Chairs and seats – Crash seat
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-12-11
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Crash seat
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328379
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle restraint systems including belts for securing an occupant to a seat.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
School bus passenger seats usually do not employ active restraint safety devices, but instead rely on a passive restraint seat design. School bus passenger seats are built to specifications conforming to the safety standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT. These are codified as 49 C.F.R. Ch.V, § 571.222, Standard No. 222, and require that the seat back bend or deflect forward when a force is applied to the rear of the seat back. The code further specifies that 4000W inch-pounds of energy must be absorbed within a maximum forward deflection of the seat back of 14 inches and 2800W inch-pounds be absorbed within a maximum rearward deflection of the seat back of 10 inches where W represents the number of seating positions for which the seat is designed. 49 C.F.R., Ch.V, § 571.222, S5.1.3-5.1.4. The code specifies a passive restraint system, and does not require any sort of active restraints, such as a two-point passenger restraining lap belt or a three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination. Children riding the school bus are protected in head-on collisions by the seat back in front of them deflecting forward and absorbing some of their forward momentum.
Vehicles with deforming or deflecting seats provide special problems regarding the integration of active restraint seat belt systems. Passive restraint systems are designed to protect a passenger who has been thrown forward by having the impacted seat back deflect upon impact of the thrown passenger and absorb some of their momentum. In a school bus seat combining active and passive restraint systems, both of the restraint systems have to be able to perform their functions and the seat must still conform to the regulations set forth in 49 C.F.R.
In order to combine a deforming or deflecting seat with a seatbelt, we have mounted the belt to a portion of the seat which slides forward upon crash and away from the forwardly deforming seat back. Thus, the seat conforms with the aforementioned deflecting requirements but in addition includes a belt for securing the occupant to the seat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention is a seat mountable in a vehicle including a main frame mountable to the vehicle. The main frame has a seat frame and a back frame connected together. A vehicle seat is movably mounted to the seat frame and has a normal aft position on the seat frame and a forward position on the seat frame. The vehicle seat when occupied is movable from the normal aft position to the forward position only during crash. A lap belt is mounted to the vehicle seat and is movable therewith. The back frame remains generally upright and stationary during crash unless impacted behind by a passenger.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3145051 (1964-08-01), Rausch
patent: 3552795 (1971-01-01), Perkins et al.
patent: 5567006 (1996-10-01), McCarthy
patent: 5735574 (1998-04-01), Serber
patent: 6027167 (2000-02-01), Blomdell et al.
Chinni James R.
Merrick David D.
Indiana Mills and Manufacturing Inc.
Jr. Milton Nelson
Woodard Emhardt Naughton Moriarty & McNett
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