Airbag system for vehicle

• US 9,862,346 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Choi, Jun Yeol
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/045,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20170129442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

An airbag system for a vehicle is provided that prevents a passenger seated in each seat from being struck and injured by a roof airbag when the roof airbag is deployed in the event of vehicle collision. In addition, the airbag system for a vehicle secures safety by effectively protecting the passenger using the roof airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag system for a vehicle, comprising:

a surrounding vehicle detection sensor configured to sense a surrounding vehicle and detect driving information regarding the surrounding vehicle;

a passenger detection sensor configured to detect whether a passenger or baggage is present in at least one of front seats and rear seats;

an impact detection sensor configured to detect an impact applied to the vehicle comprising the airbag system;

a seat adjustment device configured to detect and adjust positions of each of the front seats and the rear seats;

a center airbag mounted to a roof between the front and rear seats; and

a controller configured to operate the seat adjustment device to dispose each of the front and rear seats at a predetermined set position when the controller predicts that the vehicle collides based on a signal detected by the surrounding vehicle detection sensor and determines that the passenger or baggage is present in at least one of the rear seats using the passenger detection sensor, and configured to transmit a signal to the center airbag to deploy the center airbag when the controller determines that the impact is applied to the vehicle using the impact detection sensor,

wherein the predetermined set position is an initial seat design position at which full deployment of the center airbag is not interrupted by any one of the front seats when the center airbag is deployed.

2. The airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to detect the position of the front seats using the seat adjustment device when the vehicle is predicted to collide and the passenger or baggage is located in the at least one of the rear seats, and operate the seat adjustment device to move the front seats to the predetermined set position when the front seats are not located at the predetermined set position.

3. The airbag system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to decrease a deployment time of the center airbag when the front seats are located in front of the predetermined set position, and delay the deployment time of the center airbag when the front seats are located behind the predetermined set position.

4. The airbag system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to pre-store a limit position of the front seats, and transmit a signal to the center airbag to prevent the center airbag from deploying when the front seats are located behind the limit position.

5. The airbag system according to claim 1, wherein:

the seat adjustment device is configured to detect an angle of each seat back of the front and rear seats to adjust a position of the seat back; and

when the vehicle is predicted to collide and the passenger or baggage is located in the at least one of the rear seats, the controller is configured to operate the seat adjustment device to adjust the seat back of each of the front seats to a predetermined reference angle.

6. The airbag system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined reference angle is an initial design angle at which the center airbag does not interfere with the seat back of each of the front seats when the center airbag is deployed.

7. The airbag system according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to decrease a deployment time of the center airbag when the seat back of each of the front seats is inclined forward at an angle greater than the predetermined reference angle, and delay the deployment time of the center airbag when the seat back of each of the front seats is inclined rearward at an angle greater than the predetermined reference angle.

8. The airbag system according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to pre-store a limit angle of the seat back of each of the front seats, and transmit a signal to the center airbag to prevent the center airbag from deploying when the seat back of each of the front seats is inclined rearward at an angle greater than the limit angle.

9. The airbag system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pre-tensioning device configured to pull each safety belt of the front and rear seats in response to a signal received from the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to transmit an operational signal to the pre-tensioning device to cause the safety belt to be pulled when the vehicle is predicted to collide.

10. The airbag system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a warning notification device configured to provide a collision warning in response to a signal received from the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to provide a notification to the passenger of a warning message using the warning notification device when the vehicle is predicted to collide.

11. The airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the center airbag is located adjacent to a rear of a seat back of each of the front seats in a state in which the front seats are located at the set position when the center airbag is deployed.

12. The airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the seat adjustment device to move the rear seats rearward when the vehicle is predicted to collide.