Patent ID: 6705645
Filing Date: 2004-03-16
Classification: B60N,B60R

Abstract:
A vehicle occupant protection system, comprising:a seat for seating a vehicle occupant in a passenger compartment of a vehicle body; a seat belt provided in association with said seat for restraining a vehicle occupant seated in said seat; a first power actuator interposed between an end of said seat belt and a fixed part of said vehicle body and adapted to pull said seat belt in a direction to increase a restraint on said vehicle occupant; a seat rail for permitting a fore-and-aft movement of said seat: a second power actuator adapted to move said seat rearward: and a sensor for providing an activation signal to said first and second power actuators upon detection of a vehicle crash; wherein said first power actuator is adapted, when a vehicle crash is detected, to apply a rearward acceleration to said seat belt end in an early phase of said vehicle crash according to a prescribed pattern, and said second power actuator is adapted, when a vehicle crash is detected, to apply a rearward acceleration to said vehicle seat in an early phase of said vehicle crash; said prescribed pattern including an initial crash stage for moving said seat belt rearward at a deceleration which is earlier and greater than a deceleration produced in said vehicle body, and an intermediate crash stage for controlling said rearward movement of said seat belt so as to substantially equalize the deceleration acting on said vehicle occupant with the deceleration acting on said vehicle body.