Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-04
2001-03-13
Mar, Michael (Department: 3106)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S729000, C701S045000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199901
ABSTRACT:
The contents of Application No. TOKUGANHEI 10-24710 filed on Feb. 5, 1998 in Japan on which the content and the priority of this application are based, is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus having air bag units for both of a driver seat and a front passenger seat of an automobile.
An art relating to the present invention is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-548.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The air bag apparatus disclosed in the Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-548 is provided with an inflator for generating a unfolding (viz, inflating) output in a two-stage manner. In the inflator a second stage ignition is effected when a predetermined time has elapsed after a first stage ignition.
In the above air bag apparatus, however, a time of the second stage ignition is set regardless of the position of a passenger on a seat. Therefore, it has been difficult to simultaneously achieve secure restraint of both a driver and a passenger on a driver seat and a front passenger seat and reduction in pressures acting on the driver and the passenger from air bags corresponding to the driver seat and the front passenger seat.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an air bag apparatus wherein the pressures acting on the driver and the passenger on the driver seat and the front passenger seat are reduced regardless of their positions.
In order to achieve the above object, an air bag apparatus according to the present invention comprises a driver seat air bag unit disposed ahead of a driver seat and having a driver seat air bag unfolded or inflated in a two-stage manner; a passenger seat air bag unit disposed ahead of a front passenger seat and having a passenger seat air bag unfolded or inflated in a two-stage manner; a detector detecting a sitting position of a driver on the driver seat; a detector detecting a sitting position of a passenger on the front passenger seat; and a control unit for controlling second unfolding initiations of the air bags respectively in accordance with the sitting positions detected by the detectors.
In the above configuration, one of the detectors detects the sitting position of the driver and the other of the detectors detects the sitting position of the passenger seat. The control unit controls the second stage unfolding starting times of the air bags respectively in accordance with the sitting positions of the driver and the passenger.
Accordingly, the second stage unfolding operations of the air bags start at optimal times corresponding to the sitting positions. As a result, secure restraints of the drover and the passenger and reduction in pressures acting on the drover and the passenger from the air bags can be achieved simultaneously on both the driver seat and front passenger seat.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4243248 (1981-01-01), Scholz et al.
patent: 5074583 (1991-12-01), Fujita et al.
patent: 5174599 (1992-12-01), Hull et al.
patent: 5330226 (1994-07-01), Gentry et al.
patent: 5400487 (1995-03-01), Gioutsos et al.
patent: 5411289 (1995-05-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5770997 (1998-06-01), Kleinberg et al.
patent: 5796177 (1998-08-01), Werbelow et al.
patent: 0 382 552 (1990-08-01), None
patent: 3-548 (1991-01-01), None
Foley & Lardner
Jasmin Lynda
Mar Michael
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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