AIRBAG UNIT

• US 20170267205A1
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: NUMAZAWA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 10,252,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/143 taking a position opposite to the original one
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/022 the seat or seat part turning about or moving along a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01211 Expansion of air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• 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 21/01554 Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence

Abstract

An airbag unit includes a seat, a pair of side airbags, a seat state detector, and an airbag deployment controller. The seat is reversely rotatable in a front-rear direction of a vehicle. The pair of side airbags are expansive and deployable, and incorporated in the seat on respective sides of the seat in a width direction of the vehicle. The seat state detector detects a rearward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is rearward-oriented in the front-rear direction. The airbag deployment controller performs a deployment control of the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects the rearward-oriented state of the seat. The airbag deployment controller performs the deployment control in a reverse sequence from a deployment control in a frontward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is frontward-oriented in the front-rear direction.

Claims

1. An airbag unit, comprising:

at least one seat that is to be disposed in a vehicle, and capable of shifting between a first state being a state in which the seat is frontward-oriented in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a second state being a state in which the seat is rearward-oriented in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;

a pair of side airbags that are expandable and deployable, and disposed in the seat on respective sides of the seat in a width direction of the vehicle;

a seat state detector that detects whether the seat is in the first state or the second state; and

an airbag deployment controller that performs a first deployment control to the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects that the seat is in the first state, and performs a second deployment control to the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects that the seat is in the second state, the second deployment control being in a reverse sequence from the fits deployment control.

2. The airbag unit according to claim 1, wherein

the pair of side airbags are disposed substantially in bilateral symmetry with respect to a center line in the width direction of the vehicle.

3. The airbag unit according to claim 2, wherein

the pair of side airbags are expandable and deployable so as to be identical in shape with each other.

4. The airbag unit according to claim 1, wherein

a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.

5. The airbag unit according to claim 2, wherein

a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.

6. The airbag unit according to claim 3, wherein

a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.