Vehicle seat

• US 9,573,554 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagasawa, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US14/502,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 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 2/4249 fixed structures, i.e. where neither the seat nor a part thereof are displaced during a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42709 involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7094 Upholstery springs
• 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 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

A plurality of elastic support members extends across a seat back frame that forms a skeleton of a seat back of the vehicle seat. A seat pad is disposed on the front sides of the elastic support members. An airbag is disposed between the elastic support members and a back portion of a covering in a deflated state. After having deployed, the airbag has such a shape that a deployment amount, in a front-back direction, of the airbag near a side of the seat back is greater than that near a center of the seat back. In a collision or the like, the airbag deploys in the seat back in such a way that, after having deployed, the airbag elastically supports an upper body of an occupant and elastically receives an impact force applied to a back surface of the seat back.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a seat back covered with a covering;

a seat back frame disposed in the seat back;

an airbag that is disposed in the seat back between a reaction-force-receiving member and a back portion of the covering, and that deploys in the seat back between the reaction-force-receiving member and the back portion of the covering; and

the reaction-force-receiving member that is disposed in back of a seat pad and is disposed in front of the air bag, the reaction-force-receiving member being configured to be deformed, in a forward direction of a vehicle, to protrude into an area that is occupied by the seat pad before the air bag deploys, and the reaction-force-receiving member controls a deployment direction of the airbag by receiving a reaction force generated when the airbag deploys such that, in the forward direction of the vehicle, a width of the seat pad decreases after the air bag is deployed,

wherein the airbag deploys in the seat back in such a way that, after having deployed, the airbag elastically supports an upper body of an occupant and elastically receives an impact force applied to a back surface of the seat back by a body of a seated person on a rear seat, and

wherein the reaction-force-receiving member comprises an elastic support member that is disposed across the seat back frame.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is disposed between the elastic support member and the back surface of the seat back.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is disposed between the elastic support member and the seat pad that is disposed in front of the elastic support member.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the airbag is disposed between a lumbar support and the seat pad, the lumbar support being suspended in the seat back frame.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the reaction-force-receiving member is a floating member that is floatingly supported in the seat back frame via a tensile member fixed to the seat back frame.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the floating member is floatingly supported by a plurality of the tensile members that cross each other between frames of the seat back frame, the frames facing each other, and

wherein the airbag is supported by the floating member at a position between the floating member and crossing portions of the plurality of tensile members.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat back comprises an elastic material such that the back surface of the seat back is configured to protrude backward away from the occupant after the airbag is deployed.