Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02488278 2004-12-13
2
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
2
Some vehicle accidents are inevitable; however, it is possible to reduce the
chance of casualty due to
4 head injury, spine injury, neck injury, and chest injury. Upon an event of a
side impact, the wounded
occupants are likely to suffer from neck injury because the heads of the
occupants are not secured.onto
6 the headrests to absorb the impact. For some vehicles equipped with side
airbags, the heads of the
occupants swing side ways, and then the occupants collide onto the deployed
airbags, such safety
8 features might not be enough to prevent severe neck injury during a side
impact. Upon an event of a
roll-over, most convertible vehicles have a great chance of fatality. Although
current active roll-over
protection systems trigger protective bars to prevent the direct impact from
ground to the occupants, the
occupants are often taller than protective bars; therefore an evasive action
is necessary. Protective bars
12 are incapable of preventing the occupants from hitting by flying debris
during a roll-over; therefore a
shielding mechanism is an asset. Upon an even of a front impact, most vehicles
deploy front airbags
14 and project towards the occupants' faces. Such safety features prevent the
occupants from directly
hitting the front dash, however, the occupants might suffer from hearing
impairs due to exploding
16 sound during the airbag deployment. Direct impact from the front airbag
deployment on the occupants
might cause facial, neck, and chest injury if the occupants are seating in an
improper position or too
18 close towards the front dash; therefore a more reliable restrain and airbag
system is desired. Upon an
even of a rear impact, current impact protection system has developed to
protect the occupants from
injuring due to whiplash; however, the necks of the occupants are subject to
swing in side directions,
therefore an improved vehicle restraining system is desired.
22 Nevertheless, preventing accidents from happening is also crucial in
addition to preventing injuries
during accidents. Many people turn on the vehicle heater during winter. Heat
and vapor inside the
24 vehicles often condense on windshield, which lowers the visibility of the
road and increases the chance
of accidents. Therefore a seatbelt warmer system is developed to co-act with
the current seat warmer
26 system so that the occupants have less need to turn on the occupant
compartment heater.
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3
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
2
U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,642 discloses a "Concentrically disposed airbag system for
seatbelts" which an
4 airbag system is installed within seatbelt as a cushion between occupant and
the seatbelt.
6 U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,851 discloses a "Gas bag restrain device" utilizes a gas
bag with a depression to
restrain the occupant.
8
U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,807 discloses an "Airbag buckle assembly" used for
seatbelt with airbag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,178 discloses a "Seatbelt airbag" installed within
seatbelt in substitute of frontal
12 airbag.
14 U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,194 discloses an "Air belt and air belt assembly" which
the seatbelt is entirely
constructed by inflatable material.
16
U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,487 discloses a "Passenger protecting apparatus" which the
seatbelt is an air belt.
18
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,955 discloses a "Safety headrest for vehicles" which the
headrest is secured on to
vehicle frame.
22 U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,389 discloses a "Safety headrest for a vehicle seat"
which the headrest moves
upward and forward during a rear-collision.
24
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,900 discloses a "Vehicle safety collision headrest system"
which an airbag behind
26 occupant's neck is provided.
28 U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,455 discloses a "Dual air bag and crossbar child safety
seat" which utilizes two
cross bars and two airbags for protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,318 discloses a "Safety seat" which an oil-damper is
installed within vehicle seat.
32
CA 02488278 2004-12-13
4
U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,495 discloses a "Method and safety restraint device for
restraining and occupant on
2 a vehicle seat" which pulls occupant into vehicle seat when the system
predicts danger.
4 U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,379 discloses a "Safety seat" to minimize the whiplash
injuries by moving the
backrest backward and the headrest forward.
6
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,637 discloses a "Safety seat" to minimize the whiplash
injuries by a hydraulic
8 damped backrest.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,079 discloses a "Belt integral seat of a motor vehicle
with a retractor for the safety
belt and a sensor steering the retractor" which the angel of the seatbelt
retractor is adjusted accordingly
12 for the seat position.
14 U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,989 discloses a "Heater for electric blanket" providing
a heater placed within a
fabricated material.
