Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2001-09-18
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S735000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290257
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety system, and particularly to a safety system for protecting a vehicle occupant sitting on a seat of an automobile.
Related safety systems for an automobile are provided with an airbag apparatus at a center of a steering wheel, at an instrument panel in front of a front passenger seat, at an upper portion of a back of a seatback of a front seat or the like (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-268213 or Japanese Utility Model Application No. 3-50566). An airbag body of an airbag apparatus catches the body of a vehicle occupant moved forward due to a secondary collision in order to prevent him/her from being injured on a rapid acceleration/deceleration of an automobile such as in a case of a collision of an automobile.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, there is not any consideration about whether or not a vehicle occupant is in a proper sitting position where he/she has been applied with a seatbelt apparatus in the above related arts.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a safety system for an automobile which catches a vehicle occupant softly when a seatbelt apparatus is applied to the vehicle occupant and catches the occupant so as to reduce a secondary collision movement when the seatbelt apparatus has not been applied to the occupant.
In order to achieve the above object, a safety system of the present invention comprises a seatbelt apparatus for supporting a shoulder of a vehicle occupant; an airbag apparatus having an airbag body; and control means for controlling a sealing member. The airbag body is expanded by gas introduced into the airbag body and catches the occupant. The airbag body has first and second exhaust ports for exhausting the gas. The sealing member is disposed on the second exhaust port. The sealing member can be set to either one of a first state where the gas is prevented from being exhausted from the second exhaust port and a second state where the gas is allowed to be exhausted. The sealing member is ordinarily set to the first state. The seatbelt apparatus outputs a seatbelt apparatus application signal to the control means when the occupant has applied the seatbelt apparatus to the occupant. The control means sets the sealing member to the second state when the seatbelt apparatus application signal is received by the control means.
In the above configuration, when the seatbelt apparatus is being applied to the occupant, the occupant is rotated about the hip point of the occupant to be moved while the occupant is being supported by the seatbelt apparatus and strikes on the airbag body. In this state, impact energy acting on the airbag body is smaller than that in the state where the occupant is not being applied with the seatbelt apparatus. At this time, the control means receives the seatbelt apparatus application signal to set the sealing member to the second state, so that the second exhaust port of the airbag body is opened. Accordingly, when the internal pressure of the airbag body is increased by striking force of the occupant, gas is rapidly exhausted from not only the first exhaust port but also the second exhaust port, so that the airbag body becomes suitably deflated. In this way, the airbag body catches the occupant softly to absorb impact of the occupant.
Also, when the seatbelt apparatus is not applied to the occupant, movement of the occupant is not restricted, and means for protecting the body of the occupant is only the airbag apparatus. In this state, impact energy acting on the airbag body is larger than that in the state where the seatbelt apparatus is being applied to the occupant. At this time, the control means does not receive the seatbelt apparatus application signal and the sealing member is maintained in the first state, so that the second exhaust port of the airbag body is maintained in the closed state. Accordingly, when the internal pressure of the airbag body is increased by striking force of the occupant, the gas is exhausted from only the first exhaust port. In this way, a deflating amount of the airbag body which has been completely inflated is suppressed by a small amount, so that the airbag body catches the occupant such that a secondary collision movement of the occupant is suppressed to be in a small range, i.e. the occupant is maintained at a position where the occupant strikes on the airbag body.
Thus, according to the above configuration, as the airbag body catches the occupant appropriately depending upon whether or not the seatbelt apparatus is applied to the occupant, injury of the occupant is reduced as much as possible.
The sealing member may have a closing portion supported by the airbag body and closing the second exhaust port, and an engaging portion releasably engaging the closing portion and the control means with each other. The engaging portion in the first state is releasable from the control means and the engaging portion in the second state is maintained in an engaged state with the control means. When the engaging portion is in the first state and the airbag body inflates, the engaging portion is released from the control means and the closing portion is maintained in a state where the second exhaust port has been closed. When the engaging portion is in the second state and the airbag body inflates, the engaging portion is maintained in a state where it is engaged with the control means, and the closing portion is released from the second exhaust port to open the second exhaust port.
In the above configuration, when the control means detects the seatbelt apparatus application signal, the engaging portion is maintained in engagement with the control means. In this way, at a time of inflation of the airbag body, the closing portion supported by the airbag body is moved together with the airbag body and movement of the sealing member is restricted by the control means (the engaging portion). That is, the engaging portion serves to prevent inflation of the airbag body. When a balance of inflating force of the airbag body and preventing force of the engaging portion is lost, the closing portion is released from the second exhaust port, so that the second exhaust port is opened.
The control means may have receiving means for receiving the seatbelt apparatus application signal and a pawl engaging the engaging portion when the airbag body inflates in a state where the receiving means has received the seatbelt apparatus application signal.
In the above configuration, when the seatbelt apparatus is applied to the occupant, the pawl engages the engaging portion of the sealing member. In this way, at a time of inflation of the airbag body, the sealing member does not move together with the airbag body. When the seatbelt apparatus is not applied to the occupant, the pawl is put in a released state from the engaging portion. In this way, at a time of inflation of the airbag, sealing member moves together with the airbag body.
The second exhaust port may be formed on a sewn portion positioned at a peripheral portion of the airbag body.
In the above configuration, it is unnecessary to form the second exhaust port on the airbag body separately. In this way, increase in cost for forming the second exhaust port can be suppressed, and freedom for layout for an airbag body is enlarged.
The airbag apparatus may have a cover member covering the airbag body and ruptured by inflation of the airbag body. The control means may have a bracket supporting the pawl. The engaging portion may be disposed to be movable between the cover member and the bracket.
In the above configuration, since an exclusive area for disposing the engaging portion of the sealing member is not required, the airbag apparatus can be small-sized.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5016913 (1991-05-01), Nakajima et al.
patent: 5350188 (1994-09-01), Sato
patent: 5413378 (1995-05-01), Steffens, Jr. et al.
patent: 5707078 (1998-01-01), Swanberg et al.
patent: 5743558 (1998-04-01), Seymour
patent: 5853192 (1998-12-01), Sikorski et al.
pat
Bunce Michael Anthony
Ehama Mitsuo
Kaneko Kazuhiro
Narita Masanori
Sugiyama Toshiyuki
Dunn David R.
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Nihon Plast Co. Ltd.
Swann J. J.
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