A crash-arresting unit for a vehicle seat may have a locking element and an actuating unit. The locking element can be brought into form-fitting engagement with a mating element via the actuating unit. The actuating unit may be an electromechanical actuating unit having a fusible wire, where destruction of the fusible wire frees a movement of the locking element in the direction of the mating element.

An occupant protection system for a vehicle may include a seat-back actuator system, including a seat-back actuator configured to move a portion of a seat toward a back of an occupant of the vehicle during a collision in which the occupant is facing opposite a direction of travel of the vehicle. The seat-back actuator system may also include an actuator controller configured to receive a triggering signal indicative of one or more of an actual change in velocity of the vehicle, a predicted change in velocity of the vehicle, a collision, or a predicted collision, and cause the seat-back actuator to move the seat toward the back of the occupant. By moving the seat toward the back of the occupant, a maximum rate of change of velocity of the back of the person may be reduced, reducing the likelihood or severity of injury to the occupant due to the collision.

A rear-center head restraint system of an automobile vehicle includes a rear seatback of the automobile vehicle. A head restraint assembly is rotatably mounted to the rear seatback and is moved between a stowed position and an in-use position. The head restraint assembly includes a rear head restraint body defining an L-shape and includes a forward-facing surface moved toward a head of an occupant at the in-use position. At least a first link and a second link are rotatably connected to the seatback. The first link and the second link are also rotatably connected to the rear head restraint body. A release system rotates the head restraint assembly selectively between the stowed position and the in-use position.

A system and method are provided for controlling an interior configuration of a vehicle. The system may include an interior vehicle component, an actuator component configured to adjust a physical configuration of the interior vehicle component, an external communication component configured to collect driving environment data representing an external environment of the vehicle, and one or more processors configured to receive driving environment data and detect, by processing the driving environment data, an external driving condition. When the one or more processors detect the external driving condition, the one or more processors may cause the actuator component to adjust the interior vehicle component from a first physical configuration to a second physical configuration, or may cause the actuator component to restrict movement of the interior vehicle component to a predetermined range of physical configurations.

A seat rail module with two rails for longitudinal adjustment of a vehicle seat comprises a drive member, at least one deformation member coupled to an associated rail for longitudinal adjustment, at least one fastening member for fastening the drive member, and an actuator for locking and unlocking the at least one fastening member. The deformation member is deformed upon displacement of the vehicle seat in a main direction of travel to dissipate crash energy and decelerate the vehicle seat. In a locked position of the fastening member, the drive member is directly secured to a rail by the fastening member. The fastening member is mechanically unlocked upon displacement of the vehicle seat beyond a predetermined limit setting, so that the drive member is coupled to an associated rail via the deformation member, to enable a displacement of an upper rail relative to a lower rail for dissipating impact energy.

A pre-crash seat actuator system for moving a vehicle seat includes an occupant protection control system that determines a collision is imminent and provides a trigger signal and an enable signal. A vehicle seat controller receives the trigger signal and determines a moving the vehicle seat to a desired position to mitigate severity of a collision. In response to the trigger signal, the vehicle seat controller provides a fast mode voltage for moving the vehicle seat in a fast mode. A smart control adapter determines whether the fast mode voltage and the enable signal are both received, to provide the fast mode voltage to a vehicle seat electric drive. In another embodiment, the vehicle seat controller receives the trigger signal and a collision signal to provide fast mode voltage, and the seat is returned to an original position when a crash does not occur.

Systems, apparatus and methods implemented in algorithms, hardware, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data and sensory input to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle (e.g., another vehicle, a pedestrian, road debris, a bicyclist, etc.) may be a potential collision threat to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may be configured to implement interior active safety systems to protect passengers of the autonomous vehicle during a collision with an object or during evasive maneuvers by the autonomous vehicle, for example. The interior active safety systems may be configured to provide passengers with notice of an impending collision and/or emergency maneuvers by the vehicle by tensioning seat belts prior to executing an evasive maneuver and/or prior to a predicted point of collision.

An occupant protection system includes a seat disposed such that a rear surface of a seatback in a seat front-rear direction faces a wall portion of a vehicle cabin; an airbag provided in the wall portion or the seatback and configured to support the seatback by inflating and deploying between the wall portion and the seatback; and an inflator configured to generate gas to be supplied to the airbag in a case where a collision that causes an occupant seated in the seat to inertially move rearward in the seat front-rear direction is detected or predicted. The airbag has a vent hole through which the gas inside the airbag is discharged outside.

A vehicle seat assembly and a method of controlling a vehicle seat assembly are provided. The vehicle seat assembly has a frame, and a seat pan extending from a forward region to a rearward region, with the rearward region of the seat pan rotatably connected to the frame. A torque tube is supported for rotation by the frame and extends transversely across the seat pan. At least one cam is supported by the torque tube for rotation therewith, and the at least one cam extends outwardly from the torque tube to an associated cam surface. The cam surface supports the forward region of the seat pan and is shaped such that the forward region of the seat pan is raised relative to the rearward region in response to rotation of the torque tube.

A shape memory alloy (SMA) controlled hinge assembly is provided, including assemblies and combinations for adjusting a shape or position of an occupant support component, such as a vehicle seat support component or other seating component. The assembly includes an occupant support component and a hinge assembly configured to adjust a shape or position of at least a portion of the occupant support component. The hinge assembly includes a stationary plate and a movable plate rotatable relative to the base plate about a fixed axis of rotation. The hinge assembly includes a shape memory alloy wire coupling the stationary plate with the movable plate. An actuator is provided and configured to transform the phase of the shape memory alloy wire. In various aspects, the occupant support component is selected from one of a seat bottom; a seatback; a seat bolster; a seat head rest, and the like.