Occupant protection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10202095-B2
Application number	US-201615355574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2016
Priority date	Jan 20, 2016
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

An occupant protection system including: a first airbag; and a second airbag, wherein the second airbag has a pair of lateral inflating portions which cover the entire head of the occupant from both sides in the vehicle width direction and an upper deploying portion which covers the head of the occupant from the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, the pair of lateral inflating portions and the upper deploying portion are each supported in back in the vehicle forward and rearward direction by the vehicle seat, and in the inflated and deployed state of the second airbag, vehicle vertical direction upper edge portions of the pair of lateral inflating portions and vehicle width direction side edge portions of the upper deploying portion are connected to each other from their rear end side to their front end side in the vehicle forward and rearward direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An occupant protection system comprising:
a first airbag housed in a section of a vehicle body in a vehicle cabin configured to be located in front of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat in the vehicle forward and rearward direction, the first airbag being configured to inflate and deploy in a deployed state in front of the occupant in the vehicle forward and rearward direction; and
a second airbag housed in a vehicle vertical direction upper portion of the vehicle seat, the second airbag being configured to inflate and deploy in a deployed state, the second airbag including:
a pair of lateral inflating portions configured to cover either side of a head of the occupant in a vehicle width direction when the second airbag is in the deployed state, and
an upper deploying portion configured to cover a top side of the head of the occupant in a vehicle vertical direction when the second airbag is in the deployed state,
wherein when the second airbag is in the deployed state:
the pair of lateral inflating portions and the upper deploying portion are each supported on a rear side in the vehicle forward and rearward direction by the vehicle seat,
vehicle vertical direction upper edge portions of the pair of lateral inflating portions and vehicle width direction side edge portions of the upper deploying portion are connected to each other from a respective rear end side to a respective front end side in the vehicle forward and rearward direction on the top side of the head of the occupant in the vehicle vertical direction, and
the second airbag is configured to form an unobstructed space between the first airbag and a headrest of the vehicle seat for the occupant seated on the vehicle seat.

2. The occupant protection system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second airbag further includes frame ducts having a pair of upper ducts which, in the deployed state of the second airbag, are configured to extend in the vehicle forward and rearward direction alongside each other in the vehicle width direction, in positions on the top side of the head of the occupant in the vehicle vertical direction and away from each other on either side of the head of the occupant in the vehicle width direction, and
the vehicle vertical direction upper edge portions of the pair of lateral inflating portions and the vehicle width direction side edge portions of the upper deploying portion are connected to each other, via the pair of upper ducts, from a rear end side of each one of the pair of lateral inflating portions to a front end side of each one of the pair of lateral inflating portions in the vehicle forward and rearward direction.

3. The occupant protection system according to claim 2 , wherein, in the deployed state of the second airbag, a front side of the second airbag is open, such that the head of the occupant may move forward in the vehicle forward and rearward direction.

4. The occupant protection system according to claim 2 , wherein the second airbag includes a front deploying portion connecting vehicle forward and rearward direction front ends of the pair of lateral inflating portions and configured to deploy without being inflated in front of the head of the occupant in the vehicle forward and rearward direction.

5. The occupant protection system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the frame ducts include a pair of front ducts configured to inflate and deploy downward in the vehicle vertical direction on the front side of the head of the occupant in the vehicle forward and rearward direction, and
both vehicle width direction ends of the front deploying portion interconnect, via the pair of front ducts, vehicle forward and rearward direction front ends of the pair of lateral inflating portions.

6. The occupant protection system according to claim 4 , wherein the front deploying portion includes a seeable structure that, when the second airbag is in the deployed state, the seeable structure is configured to be disposed in a section of the front deploying portion and is positioned directly in front of the head of the occupant such that the seeable structure allows the occupant to see the area on the front side of the front deploying portion.

7. The occupant protection system according to claim 2 , wherein the frame ducts include:
a gas introducing portion configured to introduce gas from an inflator into a vehicle width direction center portion of the second airbag, and
a fork portion configured to be forked by the gas introducing portion toward the pair of upper ducts when the gas introducing portion introduces gas from the inflator; and
wherein the second airbag has a folded up state, in the folded up state, the second airbag is housed in the upper portion of the vehicle seat and includes:
first folded portions within which the upper deploying portion, the pair of lateral inflating portions, and the pair of upper ducts folded up into an outer roll shape toward an opposite side of a side that is configured to cover the head of the occupant, and
second folded portions within which the first folded portions are folded up symmetrically in the vehicle width direction relative to the gas introducing portion such that respective widths of the first folded portions in the vehicle width direction are reduced.

8. The occupant protection system according to claim 2 , wherein the upper deploying portion includes a cross inflating portion configured to receive a supply of gas through the pair of upper ducts in order to become inflated and bridge the pair of upper ducts.

9. The occupant protection system according to claim 2 , wherein the upper deploying portion is a cloth connecting the pair of upper ducts when the upper deploying portion is deployed without being inflated.

10. The occupant protection system according to claim 1 , wherein the upper deploying portion includes an upper inflating portion configured to receive a supply of gas to become inflated and deployed above the head of the occupant.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohno Mitsuyoshi

Classifications

• B60R2021/2612

  Gas guiding means, e.g. ducts · CPC title

• B60R2021/23146

  seat mounted · CPC title

• B60R21/203

  in steering wheels or steering columns · CPC title

• B60R2021/0006

  Lateral collision · CPC title

• B60R2021/0048

  Head · CPC title