Vehicle occupant protection device

• US 9,919,673 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• 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): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US15/282,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/5808 comprising opening zones for airbags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• 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 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2074 in head rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/262 Elongated tubular diffusers, e.g. curtain-type

Abstract

A vehicle occupant protection device that includes: an airbag that is constructed as an integrated bag body that covers a head portion of a vehicle occupant and includes a forward-deploying portion, and a pair of left and right side-deploying portions which are connected to the forward-deploying portion and deploy in both left and right sides of the head portion, and that is housed in a folded state in an upper portion of a vehicle seat; an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag; and an airbag moving mechanism that causes the airbag to move from the upper portion of the vehicle seat over the head portion to the seat front side, so that a front end portion of the airbag is disposed further to the seat front side than a head top portion of the vehicle occupant who is seated in a normal state.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant protection device comprising:

an airbag that is inflated and deployed upon being supplied with gas, and that is constructed as an integrated bag body configured to cover a head portion of a vehicle occupant and includes a forward-deploying portion that is configured to deploy in an area that includes a front of the head portion, and a pair of left and right side-deploying portions which are connected to the forward-deploying portion and configured to deploy in an area that includes both left and right sides of the head portion, and that is housed in a folded state in an upper portion of a vehicle seat;

an inflator that is provided in an upper portion of the vehicle seat, and supplies gas to the airbag when a vehicle collision is detected; and

an airbag moving mechanism that, when it is determined that a vehicle collision is unavoidable, is configured to shift the airbag from the upper portion of the vehicle seat over the head portion to a seat front side before the airbag is deployed, so that a front end portion of the airbag is configured to be disposed further to the seat front side than a head top portion of the vehicle occupant who is seated in a normal state.

2. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein, after the airbag moving mechanism has moved the airbag to the seat front side, if it is determined that the vehicle collision has been avoided, the airbag moving mechanism moves the airbag back to the upper portion of the vehicle seat.

3. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, further comprising diffuser tubes that are disposed in parallel with the airbag and supply the gas generated by the inflator to the forward-deploying portion and the side-deploying portions, wherein,

when it is determined that a vehicle collision is unavoidable, the airbag moving mechanism causes the diffuser tubes to move to the seat front side together with the airbag.

4. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein the diffuser tubes are rigid.

5. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 4, wherein the diffuser tubes are formed from metal tubes.

6. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 3, wherein:

airbag moving mechanism includes a guide tube body, that is a circular tube-shaped component having one closed end, and whose longitudinal direction extends in the seat up-down direction;

the airbag is housed in a folded state inside this guide tube body together with the diffuser tubes; and

an aperture is formed in an upper end portion of the guide tube body in an upper portion of the vehicle seat, and a structure is created that enables the airbag and the diffuser tubes to move both upward and forwards through this aperture.

7. The vehicle occupant protection device according to claim 1, wherein a strap that, during an inflation and deployment of the airbag, restricts movement of the side-deploying portions towards the seat front is joined to the side-deploying portions.