Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-05-08
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C297S216180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227597
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a vehicle occupant safety system and, more particularly, to a vehicle seat that moves to protect a vehicle occupant during a frontal vehicle collision.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of restraint systems have been devised for vehicle occupant safety. The most commonly employed systems have belts or harnesses to fasten about vehicle occupants as well as inflatable air bags. These systems have been fairly effective in controlling occupant motion and absorbing the occupant's kinetic energy.
Both upper and lower body safety can be achieved by purely “passive” restraint systems. In this context, “passive” refers to the requirement that the occupant not have any active participation in the deployment or application of the restraint system once the occupant is seated in the vehicle. This is currently achieved by using automatically applied seat belts and automatically actuated air bags and knee bolsters. One such passive restraint system includes is an air bag to protect the upper torso and head and a knee bolster to provide lower torso restraint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus includes a seat for a vehicle occupant and a support for the seat. The seat has a forward position in a vehicle and a rearward position in the vehicle. The support enables the seat to move relative to the support from the forward position to the rearward position in the vehicle during a frontal vehicle collision. The seat moves from the forward position to the rearward position due to a force transmitted to the seat through the legs of the vehicle occupant.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus includes a spring for biasing the seat toward the forward position. The force from the legs of the vehicle occupant during a frontal collision overcomes the biasing force of the spring to move the seat to the rearward position.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus includes a stop and an actuator. The stop has a blocking position for preventing rearward movement of the seat relative to the support. The actuator moves the stop from the blocking position and enables the seat to move to the rearward position. The force from the legs of the vehicle occupant during a frontal collision moves the seat to the rearward position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2900036 (1959-08-01), Blake
patent: 3992046 (1976-11-01), Braess
patent: 5167421 (1992-12-01), Yunzhao
patent: 5344204 (1994-09-01), Liu
patent: 5947543 (1999-09-01), Hubbard
Al-Amin Ahmad L.
Bowers Paul A.
Cuevas Jess A.
Shirk Bryan W.
Sutherland Daniel R.
Pape Joseph D.
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Inc.
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