Claims
- 1. A vehicle safety device comprising:a first air-bag mounted within a passenger compartment of a vehicle; a first seat mounted within the passenger compartment, the first seat being movably connected to a frame of the vehicle by a first seat position adjusting mechanism, the first seat position adjusting mechanism allowing the first seat to move relative to the first air-bag along a first axis between a forward-most position and a rearward-most position, the forward-most position being defined as a position of the first seat in which a distance between a passenger seated in the first seat and the first air-bag is equal to a minimum safe clearance, displacement of the first seat away from the forward-most position increasing the distance between the first seat and the first air-bag; wherein the first air-bag is fixedly positioned with respect to one of a steering wheel assembly for a driver and a dashboard arrangement for a passenger other than the driver.
- 2. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, wherein the first seat is a driver's seat and wherein the vehicle includes at least one vehicle control pedal positioned in the passenger compartment forward of the first seat, the vehicle safety device further comprising a pedal position adjusting mechanism for moving the at least one pedal toward and away from the first seat.
- 3. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, wherein the pedal position adjusting mechanism includes a pedal mounting member to which the at least one pedal is rotatably mounted, the pedal mounting member being slidably mounted within the passenger compartment so that the at least one pedal may be slid along a pedal adjusting axis substantially parallel to the first axis between a forward-most position and a rearward-most position.
- 4. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, wherein, when in the forward-most position, a seat-back of the first seat is separated from the first air-bag by a distance equal to the minimum safe clearance plus a value corresponding to an adult chest depth.
- 5. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle safety device is for use with a position defining arrangement for defining the forward-most position based on a distance between a passenger seated in the first seat and the first air-bag, the vehicle safety device further comprising a distance sensor for determining the distance and for providing the distance to the position defining arrangement.
- 6. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, further comprising:a second seat mounted within the passenger compartment, the second seat being movably connected to the vehicle frame by a second seat position adjusting mechanism, the second seat position adjusting mechanism allowing the second seat to move along a second axis parallel to the first axis between a forward-most position and a rearward-most position; and a second air-bag mounted within the passenger compartment in front of the forward-most position of the second seat, the forward-most position of the second seat being defined as a position of the second seat in which a distance between a passenger seated in the second seat and the second air-bag is equal to a minimum safe clearance.
- 7. The vehicle safety device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of pedals are coupled to the pedal position adjusting mechanism so that, when the position of the pedals is adjusted a predetermined positioning of the pedals relative to one another is maintained.
- 8. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, wherein the first seat is a driver's seat and the first air-bag is mounted in the steering wheel of the vehicle and wherein the vehicle includes at least one vehicle control pedal movably coupled to a pedal mount, the pedal mount being movably mounted to the vehicle so that the at least one pedal may be moved toward and away from the first seat.
- 9. The vehicle safety device according to claim 7, further comprising a cable extending from a first end coupled to an actuator of a vehicle control device, around first and second pulley assemblies to a second end thereof, the second end of the cable being coupled to an anchor member, the first pulley assembly including a first pulley rotatably and movably coupled to the pedal mount and the second pulley assembly including a second pulley rotatably and non-movably coupled to the pedal mount.
- 10. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, wherein the seat position adjusting mechanism includes a lever which, in a first position, prevents the first seat from moving forward and rearward and which, in a second position, releases the first seat so that the first seat may be moved forward and rearward by a passenger seated in the first seat.
- 11. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, further comprising:a pedal mount for use with at least one pedal, the pedal mount including: a first geared member and a second geared member, one of the first geared member and the second geared member being a movable geared member; and a geared wheel non-rotatably coupled to the at least one pedal, the geared wheel being received between the first geared member and the second geared member so that rotation of the geared wheel causes a corresponding motion of the movable geared member; and one of a push rod and a pull cable coupled between the movable geared member and an actuator of a vehicle control device for use with the at least one pedal.
- 12. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, further comprising a height sensor for sensing a position of a portion of a passenger seated in the first seat corresponding to a height of the eyes of the passenger.
- 13. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, further comprising a distance sensor sensing a position of a passenger seated in the first seat corresponding to a distance between the passenger and the first air-bag.
- 14. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1, wherein the first air-bag is mounted in the steering wheel of the vehicle.
- 15. A vehicle safety device comprising:a first seat mounted within a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the first seat being movably connected to a frame of the vehicle by a first seat position adjusting mechanism, the first seat position adjusting mechanism allowing the first seat to move along a first axis between a forward-most position and a rearward-most position; a first air-bag mounted within the passenger compartment in front of the forward-most position of the first seat, the forward-most position being defined as a position of the first seat in which a distance between a passenger seated in the first seat and the first air-bag is equal to a minimum safe clearance; a pedal mount; at least one vehicle control pedal movably coupled to the pedal mount, wherein the pedal mount is movably mounted to the vehicle so that the at least one vehicle control pedal may be moved toward and away from the first seat; a cable extending from a first end coupled to an actuator of a vehicle control device, around first and second pulley assemblies to a second end thereof, the second end of the cable being coupled to an anchor member, the first pulley assembly including a first pulley rotatably and movably coupled to the pedal mount and the second pulley assembly including a second pulley rotatably and non-movably coupled to the pedal mount; and an abutment member coupled to the at least one pedal and abutting the first pulley assembly so that, upon actuation of the pedal, the first pulley moves relative to the pedal mount applying a corresponding force to the cable to operate the actuator of the vehicle control device; wherein the first seat is a driver's seat and the first air-bag is mounted in a steering wheel of the vehicle.
- 16. A method of maintaining a minimum safe clearance between an air-bag mounted in a vehicle and a vehicle passenger to be protected by the air-bag, wherein the vehicle includes a seat which may be moved toward and away from the air-bag, the method comprising the steps of:limiting motion of the seat toward the air bag to prevent motion of the seat beyond a forward-most position wherein, when in the forward-most position, a passenger seated in the seat is separated from the air-bag by a predetermined minimum safe clearance; and adjusting a position of at least one vehicle control pedal to achieve a desired distance between the seat and the at least one pedal; wherein the air-bag is fixedly positioned with respect to one of a steering wheel assembly for a driver and a dashboard arrangement for a passenger other than the driver.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/101,487, filed Sep. 23, 1998; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/105,245, filed Oct. 22, 1998 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/105,595, filed Oct. 26, 1998.
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|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/101487 |
Sep 1998 |
US |
|
60/105245 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
|
60/105595 |
Oct 1998 |
US |