A passenger protection apparatus for a vehicle includes an armrest, a movable member, and a controller. The armrest is provided on a side of a seat in a vehicle on which an arm of a passenger sitting on the seat can be placed. The movable member is provided in the armrest, and configured to move from the armrest toward a side of an upper body of the passenger sitting on the seat and retract into the armrest. The controller is configured to move and retract the movable member in accordance with a behavior of the vehicle.

A method is disclosed in which sensor information is obtained that is captured by at least one environment sensor of an unmanned vehicle. The sensor information represents at least one object parameter of an object that is moving relative to the unmanned vehicle. At least partly based on the at least one object parameter, it is determined whether a collision between the unmanned vehicle and the object is imminent. If it is determined that a collision between the unmanned vehicle and the object is imminent, at least partly based on the at least one object parameter, at least one triggering parameter is determined for triggering at least one crash cushion of the unmanned vehicle. The at least one crash cushion is triggered according to the at least one triggering parameter. The at least one crash cushion is triggered before the imminent collision.

A dual direction accident prevention (DDAP) and assistive braking system (ABS) which detects both the risk of a frontal accident and a rear accident and then coordinates braking to prevent both if possible while giving priority to preventing a frontal accident. In the event of an imminent rear collision with an object or vehicle in front of a driver, the system will choose a braking force which minimizes the impact of the rear collision, while determining a safe approach toward the front obstacle. Furthermore, if a vehicle is approaching the driver and an accident is imminent, and there is no further room in front to reduce the effect of the imminent impact, the system prepares the vehicle and driver by bracing for impact by applying emergency brakes, tightening seatbelts, etc.

A restraint system for a vehicle includes an instrument panel and an airbag supported by the instrument panel. The restraint system includes a right deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag. The right deflector is deployable between a retracted position and a deployed position. The restraint system includes a left deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag opposite the right deflector in a cross-vehicle direction. The left deflector is deployable between a retracted position and a deployed position. The restraint system includes a first pyrotechnic device coupled to the right deflector and a second pyrotechnic device coupled to the left deflector.

A passenger protection apparatus includes a seat, an activation member, a first detector, a second detector, and a controller. The seat has a seat cushion on which a passenger can sit. The activation member is configured to be activated upward in the seat cushion. The first detector is configured to detect or predict a collision of a vehicle. The second detector is configured to detect a sitting state of the passenger sitting on the seat cushion. The controller is configured to control activation of the activation member. The activation member can change an activation point at which the activation member is activated upward. When the first detector detects or predicts a collision of the vehicle, the controller sets the activation point on a basis of the sitting position detected by the second detector, and activates the activation member upward in the seat cushion at the determined activation point.

A passenger protection apparatus for vehicle includes an airbag and a regulating member. The airbag is capable of deploying forward or upward from a side of a seat on which a passenger sits. The regulating member is capable of regulating deployment of the airbag. The regulating member connects a side of a seat back to a side of a lower part of the seat, and is configured to contact an outside of the airbag in a seat width direction to regulate a deployment direction of the airbag to deploy the airbag inward in the seat width direction.

In a triggering system for activating a safety device, an acceleration sensor outputs a signal for a time duration in which an acceleration impulse exceeds an acceleration magnitude threshold. A first switching device receives the signal output by the acceleration sensor, and electrically connects a power supply to at least one safety response device for the time duration. A time delay device, upon completion of a delay time after receiving the signal output by the acceleration sensor, outputs a signal for the time duration. A second switching device receives the signal output by the time delay device, and electrically connects the power supply to the at least one safety response device for the time duration. When the time duration exceeds the delay time, the first switching device and the second switching device concurrently electrically connect the safety response device to the power supply, activating the safety response device.

The present disclosure relates to a method for collision impact force reduction for a vehicle. The method comprises determining a smallest relative distance (D) between a head of a driver of the vehicle and a steering wheel assembly comprising an airbag of the vehicle, obtaining information of an imminent collision, the collision being at least partly frontal, comparing (300) the smallest relative distance (D) to a pre-defined threshold, and, when said smallest relative distance (D) is equal to or less than said pre-defined threshold, initiating a forward displacement of a driver seat of the vehicle and a retraction of the steering wheel assembly comprising an airbag, preferably a retraction along the steering column of the steering wheel assembly.

A method and a device for a motor vehicle of adapting safety mechanisms of a vehicle safety system. The method includes acquiring (s101) data to create a representation (113) of a current vehicle surrounding (110), comparing (s102) the created representation to pre-stored representations of vehicle surroundings, with a risk assessment measure (R) associated with it which stipulates whether to trigger the safety mechanism of the vehicle safety system. If there is correspondence between the created representation and one of the pre-stored representations; detecting (s103) a vehicle behavior associated with the current surrounding, and determining (s104), whether to adjust triggering of the safety mechanism associated with the at least one risk assessment measure of the pre-stored representation of the current vehicle surrounding for which there is a match with the created representation.

A gas distribution system for airbag inflation in a vehicle can include: a passenger airbag including a plurality of inflatable chambers; an airbag inflation device configured to produce a gas when a collision involving the vehicle is sensed and to supply the gas to the passenger airbag, causing deployment of the passenger airbag; and an inflation gas distributor disposed at least partially between the airbag inflation device and the passenger airbag, the inflation gas distributor including a rotatable distributor belt, the inflation gas distributor configured to allow passage of the gas from the airbag inflation device to a first subset of the plurality of chambers, and to impede passage of the gas from the airbag inflation device to a second subset of the plurality of chambers, by rotating the distributor belt to a gas distribution position selected among a plurality of predetermined gas distribution positions.