Inflatable vehicle occupant positioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018201213-A1
Application number	US-201715440042-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2017
Publication date	Jul 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle occupant positioning system includes at least one inflatable bladder structured and positioned so as to urge a portion of the body of the vehicle occupant in a predetermined direction when the bladder is inflated.

First claim

1 . A vehicle occupant positioning system comprising at least one inflatable bladder arranged to urge a portion of a body of a vehicle occupant into an optimal deployment zone for a vehicle airbag when the at least on inflatable bladder is inflated.

2 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressurized fluid source in operative communication with the at least one inflatable bladder, the pressurized fluid source being arranged to provide inflation fluid to inflate the at least one inflatable bladder.

3 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one sensor configured to detect a location of a portion of a body of a vehicle occupant; and a computing system in operative communication with the at least one sensor and the pressurized fluid source, the computing system being configured to operate the pressurized fluid source to inflate the at least one inflatable bladder responsive to the location of the portion of the body detected by the at least one sensor.

4 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the body of the vehicle occupant the at least one sensor is configured to detect is a head of the occupant.

5 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the body of the vehicle occupant the at least one sensor is configured to detect is a torso of the vehicle occupant.

6 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the body which the at least one inflatable bladder is arranged to urge into an optimal deployment zone for a vehicle airbag is different from the portion of the body which the at least one sensor is configured to detect a location thereof.

7 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the computing system is configured to operate the pressurized fluid source to inflate the at least one bladder prior to deployment of a vehicle airbag.

8 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the computing system is configured to operate the pressurized fluid source to inflate the at least one inflatable bladder responsive to a signal received from a pre-collision sensor.

9 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle seat, and wherein the at least one inflatable bladder is incorporated into the vehicle seat.

10 . (canceled)

11 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one inflatable bladder is arranged to contact a portion of a torso of the vehicle occupant to urge the torso to rotate so that the vehicle occupant is in a forward-facing orientation for deployment of the vehicle airbag.

12 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one inflatable bladder is arranged to press upwardly on knees of the vehicle occupant when the bladder is inflated, to urge a torso of the body of the vehicle occupant into an optimal deployment zone for a vehicle airbag.

13 . A vehicle seat comprising at least one inflatable bladder arranged to urge a portion of a body of an occupant of the vehicle seat into an optimal deployment zone for a vehicle airbag.

14 . The vehicle seat of claim 13 , wherein the at least one inflatable bladder is positioned in a seat bottom.

15 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 3 , wherein the computing system is configured to set a flag indicating that the at least one inflatable bladder is to be inflated prior to deployment of an associated vehicle airbag, responsive to a determination that the portion of the body of the vehicle occupant lies outside the optimal deployment zone of for the associated vehicle airbag.

16 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle occupant positioning system is configurable to be operable whenever the vehicle is occupied.

17 . (canceled)

18 . The vehicle seat of claim 14 , wherein the at least one inflatable bladder is arranged to press upwardly on both knees of the vehicle occupant simultaneously when the bladder is inflated, to urge a torso of the body of the vehicle occupant into an optimal deployment zone for a vehicle airbag.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The vehicle seat of claim 13 , wherein the at least one inflatable bladder comprises a first inflatable bladder positioned along a first side portion of the seat back, and a second inflatable bladder positioned along a second side portion of the seat back opposite the first side portion of the seat back.

21 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle occupant positioning system is configurable to be operable when the vehicle is turned off.

22 . The vehicle occupant positioning system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle occupant positioning system is configurable to be operable when the vehicle is stationary.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Gandhi Umesh N
• Prokhorov Danil V

Classifications

• B60R21/0134 Primary

  responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle {, e.g. using radar systems} · CPC title

• B60R2021/01211

  Expansion of air bags · CPC title

• B60R2021/0102

  the monitored value being used for calculating occupant displacement · CPC title

• B60R21/207

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60N2/0276

  reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash · CPC title