Patent ID: 8401740

Claim:
A method for mitigating injury to an occupant of a vehicle seat during a vehicle shock event, using a system comprising a variable profile energy absorber operatively connected to the vehicle and to the vehicle seat, a plurality of sensors, and a controller that determines an occurrence of a vehicle shock event and controls said variable profile energy absorber to reduce shock loads transferred to the occupant of the vehicle seat, the method comprising the steps of: a. determining a weight of said occupant of said vehicle; b. determining an injury threshold level for a specific body part of the occupant of the vehicle based on an acceptable load limit for said body part and said determined weight; c. receiving one or more measurements indicating occurrence of a first severe shock event from one or more of said plurality of sensors at said controller; d. maintaining injurious loads transferred to said occupant of said vehicle below said injury threshold level by said controller adjusting a load-stroke profile of said adaptive energy absorber in real-time via a control signal.