SEATING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE WITH A SEATING SYSTEM

Abstract

Seating system for a vehicle (10) comprising: a seat (34) comprising a seat base (38) with a seat surface (48) having a first and a second side (50, 52), and a backrest (42) connected to the seat base (38), wherein the backrest (42) has a support surface (56) with a first and a second side section (58, 60) and wherein the backrest (42) is pivotable between an upright seating configuration and a deeply reclined seating configuration; and an upper body harness system (64) arranged on the seating system, comprising: a roll-up mechanism that is attached adjacent to the seat base (38) or to the backrest (42), the roll-up mechanism comprising a spool (68) and a first connecting piece (70) that can be fixedly attached in a vehicle (10); a section of flexible webbing (78) with a first end (80) anchored to the spool (68) and a second end (82); a selectable anchorage (75, 88) that can be connected to the second end of the flexible webbing (78), wherein the selectable anchorage (75, 88) is optionally arranged in a first position on the seat base (38) when the backrest (42) is in the upright seating configuration, and in a second position on the backrest (42) when the backrest (42) is in the deeply reclined seating configuration; and a guide rail (94) with a first end section (96) arranged on the first or second side (50, 52) and a second end section (98) arranged on the corresponding first or second side part (58, 60), wherein the movable anchoring (75) can be selectively moved along the guide rail (94) between the first and the second end section (96, 98); wherein the selectable anchorage (75, 88) is a movable anchorage (75), wherein the seating system comprises a motor (110) connected to the movable anchorage (75) which is selectively activated to move the movable anchorage (75) between the first and second positions; characterized by the fact that The seating system also includes: includes a seat sensor (112) configured to detect the position of the backrest (42); and. a controller (130) which is operationally connected to the motor (110) and the seat sensor (112), wherein the controller (130) operates the motor (110) to move the movable anchorage (75) between the first and second end sections of the guide rail (94) when the backrest (42) pivots between the first and second positions.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle restraint systems and in particular to a seating system for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1, as is known essentially from DE 37 41 831 A1.

[0002] Further state of the art can also be found in DE 10 2020 208 647 B3.

[0003] Many passenger cars, especially those manufactured after 1968, are equipped with passenger restraint systems. Initially, vehicles were fitted with lap belts. In some cases, an additional, separate shoulder belt may also have been provided. It was found that the use of lap belts led to a reduction in deceleration injuries. As vehicle seating systems evolved, improvements were also introduced to restraint systems. A combined lap and shoulder belt was developed and installed in vehicles. This combined seat belt further reduced deceleration injuries.

[0004] In addition to passive restraint systems such as lap and shoulder belts, supplementary restraint systems like airbags have been introduced to further enhance the safety of seated passengers. Airbags inflate rapidly when they detect, for example, a sudden deceleration. They prevent collisions between passengers and vehicle surfaces. While passive and supplementary restraint systems have proven effective in protecting seated passengers, they are currently ineffective for reclining passengers. Therefore, there remains a need to protect passengers who may find themselves in a reclined position.

[0005] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that can adapt restraint configurations not only for upright seated passengers, but also for passengers who are in a highly reclined or sleeping position.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the objective of fulfilling this wish. SUMMARY

[0007] This problem is solved with a seating system for a vehicle characterized by the features of claim 1 or claim 5.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the seat optionally has a frame with a first frame section provided at the seat base and a second frame section provided at the backrest, with the guide rail attached between the first and second frame sections.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the second end of the flexible webbing optionally features a buckle and the selectable anchoring has a buckle receptacle that can be optionally connected to the buckle.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the selectable anchorage optionally includes a belt tensioner.

[0011] Furthermore, a vehicle is presented which is characterized by the features of claim 6.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the seat optionally has a frame with a first frame section provided at the seat base and a second frame section provided at the backrest, with the guide rail attached between the first and second frame sections.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the second end of the flexible webbing optionally features a buckle and the selectable anchoring has a buckle receptacle that can be optionally connected to the buckle.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the selectable anchorage optionally includes a belt tensioner.

