Side impact head restraint with inflatable deployment

A side impact head restraint system for cushioning a vehicle occupant's head during a side impact collision including means for sensing the side impact collision and generating a crash signal thereupon, said system comprising:

• a restraint curtain mounted inside the vehicle adjacent a window area of a side door of the vehicle, said curtain having at least three securing points, wherein first and second securing points are fixedly attached on an upper rail of said side door and a third securing point is movably mounted on a generally vertical track located adjacent a track edge of said window area, said track running along said track edge from an upper edge to a lower edge of said window area, said first securing point being located near said upper edge and a rear edge of said window area and said second securing point being located near said upper edge and a forward edge of said window area;
• an tubular inflatable member carried by said restraint curtain;
• a gas generator in fluid communication with said inflatable member, said gas generator for generating gas in response to said crash signal wherein said generated gas inflates said inflatable member causing said third securing point to move along said track, driven by said inflatable member, from an undeployed position near said upper edge of said window area to a deployed position near said lower edge of said window area thereby pulling said curtain into a deployed condition covering at least a portion of said window area and said inflatable member covering a portion of a "B" pillar of said side door, thus providing restraint for the vehicle occupant's head, wherein said third securing point locks into position at the end of travel along said track when said curtain is fully deployed.

A side impact head restraint system for cushioning a vehicle occupant's head during a side impact collision including means for sensing the side impact collision and generating a crash signal thereupon, said system comprising:

• a restraint curtain mounted inside the vehicle adjacent a window area of a side door of the vehicle, said curtain having at least three securing points, wherein first and second securing points are fixedly attached on an upper rail of said side door and a third securing point is movably mounted on a generally vertical track located adjacent a track edge of said window area, said track running along said track edge from an upper edge to a lower edge of said window area, said first securing point being located near said upper edge and a rear edge of said window area and said second securing point being located near said upper edge and a forward edge of said window area;
• an inflatable member carried by said restraint curtain, wherein said inflatable member comprises at least two deployment fingers, said fingers configured to provide an improved contact surface for said occupant's head during a side impact collision and said restraint curtain comprising fabric panels sewn between said fingers configured to absorb head impact energy through fabric elongation;
• a gas generator in fluid communication with said inflatable member, said gas generator for generating gas in response to said crash signal wherein said generated gas inflates said deployment fingers of said inflatable member causing said deployment fingers to extend to said window area covering at least a portion of said window area and also causing said third securing point to move along said track, driven by said inflatable member, from an undeployed position near said upper edge of said window area to a deployed position near said lower edge of said window area thereby pulling said curtain into a deployed condition covering at least a portion of said window area thus providing restraint for the vehicle occupant's head wherein said third securing point locks into position at the end of travel along said track when said curtain is fully deployed.

A side impact head restraint system for cushioning a vehicle occupant's head during a side impact collision including means for sensing the side impact collision and generating a crash signal thereupon, said system comprising:

• a restraint curtain having a plurality of inflatable fingers carried by a cloth manifold inside the vehicle adjacent a window area of a side door of the vehicle said inflatable members configured to provide an improved contact surface for said occupant's head during a side impact collision and said manifold is configured to absorb head impact energy through fabric elongation, said curtain having at least three securing points, wherein first and second securing points are fixedly attached on an upper rail of said side door and a third securing point is movably mounted on a generally vertical track located adjacent a track edge of said window area, said track running along said track edge from an upper edge to a lower edge of said window area, said first securing point being located near said upper edge and a rear edge of said window area and said second securing point being located near said upper edge and a forward edge of said window area;
• a gas generator in fluid communication with said plurality of inflatable fingers, said gas generator for generating gas in response to said crash signal wherein said generated gas inflates said plurality of inflatable fingers causing said third securing point to move along said track, driven by said inflatable fingers, from an undeployed position near said upper edge of said window area to a deployed position near said lower edge of said window area thereby pulling said curtain into a deployed condition, said plurality of inflatable fingers thus covering at least a portion of said window area providing restraint for the vehicle occupant's head wherein said third securing point locks into position at the end of travel along said track when said curtain is fully deployed.