FR3092296A1 - SEAT ANTI-TIP RESTRAINT, FOR ONE VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

A restraint device (1) is fitted to a vehicle (3) comprising a floor (2) on which are installed two seats (4, 5) one next to the other with a free space (6) between their bases. This device (1) comprises a foam (9) coupled to the floor (2) and made of an expandable material whose expansion is triggered upon receipt of a warning signal, so that it expands and stiffens between the seats in order to limit the tilting of one of the seats (4, 5) towards the other seat in the event of a side impact suffered by the vehicle (3). Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 3

Description

ANTI-TIPPING SEAT RESTRAINT, FOR ONE VEHICLE

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to restraint devices which are intended to be fitted to vehicles comprising a floor on which are installed two seats side by side with a free space between their bases.

State of the art

Some vehicles, generally of the automobile type, comprise a floor on which are installed, generally in a front part, first and second seats side by side with a free space between their bases.

When one of its vehicles suffers a side impact on a first lateral (or longitudinal) side next to which the first seat is installed, the second seat which is installed next to the second lateral side (located opposite the first side side) tends to tilt towards the first seat due to the absence of a central console between the first and second seats. The second passenger seated on the second seat then rocks with the latter, and therefore his head may contact, sometimes violently and/or at high speed, the head of the first passenger seated on the first seat, which may cause serious injury to the body. at least one of these first and second passengers.

In order to limit this tilting (or dumping) of the seat, we are currently forced to significantly increase the stiffness of the frame of the first and second seats and to significantly reinforce the anchoring means of the latter. This results in a significant increase in weight and bulk of the first and second seats.

It is also possible to try to avoid collisions between the first and second passengers by installing in the vehicle at least one side protection device comprising an inflatable bag (or "airbag") initially folded. This bag is associated with a pyrotechnic trigger which is responsible for inflating it, immediately and very quickly in the event of reception of an alert signal, so that it deploys upwards and/or downwards and laterally between the first and second seats, in order to provide lateral protection for the passenger seated on the latter. Generally, and as described for example in patent documents US 2014/0015233 and WO 2016/039160, the aforementioned lateral protection device is installed in the internal lateral side of the backrest of each of the first and second seats. This type of side protection device can be quite effective when neither of the first and second seats tips over in a side impact. However, its effectiveness is significantly reduced in the event of a side impact causing one of the first and second seats to tip over, due to the fact that at least one of the deployed bags is no longer positioned correctly to prevent collision between heads.

The aim of the invention is therefore in particular to improve the situation.

Presentation of the invention

It proposes in particular for this purpose a restraint device intended to equip a vehicle comprising a floor on which are installed two seats one beside the other with a free space between their bases.

This restraint device is characterized in that it comprises a foam intended to be coupled to the floor and made of an expandable material, the expansion of which is triggered in the event of reception of an alert signal, so that it is expands and stiffens between the seats in order to limit tilting of one of the seats towards the other seat in the event of a side impact suffered by the vehicle.

Thus, the stiffening of the foam combined with at least partial filling of the free space between the bases of the two seats makes it possible to limit (or even prevent) the tilting of one seat towards the other seat.

• dans un premier mode de réalisation, il peut comprendre un sac dans lequel est logé le matériau expansible dans un état compressé, en l’absence de réception du signal d’alerte ;
• dans un second mode de réalisation, le matériau peut être expansible en cas d’injection d’un gaz sous pression. Dans ce cas, il peut comprendre un déclencheur pyrotechnique injectant ce gaz sous pression dans la mousse en cas de réception du signal d’alerte ;

• il peut comprendre un sac gonflable, étanche, destiné à être solidarisé fixement au plancher, logeant la mousse dans un état liquide, et connecté au déclencheur pyrotechnique, afin d’être gonflé en même temps que la mousse s’expanse ;

• le sac peut comprendre une poche interne étanche afin de confiner la mousse liquide, et frangible sous la pression du gaz injecté (afin de permettre l’expansion de la mousse ;
• le matériau dans lequel est réalisée la mousse peut être un polyuréthane (ou PU) ;
• le sac peut être réalisé en nylon ;

• en variante, la mousse peut être réalisée dans un matériau métallique ;

• le matériau de la mousse peut être un aluminium ;
• la mousse peut être initialement agencée de manière à présenter une forme générale parallélépipédique une fois expansée ;

• le gaz injecté peut être du diazote (ou N₂).

