Occupant protection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807183-B2
Application number	US-201917287808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2019
Priority date	Oct 23, 2018
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

An occupant protection apparatus includes: a vehicle seat arranged in an inner space of a side wall of a vehicle; a side airbag device provided in the side wall or the vehicle seat and including a side airbag to be inflated and deployed between the side wall and the vehicle seat. The vehicle seat includes: a pressure-receiving portion to receive a load from an occupant seated on the vehicle seat; and a frame to support the pressure-receiving portion. The occupant protection apparatus further comprising an electronic control circuit configured to perform moving the pressure-receiving portion so that the occupant is pushed away from the side wall before the occupant comes into contact with the side airbag at an activation time when the side airbag device is activated by an impact acting on the side wall from an outside of the vehicle and the side airbag is inflated and deployed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An occupant protection apparatus, comprising:
a vehicle seat arranged in an inner space of a side wall of a vehicle; and
a side airbag device provided in the side wall or the vehicle seat and including a side airbag to be inflated and deployed between the side wall and the vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat includes:
a pressure-receiving portion configured to receive a load from an occupant seated on the vehicle seat;
a frame configured to support the pressure-receiving portion; and
a seat back, wherein:
the occupant protection apparatus further comprises:
an electronic control circuit configured to perform moving the pressure-receiving portion so that the occupant is pushed away from the side wall before the occupant comes into contact with the side airbag at an activation time when the side airbag device is activated by an impact acting from an outside of the vehicle with respect to the side wall and the side airbag is inflated and deployed, and
the pressure-receiving portion is a pressure-receiving plate to support a back of the occupant through a pad of the seat back.

2. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure-receiving portion is provided so as to extend in a seat width direction of the vehicle seat, and
at least one of end portions of the pressure-receiving portion in the seat width direction is provided so as to be movable in at least one direction of a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction of the vehicle.

3. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a power source attached to an end portion in the seat width direction of the frame, wherein:
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving the pressure-receiving portion by a driving power of the power source at the activation time.

4. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving only one end portion in the seat width direction of the pressure-receiving portion by the driving power of the power source at the activation time.

5. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving a plurality of locations on at least one end portion in the seat width direction of the pressure-receiving portion by the driving power of the power source at the activation time.

6. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the frame includes a side frame vertically arranged on an end portion in the seat width direction,
the side airbag stored inside the side frame, and
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving the pressure-receiving portion by a pushing pressure of the side airbag inflated and deployed, at the activation time.

7. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure-receiving portion is provided so as to be movable in the seat width direction with respect to the frame, and
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving the pressure-receiving portion in the seat width direction, at the activation time.

8. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein:
the frame includes a side frame vertically arranged on an end portion in the seat width direction,
the pressure-receiving portion includes a protruding portion protruding outward in the seat width direction farther than the side frame, and
the electronic control circuit configured to perform:
the moving including moving the pressure-receiving portion in the seat width direction by a pushing pressure acting to the protruding portion from the side wall at a time when the side wall is modified inward due to an impact acting from an outside of the vehicle to the side wall.

9. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle seat includes:
a seat cushion configured to support a hip of the occupant;
a seat back vertically arranged from a rear end portion of the seat cushion and configured to support a back of the occupant;
an arm rest configured to support an arm portion of the occupant; and
a housing portion configured to house the side airbag device, wherein:
the side airbag device is provided behind the armrest and at an end portion in the seat width direction of the seat back,
the seat back includes bank portions protruding forward on both sides in the seat width direction,
the housing portion includes a fracture portion fracturing when the side airbag is inflated from the housing portion,
the fracture portion is formed in the up-down direction at a side end portion and a front end portion in the seat width direction, and
the side airbag is configured to be deployable to more forward than the protruding portion when being developed.

10. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an armrest device, wherein:
the armrest device includes:
an armrest configured to support an arm portion of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat,
a support mechanism configured to support the armrest to be able to move the armrest from a first position to a second position forward and upward the first position for the occupant; and
an actuator provided in the support mechanism and configured to move the armrest from the first position to the second position when it is predicted to act an impact to the vehicle.

11. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle seat is a vehicle seat of a self-driving vehicle having a self-driving function, and
the occupant protection apparatus further comprises an armrest configured to support an arm portion of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat, wherein:
the armrest is configured to be changeable, during the self-driving, between a first form in which a tip end portion of the armrest is in a more forward and more inside position in the seat width direction than an initial position before the self-driving and a second form in which the tip end portion of the armrest is located at a different position from the first form.

12. An occupant protection apparatus, comprising:
a vehicle seat arranged in an inner space of a side wall of a vehicle; and
a side airbag device provided in the side wall or the vehicle seat and including a side airbag to be inflated and deployed between the side wall and the vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat includes:
a pressure-receiving portion configured to receive a load from an occupant seated on the vehicle seat;
a frame configured to support the pressure-receiving portion; and
a seat back, wherein:
the occupant protection apparatus further comprises:
an electronic control circuit configured to perform moving the pressure-receiving portion so that the occupant is pushed away from the side wall before the occupant comes into contact with the side airbag at an activation time when the side airbag device is activated by an impact acting from an outside of the vehicle with respect to the side wall and the side airbag is inflated and deployed, and
the pressure-receiving portion is bank portions protruding on both sides of the seat back in a seat width direction.

13. The occupant protection apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein:
the pressure-receiving portion is provided so as to extend in a seat width direction of the vehicle seat, and
at least one of end portions of the pressure-receiving portion in the seat width direction is provided

Assignees

• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tanabe Jinichi
• Nonaka Tatsuki
• Endo Shoji
• Ito Takayoshi
• Shimizu Takahiro

Classifications

• B60R21/207 Primary

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60N2/763

  adjustable · CPC title

• B60R21/0132

  responsive to vehicle motion parameters {, e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value} · CPC title

• B60R21/01512

  Passenger detection systems · CPC title

• B60R21/23138

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