Rear impact occupant protection apparatus

• US 5,694,320 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/476,882
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.055, 364/460, 364/461, 297/403, 297/408, 297/410, 297/216.12, 318/560, 318/568.1, 318/466, 318/467, 318/468, 318/469
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/853 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• 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: B60R 2021/2765 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/06 Systems determining the position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00

Abstract

A headrest and headrest positioning system reduces whiplash injuries from rear impacts by properly positioning the headrest behind the occupant'"'"'s head either continuously, or just prior to and in anticipation of, the vehicle impact and then properly supports both the head and neck. Sensors determine the location of the occupant'"'"'s head and motors move the headrest both up and down and forward and back as needed. In one implementation, the headrest is continuously adjusted to maintain a proper orientation of the headrest to the rear of the occupant'"'"'s head. In another implementation, an anticipatory crash, is used to predict that a rear impact is about to occur, in which event, the headrest is moved proximate to the occupant. A pre-inflated airbag within the headrest automatically distributes the pressure to evenly support both the head and neck.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle having a front, a rear and a passenger compartment, said passenger compartment having (i) a seat, said seat having a movable headrest, and (ii) an occupant sitting on said seat, said occupant having a head, apparatus for positioning said headrest adjacent said head in rear impacts comprising:

(a) anticipatory crash sensor means for producing an output signal when an object external from said vehicle is approaching the rear of said vehicle at a velocity above a design threshold velocity;

(b) means for moving said headrest from an initial position to a position proximate to said head;

(c) sensor means for determining the location of said head relative to said headrest;

(d) first processor means for determining the motion required of said headrest to place said headrest proximate to said head, said first processor means providing said motion determination to said headrest moving means upon receipt of said crash sensor output signal;

wherein, upon the determination of a pending rear impact between said object and said vehicle said output signal is produced, said headrest is then moved into a position adjacent to said head prior to the impact of said head with said headrest.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said head location sensor means comprises:

(a) transmitter means attached to said headrest for transmitting radiation to illuminate different portions of said head of said occupant;

(e) receiver means attached to said headrest for receiving a set of first signals representative of radiation reflected from said different portions of said head of said occupant, said receiver means providing a set of second signals representative of the distances from said headrest to the nearest illuminated portion of said head of said occupant;

(f) second processor means comprising computational means to determine the headrest vertical location corresponding to the nearest part of said head to said headrest from said set of second signals from said receiver means; and

(g) means for inputting said set of second signals into said second processor means.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said anticipatory crash sensor means comprises an ultrasonic transducer.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said anticipatory crash sensor means comprises an electromagnetic wave transducer.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said anticipatory crash sensor means comprises means for measuring the distance from said vehicle to the rear approaching object.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 1, the rear approaching object has a pattern, wherein said anticipatory crash sensor means comprises means for recognizing the pattern of the rear approaching object to thereby identify the rear approaching object.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6 wherein said pattern recognition means comprises a neural network.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 1 further comprising at least one sensor within said headrest for determining that said head is in contact with said headrest and wherein said first processor means causes said headrest to move to a contacting position with said head in the event said anticipatory crash sensor means produces said output signal.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said head location sensor means are structured and arranged to be operable in the presence of objects which obscure said head.

10. The invention in accordance with claim 9, wherein said head location sensor means comprise transmitter means for illuminating a selective portion of said occupant and said head-obscuring objects in the vicinity of said head, illumination sensor means for receiving illumination reflected from said occupant and said head-obscuring objects, said illumination sensor means providing a signal representative of the distance from said illumination sensor means to said illuminated portion of said occupant and said head-obscuring objects, means for changing the selective portion of said occupant and said head-obscuring objects which is illuminated by said illumination, and second processor means comprising an algorithm for sequentially operating said selective portion changing means so as to illuminate different portions of said occupant and said head-obscuring objects to thereby obtain a plurality of distance measurements from said illumination sensor means to the different portions of said occupant and pattern recognition means for determining the location of said head from said plurality of distance measurements from said illumination sensor means to the different portions of said occupant and said head-obscuring objects, wherein said second processor means, using said pattern recognition means, determines the location of said head.

11. The invention in accordance with claim 10, wherein said pattern recognition means comprises a neural network.

12. The invention in accordance with claim 10, wherein said head location sensor means are structured and arranged to determine the location of the approximate longitudinal location of the head from said headrest.

13. The invention in accordance with claim 10, wherein at least one airbag is mounted within said vehicle and said head location sensor means are structured and arranged to determine the location of said head also relative to said at least one airbag.

14. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said headrest comprises a frame attached to said seat, an airbag containing air in a pre-inflated condition, means for maintaining said bag in the pre-inflated condition prior to an impact of said headrest against said head, supporting structure attached to said frame containing said pre-inflated airbag and having means for constraining the motion of said pre-inflated airbag to a substantially fore and aft direction, and a cover substantially surrounding said pre-inflated airbag, said cover elastically deformable in response to pressures from said pre-inflated airbag, wherein when said head of said occupant is impacted by said headrest, air within said pre-inflated airbag flows substantially within said airbag to change the shape of said airbag so as to approximately conform to the head and neck of said occupant.

15. The invention in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a flow restriction in said airbag to permit the controlled flow of air out of said airbag during said impact of said headrest against said head to thereby dampen the impact of said head onto said headrest.

16. A method for positioning a headrest of a seat in a vehicle in anticipation of a rear impact into the vehicle, comprising the steps of:

determining the location of the head relative to the headrest,

determining the motion required of the headrest to place the headrest in a position proximate to the head,

producing an output signal when an object external of the vehicle is approaching the rear of the vehicle at a velocity above a design threshold velocity which is indicative of a pending rear impact between the object and the vehicle, and

moving the headrest to the position proximate to the head upon the production of the output signal.

17. In a motor vehicle having a passenger compartment, said passenger compartment having (i) a seat, said seat having a movable headrest, and (ii) an occupant sitting on said seat, said occupant having a head, apparatus for positioning said headrest to an occupant desired position corresponding to a particular occupant comprising:

(a) passive means for identifying said particular occupant without input from said particular occupant;

(b) motor means for moving said headrest from an initial position to a desired adjusted position;

(c) manual control means for controlling said motor means by said particular occupant to move said headrest to said adjusted position desired by said particular occupant;

(d) means for recording and storing said desired adjusted position of said headrest of said particular occupant in association with the identification of said particular occupant;

(e) automatic control means coupled to said passive identifying means and to said recording means for receiving a desired adjusted position for a particular occupant from said recording and storing means and controlling said motor means to move said headrest to said desired adjusted position for said particular occupant when said particular occupant subsequently occupies said seat and is identified by said passive identifying means and based on said identification, said desired adjusted position is accessed from said recording and storing means.

18. The invention in accordance with claim 17, said passive identifying means further comprising means for determining the location of the head of said occupant and wherein said desired adjusted position is substantially continuously maintained relative to said head of said occupant.

19. The invention in accordance with claim 17 wherein the movement of said headrest comprises at least one of a horizontal and a vertical movement.

20. A method for positioning a headrest of a seat in a vehicle to an occupant desired position, comprising the steps of:

recording and storing a desired adjusted position of the headrest for the occupant when the occupant initially occupies the seat in association with the identification of the occupant, said recording and storing step comprising the steps of passively identifying the occupant and moving the headrest from an initial position to a desired adjusted position for that occupant, and

automatically moving the headrest to the desired adjusted position for the occupant when the occupant subsequently occupies the seat, said moving step comprising the steps of passively identifying the occupant and accessing the recording and storing means to ascertain the desired adjusted position of the headrest for the identified occupant.