Vehicle safety device actuation arrangement

• US 3,874,695 A
• Filed: 07/31/1973
• Issued: 04/01/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akio Hosaka, Fumiyuki Abe, Kenzo Hirashima, Shigeo Fukuda, Shunji Matsui, Takashi Oka
• Original Assignee: Akio Hosaka, Fumiyuki Abe, Kenzo Hirashima, Shigeo Fukuda, Shunji Matsui, Takashi Oka
• Inventors: Abe, Fumiyuki, Oka, Takashi, Matsui, Shunji, Hirashima, Kenzo, Hosaka, Akio, Fukuda, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kocovsky, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US05/384,170
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01558 monitoring crash strength
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/276 with means to vent the inflation fluid source, e.g. in case of overpressure B60R21/30 takes precedence; venting means on inflatable member walls B60R21/239

Abstract

An inflatable confinement expansible to part or to full capacity depending upon the magnitude of a collision encountered by a motor vehicle. The limited or stepwise expansion of the inflatable confinement is achieved by the use of retarding means to actuate some of the gas-generating means for the inflatable confinement delayedly after the collision condition has been incipiently brought about.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety arrangement which comprises at least one inflatable confinement to be expanded to a protective position in response to one of an impact exerted on the vehicle anD a condition which is likely to lead to such an impact, first and second electrically-actuated, explosive-charged, gas-generating means each operative to direct gas under pressure into the at least one inflatable confinement when actuated, first and second switch means which are electrically connected in parallel to a power source and in series between said source and said first and second gas-generating means, respectively, and which are responsive to impacts of magnitudes above first and second predetermined levels, respectively, of which the former is lower than the latter, each of said first and second gas-generating means being actuated so as to direct the gas under pressure into the at least one inflatable confinement when the switch means connected therewith responds to an impact of a magnitude above the level which is predetermined therefor, and retarding means operatively connected with said second switch means and said second gas-generating means for causing the second gas-generating means to be actuated at a retarded timing after the first gasgenerating means has been actuated in response to the impact so that the inflatable confinement is expanded substantially immediately to part of its full capacity when the magnitude of the impact detected by the first and second switch means is above said first predetermined level and below the second predetermined level and stepwise to the full capacity of the confinement when said magnitude of the impact is above said second predetermined level and further comprising a third switch means which is electrically connected in parallel with said second switch means to the power source and in series between said source and the second gas-generating means and which is responsive to an impact of a magnitude larger thann a third predetermined level which is above said second predetermined level so that the inflatable confinement is expanded substantially immediately to its full capacity when the magnitude of the impact detected by the three switch means is above said third predetermined level.

2. A vehicle safety arrangement which comprises at least two, first and second, inflatable confinements to be expanded to respective protective positions by gas under pressure in response to one of an impact exerted on the vehicle and a condition which is likely to lead to such an impact, first and second electrically-actuated, explosive-charged, gas-generating means each of which is operative, when actuated, to direct gas under pressure into the first inflatable confinement, a third electrically-actuated, explosive-charged, gas-generating means which is operative to direct gas under pressure into the second inflatable confinement when actuated, a first switch means which is electrically connected in series between a power source and said first gas-generating means and which is responsive to an impact of a magnitude above a first predetermined level, second and third switch means which are electrically connected between said power source and said second and third gas-generating means and which are responsive to impacts of magnitudes which are above second and third predetermined levels wherein the second predetermined level is above the first predetermined level and the third predetermined level is above the second predetermined level, and retarding means operatively associated with the second switch means for causing the second gas-generating means to be actuated at a retarded timing when the second switch means responds to an impact of a magnitude above said second predetermined level, whereby the first inflatable confinement is expanded substantially immediately to part of its full capacity when the magnitude of the impact detected by the three switch means is above the first predetermined level and below the second predetermined level, the first inflatable confinement is expanded stepwise and the second inflatable confinement is expanded immediately to their respective full capacities when the magnitude of the impact is above tHe second predetermined level and below the third predetermined level, and the first and second inflatable confinements are expanded substantially immediately when the magnitude of the impact is above the third predetermined level.

3. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which each of said first, second and third switch means comprises an electrically conductive stationary member serving as a stationary electric contact, an electrically conductive mass member movable relative to said stationary member and serving as a movable electric contact, and biasing means for urging said mass member to be spaced apart from said stationary member, wherein the mass member of said second switch means is spaced apart from the associated stationary member by the biasing means a distance which is larger than a distance between the mass and stationary members of each of said first and third switch means so that said retarded timing is provided by the longer the mass member of said second switch means requires to contact said stationary member.

4. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which said retarding means comprises an electric delay circuit which is connected between said second switch means and said second and third gas-generating means.

5. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which each of said first, second and third gas-generating means includes an explosive charge and an electric blasting cap to fire the explosive charge when energized from said power source, wherein said retarding means comprises explosion delaying powder contained in the blasting cap of said second gas-generation means.

6. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which said second switch means is responsive to vehicle velocity and actuated in response to a vehicle velocity above a predetermined level.

7. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 2, in which said first inflatable confinement has its protective position allocated for a vehicle occupant other than a driver of the vehicle and said second inflatable confinement has its protective position allocated for the driver.

8. A vehicle safety arrangement which comprises at least two, first and second, inflatable confinements to be expanded to respective protective positions by gas under pressure in response to one of an impact exerted on the vehicle and a condition which is likely to lead to such an impact, first and second electrically-actuated, explosive-charged, gas-generating means each of which is operative, when actuated, to direct gas under pressure into the first inflatable confinement, a third electrically-actuated, explosive-charged, gas-generating means which is operative to direct gas under pressure into the second inflatable confinement when actuated, a first switch means which is electrically connected in series between a power source and in parallel connected said first and third gas-generating means and which is responsive to an impact of a magnitude above a first predetermined level, second and third switch means which are electrically connected in parallel to said power source and in series between said source and said second gas-generating means and which are responsive to impacts of magnitudes which are above second and third predetermined levels wherein the second predetermined level is above the first predetermined level and the third predetermined level is above the second predetermined level, and retarding means operatively connected with the second switch means for causing the second gas-generating means to be actuated at a retarded timing when the second switch means responds to an impact of a magnitude above said second predetermined level, whereby the second inflatable confinement is expanded substantially immediately to part of its full capacity when the magnitude of the impact detected by the three switch means is above the first predetermined level and below the second predetermined level, and the first inflatable confinement Is expanded stepwise and the second inflatable confinement is expanded immediately to their respective full capacities when the magnitude of the impact is above the second predetermined level and below the third predetermined level, and the first and second inflatable confinements are fully expanded substantially immediately when the magnitude of the impact is above the third predetermined level.

9. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 8, in which each of said first, second and third switch means comprises an electrically conductive stationary member serving as a stationary electric contact, an electrically conductive mass member movable relative to said stationary member and serving as a movable electric contact, and biasing means for urging said mass member to be spaced apert from said stationary member, wherein the mass member of said second switch means is spaced apart from the associated stationary member by the biasing means a distance which is larger than a distance between the mass and stationary members of each of said first and third switch means so that said retarded timing is provided by a longer time the mass member of said second switch means requires to contact said stationary member.

10. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 8, in which each of said first, second and third gas-generating means includes an explosive charge and an electric blasting cap to fire the explosive charge when energized from said power source, wherein said retarding means comprises explosion delaying powder contained in the blasting cap of said second gas-generation means.

11. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 8, in which said second switch means is responsive to vehicle velocity and actuated in response to a vehicle velocity above a predetermined level.

12. A vehicle safety arrangement as claimed in claim 8, in which said first inflatable confinement has its protective position allocated for a vehicle occupant other than a driver of the vehicle and said second inflatable confinement has its protective position allocated for the driver.