Occupant protection device

• US 9,533,651 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohno, Mitsuyoshi, Ishida, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gooden, Jr., Barry
• Application Number:
  US15/177,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20170015272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 208 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/427 Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/688 Particular seat belt attachment and guiding
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0032 Position of passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01034 Controlling a plurality of restraint devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01211 Expansion of air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01252 Devices other than bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01272 Belt tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0273 automatically movable to an operative position, e.g. in case of collision or impending collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2074 in head rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23115 with inflatable support compartments creating an internal suction volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23308 the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 : specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 : comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 : Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195

Abstract

An occupant protection device is provided including (1) an airbag that covers the head of the occupant, and that has (i) a front deployment section that is housed in a headrest, and that is deployed at a seat forward direction with respect to the head of a seated occupant, and (ii) a pair of left and right lateral deployment sections that are inflated and deployed at seat sides with respect to the head of the seated occupant, (2) a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the vehicle seat, and (3) a controller that uses the lifting mechanism to lower the vehicle seat to an airbag deployable height in cases in which a vehicle collision has been determined to be unavoidable and a height of the vehicle seat is higher than the airbag deployable height, and that inflates and deploys the airbag after lowering the vehicle seat.

Claims

1. An occupant protection device comprising:

an airbag that is configured to cover a head of an occupant, and that is configured as an integral bag body including (i) a front deployment section that is housed in a headrest of a vehicle seat, that is inflated and deployed on receipt of a supply of gas, and that is deployed at a seat forward direction with respect to the head of the occupant, and (ii) a pair of left and right lateral deployment sections that are connected to the front deployment section and that are inflated and deployed at seat sides with respect to the head of the occupant;

a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the vehicle seat; and

a controller that uses the lifting mechanism to lower the vehicle seat to an airbag deployable height in cases in which a vehicle collision has been determined to be unavoidable based on a signal from a collision prediction sensor and a height of the vehicle seat is higher than the airbag deployable height, and that inflates and deploys the airbag after lowering the vehicle seat.

2. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein the controller inflates and deploys the airbag without lowering the vehicle seat in cases in which a vehicle collision has been determined to be unavoidable based on a signal from the collision prediction sensor and the height of the vehicle seat is positioned at the airbag deployable height.

3. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the lifting mechanism includes a motor that raises and lowers the vehicle seat; and

the controller drives the motor to lower the vehicle seat to the airbag deployable height.

4. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein the controller increases tension in a belt that restrains the occupant after a vehicle collision has been predicted based on a signal from the collision prediction sensor.

5. The occupant protection device of claim 1, wherein:

the headrest is attached to a seatback so as to be capable of moving in a seat vertical direction; and

the controller inflates and deploys the airbag after lowering the vehicle seat to a lowermost step position and moving the headrest in the seat vertical direction with respect to the seatback.