Apparatus, system and method for repositioning occupant in a crash event
AssigneeSchroth Safety Products GmbH
InventorPatrick Akoma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An airbag system for repositioning a seat occupant in a moving vehicle during a crash event includes: a first inflatable airbag disposed proximate to a front portion of a seat pan; a second inflatable airbag disposed proximate to a rear portion of the seat pan; and inflation control device controlling deployment of the first and second inflatable airbags. The inflation control device includes a programmable controller controlling inflation parameters of the first and second inflatable airbags to achieve a desired lift, subject to monument constraints.
Claims20
An airbag system for repositioning a seat occupant in a moving vehicle during a potentially injurious event, the airbag system comprising:
- a first inflatable airbag in a normally deflated state disposed proximate to a front portion of a seat pan;
- a second inflatable airbag in the normally deflated state disposed proximate to a rear portion of the seat pan;
- and
- an inflation control device controlling deployment of the first and second inflatable airbags, the inflation control device operatively communicative with the first and second inflatable airbags, the inflation control device comprising:
- a programmable controller controlling inflation parameters of the first and second inflatable airbags to achieve a desired lift, subject to monument constraints;
- and
- an inflation device performing:
- receiving a signal from a sensor device indicating detection of the potentially injurious event comprising an acceleration/deceleration above a pre-defined magnitude of force;
- and
- responsive to receiving the signal, deploying the first and second inflatable airbags to an inflated state, thereby repositioning the seat occupant by upwardly raising the seat pan to a pre-specified height.
A method for repositioning a seat occupant in a moving vehicle during a potentially injurious event, the method comprising:
- disposing a first inflatable airbag in a normally deflated state proximate to a front portion of a seat pan;
- disposing a second inflatable airbag in the normally deflated state proximate to a rear portion of the seat pan;
- using an inflation control device in operative communication with at least the first inflatable airbag and the second inflatable airbag, controlling deployment of the first and second inflatable airbags to achieve a desired lift subject to monument constraints by performing:
- receiving a signal from a sensor device, the signal indicating detection of the potentially injurious event comprising the acceleration/deceleration above a pre-defined magnitude of force;
- and
- responsive to receiving the signal from the sensor device, deploying the first and second inflatable airbags to an inflated state, thereby repositioning the seat occupant by upwardly raising the seat pan.
An airbag system for repositioning a seat occupant in a moving vehicle during a potentially injurious event, the airbag system comprising:
- a multi-chamber inflatable airbag in a normally deflated state disposed along a seat pan, the multi-chamber inflatable airbag comprising a plurality of chambers having at least a first inner partition defining a first chamber and a second chamber of the multi-chamber inflatable airbag;
- and
- an inflation control device controlling deployment of the multi-chamber inflatable airbag to achieve a desired lift subject to monument constraints, the inflation control device operatively communicative with the multi-chamber inflatable airbag and comprising:
- an inflation device in fluid communication with at least the first chamber, the inflation device performing:
- receiving a signal from a sensor device indicating detection of the potentially injurious event comprising an acceleration/deceleration above a pre-defined magnitude of force;
- and
- responsive to receiving the signal, deploying the multi-chamber inflatable airbag to an inflated state by inflating the first and second chambers in sequence, thereby repositioning the seat occupant by upwardly raising the seat pan.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.