Device for reducing the impact of pedestrians
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsYasuki Matsuura, Tetsuo Maki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in a collision with a motor vehicle includes a displacement mechanism to raise a hood from a rest position to an impact position elevated relative to the rest position, and an air bag module including an air bag. The air bag module is operative to inflate the air bag after displacement of the hood from the rest position to the impact position has begun. When inflated, the air bag has its first cushion portion extending beneath the hood and its second cushion portion extending out from the rear of the hood. The second cushion portion extends over a lower portion of a windshield of the vehicle.
Claims21
A device for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in interference with a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle, comprising:
- a displacement mechanism for the displacement of the hood from a rest position to an impact position raised relative to the rest position;
- and
- an air bag module including an air bag, said air bag module being operative in cooperation with said displacement mechanism to inflate the air bag, causing the air bag to have a first cushion portion extending beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and a second cushion portion extending out from the rear of the hood;
- and
- wherein, when said air bag is inflated, the air bag is restricted in vertical expansion at a restriction portion between said first and second cushion Portions and has a first chamber and a second chamber;
- wherein, when the air bag is inflated, the first cushion portion of the air bag includes the first chamber and the second cushion portion of said air bag includes the second chamber;
- and
- wherein the air bag includes a restriction member interconnecting two vertically spaced walls at the restriction portion to restrict vertical expansion when said air bag is inflated.
A device for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in interference with a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle. comprising:
- a displacement mechanism for the displacement of the hood from a rest position to an impact position raised relative to the rest position;
- and
- an air bag module including an air bag, said air bag module being operative in cooperation with said displacement mechanism to inflate the air bag, causing the air bag to have a first cushion portion extending beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and a second cushion portion extending out from the rear of the hood;
- wherein the first cushion portion of said air bag extends underneath the hood less in a forward direction of the motor vehicle toward lateral sides of the hood.
A device for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in interference with a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle, comprising:
- a displacement mechanism for the displacement of the hood from a rest position to an impact position raised relative to the rest position;
- and
- an air bag module including an air bag, said air bag module being operative in cooperation with said displacement mechanism to inflate the air bag, causing the air bag to have a first cushion portion extending beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and a second cushion portion extending out from the rear of the hood;
- wherein said air bag includes and is divided into a plurality of air bag segments;
- and
- wherein each of said air bag segments include a restriction member interconnecting two vertically spaced walls to restrict vertical expansion at a predetermined portion when said each air bag fragment is inflated to facilitate expansion of said first cushion portion.
A device for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in interference with a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle, comprising:
- means for generating a signal upon collision of a pedestrian with the motor vehicle;
- means for displacing the hood from a rest position to a impact position raised relative to the rest position in response to said signal;
- and
- an air bag module under the hood, said air bag module including a gas generator and an inflatable air bag, said air bag module being operative in response to the displacement of the hood from the rest position to the impact position to admit gas to said air bag, inflating the air bag to deploy a first cushion portion beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and to deploy a second cushion portion out from the rear of the hood to extend over the windshield.
A process for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in interference with a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle, comprising:
- generating a signal upon collision of a pedestrian with the motor vehicle;
- raising the hood from a rest position to an impact position in response to said signal;
- and
- inflating an air bag after the hood has been raised from the rest position to the impact position to deploy a first cushion portion beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and to deploy a second cushion portion out from the rear of the hood to extend over the windshield.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.