Inflatable pet enclosure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713014-B1
Application number	US-202217747355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 18, 2022
Priority date	May 18, 2022
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

An assembly for a vehicle includes a seat having a seatback and a seat bottom. The seat bottom has a front end spaced from the seatback. The assembly includes a front airbag elongated along the front end of the seat bottom. A first side airbag is elongated in a direction from the seatback to the front end. A second side airbag is elongated in a direction from the seatback to the front end. The second side airbag is spaced cross-seat from the first side airbag. The assembly includes a controller. The controller is programmed to inflate the first side airbag and the second side airbag in response to at least detection of a vehicle impact. The controller is programmed to selectively inflate the front airbag in response to at least detection of the vehicle impact and detection of a non-human animal occupant on the seat.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
a seat having a seatback and a seat bottom, the seat bottom having a front end spaced from the seatback;
a front airbag elongated along the front end of the seat bottom;
a first side airbag elongated in a direction from the seatback to the front end;
a second side airbag elongated in a direction from the seatback to the front end, the second side airbag being spaced cross-seat from the first side airbag; and
a controller programmed to:
inflate the first side airbag and the second side airbag in response to at least detection of a vehicle impact; and
selectively inflate the front airbag in response to at least detection of the vehicle impact and detection of a non-human animal occupant on the seat.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to inflate the first side airbag and the second side airbag in response to the occupant being a human occupant.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seatback includes a top, the front airbag in the inflated position extending upwardly from the seat bottom to the top of the seatback.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seat includes a first bolster and a second bolster, the first side airbag abutting the first bolster in the inflated position and the second side airbag abutting the second bolster in the inflated position.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a tether having a first end connected to the front airbag and a second end connected to the seatback.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a retractor assembly supported on the seatback, the second end connected to the retractor assembly.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the retractor assembly includes a guide roller supported on the seatback and a pyrotechnic actuator supported on the seatback.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the guide roller is operatively engaged with the first tether when the pyrotechnic actuator retracts the first tether.

9. The assembly of claim 5 , where in the seat bottom includes a tear seam, the tether being positioned under the tear seam in the uninflated position.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , where the seat includes a first tether, an occupant seating area having a first side and a second side, the first tether being disposed adjacent the first side or the second side.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front airbag includes a first end and a second end, a tether assembly including a first tether and a second tether, the first tether being connected to the first end and the second tether being connected to the second end.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an occupant type sensor, the occupant type sensor detecting whether the occupant of the seat is a non-human animal occupant or a human occupant.

13. An assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a seat having a seat bottom, the seat bottom having a first section and a second section;
a first airbag assembly supported on the first section of the seat bottom and a second airbag assembly supported on the second section of the seat bottom, the first airbag assembly and the second airbag assembly inflatable to an inflated position; and
a controller programmed to inflate the first airbag assembly or the second airbag assembly in response to a detected vehicle impact and detected occupancy of a non-human animal occupant on the first section or the second section.

14. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first airbag assembly and the second airbag assembly inflate upwardly from the seat bottom to the inflated position.

15. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the controller is programmed to inflate the first airbag assembly and the second airbag assembly independently.

16. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first section is about 60% of the seat bottom and the second section is about 40% of the seat bottom.

17. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first airbag assembly and the second airbag assembly each include a front airbag, a first side airbag, and a second side airbag.

18. The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the controller is programmed to inflate the first side airbag and the second side airbag in response to at least detection of a vehicle impact; and selectively inflate the front airbag in response to at least detection of the vehicle impact and detection of a non-human animal occupant on the seat.

19. The assembly of claim 13 , further comprising an occupant type sensor, the occupant type sensor detecting whether the occupant of the seat is a non-human animal occupant or a human occupant.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Faruque Mohammad Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander
• Jaradi Dean M

Classifications

• B60R21/207 Primary

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60R21/01512

  Passenger detection systems · CPC title

• B60R21/2165

  characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening · CPC title

• B60R21/2338

  Tethers · CPC title

• B60R21/23138

  specially adapted for side protection (B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence) · CPC title