Airbag device for front passenger seat

• US 10,328,884 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Ippei, Nakakura, Nobuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Frisby, Keith J
• Application Number:
  US15/366,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20170158154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 2807301, 280729, 2807432, 2807431, 280732
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0023 Offset collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01238 control of expansion shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23308 the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01332 by frequency or waveform analysis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An airbag device for a front passenger seat includes a front passenger seat airbag main body, a center airbag portion, an actuator and a control section. The actuator is configured to switch a strap between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the center airbag portion is retained in a folded state. In the second state, the other end portion of the strap is released and the center airbag portion is allowed to inflate and expand. The control section sets the actuator to the first state when there is a full overlap frontal collision, and sets the actuator to the second state when there is a collision that is any of an oblique collision against a driver seat side of a vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision.

Claims

1. An airbag device for a front passenger seat, comprising:

a front passenger seat airbag main body that is provided at a side of an instrument panel at which a front passenger seat is disposed, the front passenger seat airbag main body being inflated and expanded toward the side thereof at which the front passenger seat is disposed by gas that is supplied from an inflator, and a first head restraining surface being formed at a rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body in a completely expanded state thereof;

a center airbag portion that is formed integrally at a vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body, the center airbag portion being inflated and expanded toward a vehicle rear side by the gas that is supplied from the inflator, and a second head restraining surface being formed at a side face of the center airbag portion by a rear end portion of the center airbag portion in a completely expanded state thereof protruding further to the vehicle rear side than the rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body, the side face facing to the side of the center airbag portion at which the front passenger seat airbag main body is disposed;

an actuator that is configured to switch a strap between a first state and a second state, one end portion of the strap being fixed to an interior face at the side of the center airbag portion at which the rear end portion is provided, the center airbag portion being retained in a folded state in the first state, and another end portion of the strap being released and the center airbag portion being allowed to inflate and expand in the second state; and

a control section that sets the actuator to the first state when there is a full overlap frontal collision, and that sets the actuator to the second state when there is an impact that is any of an oblique collision against a driver seat side of a vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision,

wherein a vehicle interior projection that protrudes to a vehicle cabin interior side is provided at a vehicle width direction central portion of an upper face portion of the instrument panel,

wherein in a vehicle plan view, the completely expanded state of the center airbag portion projects to the vehicle width direction inner side from a substantially central portion in a vehicle front-and-rear direction of a side face at the vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body, and

wherein when there is an impact that is any of an oblique collision against the driver seat side of the vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision, the control section switches the actuator from the first state to the second state while the front passenger seat airbag main body is inflating and expanding toward the vehicle rear side after the rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body has passed a line projected along the vehicle width direction through a rear face of the vehicle interior projection but before the front passenger seat airbag main body has completely expanded.

2. The airbag device for a front passenger seat according to claim 1, wherein the center airbag portion is folded along a side face at the vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body and is retained in the folded state by the strap.

3. The airbag device for a front passenger seat according to claim 1, wherein the control section is an electronic control unit.

4. An airbag device for a front passenger seat, comprising:

a front passenger seat airbag main body that is provided at a side of an instrument panel at which a front passenger seat is disposed, the front passenger seat airbag main body being inflated and expanded toward the side thereof at which the front passenger seat is disposed by gas that is supplied from an inflator, and a first head restraining surface being formed at a rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body in a completely expanded state thereof;

a center airbag portion that is formed integrally at a vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body, the center airbag portion being inflated and expanded toward a vehicle rear side by the gas that is supplied from the inflator, and a second head restraining surface being formed at a side face of the center airbag portion by a rear end portion of the center airbag portion in a completely expanded state thereof protruding further to the vehicle rear side than the rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body, the side face facing to the side of the center airbag portion at which the front passenger seat airbag main body is disposed;

an actuator that is configured to switch a strap between a first state and a second state, one end portion of the strap being fixed to an interior face at the side of the center airbag portion at which the rear end portion is provided, the center airbag portion being retained in a folded state in the first state, and another end portion of the strap being released and the center airbag portion being allowed to inflate and expand in the second state; and

a control section that sets the actuator to the first state when there is a full overlap frontal collision, and that sets the actuator to the second state when there is an impact that is any of an oblique collision against a driver seat side of a vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision,

wherein the one end portion of the strap is fixed to an interior face of a corner portion at the vehicle width direction inner side at the rear end portion of the center airbag portion,

wherein a vehicle interior projection that protrudes to a vehicle cabin interior side is provided at a vehicle width direction central portion of an upper face portion of the instrument panel,

wherein in a vehicle plan view, the completely expanded state of the center airbag portion projects to the vehicle width direction inner side from a substantially central portion in a vehicle front-and-rear direction of a side face at the vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body, and

wherein when there is an impact that is any of an oblique collision against the driver seat side of the vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision, the control section switches the actuator from the first state to the second state while the front passenger seat airbag main body is inflating and expanding toward the vehicle rear side after the rear end portion of the front passenger seat airbag main body has passed a line projected along the vehicle width direction through a rear face of the vehicle interior projection but before the front passenger seat airbag main body has completely expanded.

5. The airbag device for a front passenger seat according to claim 4, wherein the center airbag portion is folded along a side face at the vehicle width direction inner side of the front passenger seat airbag main body and is retained in the folded state by the strap.

6. The airbag device for a front passenger seat according to claim 4, wherein the control section is an electronic control unit.