Vehicle seating system including seat mounted reversible pelvic booster
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsBrian Robert Spahn, Ian Brewster Hall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle system for aiding in the protection of a vehicle occupant is disclosed. The system includes a seat assembly having a seat base and a seat back and a pelvic bolster rotatably attached to the seat back of the seat assembly. The pelvic bolster is rotatably movable between a first stowed position and a second deployed position. A reversible motor drives the pelvic bolster between its stowed position and its deployed position. The system further includes a threat condition sensor operatively associated with the reversible motor.
Claims20
A seat for a vehicle, the vehicle having an outer side, the seat comprising:
- a seat base having a front and a back;
- a seat back operatively associated with said back of said seat base, said seat back having a side;
- a threat condition sensor for detecting an impending crash event;
- a drive motor operatively associated with said sensor;
- a pivot arm operatively associated with said motor and extending from said side of said seat back;
- a pelvic bolster attached to said pivot arm, said bolster being rotatably movable between a stowed position in which said bolster is generally adjacent said side of said seat back and a deployed position in which said bolster generally rotates forward toward said seat base from said side of said seat back, whereby said bolster is ordinarily in said stowed position until such time as said threat condition sensor detects an impending crash event whereupon said bolster is rotated forward to said deployed position.
A seat for a vehicle, the vehicle having an outer side, the seat comprising:
- a seat, said seat comprising a seat base and a seat back, said seat base having a front and a back;
- a seat back operatively associated with said back of said seat base;
- a pelvic bolster having a first end and a second end generally opposite said first end, said first end of said pelvic bolster being rotatably attached to said seat, said pelvic bolster being rotatably movable between a stowed position in which said second end of said pelvic bolster is generally above said first end and a deployed position in which said second end of said pelvic bolster is rotated generally forward of said first end of said pelvic bolster, said seat back having a side, said side having a recessed region formed therein for substantially receiving said bolster when in said stowed position, said recessed region having an upper wall and a lower wall.
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A system for providing protection to a vehicle occupant, the system comprising:
- a seat assembly, said seat assembly including a seat base and a seat back;
- a pelvic bolster rotatably attached to said seat assembly, said pelvic bolster being movable from a stowed position to a deployed position, said pelvic bolster having a rounded surface, said rounded surface defining the top surface of said bolster when in said deployed position;
- and
- a threat condition sensor operatively associated with said pelvic bolster.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.