Head-protecting airbag device

• US 10,106,120 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Konaka, Hirotake, Jinnai, Ryosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Verley, Nicole T
• Application Number:
  US15/431,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20170247009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A head-protecting airbag device includes a case which houses an airbag in a folded-up configuration and a mounting bracket which is used to mount an inflator on a vehicle body structure. The case is mounted on a region of the airbag extending from one end of the inflator. The mounting bracket includes an insert region which fits in an assembling opening of the case. The assembling opening includes a receiving region which receives the insert region along an axial direction of the inflator and a limiting plane that is located in a periphery of the receiving region and holds the insert region from rotating in both directions in a circumferential direction of the inflator. The fitting of the insert region and assembling opening suppresses the airbag stored in the case in the folded-up configuration from rotating in a circumferential direction.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag device comprising:

an airbag that is mountable on an upper periphery of a window of a vehicle inside the vehicle in such a folded-up configuration that is formed by bringing a lower edge of the airbag at deployment close to an upper edge of the airbag, the airbag being deployable over the window when fed with an inflation gas and including an inlet region which protrudes upward out of an upper edge of an intermediate region in a front and rear direction of the airbag for taking in the inflation gas;

an inflator for feeding the airbag with the inflation gas, the inflator being generally cylindrical in shape and is so disposed as to extend along an axial direction of the airbag in the folded-up configuration, the inflator including, at a first end in an axial direction of the inflator, a gas discharge region that is coupled with the inlet region of the airbag and discharges the inflation gas into the airbag, with a second end of the inflator located outside of the inlet region of the airbag;

a case that is fabricated of synthetic resin and houses the airbag in the folded-up configuration, the case being mounted at a region of the airbag ranging from a vicinity of the second end of the inflator towards a direction away from the gas discharge region of the inflator; and

a mounting bracket that is coupled with the inflator and mounts the inflator on a vehicle body structure at the upper periphery of the window, the mounting bracket including an insert region that extends towards the case at an outside of the inflator and fits in an assembling opening of the case, wherein the assembling opening of the case includes a receiving region that receives the insert region of the mounting bracket along an axial direction of the inflator and a limiting plane that is located in a periphery of the receiving region and holds the insert region from rotating in both directions in a circumferential direction of the inflator, thereby suppressing the airbag stored in the case in the folded-up configuration from rotating in both directions in a circumferential direction of the airbag.

2. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein:

the case includes a support region that covers an outer circumferential plane of the inflator; and

when the inflator is viewed from a direction on the part of the second end, the support region is configured to extend generally along the circumferential direction of the inflator from a vicinity of an end of the insert region of the mounting bracket in the circumferential direction of the inflator.

3. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 2, wherein, when the inflator is viewed from the direction on the part of the second end, the support region is configured to extend generally along the circumferential direction of the inflator from vicinities of both ends of the insert region of the mounting bracket in the circumferential direction of the inflator.

4. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein the case includes an insert hole that receives a region in a vicinity of the second end of the inflator along the axial direction of the inflator.

5. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein:

the assembling opening is composed of a through slot for receiving the insert region; and

the through slot is composed of a region enclosed by a pair of rising walls each of which includes the limiting plane and a holding region which extends from a leading end of at least one of the rising walls in such a manner as to hang over the insert region and holds an outer surface of the insert region.

6. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 5, wherein the holding region is configured to extend from the leading ends of both of the rising walls.

7. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 5, wherein the holding region is configured to connect the leading ends of the rising walls.

8. The head-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein the case includes a retaining projection that penetrates the insert region and retains the insert region.