A seat bottom includes a frame, a first thigh support, and a second thigh support. The first thigh support and the second thigh support are each supported by the frame and independently movable relative to the frame. A first deployable device is coupled to the first thigh support, and a second deployable device is coupled to the second thigh support. At least one inflator is in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second deployable devices. The first and second deployable devices are each formed of thermoplastic elastomer and are inflatable from an undeployed position to a deployed position.

A vehicle safety device for reducing whiplash in a vehicle includes a curved guide configured to allow a seat to slide thereon, an impact sensor that can detect an impact on a rear end of the vehicle; and a locking mechanism that can allow the seat to slide on the curved guide when an impact is detected by the impact sensor. The locking mechanism can prevent the seat from moving relative to the curved guide when there is no impact detected by the impact sensor.

A vehicle seat to be mounted on a vehicle includes a seat cushion and a seat surface lowering mechanism. The seat cushion includes a seat surface on which a waist of an occupant of the vehicle is to be placed. The seat surface lowering mechanism is configured to lower the seat surface in response to either one of an occurrence of a rear-end collision of the vehicle or a sign of the occurrence of the rear-end collision.

A vehicle safety seat for protecting a vehicle occupant from injury due to impact and airborne debris, in the event of a collision. The vehicle safety seat includes a seat bottom, a backrest, and a headrest, wherein the seat is secured to a frame. The frame is pivotally secured to the floor and frame of a vehicle, wherein the seat can recline immediately in advance of a collision for absorbing impact forces. The safety seat further includes telescoping shields that are retractably secured to the lateral sides of the seat bottom, backrest, and headrest. The shields are projected from the safety seat, creating a protective cocoon around the seat occupant prior to a collision. The seat is operably connected to one or more sensors that can detect an imminent collision between the vehicle and another object, wherein a pneumatic system deploys the shields and an electro-mechanical system reclines the seat.

A vehicle seat has a lower seat part and a seat backrest. The seat backrest has a backrest structure, a central backrest section which has at least one backrest cushion and a backrest cover, and a left and a right backrest side wall. The seat backrest is provided with at least one expansion element which has at least one cavity that is enclosed by a membrane and can be filled with an expansion fluid from a fluid source. At least one respective fillable cavity of the at least one expansion element is integrated into the backrest cushion of the central backrest section or is provided between the backrest structure and the backrest cushion of the central backrest section to the left and the right of the backrest longitudinal central plane at a lateral distance thereto.

An assembly for absorbing energy in an overload event has an energy absorber for reducing the load on an object being transported on a loading unit. The energy absorber, in the case of a one-off overload event with an energy input that is sufficiently high that damage to the object would be possible or highly likely in the absence of the energy absorber, to absorb energy in order to reduce the load on the object. Measured values relating to the current state of the loading unit are periodically acquired by a sensor device. A control device identifies an overload event from the acquired measured values. A weight of the object to be transported and a limit value for a load on the object are determined. Following identification of the overload event, damping by the energy absorber is controlled to keep the load on the object below the limit value.

The disclosure provides for a system that includes a seat mounted in a vehicle. The seat includes a base, a back support, a hinge, and a seat belt integrated into the seat. The back support is capable of rotating relative to the base and thereby reclining. The hinge is between the base and the back support and is configured to lock the back support in positions in relation to the base. The seat belt has a shoulder portion and a lap portion and is attached to the seat at a shoulder anchor in the back support and a base anchor in the base. When a generated torque, created from a forward force applied by the shoulder portion of the seat belt, exceeds a threshold amount of torque, the hinge is configured to unlock and back support is configured to rotate forward from a reclined position towards an upright position.

A seat includes a seatback and an armrest supported by the seatback. The armrest is rotatable relative to the seatback to a deployed position. A swing bar is supported by the armrest and is rotatable relative to the armrest to a downward position. The swing bar in the downward position is elongated downwardly from the armrest. A drive belt is indexed with the armrest and the swing bar to rotate the swing bar to the downward position when the armrests rotates to the deployed position.

A vehicle seat arrangement has a vehicle seat for attaching to a vehicle structure of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with a lower seat part having a seat structure and with a seat back. The lower seat part is mounted or can be mounted in a longitudinally displaceable manner on the vehicle structure by a seat console, wherein at least the seat back is adjustable from a sitting position into a resting or lying position, and wherein between the lower seat part and the vehicle structure an energy absorption device is provided. In the event of a collision of the vehicle with an obstacle, the energy absorption device permits a braked relative movement along a braking path between the vehicle seat, which persists in a forwards movement due to inertia, and the vehicle structure, which is braked due to the collision. In the normal state, the vehicle seat is locked relative to the vehicle structure by a locking device and the locking is released in the event of a collision. The locking device is designed such that the locking is released and the longitudinal displaceability of the vehicle seat is enabled before the mass-induced forces of inertia of the body of a person lying on the vehicle seat are completely supported on the seat structure of the lower seat part, and therefore the body only enters into force-transmitting contact with the seat structure when the vehicle seat is already moving forwards relative to the vehicle structure.

An occupant protecting device provided inside or below a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, containing: an airbag cushion capable of expanding and deploying to push up a seat surface of the seat cushion; and an inflator that supplies gas for expansion and deployment into the airbag cushion in the event of a vehicle emergency. The airbag cushion has front attaching points and rear attaching points attached to the vehicle seat side, and an expanding and deploying part that is expanded and deployed by the gas from the inflator. At least a portion of the expanding and deploying part overlaps itself in an up-down direction by folding between front attaching points and rear attaching points in a condition prior to expanding and deploying.