahri, Raed Essa, Faruque, Mohammed Omar
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Application Number:
  US14/607,094
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/748, 280/749
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/022 mounted on seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/02 Occupant safety arrangements or fittings , e.g. crash pads seat belts with crash pads B60R22/14; removable children's seats having a front guard or barrier B60N2/2839
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

A passenger protection system includes a rotatable attachment mountable in a vehicle seat back, a first frame member rotatably connected to the rotatable attachment, and a flexible sheet having an upper edge connected to the first frame member.

Claims

1. A passenger protection system, comprising:

a rotatable attachment mountable in a vehicle seat back and rotatable about an axis;

a first rigid frame member extending from the rotatable attachment so as to define a non-zero angle with the axis of rotation; and

a flexible sheet having an upper edge connected to the first rigid frame member.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a triggering mechanism, the rotatable attachment being arranged to hold the first rigid frame member in an undeployed state until triggering of the triggering mechanism causes the first rigid frame member to rotate about the axis of the rotatable attachment, thereby placing the system in a deployed state.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the rotatable attachment comprises a pretensioner that includes a piston, a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, and a cable connecting the piston to the shaft, wherein the triggering mechanism is an ignitable charge that, when ignited, moves the piston, thereby extending the cable and rotating the shaft.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the rotatable attachment comprises an electric motor having a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, wherein the triggering includes causing the electric motor to rotate the shaft.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a second rigid frame member that has a longitudinal cavity and is mountable on a side of a base of the vehicle seat; and

a movable element disposed in the longitudinal cavity of the second rigid frame member;

wherein at least a portion of a lower edge of the flexible sheet is attached to the movable element such that, when the first rigid frame member rotates, the movable element slides from a first end of the second rigid frame member to a second end of the second rigid frame member, thereby causing the flexible sheet to be stretched between the first rigid frame member and the second rigid frame member.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a controller that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify an oblique impact, and, upon identifying the oblique impact, to cause the triggering of the triggering mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one tether attached to the flexible sheet and connectable to a vehicle seat.

8. A passenger protection system, comprising:

a vehicle seat that includes a seat base and a seat back;

a rotatable attachment attached to the seat at a mounting location that is proximate to an upper edge of the seat;

a first rigid frame member rotatably connected to the rotatable attachment such that the first frame member is adjacent to an interior side of the seat back and extends downward from the mounting location when the system is in an undeployed state;

a flexible sheet having an upper edge connected to the first rigid frame member.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a triggering mechanism, the rotatable attachment being arranged to hold the first rigid frame member in the undeployed state until triggering of the triggering mechanism causes the first rigid frame member to rotate about an axis of the rotatable attachment, thereby placing the system in a deployed state.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the rotatable attachment comprises a pretensioner that includes a piston, a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, and a cable connecting the piston to the shaft, wherein the triggering mechanism is an ignitable charge that, when ignited, moves the piston, thereby extending the cable and rotating the shaft.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the rotatable attachment comprises an electric motor having a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, wherein the triggering includes causing the electric motor to rotate the shaft.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the rotatable attachment is extendable in an axial direction of the upper edge of the seat back upon the triggering of the triggering mechanism.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a controller that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify an oblique impact, and, upon identifying the oblique impact, to cause the triggering of the triggering mechanism.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a second rigid frame member that has a longitudinal cavity and that is mounted on a side of the seat base; and

a movable element disposed in the longitudinal cavity of the second rigid frame member.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of a lower edge of the flexible sheet is attached to the movable element such that, when the first rigid frame member rotates, the movable element slides from a first end of the second rigid frame member to a second end of the second rigid frame member, thereby causing the flexible sheet to be stretched between the first rigid frame member and the second rigid frame member.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising at least one tether attached at a first end to the flexible sheet and at a second end to one of the seat, the movable element, and the second rigid frame member.

19. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second rigid frame member that has a longitudinal cavity and that is mounted on a side of a seat base and a movable element disposed in the longitudinal cavity of the second rigid frame member.

20. The system of claim 8, further comprising an airbag arranged in the vehicle such that the airbag and the flexible sheet touch one another in a deployed state.

17. A passenger protection system, comprising:

a rotatable attachment mountable in a vehicle seat back;

a first rigid frame member rotatably connected to the rotatable attachment;

a flexible sheet having an upper edge connected to the first rigid frame member;

a triggering mechanism, the rotatable attachment being arranged to hold the first rigid frame member in an undeployed state until triggering of the triggering mechanism causes the first rigid frame member to rotate about an axis of the rotatable attachment, thereby placing the system in a deployed state; and

a controller that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify an oblique impact, and, upon identifying the oblique impact, to cause the triggering of the triggering mechanism.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the rotatable attachment comprises one of:

a pretensioner that includes a piston, a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, and a cable connecting the piston to the shaft, wherein the triggering mechanism is an ignitable charge that, when ignited, moves the piston, thereby extending the cable and rotating the shaft; and

an electric motor having a shaft connected to the first rigid frame member, wherein the triggering includes causing the electric motor to rotate the shaft.