[0015] The features and advantages described above, and further features and advantages of the invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Further features, advantages and details appear only as examples in the following detailed description, which refers to the drawings; they show: Fig. 1 a left side view of a vehicle with an upper body safety belt system according to an example; Fig. 2 a left side view of a seated passenger restrained by the upper body safety belt system arranged in a first configuration according to an example; Fig. 3 a left side view of the seated passenger Fig. 2 with the upper body safety belt system according to an example in a second configuration; Fig. 4 a front view of the seated passenger from Fig. 2 according to an example; Fig. 5 a front view of the seated passenger from Fig. 3 according to an example; Fig. 6 a left side view of a belt tensioner of the upper body safety belt system according to an example in the first configuration; Fig. 7 a left side view of the belt tensioner according to an example in the second configuration; Fig. 8 a front view of a seating system including a seat base, a backrest and an upper body harness system according to another example; and Fig. 9 a partial view of the backrest Fig. 8 according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following description is for illustrative purposes only. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate similar or corresponding sections and features. As used here, the term "module" refers to a processing circuit arrangement that may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped) with memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

[0018] A vehicle according to an example is in Fig. 1, generally designated by 10. The vehicle 10 comprises a body 12, which is supported by a plurality of wheels 16. The body 12 partially defines a passenger compartment 20 with a plurality of structural members 24. The structural members 24 include an 'A' pillar 26, a 'B' pillar 28, and a 'C' pillar 30. Other (undesignated) structural members are also present. Structural members 24 extend between a passenger compartment floor 32 and a roof 33. A plurality of seats are arranged in the passenger compartment 20, one of which is designated by 34. The seats 34 can include outer seats (e.g., seats located adjacent to a door) and middle seats (e.g., seats located between the outer seats).

[0019] According to a report in the Fig. 2 and Fig. In the example shown, the seat 34 comprises a seat base 38 with a base frame 40 and a backrest 42 with a back frame 44 and a headrest 46. The backrest 42 is pivotally connected to the seat base 38 via a hinge 47. The seat base 38 comprises a seat surface 48 with a first side 50 and a second side 52 ( Fig. 4), which is arranged opposite the first side 50. The backrest 42 comprises a support surface 56 with a first side panel 58 and a second side panel 60 ( Fig. 4) As explained in detail here, the backrest 42 can be adjusted between an upright position ( Fig. 2) and a strongly reclined position ( Fig. 3) swivel. At this point, it should be noted that the term strongly reclined position 4 describes a state in which the backrest 42 is inclined by more than 35° from the vertical and the seat base 38 can swivel upwards by more than 20° from the horizontal.

[0020] In one example, the vehicle 10 includes an upper body harness system 64 located on the seat 34. As explained in more detail below, the upper body harness system 64 can restrain users seated on the seat 34 in either an upright or a deeply reclined position. The upper body harness system 64 includes a retractor 66 located on the seat back 42. The retractor 66 can be located at various points in the passenger compartment 20, depending on the seat position. For example, the retractor 66 can be located on the B-pillar 28 or the C-pillar 30 for the outer seats.

[0021] The retractor 66 comprises a spool 68 which is spring-loaded. The spool 68 also includes a locking device (not shown). The retractor 66 includes a first connecting piece 70, which defines a first anchorage 73 of the upper body belt system 64. A first selectable anchorage 75 is attached to the first side 50 of the seat base 38 and can, as described in more detail here, move to and from the first side panel 58 of the backrest 42. A belt guide 76 may be attached to an upper portion (not separately designated) of the backrest 42. For example, in outboard rear seat configurations, the belt guide 76 may be connected to the C-pillar 30. It should be noted here that the term "selectable anchorage" describes an anchorage that has a selectable anchorage point.

[0022] A flexible webbing 78 is provided on the spool 68. The flexible webbing 78 comprises a first end 80, which is fixedly connected to the winding device 66, a second end 82, which is coupled to the first selectable anchorage 75, and an intermediate section 84. The intermediate section 84 comprises a buckle 87 ( Fig. 4), which is connected to a second selectable anchorage 88 located on the second side 52 of the seat base 38. The second selectable anchorage 88 can take the form of a belt buckle receptacle 86 connected to the belt buckle 87. The intermediate section 84 can be routed through the belt buckle 87. In one example, the flexible webbing 78 comprises a shoulder belt section 90 extending from the retractor 66 to the second selectable anchorage 88, and a lap belt / torso belt section 92 extending between the first selectable anchorage 75 and the second selectable anchorage 88.