The restraint device according to the invention may comprise other characteristics which may be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:

• in a first embodiment, it may comprise a bag in which the expandable material is housed in a compressed state, in the absence of reception of the alert signal;
• in a second embodiment, the material can be expandable in the event of injection of a pressurized gas. In this case, it may comprise a pyrotechnic trigger injecting this pressurized gas into the foam in the event of reception of the alert signal;

• it may comprise an airtight inflatable bag, intended to be fixedly secured to the floor, housing the foam in a liquid state, and connected to the pyrotechnic trigger, in order to be inflated at the same time as the foam expands;

• the bag may include a sealed internal pocket in order to confine the liquid foam, and frangible under the pressure of the gas injected (in order to allow the expansion of the foam;
• the material in which the foam is made can be a polyurethane (or PU);
• the bag can be made of nylon;

• as a variant, the foam can be made of a metallic material;

• the foam material may be aluminum;
• the foam can be initially arranged so as to have a general parallelepipedal shape once expanded;

• the injected gas can be dinitrogen (or N ₂ ).

The invention also proposes a vehicle, possibly of the automobile type, and comprising, on the one hand, a floor on which are installed at least two seats one beside the other with a free space between their seats, and, on the other hand, at least one retaining device of the type presented above and fixedly secured to the floor between the seats.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examination of the detailed description below, and of the appended drawings, in which:

schematically and functionally illustrates, in a top view, an example of a motor vehicle comprising two seats placed one beside the other with a free space between their bases and between which is installed an example embodiment of a retained according to the invention before the expansion of its foam,

illustrates schematically and functionally, in a side view in a vertical and longitudinal plane ZX, the restraint device of Figure 1 before the expansion of its foam,

schematically and functionally illustrates, in a top view, the motor vehicle of Figure 1 after the expansion of the foam of its retaining device,

illustrates schematically and functionally, in a side view in the vertical and longitudinal plane ZX, the restraint device of Figure 1 after the expansion of its foam,

schematically and functionally illustrates, in a perspective view, another embodiment of a retaining device according to the invention before the expansion of its foam, and

illustrates schematically and functionally, in a perspective view, the restraint device of Figure 5 after the expansion of its foam.

Detailed description of the invention

The object of the invention is in particular to propose a restraint device 1 intended to equip a floor 2 of a vehicle 3, on which are installed first 4 and second 5 seats one beside the other with a free space 6 between their bases, in order to prevent as much as possible the internal tilting of one of these first 4 and second 5 seats towards the other seat in the event of a side impact.

In what follows, it is considered, by way of non-limiting example, that the vehicle 3 is of the automobile type. This is, for example, a car comprising at least one row of first 4 and second 5 seats. But the invention is not limited to this type of vehicle. It concerns any type of vehicle comprising at least two seats placed next to each other with a free space between their seats. Consequently, the invention relates at least to land vehicles (and in particular motor vehicles, commercial vehicles, road construction machinery, trucks, minibuses, coaches (or buses), construction machinery, trams and trains), some boats, and some aircraft.

Furthermore, it is considered in what follows, by way of non-limiting example, that the first 4 and second 5 seats are intended to be installed in the front part of a motor vehicle passenger compartment, in order to respectively constitute passenger seats. driver 7 and front passenger 8 (row 1). However, the invention is not limited to this type of implantation. Indeed, the first 4 and second 5 seats could be installed in the intermediate part or the rear part of a vehicle cabin.

In FIGS. 1 to 6, the X direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 3, which is parallel to the lateral (or longitudinal) sides comprising the side doors, the Y direction is the transverse direction of the vehicle 3, which is perpendicular to the lateral sides and to the longitudinal direction X, and the direction Z is the vertical direction of the vehicle 3, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal X and transverse Y directions.