16
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,662 discloses a "Vehicle seatbelt having an integral
airbag" provides an airbag
18 placed in a pouch within the seatbelt in substitute of front airbag.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIINGS
2
FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagram of the present invention.
4
FIG. 2 is a front view of the headrest assembly.
6
FIG. 3a is a top view diagram of the headrest assembly before the vehicle
restraining system is
8 deployed.
FIG. 3b is a top view diagram of the headrest assembly after the vehicle
restraining system is deployed.
12 FIG. 4 is a front view of the seatbelt assembly of the present invention.
14 FIG. 5 is a diagram of the seat assembly of the present invention.
16 FIG. 6 is a diagram of the seat assembly of the present invention after the
roll-over protection is
activated.
18
FIG. 7 is a diagram of the seat assembly of the present invention after the
roll-over protection is
activated with occupant secured within the seat.
22 FIG. 8 is a diagram of the seat assembly of the present invention after the
front-impact protection is
activated with occupant secured within the seat.
24
FIG. 9 is a front view of the seatbelt assembly of the present invention with
seatbelt warmer and
26 shielding airbag visible.
28 FIG. 10 is a diagram of the present invention before the vehicle
restraining system is activated.
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6
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
2
To further clarify the configuration and the operation of the present
invention as explained above,
4 obvious assembly components such as wires, screws and gears are simplified
or omitted from the
drawings.
6
The present invention comprising four main components: headrest assembly, seat
assembly, seatbelt
8 assembly, and airbag system.
As shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3a, headrest assembly comprising: headrest frame
201, headrest padding
311, left flap frame 301, left padding 303, left hinge 305, left spring 307,
left position lock 309, right
12 flap frame 302, right flap padding 304, right hinge 306, right spring 308,
and right flap position lock
310.
14
As shown in FIG.10, seat assembly comprising: backrest frame 1001, backrest
padding 1002, headrest
16 socket 1004, seat frame 1001, motor 1003, and seat wanner (not shown).
18 As shown in FIG.4, seatbelt assembly comprising: left hip belt 406, left
shoulder belt 405, left buckle
409, right hip belt 407, right shoulder belt 408, right buckle 410, top left
anchor 401, bottom left anchor
402, top right anchor 404, bottom right anchor 403, seatbelt warmer 901 (FIG.
9), left seatbelt retractor
(not shown), right seatbelt retractor (not shown), left seatbelt pretensioner
(not shown), and right
22 seatbelt pretensioner (not shown).
24 Airbag system comprising three main airbags: front airbag 801, side airbag
(not shown), and shielding
airbag 802, installed on seatbelt.
26
As shown in FIG.3a is headrest assembly. Left padding 303 and right padding
304 cover onto left flap
28 frame 301 and right flap frame 302 respectively. Left flap frame 301 and
right flap frame 302 are
attached to left hinge 305 and right hinge 306 respectively. Left hinge 305
and right hinge 306 are
pivotally affixed to headrest frame 201. At initial position as shown in
FIG2a, left spring 307 and right
spring 308 are in-tension. Left flap consists of left flap frame 301 and left
flap padding 303. Right flap
32 consists of right flap frame 302 and right flap padding 304. When the
vehicle restraining system is
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activated during a collision as shown in FIG.2b, left position lock 309 and
right position lock 310
2 release left flap and right flap respectively, left spring's tension and
right spring's tension cause left
flap and right flap to swing forward. After each deployment of the vehicle
restraining system, left flap
4 and right flap can be restore to left position lock 309 and right position
lock 310. The purpose of the
vehicle restraining system is to reduce the chance of neck injury in the event
of a collision.
6
As shown in FIG.10 is seat assembly. Backrest padding 1002 covers onto
backrest frame 1001. Seat
8 warmer are installed inside backrest padding 1002 and seat padding. Motor
1003 is installed
underneath seat frame 1006. Headrest socket 1004 provides an insertion point
for headrest frame 201 to
be secured onto backrest frame 1001.
12 Now referring to FIG.4 and FIG.9, a four-point seatbelt assembly is
constructed as the drawing.
