Mazda Motor Corporation

Shiro Nakatani

Yukio Nakamura

Kouichi Nakano

Yasuyuki Andou

Disclosed is a rear-seat occupant protection apparatus, which is designed to protect, during a frontal collision of a vehicle, a rear-seat occupant (B) seated in a rear seat () located behind a front seat () equipped with a seat belt () having a load limiter function. The rear-seat occupant protection apparatus comprises a collision detection device () adapted to detect the frontal collision of the vehicle, and a seat-back displacing mechanism adapted, when the frontal collision of the vehicle is detected by the collision detection device, to permit a seat back () of the front seat () to be displaced frontwardly at a given timing consecutive with a frontward displacement of a front-seat occupant (A) seated in the front seat (). The rear-seat occupant protection apparatus of the present invention can adequately protect a head of the rear-seat occupant during the frontal collision of the vehicle.

Rear-seat occupant protection apparatus

An under body structure of an automotive vehicle including a transfer unit for transferring an engine output to vehicle wheels. A canister device for taking in fuel vapor is supported at a vehicle body frame member. The canister device is disposed in back of the transfer unit. The frame design and cross member arrangement allow displacement of the canister device when the vehicle is involved in a collision. This arrangement prevents the canister device from being contacted by rearward movement of the transfer unit.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Shiro Nakatani