[0023] As described in more detail here, the first selectable anchorage 75 and the second selectable anchorage 88 can be positioned between a first position in which the lap belt section 92 extends over the lap of a passenger ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 4), and a second position in which the lap belt section 92 extends over the upper body of the passenger ( Fig. 3 and Fig. 5) can be moved. The first selectable anchorage 75 is moved along a guide rail 94 which is mounted in the vehicle 10. The second selectable anchorage 88 may have a similar guide rail (not shown). The guide rail 94 is attached to a first side 50 of the seat base 38 and a first side panel 58 of the backrest 42.

[0024] In one example, the guide rail 94 is mounted between the base frame 40 and the back frame 44. Of course, the guide rail 94 can also be mounted between the passenger compartment floor 32 and the B-pillar 28, or directly on the B-pillar 28. The guide rail 94 comprises a first end section 96, which is located on the base frame 40, a second end section 98, which is located on the back frame 44, and an intermediate section 100. As explained in more detail below, the first selectable anchor 75 between the first end section 96 and the second end section 98 is moved along the intermediate section 100 when the backrest 42 pivots between the upright configuration and the deeply reclined configuration.In this way, the lap belt section 92 is placed across the occupant's lap in the upright configuration and across the occupant's upper body in the strongly reclined configuration, in order to better restrain an occupant in a reclined position during sudden deceleration events.

[0025] In one example, the first selectable anchorage 75 can be connected to a belt tensioner 104, as described in the Fig. 6 and Fig. Figure 7 shows the belt tensioner 104 comprising the first selectable anchorage 75. The element 106 is connected to the second end 82 of the flexible webbing 78. The element 106 is also connected to a retaining cable 108, which is selectively retracted by the belt tensioner 104 and can generate a pretension on the second end 82 of the flexible webbing 78 when a sudden deceleration occurs. The belt tensioner 104 can interact with the retractor 66 to limit the deflection of the occupants in the event of a sudden deceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0026] In one example, which is in the Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the first selectable anchorage 75 is connected to a motor 110. The motor 110 moves the selectable anchorage 75 along the guide rail 94 between the first end section 96 and the second end section 98 depending on the angle of the backrest 42. A seat sensor 112 is connected to the backrest 42. The seat sensor 112 detects the angle of the backrest 42 in real time. In one example, the vehicle 10 includes a controller 130, which is connected to the motor 110 and the seat sensor 112, as shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. Figure 6 is shown. The controller 130 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 132, a non-volatile memory 136 and an anchoring control module 139.

[0027] When activated, the controller 130 receives position signals from the seat sensor 112 relating to changes in the backrest angle. The controller 130 signals the anchorage control module 139 to activate the motor 110 and move the first selectable anchorage 75 along the guide rail 94. In one example, the controller 130 can be selected to operate autonomously, meaning the anchorage control module 139 moves the first selectable anchorage 75 without specific input based on the detected seat position. In another example, an actuator 144 can be manually operated to move the first selectable anchorage 75. Furthermore, a user can store preset positions of the lap belt section in the non-volatile memory 136, which are specific to the user's upper body geometry.It should be noted that the controller 130 can also be connected to the second selectable anchor point 88.

[0028] In one example, which is in the Fig. 8 and Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the position of the upper body belt system 64 can be selected manually.

[0029] In addition to the first selectable anchorage 75 and the second selectable anchorage 88, the upper body harness system 64 comprises a webbing guide element 200, which is attached to the first side panel 58 of the backrest 42, and a second buckle receptacle 210, which is attached to the second side panel 60 of the backrest 42. In the upright position, the lap belt section 92 of the flexible webbing 78 runs between the selectable anchorage 75 and the buckle receptacle 210.

[0030] In the deeply reclined position, the lap belt section 92 can be rerouted. That is, the buckle 85 can be detached from the second selectable anchorage 88 and connected to the second buckle receptacle 210, and the intermediate section 84 can be guided through the webbing guide element 200, effectively moving the first selectable anchorage 75 upwards along the backrest 42. Alternatively, the webbing guide element 200 can be replaced by another selectable anchorage (not shown), and the first selectable anchorage 75 can be disconnected and then reconnected to the second selectable anchorage position.It should be noted that instead of the second belt buckle receptacle 210, an additional belt guide (not shown) can be arranged on the second side panel 60 of the backrest 42, so that the lap belt section can simply be manually moved upwards and rerouted to extend over the upper body of an occupant. Furthermore, although the upper body belt system is shown in conjunction with an outer seat, it can also be used in conjunction with middle seating positions.

