Vehicle seat airbag system and vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919671-B2
Application number	US-201615181885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Oct 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle seat airbag system includes an airbag which is caused by a vehicle seat airbag system to inflate and develop within a seat back. The airbag is disposed between a seat pad and a rear board provided in a rear of the seat back. Inflation and development of the airbag in the seat back allows the airbag to elastically support an upper body of a seated person, and causes the rear board to be pushed rearwardly to allow the airbag to elastically receive an impact force which is applied to the rear board.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat airbag system, comprising:
an airbag which is caused by a vehicle seat airbag system to inflate and develop within a seat back,
wherein the airbag is disposed between a seat pad and a rear board provided in a rear of the seat back,
wherein inflatable and developable airbag is supported by the rear board from a rear part side, and inflates and develops two-dimensionally within a rear board range such that a uniform pressure is applied for an upper body of a seated person on a front seat, and
wherein inflation and development of the airbag in the seat back is configured to allow the airbag to elastically support the upper body of the seated person on the front seat, and causes the rear board to be pushed rearwardly to allow the airbag to elastically receive an impact force which is applied to the rear board.

2. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein the rear board is supported on the rear of the seat back swingably in a direction away from the rear of the seat back.

3. The vehicle seat airbag system according td claim 1 , wherein the rear board is removed from the rear of the seat back by pushing.

4. The vehicle seat airbag system according claim 1 , wherein the rear board is removably fixed to the rear of the seat back and includes:
a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision to a vehicle; and
a fixing release mechanism that releases fixing based on information of collision occurrence which is predicted by the collision prediction unit.

5. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein an outer layer is interposed between the airbag and the rear board, the outer layer being caused by the inflated and developed airbag to expand rearwardly, and the outer layer being provided with the rear board.

6. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein the rear board includes a fragile part.

7. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and
a collision detection unit that detects a collision to a vehicle,
wherein the control unit causes the airbag to inflate and develop after a predetermined time delay since the collision detection unit detects a collision.

8. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit that controls the inflation and development of the airbag; and
a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision to a vehicle,
wherein the control unit starts to cause the airbag to inflate and develop at a time which is determined based on a time of collision occurrence predicted by the collision prediction unit.

9. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein the airbag inflates and develops in multiple steps within the seat back.

10. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the airbag is inflated, a bottom portion of the rear board departs from a lower portion of the seat back in a direction away from the rear of the seat back.

11. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the airbag is inflated, a bottom portion of the rear board completely spaces apart from a lower portion of the seat back in a direction away from the rear of the seat back.

12. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the airbag is inflated, an upper portion of the rear board remains attached to the rear of the seat back.

13. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the airbag is inflated, an upper portion of the rear board rotates away from an upper portion of the rear of the seat back, while the upper portion of the seat pad remains attached to the rear of the seat back.

14. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the airbag is inflated, an uppermost portion of the rear board remains attached to the rear of the seat back.

15. The vehicle seat airbag system according to claim 1 , wherein the rear board is arranged such that, after the airbag is inflated, at least a bottom portion of the rear board detaches from the rear of the seat back.

Assignees

• Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd
• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Nagasawa Isamu
• Kamata Yoshihiro

Classifications

• B60N2/4221

  due to impact coming from the front · CPC title

• B60R2021/0051

  Knees · CPC title

• B60R2021/01231

  control of expansion timing or sequence · CPC title

• B60R21/0134

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

• B60R2021/23169

  specially adapted for knee protection · CPC title