Vehicle seat airbag system and vehicle seat

• US 9,409,539 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kamata, Yoshihiro, Nagasawa, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US14/503,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/427 Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6009 covering more than only the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0032 Position of passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01231 control of expansion timing or sequence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• 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 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• 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 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

A vehicle seat airbag system includes an airbag which is caused by the vehicle seat airbag system to inflate and develop within a seat back. A plurality of elastic installation supporting members is provided within a seat back frame that forms the framework of the seat back of a seat for the vehicle. A seat pad is disposed on the front surface of each elastic installation supporting member. The airbag in a contracted state is disposed rearwardly of the elastic installation supporting members. All of these components are covered by an outer layer material in a bag shape. The airbag, which inflates and develops in the seat back due to a collision or the like, elastically supports the upper body of a seated person, and elastically receives an impact force which is applied to the rear of the seat back.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat airbag system, comprising

an airbag which is caused by the vehicle seat airbag system to inflate and develop within a seat back,

wherein the airbag is disposed between a seat pad and an outer layer of a rear of the seat back, and the inflation and development of the airbag in the seat back allows the airbag to elastically support an upper body of a seated person and to elastically receive an impact force which is applied to the rear of the seat back, and

wherein the rear of the seat back comprises an elastic material such that the seat back is configured to deform and protrude away from the seat pad after the airbag is inflated.

2. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the seat back includes a flexible member that covers a front of the inflated and developed airbag to allow the upper body of the seated person to be elastically supported, and the seat back further includes a flexible movable member that covers a back of the inflated and developed airbag to allow an impact force applied to the rear of the seat back to be elastically received.

3. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and

a collision detection unit that detects a collision to the vehicle,

wherein the control unit causes the airbag to inflate and develop after a predetermined time delay since the collision detection unit detects a collision.

4. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and

a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision to the vehicle,

wherein the control unit starts to cause the airbag to inflate and develop at a time which is determined based on a time of collision occurrence predicted by the collision prediction unit.

5. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the airbag inflates and develops in multiple steps within the seat back.

6. A vehicle seat airbag system, comprising an airbag which is caused by the vehicle seat airbag system to inflate and develop within a seat back,

wherein the airbag is disposed between a seat pad and an outer layer of a rear of the seat back, and the inflation and development of the airbag in the seat back causes the outer layer to expand rearwardly and allows the airbag to elastically support an upper body of a seated person and to elastically receive an impact force which is applied to the rear of the seat back, and

wherein the rear of the seat back comprises an elastic material such that the seat back is configured to deform and protrude away from the seat pad after the airbag is inflated.

7. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, wherein the outer layer includes an elastic portion in an area corresponding to the inflated and developed airbag.

8. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, wherein at least an area of the outer layer comprises a material having an elasticity different from an elasticity of the outer layer other than the area which corresponds to the inflated and developed airbag.

9. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, wherein the outer layer includes a gusset that enables rearward expansion of the airbag which is caused by the inflation and development of the airbag.

10. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, wherein the outer layer includes a breaking part that enables rearward expansion of the airbag which is caused by the inflation and development of the airbag.

11. The vehicle seat airbag system according claim 6, further comprising

a rear board that is disposed rearwardly of the outer layer along an expansion area of the outer layer.

12. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and

a collision detection unit that detects a collision to the vehicle,

wherein the control unit causes the airbag to inflate and develop after a predetermined time delay since the collision detection unit detects a collision.

13. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and

a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision to the vehicle,

wherein the control unit starts to cause the airbag to inflate and develop at a time which is determined based on a time of collision occurrence predicted by the collision prediction unit.

14. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 6, wherein the airbag inflates and develops in multiple steps within the seat back.