There is schematically shown in Figures 1 and 3 a vehicle 3 (here a car) comprising a passenger compartment delimited in part by a floor 2 on which are installed, on the one hand, first 4 and second 5 seats one on the other with a free space 6 between their bases, and, on the other hand, a retaining device 1 according to the invention between the first 4 and second 5 seats.

It will be noted that in the example illustrated without limitation in Figures 1 and 3 the vehicle 3 only comprises a front row (or 1) of first 4 and second 5 seats. But it could have several rows of seats.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 6, a restraint device 1, according to the invention, comprises at least one expandable foam 9 and a pyrotechnic trigger 10.

The foam 9 is intended to be coupled to the floor 2 and is made of a material which is expandable and whose expansion is triggered in the event of reception of an alert signal, so that it (9) expands and stiffens between the bases of the first 4 and second 5 seats, in order to limit (and if possible prevent) the tilting of one of the seats 4 and 5 towards the other seat in the event of a side impact suffered by the vehicle 3.

The alert signal is generated by a computer on board the vehicle 3 when it detects a sufficiently large side impact by analyzing information provided by at least one on-board sensor (for example position or acceleration or pressure). For example, the generation of this alert signal may result from the detection of a threshold crossing. Note that the alert signal can be analog or digital.

It will be understood that the expansion of the foam 9 makes it possible to at least partially fill the free space 6 between the seats of the first 4 and second 5 seats, and the stiffening of the foam 9 combined with this filling makes it possible to limit (or even prevent) the tilting of a seat 4 or 5 towards the other seat 5 or 4. In other words, the foam 9 plays, once expanded, the anti-tipping function that a central console would play, which allows avoid a collision (at least at high speed) between the heads of passengers 7 and 8 seated respectively on the first 4 and second 5 seats.

It will be noted that the anti-tilt advantageously allows a side protection device with an inflatable bag (or airbag) installed between the first 4 and second 5 seats to effectively ensure its lateral protection of seated passenger(s) during an impact. side suffered by the vehicle 3. This therefore results in better lateral restraint of the passenger in question and more stable kinematics of the seat in question in the event of a side impact.

At least two embodiments of the retaining device 1 can be envisaged.

In a first embodiment not illustrated, the restraint device 1 may comprise a bag in which the expandable material (foam 9) is housed in a state which is compressed in the absence of reception of the alert signal. Reception of the alert signal triggers the opening of the bag and the automatic expansion (and stiffening) of the expandable material of the foam 9. The compression before expansion can be very important. Typically the volume after expansion can be 40 to 60 times greater than the volume before expansion. For example, the volume after expansion can be 50 times greater than the volume before expansion.

In a second embodiment, the material can be expandable in the event of injection of a pressurized gas. In this case, the restraint device 1 comprises a pyrotechnic trigger 10 arranged so as to inject the pressurized gas into the foam 9 in the event of reception of an alert signal. This injection induces (or causes) the expansion and stiffening of the foam 9 between the bases of the first 4 and second 5 seats, in order to limit (and if possible prevent) the tilting of one of the seats 4 and 5 towards the another seat in the event of a side impact suffered by the vehicle 3. For example, the gas to be injected may be dinitrogen (or N ₂ ). More generally, any inert, non-flammable gas can be used.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, in this second embodiment the restraint device 1 may comprise a bag 11 in addition to its expandable foam 9 and its pyrotechnic trigger 10.

This bag 11 is inflatable, waterproof and intended to be fixedly attached to the floor 2. In addition, this bag 11 houses the expandable foam 9 in a liquid state, and is connected to the pyrotechnic trigger 10, in order to be inflated at the same time as the foam 9 expands.

This arrangement with bag 11 is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to combine both the density of the expanded foam 9 and the pressure of the gas inside the bag 11. Typically, it is possible, for example, to obtain a compression force of the expanded foam 9 of the order of 100 Kg and a force related to the pressure of the gas in the bag 11 of the order of 300 Kg.

