Vehicle including inflatable assembly supported by seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625704-B2
Application number	US-201815864686-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2018
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seatback including a left lateral panel and a right lateral panel opposite the left lateral panel, a left airbag inflatable from the left lateral panel to an inflated position, a right airbag inflatable from the right lateral panel to an inflated position, and a tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel. The tether is connected to the airbags.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
a seatback including a left lateral panel and a right lateral panel opposite the left lateral panel;
an upper left airbag inflatable from the left lateral panel to an inflated position;
an upper right airbag inflatable from the right lateral panel to an inflated position;
a tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel, the tether connected to the upper left and right airbags;
a lower left airbag inflatable from the left lateral panel and disposed below the upper left airbag; and
a lower right airbag inflatable from the right lateral panel and disposed below the upper right airbag.

2. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is attached to the left lateral panel below the upper left airbag and to the right lateral panel below the upper right airbag.

3. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seatback includes a front panel extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel, and the tether extends across the front panel when the upper left airbag and the upper right airbag are in the inflated position.

4. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper left airbag and the lower left airbag are sewn together, and the upper right airbag and the lower right airbag are sewn together.

5. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is connected to the lower left airbag and the lower right airbag.

6. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seatback includes a top section, the vehicle seat assembly further comprising a top airbag inflatable from the top section forward relative to the seatback.

7. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 6 , wherein the tether is connected to the top airbag.

8. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 7 , wherein the top airbag is inflatable to an inflated position, the vehicle seat assembly further comprising a front airbag inflatable downward from the top airbag when the top airbag is in the inflated position.

9. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 8 , wherein the top airbag is fluidly connected to the front airbag.

10. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a container connected to one of the top airbag and the tether, wherein the front airbag is inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position, and the front airbag in the uninflated position is disposed in the container.

11. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 8 , wherein the tether is a first tether, the vehicle seat assembly further comprising a second tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel.

12. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a hook fixed relative to the seatback, wherein the second tether is movable from an undeployed position to a deployed position, and the second tether in the deployed position is engaged with the hook.

13. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first tether and the second tether are inflatable.

14. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 13 , further comprising stitching connecting the first and second tether, the stitching frangible as a result of inflation of the top airbag.

15. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a front-airbag inflator fluidly connected to the front airbag, at least one lateral-airbag inflator fluidly connected to the upper left airbag and the upper right airbag, and a controller communicatively coupled to the front-airbag inflator and the at least one lateral-airbag inflator, wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the front-airbag inflator to inflate after instructing the at least one lateral-airbag inflator to inflate.

16. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is inflatable.

17. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 , wherein the left lateral panel and the right lateral panel each include a seam extending along the tether and frangible from inflation of the tether.

18. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a seat bottom coupled to the seatback, and a rotational mechanism coupled to the seat bottom and connectable to a floor, the rotational mechanism rotatable about an axis transverse to the floor.

19. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
a seatback including a left lateral panel, a right lateral panel opposite the left lateral panel, and a top section;
a left airbag inflatable from the left lateral panel to an inflated position;
a right airbag inflatable from the right lateral panel to an inflated position;
a top airbag inflatable from the top section forward relative to the seatback to an inflated position;
a first tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel, the first tether connected to the left and right airbags and to the top airbag;
a front airbag inflatable downward from the top airbag when the top airbag is in the inflated position; and
a second tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel.

20. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
a seatback including a left lateral panel, a right lateral panel opposite the left lateral panel, and a top section;
a left airbag inflatable from the left lateral panel to an inflated position;
a right airbag inflatable from the right lateral panel to an inflated position;
a top airbag inflatable from the top section forward relative to the seatback to an inflated position;
a tether extending from the left lateral panel to the right lateral panel, the tether connected to the left and right airbags and to the top airbag;
a front airbag inflatable downward from the top airbag when the top airbag is in the inflated position;
a front-airbag inflator fluidly connected to the front airbag;
at least one lateral-airbag inflator fluidly connected to the left airbag and the right airbag; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the front-airbag inflator and the at least one lateral-airbag inflator, wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the front-airbag inflator to inflate after instructing the at least one lateral-airbag inflator to inflate.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dry Alan George
• Spahn Brian Robert
• Line Johnathan Andrew
• Yilma Benjamin
• Berry S M Akbar

Classifications

• B60R2021/23386

  External tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/013

  including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over · CPC title

• B60R2021/23107

  the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system · CPC title

• B60R21/207

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60R21/232 Primary

  Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge · CPC title