Front passenger seat airbag device

• US 10,358,107 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohno, Mitsuyoshi, Yamada, Ikuo, Hayashi, Mikine, Ito, Shun, Kojima, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US15/661,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20180037188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral 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 2021/01027 Safing sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• 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 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/217 Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2334 Expansion control features
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/262 Elongated tubular diffusers, e.g. curtain-type
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/264 using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic B60R21/268 takes precedence

Abstract

A front passenger seat airbag device includes a module case; a front passenger seat airbag configured such that, in a folded state, a height of a first airbag section positioned at a vehicle outer side is lower than a height of a second airbag section positioned at a vehicle inner side, and widths of the first airbag section and the second airbag section are substantially the same; an inflator disposed at a bottom side of the module case; and a raising member disposed at a bottom portion of the module case, and that raises a height of a first support face supporting the first airbag section to be higher than a height of a second support face supporting the second airbag section, such that a height of an upper face of the first airbag section is substantially aligned with a height of an upper face of the second airbag section.

Claims

1. A front passenger seat airbag device comprising:

a module case configured to be disposed on a back side of an airbag door provided on a front passenger seat side of an instrument panel;

a front passenger seat airbag configured such that, in a state folded into a rectangular shape as viewed from the airbag door side and stowed inside the module case, a folded height of a first airbag section positioned at a vehicle width direction outer side is lower than a folded height of a second airbag section positioned at a vehicle width direction inner side of the first airbag section, and a folded width of the first airbag section and a folded width of the second airbag section along the vehicle width direction as viewed from the airbag door side are substantially the same;

an inflator that is disposed at a bottom portion side of the module case and that on actuation supplies gas into the front passenger seat airbag; and

a raising member that is disposed further toward a bottom portion of the module case than the front passenger seat airbag, and that is configured to raise a height of a first support face supporting a lower face of the first airbag section to be higher than a height of a second support face supporting a lower face of the second airbag section, such that a height of an upper face of the first airbag section in a folded state is substantially aligned with a height of an upper face of the second airbag section in a folded state.

2. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, wherein:

the inflator is only disposed at a first airbag section side; and

the inflator is the raising member and an upper face of the inflator is the first support face.

3. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, further comprising a first flow-regulating member comprising:

a first flow-regulating portion that covers a gas ejection section of the inflator, that is disposed at a first airbag section side, and that is formed with a first flow-regulating hole;

a second flow-regulating portion that is disposed at a second airbag section side and that is formed with a second flow-regulating hole; and

a first step portion that links the first flow-regulating portion and the second flow-regulating portion together such that a height of an upper face of the first flow-regulating portion is higher than a height of an upper face of the second flow-regulating portion,

wherein a total opening area of the second flow-regulating hole is larger than a total opening area of the first flow-regulating hole, and

the first flow-regulating member is the raising member, the upper face of the first flow-regulating portion is the first support face, and the upper face of the second flow-regulating portion is the second support face.

4. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, wherein:

the inflator comprises a first inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed on a first airbag section side, and a second inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a second airbag section side;

a height of an upper face of a main body of the first inflator is set higher than a height of an upper face of a main body of the second inflator, and the first inflator is the raising member; and

an upper face of the first inflator is the first support face and an upper face of the second inflator is the second support face.

5. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 4, wherein an overall height of the main body of the first inflator is set higher than an overall height of the main body of the second inflator.

6. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 4, wherein:

an overall height of the main body of the first inflator and an overall height of the main body of the second inflator are substantially the same;

the first inflator includes a first flange provided on an outer peripheral portion of the main body of the first inflator, that extends out toward a radial direction outside from the main body, and that is fixed to the bottom portion of the module case;

the second inflator includes a second flange provided on an outer peripheral portion of the main body of the second inflator, that extends out toward a radial direction outside from the main body, and that is fixed to the bottom portion of the module case; and

a height on the main body of the first inflator of the first flange is lower than a height on the main body of the second inflator of the second flange.

7. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, wherein:

the inflator comprises a first inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a first airbag section side, and a second inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a second airbag section side;

the bottom portion of the module case comprises a first bottom portion to which the first inflator is fixed, a second bottom portion to which the second inflator is fixed, and a second step portion that links the first bottom portion and the second bottom portion together such that a height of the first bottom portion is higher than a height of the second bottom portion; and

the module case is the raising member.

8. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, further comprising a flow-regulating member that is the raising member,

wherein the inflator comprises a first inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a first airbag section side, and a second inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a second airbag section side;

the flow-regulating member is only disposed on the first airbag section side and comprises a flow-regulating portion covering a gas ejection section of the first inflator and formed with a flow-regulating hole; and

an upper face of the flow-regulating portion is the first support face, and an upper face of the second inflator is the second support face.

9. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, further comprising a flow-regulating member that is the raising member,

wherein the inflator comprises a first inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a first airbag section side, and a second inflator configured by a circular disk-type inflator and disposed at a second airbag section side;

the flow-regulating member comprises

a first flow-regulating portion covering a gas ejection section of the first inflator, disposed on the first airbag section side, and formed with a first flow-regulating hole,

a second flow-regulating portion covering a gas ejection section of the second inflator, disposed on the second airbag section side, and formed with a second flow-regulating hole, and

a linking portion linking the first flow-regulating portion and the second flow-regulating portion together, with a height of an upper face of the first flow-regulating portion being higher than a height of an upper face of the second flow-regulating portion; and

the upper face of first flow-regulating portion is the first support face, and the upper face of the second flow-regulating portion is the second support face.

10. The front passenger seat airbag device of claim 1, further comprising a flow-regulating member that is the raising member,

wherein the inflator is configured by a circular tube shaped cylinder-type inflator disposed so as to have an axial direction along the vehicle width direction;

the flow-regulating member is disposed between the cylinder-type inflator and both the first airbag section and the second airbag section, that covers a gas ejection section of the cylinder-type inflator, and that comprises

a first flow-regulating portion facing the lower face of the first airbag section and formed with a first flow-regulating hole,

a second flow-regulating portion facing the lower face of the second airbag section and formed with a second flow-regulating hole, and

a step portion linking the first flow-regulating portion and the second flow-regulating portion together such that a height of an upper face of the first flow-regulating portion is higher than a height of an upper face of the second flow-regulating portion;

a total opening area of the second flow-regulating hole is larger than a total opening area of the first flow-regulating hole, and

the upper face of the first flow-regulating portion is the first support face, and the upper face of the second flow-regulating portion is the second support face.