Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-19
2001-04-17
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S728200, C297S216130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217062
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vehicle seat arrangements containing at least one side-operating air bag module which includes a gas generator, an air bag package, and a gas delivery device connecting the gas generator and the air bag package and also including a backrest and a seat component connected to the backrest, with the backrest and/or the seat component having a frame consisting of connected frame members.
As used herein, the term “air bag package” means a unit which includes one or more folded air bags with or without a container.
A conventional vehicle seat having a head support is disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. 196 22 662, in which a side-operating air bag module is located in the head area. In this case, an air bag package and a gas generator are connected by a gas delivery device, in which the gas is delivered through a hollow head support rod. The hollow head support rod itself may be used as a gas delivery tube or it may contain a separate gas delivery tube. In this case, the gas generator is located in the backrest, but the reference does not describe any arrangement for accommodating the gas generator.
German Offenlegungsschrift No. 195 05 216 also discloses an air bag module arrangement in which, due to space considerations, the gas generator is located in the seat or in one side of the vehicle separated from the air bag, and the gas is supplied to the air bag through connecting tubes. In this case as well, there is no description of any arrangement for accommodating the gas generator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat air bag arrangement which overcomes disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle air bag arrangement that makes it possible to accommodate an air bag module in a space-saving and functionally safe manner.
These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a vehicle seat air bag arrangement including at least one seat frame member which is shaped to accommodate a gas generator and/or an air bag package. The gas generator and/or the air bag package can therefore be mounted in the vehicle seat in a highly space-saving manner, with appropriately shaped frame members making it possible to simultaneously provide secure support and increased protection of the sensitive components of the air bag module.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the vehicle seat includes a backrest part and a seat part each containing a seat frame made of frame members and at least one seat frame member is shaped so that it can be used directly as a gas delivery device. This reduces the required number of parts and simultaneously improves the stability of the gas delivery device, which conventionally consists of a tube or a thin lance.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention at least one frame member has a hollow shape formed by internal high-pressure molding. Such shaped frame members can be produced in a highly economic and precise manner and can be provided, for example, with required air bag module component accommodation openings without requiring subsequent processing.
In a highly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the frame of the seat backrest part of the seat includes at least two vertical side frame members and two horizontal frame members, and an air bag package is located in one vertical side frame member and the gas generator is located in another frame member. In this case, for example, the gas generator may be placed in a horizontal frame member of the backrest part or in the other vertical side frame member of the backrest. Thus, the gas generator is kept at a sufficient distance from the air bag package, i.e., away from the immediate collision danger area, which considerably increases the functional safety of the air bag module in the event of deployment. If the gas generator is located in the lower horizontal frame member of the backrest part, the torque acting on the seat fittings during activation is minimized.
In another preferred embodiment of the air bag package, the package is fitted into a bag-like recess in a side frame member of a seat frame which may be in either the backrest part or the seat part. In this case, the air bag package should preferably include a support mounting that may be advantageously constituted by an essentially surrounding flange. In this manner, the air bag package can be mounted in a highly space-saving manner in the side of the seat frame, thus guaranteeing secure support and the greatest possible protection of the air bag package by the frame member.
The air bag arrangement of the invention may be incorporated into a previously established seat production process with relatively little difficulty since the original seat design is largely retained, with the exception of a selective modification of individual components. In addition, the separate mounting of the gas generator and air bag package in the frame members of a seat frame provides an extremely flat design, with the result that, in incorporating the seat designed according to the invention into vehicle models in production and/or for retrofitting or backfitting into vehicles already made, interference problems with adjacent built-in or wall components are not encountered.
It should also be emphasized that the invention may be used to implement a variety of safety concepts. For example, one air bag package location in the backrest frame of the backrest part can be designed for protection of the chest and/or head of a seat occupant while effective pelvic protection can be provided by mounting an air bag package in a frame member of the seat part of the vehicle seat.
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Breyvogel Jörg
Sinnhuber Ruprecht
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Ilan Ruth
Mai Lanna
Volkswagen AG
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