A vehicle seat is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to a vehicle floor from a forward-facing position to a rear-facing position. The seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. A seat belt assembly extends at least partially from the seat back. At least one airbag is incorporated into the seat belt assembly and is deployable when the vehicle seat is rotated to at least one of the rear-facing position and a position between the forward-facing position and the rear-facing position.

An occupant protection apparatus is configured to protect an occupant to sit on a seat of a vehicle. The apparatus includes an airbag in a shape of a rod at least in part. The airbag extends downward from above shoulders of the occupant to deploy on sides of the shoulders. At a completion of deployment, part of the airbag becomes approximately straight, and an upper part of the airbag tilts toward a center of the seat in a right-to-left direction.

An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle seat includes an inflatable cushion and an inflator for providing inflation gas. The module is mounted on an inboard side of a second vehicle seat located adjacent to the vehicle seat containing the occupant. The cushion is configured to inflate into a position between the seats and includes a forward inflatable chamber that is a larger volume than a rearward inflatable chamber. The forward chamber extends vertically from the bottom of the vehicle seat to a position suitable to receive impact from the head of the occupant in the event of a far-side crash event. The rearward inflatable chamber is configured to deploy into a position inboard of the vehicle seats. The forward and rearward inflatable chambers are separated by a cleft that opens toward the occupant.

An active bolster for a vehicle is provided, wherein the bolster comprises an expansible hollow interior that is inflatable and is self-supporting in both an inflated and in an uninflated position. The bolster has an inflator module for inflating the expansible hollow interior. The bolster has an inner wall for projecting inwardly into the vehicle and away from the side of the vehicle on inflation of the expansible hollow interior. The bolster may have a relatively non-expansible component located between a first expansible chamber and a second expansible chamber. The bolster may comprise an outer wall having an attachment portion for attaching the outer wall to a portion of the side of the vehicle.

A side airbag device-installed vehicle seat including: an inner bag section that extends out from a side airbag main body, past a seat front of a side frame, and to a seat width direction inner side of the side frame, and that inflates within a side section of a seatback when an internal portion of the inner bag section in communication with an inside of the side airbag main body is supplied with gas from a gas generator; and a reaction force member including a fixing portion that is fixed to the side frame, and a reaction force application portion that is interposed between the inner bag section and the side frame at the seat width direction inner side of the side frame and that applies reaction force to the inner bag section during inflation, the inner bag section being anchored to the reaction force application portion.

A method and a control unit for triggering a passenger protection arrangement for a vehicle are described. A crash type is determined as a function of a first signal of a centrally disposed first acceleration sensor system and of a second signal of a second acceleration sensor system disposed in the side region of the vehicle. The triggering of the passenger protection arrangement takes place as a function of the crash type.

An airbag unit includes a seat, a pair of side airbags, a seat state detector, and an airbag deployment controller. The seat is reversely rotatable in a front-rear direction of a vehicle. The pair of side airbags are expansive and deployable, and incorporated in the seat on respective sides of the seat in a width direction of the vehicle. The seat state detector detects a rearward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is rearward-oriented in the front-rear direction. The airbag deployment controller performs a deployment control of the pair of side airbags, on a condition that the seat state detector detects the rearward-oriented state of the seat. The airbag deployment controller performs the deployment control in a reverse sequence from a deployment control in a frontward-oriented state of the seat, i.e., a state in which the seat is frontward-oriented in the front-rear direction.

A vehicle seat provided with a side airbag device including: a side airbag that is stored within a side portion of a seat back, and that receives gas supplied from an inflator so as to inflate and deploy at a side of a seated vehicle occupant; seat back upholstery that forms upholstery for the seat back, and in which a burst line portion, which is a seam portion, ruptures when it receives inflation pressure from the side airbag, and in which a three-way junction is formed in a seam portion as a result of a seam portion that branches off from the burst line portion being provided; and reinforcement fabric that is joined to both a portion of the burst line portion that bridges an intersection point of the three-way junction and a seat back frame, and that stretches when it receives inflation pressure from the side airbag.

A pre/post-tensioning controller system for a wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint system (“WTORS”) will be a comprehensive energy management system for controlling excessive excursions of a wheeled mobility device during various adverse driving scenarios. The system uses multiple pre-tensioning and post-tensioning events during a front, side, or rear impact crash or rollover scenario—and effectively controls excursions by the tensioning of the WTORS equipment at specific and ideal moments. The system also uses tensioning events on the tie-down equipment during a long duration turn or other aggressive maneuvers. The system may also use tensioning events on the occupant restraints. The energy management system can be adapted for use with traditional four-point tie-downs and newer three- and two-point tie-down systems that incorporate fixed or movable bumpers, as well as compressive-type securement systems, and other systems as well, including docking systems.

A pressure sensor for being mounted in a vehicle door includes a housing, a pressure transducer, an elastomeric connector, and electrical conductors for facilitating an electrical connection to the pressure sensor. The pressure transducer is mounted in the housing adjacent the elastomeric connector. The housing is configured to exert a force that presses the pressure transducer against the elastomeric connector. The elastomeric connector comprises electrically conductive regions configured to be pressed against electrical contacts of the pressure transducer and the electrical conductors to establish and maintain an electrical connection between the pressure transducer and the electrical conductors.