It will be noted that the pyrotechnic trigger 10 can be either fixedly installed inside the bag 11, or fixedly secured to the bag 11 outside the latter (11) by communicating with the interior via an opening (as is done , for example, for protective devices (or airbags) called curtain or thorax).

It will also be noted that in the example illustrated without limitation in FIGS. 3 and 4, the expansion of the foam 9 takes place preferentially along the three directions X, Y and Z.

For example, and as illustrated without limitation in Figures 1 to 4, the bag 11 may include an internal pocket 12 which is sealed in order to initially confine the liquid foam, and which is frangible under the pressure of the gas injected by the pyrotechnic trigger 10 .

Also for example, the bag 11 can be made of canvas. The latter can, for example, be made by weaving nylon threads (possibly of type 4.6 or 6 or 6.6).

Preferably, the material in which the foam 9 is made is a polyurethane (or PU). The density of this material can, for example, be between 35 g/l and 80 g/l.

In a variant of the second embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the retaining device 1 comprises only its pyrotechnic trigger 10 and its expandable foam 9 which is made of a metallic material. The latter is initially in a solid state before gas injection.

It is recalled that a metal foam is an alveolar structure made up of a solid metal, often aluminum, containing a large volume of gas (housed in pores). The pores can be sealed (closed cell foam) or can form an interconnected network (open cell foam). The main characteristic of metallic foams is a very high porosity, generally 75% to 95% of the volume, which makes them ultralight. These metal foams are usually made by injecting a gas or mixing a foaming agent into a liquid metal

This variant of the second embodiment is advantageous because, once expanded, the metal foam 9 is typically 100 times more rigid than an expanded polyurethane foam, and offers isotropic rigidity and a high energy absorption efficiency. In addition, the final rigidity can be controlled quite easily by controlling the power and/or the size of the pyrotechnic trigger 10.

It will be noted that the pyrotechnic trigger 10 is fixedly attached to one face of the "block" of metal foam 9 and communicates with the interior of this block.

For example, the material of this metal foam 9 can be aluminum.

Also for example, and as illustrated without limitation in Figures 5 and 6, the metal foam 9 can be initially arranged so as to have a generally parallelepipedic shape once expanded. In the example illustrated without limitation in Figures 5 and 6, the metal foam 9 is initially in the form of a wafer (contained in an XZ plane) and its expansion is preferably done in the vertical directions Z, longitudinal X and transverse Y. The metal foam wafer 9 can thus be fixedly secured to a lateral side of a seat of one of the first 4 and second 5 seats while occupying a minimum of space.

Claims (10)

Restraint device (1) for a vehicle (3) comprising a floor (2) on which are installed two seats (4, 5) next to each other with a free space (6) between their seats, characterized in that it comprises a foam (9) intended to be coupled to said floor (2) and made of an expandable material whose expansion is triggered in the event of receipt of a warning signal, so that it s' expands and stiffens between said foundations in order to limit tilting of one of said seats (4, 5) towards the other seat in the event of a side impact suffered by said vehicle (3). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a bag in which is housed said expandable material in a compressed state, in the absence of reception of said alert signal. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said material is expandable in the event of injection of a pressurized gas, and in that it comprises a pyrotechnic trigger (10) injecting the said pressurized gas into the said foam (9) in the event of receipt of said alert signal. Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an inflatable, waterproof bag (11) intended to be fixedly secured to said floor (2), housing said foam (9) in a liquid state, and connected to said pyrotechnic trigger ( 10), in order to be inflated at the same time as said foam expands. Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the said bag (11) comprises a sealed internal pocket (12) in order to confine the said liquid foam, and frangible under the pressure of the said injected gas. Device according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the said material in which the foam (9) is made is a polyurethane. Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that the said foam (9) is made of a metallic material. Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the said material of the foam (9) is an aluminum. Device according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the said foam (9) is initially arranged so as to have a general parallelepipedal shape once expanded. Vehicle (3) comprising a floor (2) on which are installed at least two seats (4, 5) one next to the other with a free space (6) between their seats, characterized in that it comprises at least one retaining device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, fixedly secured to said floor (2) between said seats (4, 5).