Passenger protection device

• US 7,547,043 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kokeguchi, Akira, Tanaka, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman; Laura
• Application Number:
  US11/280,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20060125219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 738/623.91, 280/729, 280/730.1, 280/731, 280/732, 280/735, 280/736, 280/741, 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/801.1, 280/808, 701/45, 340/668, 297/216.1, 297/216.13, 297/464, 297/465
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2633 with a plurality of inflation levels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0155 sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01556 Child-seat detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence

Abstract

A passenger protection device may be configured with an airbag including a protection space portion region for alleviating restraint pressure at the time of restraining a passenger, so as to restrain the passenger, regardless of difference in physical build of the passenger on the vehicle seat at the time of expansion and inflation. A determination may be made regarding whether or not a directly seated object on the vehicle seat is a passenger or a child seat based on the tension information from a belt tension sensor. Depending on the outcome of the determination, performance of an airbag or an inflator may be controlled by a control device.

Claims

1. A passenger protection device for a vehicle, comprising:

an airbag configured to expand and inflate in a passenger protection region, wherein said airbag includes a recessed region that alleviates restraint pressure at a time of restraining a passenger at a middle region of the airbag when the airbag is expanding and inflating, so as to restrain said passenger regardless of a difference in physical build of the passenger on a vehicle seat;

an inflator for supplying gas for expansion and inflation of said airbag;

a seatbelt mounted to the vehicle seat;

a seatbelt sensor configured to detect tension information relating to a tension acting on said seatbelt without using a seat weight sensor; and

a control device configured to determine whether or not a directly seated object on the vehicle seat is a passenger or a child seat based on said tension information from said seatbelt sensor, wherein in the event that a determination is made that said directly seated object is a passenger the control device is configured to control said inflator in a first gas supplying mode such that the recessed region of said airbag expands and inflates with a restraining pressure that is alleviated in relation to said passenger, while in the event that a determination is made that said directly seated object is a child seat, the control device is configured to control said inflator in a second gas supplying mode so as to suppress effects of the restraining pressure of said airbag in relation to the passenger in the child seat;

wherein based on a transition over time of said tension information detected by said seatbelt sensor, said control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a passenger when the tension fluctuates over time, and on the other hand the control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a child seat when the tension stays generally constant over time.

2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein said inflator is a single-structure inflator capable of supplying gas at a single pressure;

and

wherein said control device is configured to control said inflator so as to supply gas at a single pressure to said airbag as said first gas supply mode in the event that the determination has been made that the directly seated object on the vehicle seat is a passenger, and on the other hand is configured to control said inflator so as to achieve a gas supply stopped state, wherein the supply of gas to said airbag is stopped, as said second gas supply mode in the event that the determination has been made that the directly seated object on the vehicle seat is a child seat.

3. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein in the event that the determination is made that said directly seated object is a child seat, said control device is configured to further determine an orientation of said child seat relative to the vehicle seat based on the tension information detected by said seatbelt sensor.

4. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein said airbag comprises a right airbag which expands and inflates at a right forward side of a passenger, a left airbag which expands and inflates at a left forward side of the passenger, and a space portion which opens toward the passenger at a center region between said right airbag and said left airbag at a time of expansion and inflation of the airbag, wherein said space portion is configured as said recessed region.

5. The passenger protection device according to claim 4, wherein said airbag is configured to restrict movement of the passenger in the left and right directions with the right airbag and the left airbag.

6. The passenger protection device according to claim 4, wherein said airbag is configured to receive a middle portion of the passenger in the recessed region of the airbag.

7. A passenger-protection-device-installed vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle seat; and

a passenger protection device that includes;

an airbag configured to expand and inflate in a passenger protection region,

wherein said airbag includes a recessed region that alleviates restraint pressure at a time of restraining a passenger at a middle region of the airbag when the airbag is expanding and inflating, so as to restrain said passenger regardless of a difference in physical build of the passenger on the vehicle seat;

an inflator for supplying gas for expansion and inflation of said airbag;

a seatbelt mounted to the vehicle seat;

a seatbelt sensor configured to detect tension information relating to a tension acting on said seatbelt without using a seat weight sensor; and

a control device configured to determine whether or not a directly seated object on the vehicle seat is a passenger or a child seat based on said tension information from said seatbelt sensor, wherein in the event that a determination is made that said directly seated object is a passenger the control device is configured to control said inflator in a first gas supplying mode such that the recessed region of said airbag expands and inflates with a restraining pressure that is alleviated in relation to said passenger, while in the event that a determination is made that said directly seated object is a child seat, the control device is configured to control said inflator in a second gas supplying mode so as to suppress effects of the restraining pressure of said airbag in relation to the passenger in the child seat;

wherein in the event that the determination is made that said directly seated object is a child seat, said control device is configured to further determine an orientation of said child seat relative to the vehicle seat based on the tension information detected by said seatbelt sensor;

wherein based on a transition over time of said tension information detected by said seatbelt sensor, said control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a passenger when the tension fluctuates over time, and on the other hand the control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a child seat when the tension stays generally constant over time.

8. A passenger protection device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle seat, comprising:

an airbag including a recessed region at a middle region of the inflated airbag;

a two operating mode inflator for supplying inflation gas for the airbag, wherein when operating in the first mode the inflator produces more inflation gas then when operating in the second mode;

a seatbelt and a seatbelt tension sensor, wherein the seatbelt tension sensor is configured to measure tension information relating to a tension acting on the seatbelt without using a seat weight sensor; and

a controller configured to determine, based on a signal from the seatbelt tension sensor, whether or not a passenger or a child seat is present in the vehicle seat; and

wherein if the controller determines that a child seat is present in the seat the control device controls the inflator to operate in the second mode;

wherein based on a transition over time of said tension information detected by said seatbelt sensor, said control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a passenger when the tension fluctuates over time, and on the other hand the control device is configured to determine that said directly seated object is a child seat when the tension stays generally constant over time.