A vehicle seat mounted with an occupant restraint device, the vehicle seat includes: a seat cushion frame; a seatback frame including a seatback side frame extending in a seat vertical direction at a seat width direction end portion of the seatback frame, the seatback frame being swingable at a seat rear end side of the seat cushion frame, and the seatback frame extending from the seat rear end side toward a seat upper side; a metal inflating body disposed along the seatback side frame, and configured so as to be stretched out toward a seat lower side such that a lower end of the metal inflating body abuts a vehicle floor surface; and a drive member configured to stretch out the metal inflating body in a case in which a vehicle collision at a seat front side occurs or the vehicle collision at the seat front side has been predicted.

A seat belt buckle pre-tensioning system that is integrated into a seat assembly including a seat bottom and seat back pivotably coupled together. When an impact event is detected (or anticipated), a seat belt assembly anchorage point is rapidly moved forwards and downwards such that a coupled lap belt is pre-tensioned and moved into a position that optimizes lap belt geometry and prevents submarining during an impact event. This may be done using an explosive pre-tensioner, a mechanical pre-tensioner, and/or an electronic pre-tensioner with an appropriate controller and may be applied to the lap belt anchorage points on one or both sides of the seat. This serves to ensure that the occupant's pelvic bone adequately engages the lap belt of the seat assembly and does not slide under the lap belt during the impact event, thus preventing submarining.

In a buckle device, displacement of a buckle cover in a width direction with respect to a buckle guide is restricted by restricting grooves of the buckle cover and restricting ribs of the buckle guide that enter the restricting grooves. This enables a space to be secured between a wall portion on one side in a width direction of the buckle cover and a wall portion on one side in a width direction of the buckle guide.

The vehicle occupant restraining device includes: a three-point seatbelt device adapted to restrain a vehicle occupant, who is seated at a vehicle seat, by a shoulder belt portion and a lap belt portion of a seatbelt; a rear side restraining portion configured to be disposed at a seatback of the vehicle seat, and spanning between left and right side frames of the seatback, the rear side restraining portion being in a slack state and convex toward a seat rear side; and a pulling device that, by pulling at least one end portion side of the rear side restraining portion, reduces slack of the rear side restraining portion.

An occupant protection system includes: arm rests that are disposed on first and second width direction sides of a seat back and are rotatable between a substantially vertical storage position and a substantially horizontal use position; slide members that are slidable along the arm rests and have belt guides; a retractor that takes up webbing of a belt; and an electronic control unit that, (i) in a state before an occupant is seated in a vehicle seat, causes the arm rests to be held in the storage position and causes the slide members to slide in the seat upward direction above the head of the occupant, and that, (ii) when the occupant is seated, causes the arm rests to rotate to the use position, causes the slide members to slide toward base sides of the arm rests, and causes the webbing to be taken up by the retractor.

An occupant detection apparatus, installed in a vehicle, including a seat belt configured to be extendable and rewindable, and to be worn by an occupant sitting on a seat of a vehicle, and a motor configured to rewind the seat belt, includes a counter electromotive force determination unit configured to determine whether a counter electromotive force is generated in the motor; and an occupant determination unit configured to determine whether the occupant sitting on the seat in the vehicle is wearing the seat belt, based on a determination result by the counter electromotive force determination unit while the vehicle is traveling.

An occupant protection system includes: arm rests that are disposed on first and second width direction sides of a seat back and are rotatable between a substantially vertical storage position and a substantially horizontal use position; slide members that are slidable along the arm rests and have belt guides; a retractor that takes up webbing of a belt; and an electronic control unit that, (i) in a state before an occupant is seated in a vehicle seat, causes the arm rests to be held in the storage position and causes the slide members to slide in the seat upward direction above the head of the occupant, and that, (ii) when the occupant is seated, causes the arm rests to rotate to the use position, causes the slide members to slide toward base sides of the arm rests, and causes the webbing to be taken up by the retractor.

A computer-implemented method for moving an occupant of a vehicle seat to open airway position after a vehicle crash event. The vehicle seat having a seat cushion, a backrest and a headrest. The method includes detecting occurrence of a vehicle crash event, and moving at least a portion of the backrest and/or headrest backwards and pulling an occupant of the vehicle seat backwards towards the backrest by powered retraction of a seat belt of the occupant by means of a seat belt retractor.

A belt tightener for a safety belt system in a motor vehicle comprises at least one electric actuator. A decentralized, independent electric energy store designed to store a sufficient amount of electric energy for operating the actuator is dedicated to the belt tightener.