Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Syuzo Hashimoto

Morio Sakai

Masakazu Chiba

Mutsumu Haraoka

A vehicle occupant protection device that smoothly operates a seat and a seatbelt. When a collision is predicted, if the time to the collision reaches a preset time t, a seat control ECU starts operation of a seat actuator, and if a time to the collision reaches a preset time t(t&#x3e;t), the seat control ECU starts operation of a seatbelt actuator. Further, when the time tto the collision is reached or when the time t(t&#x3e;t&#x3e;t) is reached at which time the seatbelt actuator is activated to start application of a predetermined tensile force to the seatbelt, the seat control ECU stops operation of the seatbelt actuator. Seat adjustment and seatbelt adjustment may be adapted such that both the adjustments are not performed at the same time or, alternatively, such that both the adjustments are operated at the same time only during a time period in which application of the predetermined tensile force to the seatbelt starts.

Vehicle occupant protection device

An occupant protection device includes: a seat cushion; a seat back; a base portion provided in a vehicle body; a support portion that is provided in the seat back and that overlaps a backrest of the seat back as viewed from front of a vehicle; a reclining angle adjustment portion that changes a reclining angle of the seat back by moving the support portion with respect to the base portion; and a contact portion that is provided in the vehicle body. If the support portion is displaced rearward in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle due to a rearward load that exceeds a prescribed magnitude being applied to the seat back, the contact portion comes into contact with the support portion on both the right and left sides of the seat back with respect to a center portion of the seat back.

Occupant protection device

An occupant protection device which causes less discomfort to an occupant after danger is avoided. When danger is detected (estimated collision time t is less than t), a seat is adjusted to set the inclination angle of a seatback within a predetermined appropriate range. After that, when the danger is avoided, the inclination angle of the seatback is adjusted a predetermined amount so that the occupant is separated from a seat belt. This eliminates situations in which the tension of the seat belt is kept increased even after the danger is avoided, and as a result, discomfort to the occupant is suppressed.

An occupant protection device includes: a collision prediction part; a seatback actuator that adjusts a reclining angle; a seatbelt retracting part; a reclining angle sensor; and a controller that sets the reclining angle to a target angle and that controls the seatbelt retracting part so that the seatbelt is retracted when the collision prediction part determines that a collision will occur. Accordingly, the controller executes a control so that the driving force of seatbelt retracting part when the reclining angle is decreased is smaller than at least one of the driving force of seatbelt retracting part when the reclining angle is not changed or when the driving force of seatbelt retracting part when the reclining angle is increased.

A vehicle seat control apparatus includes an adjusting device that adjusts a reclining angle of a seat back of a vehicle seat, and a control portion that controls the adjusting device. When adjusting the reclining angle, the control portion controls the adjusting device to start adjusting the reclining angle at a first speed, and then after a predetermined period of time passes, the control portion controls the adjusting device to adjust the reclining angle at a second speed that is faster than the first speed. The invention also relates to a control method of this vehicle seat control apparatus.

Vehicle seat control apparatus and control method thereof

A vehicle control apparatus includes a drive unit that drives a mechanism provided in a vehicle, an operating portion that is operated by an occupant and instructs the drive unit to drive, a collision predicting portion that predicts a collision, and a control portion that controls the drive unit. The control portion controls the drive unit to place the mechanism in a predetermined state when the collision is predicted by the collision predicting portion, and controls the drive unit to vary a driving speed of the drive unit when the operating portion is operated while the drive unit is being controlled. The invention also relates to a control method of this vehicle control apparatus.

Vehicle control apparatus and control method thereof

An occupant protection device includes a seat belt that restrains an occupant, an adjusting device that relatively adjusts a positional relationship between the seat belt and the occupant, a collision predicting portion that predicts a collision, and a control portion that controls the adjusting device when the collision is predicted by the collision predicting portion. The control portion first operates the adjusting device at a first speed to restrain the occupant by the seat belt, and then operates the adjusting device to increase the distance between the seat belt and the occupant at a second speed that is slower than the first speed.

Occupant protection device and control method thereof

There is provided an air bag device of the present invention which allows generation of suitable reaction force which corresponds to a physical constitution of a vehicle occupant abutting against an air bag body. In the air bag device, a region of an outer air bag body pressed by the vehicle occupant abuts an inner air bag body and closes vent holes formed in the inner air bag body. Therefore, a quantity of gas flowing from the inner air bag body into a space formed between the outer air bag body and the inner air bag body can be controlled. Accordingly, the quantity of gas flowing through the vent holes into the space and further escaping from the air bag body via vent holes formed in the outer air bag body can be adjusted in accordance with a physical constitution of the vehicle occupant abutting against the air bag body.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Syuzo Hashimoto