Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1998-06-03
2000-12-05
English, Peter C.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
2807302, B60R 2120, B60R 2122
Patent
active
061555932
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus for a seat of a vehicle for protecting a person (an occupant) who is sitting on a seat such that an air bag provided for a seat back is unfolded when a side collision of the vehicle has taken place.
BACKGROUND ART
Hitherto, a variety of air bag apparatuses have been suggested as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-50052 in order to prevent a direct shock which is generated between the side wall of a car body, for example, a door, which is deformed attributable to the impact load and a person who is sitting on a seat if a vehicle encounters a side collision.
In general, an air bag apparatus of the foregoing type has a panel-shape side bracket extending forwards and secured to a seat back frame disposed in an outer portion of a seat back in the widthwise direction of the vehicle. Moreover, an air bag module including an air bag body and an inflator is attached to the side bracket. If a collision of the vehicle takes place, gas generated by the inflator causes the air bag body to be unfolded forwards in front of the seat back so that the passenger is protected.
However, the above-mentioned conventional technology having the structure in which the side bracket, to which the air bag module is attached, is formed into a panel-like shape extending forwards has a risk that the cushioning characteristic of a side pad portion is inhibited because the rear surface of the side pad portion comes in contact with the front end of the side bracket if the side pad portion of the seat back is pressed rearwards by the back of the passenger. As a countermeasure against the above-mentioned problem, it might be considered feasible to shorten the length of the side bracket in the lengthwise direction. However, it leads to a fact that the rigidity of the attached air bag module deteriorates unintentionally.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, according to the present invention, there is provided an air bag apparatus for a seat of a vehicle with which the cushioning characteristic of a side pad portion is not inhibited and a comfortable sitting feeling can be obtained.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air bag apparatus for a seat of a vehicle comprising a side bracket disposed in the outer portion of a seat back in the widthwise direction of the vehicle and secured to a seat back frame and an air bag module attached to the side bracket, wherein the seat back has a side pad portion in the outer portion in the widthwise direction of the vehicle, the air bag module has an inflator for generating gas and an air bag body arranged to be unfolded in the forward direction by the gas generated by the inflator, and the air bag module is structured to allow deformation of the side pad portion depressed by a person who sits on the seat.
Since the air bag module of the above-mentioned structure is formed to permit deformation of the side pad portion pressed by a person who is sitting on the seat, the side pad portion cannot easily come in contact with the air bag module even if the side pad portion is strongly pressed in the rearward direction by the back of the person who is sitting on the seat. Therefore, the cushioning characteristic of the side pad portion is not inhibited by the air bag module and thus the person who is sitting on the seat is able to obtain comfort sitting feeling.
The side bracket may have a side panel disposed in the rear of the side pad portion and structured to extend in the lengthwise direction and a rear panel disposed in the inside portion of the side panel in the widthwise direction of the vehicle and structured to extend in the widthwise direction of the vehicle, and the inflator may be disposed adjacent to the rear panel of the side bracket.
Since the above-mentioned structure is formed such that the inflator is disposed adjacent to the rear panel in place of the disposition adjacent to the side panel in the rear of
REFERENCES:
patent: 5547214 (1996-08-01), Zimmerman, II et al.
patent: 5639111 (1997-06-01), Spencer et al.
patent: 5651582 (1997-07-01), Nakano
patent: 5845932 (1998-12-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 5944341 (1999-08-01), Kimura et al.
Kimura Masato
Sunabashiri Yukisada
English Peter C.
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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