Seatbelt warmer 901 is embedded within left should belt 405, right should belt
408, left hip belt 406,
14 right hip belt 407. When seatbelt warmer 901 is activated, seatbelt warmer
901 heats up to keep
occupant warm. Shielding airbag 802 is installed inside shielding airbag
compartment 902. When
16 shielding airbag deploys, shielding airbag 802 expands and travels forward
to collide with front airbag
801.
18
Seatbelt assembly can also be constructed in a three-point seatbelt
configuration.
With the implementation of seatbelt warmer 901 and seat warmer, the occupant
receives warmth
22 directly through skin contact, therefore, the occupant may occupy the
vehicle with a lower air
temperature. As the air temperature decreases, the amount of water vapor
released from occupant's
24 respiratory decreases as well. Lower air temperature and lower humidity
reduce the chance of window
fogging; therefore, the chance of collision due to low visibility is also
reduced.
26
The purpose of shielding airbag 802 is to absorb the impact from front airbag
801 in the event of a
28 collision, and shielding airbag 802 cannot be used without a front airbag
during a frontal collision.
Shielding airbag 802 in a four-point seatbelt assembly is more stable and
reliable comparing to
shielding airbag in a three-point seatbelt assembly. Left buckle 409 and right
buckle 410 of a four-point
32 seatbelt assembly are always engaged in the center abdomen position of the
occupant, while buckle of a
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three-point seatbelt assembly does not always engaged in the same position.
Therefore, it is less
2 appealing to installed shielding airbag on a three-point seatbelt. However,
seatbelt warmer 901 is a
feature suitable for every form of seatbelts.
4
In order to protect the occupant in the event of a front impact, the following
procedures are taken:
6 immediately after CPU sends signal to trigger the safety procedures for a
front impact, pretensioner
pulls the occupant onto backrest padding 1002, the vehicle restraining system
is deployed to prevent
8 the occupant from neck injury by securing the occupant's head between left
flap and right flap.
Shielding airbag 802 and front airbag 801 are then deployed at the same time.
As shown in FIG.8
Shielding airbag 802 travels in the occupant's forward direction and collides
with front airbag 801. The
collision between shielding airbag 802 and front airbag 801 prevent front
airbag 801 from impacting
12 occupant's head with high velocity, thus minimizing the impact force and
the chance of neck injury.
The sound from deployment of front airbag 801 and shielding airbag 802 is also
muffled due to the fact
14 that the occupant's ears have been covered by left flap and right flap.
This action prevents occupants
from hearing damage.
16
In order to protect the occupant in the event of a side impact, the following
procedures are taken:
18 immediately after CPU sends signal to trigger the safety procedures for a
side impact, pretensioner
pulls the occupant onto backrest padding 1002, the vehicle restraining system
is deployed to prevent
the occupant from neck injury by securing the occupant's head between left
flap and right flap. Side
airbag is deployed to prevent the occupant from cutting by shattered glass or
any flying objects.
22
In order to protect the occupant in the event of a rear impact, the following
procedures are taken:
24 immediately after CPU sends signal to trigger the safety procedures for a
rear impact, pretensioner
pulls the occupant onto backrest padding 1002, the vehicle restraining system
is deployed to prevent
26 the occupant from neck injury by securing the occupant's head between left
flap and right flap.
28 As shown in FIG.6, in order to protect the occupant in the event of a roll-
over, the following
procedures are taken: immediately after CPU sends signal to trigger the safety
procedures for a roll-
over, pretensioner pulls the occupant onto backrest padding 1002, the vehicle
restraining system is
deployed to prevent the occupant from neck injury by securing the occupant's
head between left flap
32 and right flap. Next, backrest frame 1001 backrest padding 1002, driven by
motor 1003, then leans
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backward with the occupant secured onto backrest padding 1002 and headrest
padding 311. Shielding
2 airbag 802 then deploys to prevent debris or flying objects from hitting the
occupant as shown in FIG.7.
4 It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment
described above.
Modifications and variations of the embodiment described above will occur to
those skilled in the art
6 without leaving the spirit and scoop of the present invention. However the
scope of the invention is
defined with reference to the following claims.
