US 11,691,586 B2
Seatbelt airbag
Kurt Fischer, Rochester, MI (US); Emiliano Core Almarza, Valladolid (ES); Alexandra Smith, Richmond, MI (US); Luis Felipe Blanca Téllez, Valladolid (ES); Antonio Zocco, Villarbasse (IT); and Andrea Rabito, Roletto (IT)
Assigned to ZF PASSIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS US INC., Washington, MI (US)
Filed by ZF Passive Safety Systems US Inc., Washington, MI (US)
Filed on May 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/313,244.
Prior Publication US 2022/0355755 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. B60R 21/18 (2006.01); B60R 21/01 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 21/18 (2013.01) [B60R 21/01 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01286 (2013.01)] 33 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle safety system for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle seat, comprising:
a seatbelt extensible around the occupant to help restrain the occupant in the vehicle seat, the seatbelt comprising a lap belt configured to extend across the occupant at the hips;
an airbag secured to the lap belt and configured to inflate and deploy upward from the lap belt to a deployed position in front of the occupant, wherein the system is configured to actively adjust the deployed position of the airbag relative to the belted occupant in response to the position of the occupant at the time of deployment; and
an inflator for inflating the airbag, a sensor for sensing the occurrence of an event for which airbag deployment is desired, and a controller operatively connected to the sensor and the inflator, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the inflator in response to the sensor sensing the occurrence of the event for which airbag deployment is desired, wherein the controller is further configured to control the operation of an actuatable device to adjust the deployed position of the airbag in response to the size of the occupant, wherein the actuatable device comprises a positioning chamber inflatable between the airbag and the lap belt to adjust the deployed position of the airbag.