Claims

[1] Seating system for a vehicle (10) comprising: a seat (34) comprising a seat base (38) with a seat surface (48) having a first and a second side (50, 52), and a backrest (42) connected to the seat base (38), wherein the backrest (42) has a support surface (56) with a first and a second side section (58, 60) and wherein the backrest (42) is pivotable between an upright seating configuration and a deeply reclined seating configuration; and an upper body harness system (64) arranged on the seating system, comprising: a roll-up mechanism that is attached adjacent to the seat base (38) or to the backrest (42), the roll-up mechanism comprising a spool (68) and a first connecting piece (70) that can be fixedly attached in a vehicle (10); a section of flexible webbing (78) with a first end (80) anchored to the spool (68) and a second end (82); a selectable anchorage (75, 88) that can be connected to the second end of the flexible webbing (78), wherein the selectable anchorage (75, 88) is optionally arranged in a first position on the seat base (38) when the backrest (42) is in the upright seating configuration, and in a second position on the backrest (42) when the backrest (42) is in the deeply reclined seating configuration; and a guide rail (94) with a first end section (96) arranged on the first or second side (50, 52) and a second end section (98) arranged on the corresponding first or second side part (58, 60), wherein the movable anchoring (75) can be selectively moved along the guide rail (94) between the first and the second end section (96, 98); wherein the selectable anchorage (75, 88) is a movable anchorage (75), wherein the seating system comprises a motor (110) connected to the movable anchorage (75) which is selectively activated to move the movable anchorage (75) between the first and second positions; characterized by , that The seating system also includes: includes a seat sensor (112) configured to detect the position of the backrest (42); and. a controller (130) which is operationally connected to the motor (110) and the seat sensor (112), wherein the controller (130) operates the motor (110) to move the movable anchorage (75) between the first and second end sections of the guide rail (94) when the backrest (42) pivots between the first and second positions. [2] Seating system according to claim 1, wherein the seat (34) has a frame with a first frame section (40) provided at the seat base (38) and a second frame section (44) provided at the backrest (42), wherein the guide rail (94) is attached between the first and the second frame section (40, 44). [3] Seating system according to claim 1, wherein the second end (82) of the flexible webbing (78) comprises a buckle (85) and the movable anchoring (75) comprises a buckle receiver (86) which is optionally connected to the buckle (85). [4] Seating system according to claim 1, wherein the selectable anchoring (75, 88) comprises a first anchoring (75) arranged on the first side (50) of the seat base (38) and a second anchoring (88) arranged on the first side part (58) of the backrest (42). [5] Seating system for a vehicle (10) comprising: a seat (34) comprising a seat base (38) with a seat surface (48) having a first and a second side (50, 52), and a backrest (42) connected to the seat base (38), wherein the backrest (42) has a support surface (56) with a first and a second side section (58, 60) and wherein the backrest (42) is pivotable between an upright seating configuration and a deeply reclined seating configuration; and an upper body harness system (64) arranged on the seating system, comprising: a roll-up mechanism that is attached adjacent to the seat base (38) or to the backrest (42), the roll-up mechanism comprising a spool (68) and a first connecting piece (70) that can be fixedly attached in a vehicle (10); a section of flexible webbing (78) with a first end (80) anchored to the spool (68) and a second end (82); a selectable anchorage (75, 88) that can be connected to the second end of the flexible webbing (78), wherein the selectable anchorage (75, 88) is optionally arranged in a first position on the seat base (38) when the backrest (42) is in the upright seating configuration, and is arranged in a second position on the backrest (42) when the backrest (42) is in the deeply reclined seating configuration; wherein the selectable anchoring (75, 88) comprises a first anchoring (75) located on the first side (50) of the seat base (38) and a second anchoring (88) located on the first side part (58) of the backrest (42); characterized by , that The seating system further comprises a first seat belt buckle receiver (86) arranged on the second side (52) of the seat base (38) and a second seat belt buckle receiver (210) arranged on the second side part (60) of the backrest (42), wherein the second end of the flexible webbing (78) has a buckle (85) which is connected to the first seat belt buckle receiver (86) when the backrest (42) is in the upright seating configuration and is connected to the second seat belt buckle receiver (210) when the backrest (42) is in the deeply reclined seating configuration. [6] Vehicle (10) comprising: a body (12) which partly defines a passenger compartment (20); a seating system according to claim 1 or 5, which is arranged in the passenger compartment (20).

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