VEHICLE SEAT SIDE AIR BAG SECUREMENT

Abstract

A vehicle seat component includes a side air bag module mounted on a frame within a trim cover that also covers a seat pad. An air bag guide includes flexible inner and outer panels that extend between a release seam of the trim cover and the air bag module to provide a guiding function to an inflating air bag. An inner extremity of the flexible outer panel is secured to frame by a connector including at least one lace secured to a single connection location of the frame. One embodiment has a single lace and another has a plurality of laces, specifically three, that converge toward the single connection location.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat including a seat back component constructed in accordance with the invention to include a side air bag module that is shown by hidden line illustration.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the vehicle seat back component taken along the direction of line 2-2 in FIG. 1 with the side air bag module thereof also illustrated by hidden line representation.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken through the seat back component along the direction of line 3-3 in FIG. 2 to further illustrate the construction of the side air bag module within the seat back component.

FIG. 3 a is a partial view illustrating a modification of a trim cover which includes an extension for attachment to a frame of the seat back component.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3 illustrating an air bag release seam of a trim cover of the seat back component.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3 illustrating the manner in which an inner extremity of an air bag guide flexible inner panel is secured by a first connector to an upper extremity of a lateral side frame member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention wherein an inner extremity of a flexible outer panel of the air bag guide is secured by a single lace to a single connection location of the seat frame.

FIG. 7 is a partial view of the seat component taken along the direction of line 7-7 in FIG. 6 to illustrate the securement of the lace to the seat frame at the single connection location.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view taken from the back side of FIG. 7 to further illustrate the hook shaped retainer of a connection that secures the lace.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention wherein the air bag guide includes a plurality of laces that secure the inner extremity of its flexible outer panel to a single connection location of the seat frame.

FIG. 10 is a view taken along the direction of line 10-10 in FIG. 9 to further illustrate the manner in which the three laces are secured to the seat frame.

FIG. 11 is a somewhat perspective back side view of FIG. 10 showing the manner in which hooked retainers of the connector secure the three laces to the seat frame at its single connection location.

FIG. 12 is a view taken along the direction of line 12-12 in FIG. 3 to illustrate the lace and trim cover securement to the seat frame.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the direction of line 13-13 in FIG. 12 to further illustrate the lace securement.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the direction of line 14-14 in FIG. 12 to illustrate the trim cover securement.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat component comprising: a frame for mounting on an associated vehicle on which the vehicle seat component is to be used, and the frame having a lateral side frame member;a seat pad mounted by the frame and having a side extremity adjacent the lateral side frame member of the frame;a trim cover extending over the seat pad and having an air bag release seam adjacent the lateral side frame member and the adjacent side extremity of the seat pad;an air bag module mounted on the lateral side frame member within the trim cover in a spaced relationship from its air bag release seam, and the air bag module including an inflator and an air bag that is inflated by the inflator to project outwardly from the seat component through the air bag release seam of the trim cover;an air bag guide including an inner panel and an outer panel that are each made of flexible material and have outer and inner extremities with their outer extremities connected to the trim cover adjacent the air bag release seam, and the flexible inner and outer panels extending alongside each other from their outer extremities to the air bag module and thence respectively inwardly and outwardly thereof;a first connector for securing the inner extremity of the flexible inner panel to the seat component; anda second connector including at least one lace extending from the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel to a single connection location on the frame at a spaced position from the first connector.

2. A vehicle seat component as in claim 1 wherein each lace is selected from the group consisting of: cords, straps, bands, wires, chains or combinations thereof for securing the inner extremity of the outer panel.

3. A vehicle seat component as in claim 1 wherein the lateral side frame member is formed sheet metal and has one extremity to which the first connector is secured and another spaced extremity that includes the single connection location to which the second connector is secured.

4. A vehicle seat component as in claim 3 wherein the first connector includes a hooked retainer secured to the one extremity of the side frame member, and the second connector including another hooked retainer that secures each lace to the single connection location of the other extremity of the side frame member.

5. A vehicle seat component as in claim 4 wherein the second connector also includes a hooked retainer that secures the trim cover to the lower extremity of the side frame member.

6. A vehicle seat component as in claim 1 embodied as a seat back and wherein the lateral side frame member is at an outboard location.

7. A vehicle seat component as in claim 1 which includes a single lace that extends between the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel and the single connection location on the frame.

8. A vehicle seat component as in claim 7 wherein the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel has sides that converge and have a vertex at which the single lace is connected to the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel.

9. A vehicle seat component as in claim 1 which includes a plurality of laces that extend between spaced locations of the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel and the single connection location on the frame in a converging configuration.

10. A vehicle seat component as in claim 9 which includes three laces that extend between the spaced locations of the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel and the single connection location on the frame in a converging configuration, and the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel having an edge at which the laces are connected.

11. A vehicle seat back component comprising: a frame for mounting on an associated vehicle on which the vehicle seat back component is to be used, and the frame having a lateral side frame member;a seat pad mounted by the frame and having a side extremity adjacent the lateral side frame member of the frame;a trim cover extending over the seat pad and having an air bag release seam adjacent the lateral side frame member and the adjacent side extremity of the seat pad;an air bag module mounted on the lateral side frame member within the trim cover in a spaced relationship from its air bag release seam, and the air bag module including an inflator and an air bag that is inflated by the inflator to project outwardly from the seat component through the air bag release seam of the trim cover;an air bag guide including an inner panel and an outer panel that are each made of flexible material and have outer and inner extremities with their outer extremities connected to the trim cover adjacent the air bag release seam, the flexible inner and outer panels extending alongside each other from their outer extremities to the air bag module and thence respectively inwardly and outwardly thereof, and the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel having sides that converge have a vertex;a first connector for securing the inner extremity of the flexible inner panel to the seat component; anda second connector including a single lace extending from vertex of the converging sides of the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel to a single connection location on the frame at a spaced position from the first connector.

12. A vehicle seat back component comprising: a frame for mounting on an associated vehicle on which the vehicle seat back component is to be used, and the frame having a lateral side frame member;a seat pad mounted by the frame and having a side extremity adjacent the lateral side frame member of the frame;a trim cover extending over the seat pad and having an air bag release seam adjacent the lateral side frame member and the adjacent side extremity of the seat pad;an air bag module mounted on the lateral side frame member within the trim cover in a spaced relationship from its air bag release seam, and the air bag module including an inflator and an air bag that is inflated by the inflator to project outwardly from the seat component through the air bag release seam of the trim cover;an air bag guide including an inner panel and an outer panel that are each made of flexible material and have outer and inner extremities with their outer extremities connected to the trim cover adjacent the air bag release seam, the flexible inner and outer panels extending alongside each other from their outer extremities to the air bag module and thence respectively inwardly and outwardly thereof, and the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel having a generally straight edge;a first connector for securing the inner extremity of the flexible inner panel to the seat component; anda second connector including a plurality of laces extending from spaced locations on the generally straight edge of the inner extremity of the flexible outer panel to a single connection location on the frame at a spaced position from the first connector.