Airbag unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017267205-A1
Application number	US-201615387358-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Sep 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An airbag unit includes a seat, a pair of side airbags, a seat state detector, and an airbag deployment controller. The seat is reversely rotatable in a front-rear direction of a vehicle. The pair of side airbags are expansive and deployable, and incorporated in the seat on respective sides of the seat in a width direction of the vehicle. The seat state detector detects a rearward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is rearward-oriented in the front-rear direction. The airbag deployment controller performs a deployment control of the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects the rearward-oriented state of the seat. The airbag deployment controller performs the deployment control in a reverse sequence from a deployment control in a frontward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is frontward-oriented in the front-rear direction.

First claim

1 . An airbag unit, comprising:
at least one seat that is to be disposed in a vehicle, and capable of shifting between a first state being a state in which the seat is frontward-oriented in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a second state being a state in which the seat is rearward-oriented in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; a pair of side airbags that are expandable and deployable, and disposed in the seat on respective sides of the seat in a width direction of the vehicle; a seat state detector that detects whether the seat is in the first state or the second state; and an airbag deployment controller that performs a first deployment control to the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects that the seat is in the first state, and performs a second deployment control to the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects that the seat is in the second state, the second deployment control being in a reverse sequence from the fits deployment control.

2 . The airbag unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the pair of side airbags are disposed substantially in bilateral symmetry with respect to a center line in the width direction of the vehicle.

3 . The airbag unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the pair of side airbags are expandable and deployable so as to be identical in shape with each other.

4 . The airbag unit according to claim 1 , wherein
a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.

5 . The airbag unit according to claim 2 , wherein
a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.

6 . The airbag unit according to claim 3 , wherein
a distance from a center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the first state to an inner surface of a side wall of the vehicle is equal to a distance from the center of the seat in the width direction of the seat in the second state to the inner surface of the side wall of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Numazawa Koji

Classifications

• B60R21/207

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60R21/01554 Primary

  Seat position sensors · CPC title

• B60R2021/0006

  Lateral collision · CPC title

• B60R21/23138 Primary

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

• B60R2021/23146

  seat mounted · CPC title