Airbag

• US 10,507,785 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishiguro, Naohiko, Miura, Wataru, Ishida, Ryotaro, Nakanishi, Hiroyuki, Shibata, Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Application Number:
  US16/033,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20190061674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10

Abstract

An airbag includes: a bag body forming the outer peripheral wall; and a regulating member disposed on an outer peripheral side of the bag body at a time of inflation completion of the bag body. The regulating member is configured so as to be able to regulate the bag body so that an area ranging from the vicinity of a joint portion for mutually joining the outer peripheral edge of the vehicle body side panel and the outer peripheral edge of the occupant side panel to a side of the gas inflow port at the time of inflation completion of the airbag is made smaller in external dimensions and reduced in size than an area at a time of free inflation state of the bag body.

Claims

1. An airbag including a vehicle body side panel that is disposed on a side of a vehicle body and an occupant side panel that is disposed on a side of an occupant at a time of inflation completion of the airbag, the airbag configured such that an outer peripheral wall is formed by mutually joining an outer peripheral edge of the vehicle body side panel and an outer peripheral edge of the occupant side panel, inflation gas made to flow into the airbag from a gas inflow port formed in the vehicle body side panel so as to be able to inflate the airbag, the airbag folded and stored in a storage portion, a periphery of the gas inflow port installed on a side of the storage portion, the airbag comprising:

a bag body forming the outer peripheral wall; and

a regulating member disposed on an outer peripheral side of the bag body at a time of inflation completion of the bag body, wherein

the regulating member is configured so as to be able to regulate the bag body so that an area ranging from the vicinity of a joint portion for mutually joining the outer peripheral edge of the vehicle body side panel and the outer peripheral edge of the occupant side panel to a side of the gas inflow port at the time of inflation completion of the airbag is made smaller in external dimensions and reduced in size than an area at a time of free inflation state of the bag body.

2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein

the regulating member is configured from an annular member, an inner peripheral shape of which is set smaller than the joint portion for mutually joining the outer peripheral edge of the vehicle body side panel and the outer peripheral edge of the occupant side panel.

3. The airbag according to claim 2, wherein

the occupant side panel and the vehicle body side panel are configured so as to be formed into substantially circular shapes, the external shapes thereof in flatly developed state of the airbag made nearly identical, and

the regulating member is configured so as to be made of a flexible sheet and formed into a circular annular shape so that a side of an outer peripheral edge is joined to the occupant side panel and so that a side of an inner peripheral edge is positioned on a side of the vehicle body side panel at the time of inflation completion of the bag body.

4. The airbag according to claim 3, wherein,

in a state in which the side of the outer peripheral edge of the regulating member is directed to a side of the outer peripheral edge of the occupant side panel and the side of the inner peripheral edge of the regulating member is directed to a central side of the occupant side panel, the regulating member, the side of the outer peripheral edge of which is joined to the occupant side panel, is reversed so that the side of the inner peripheral edge of the regulating member is disposed on the side of the vehicle body side panel, and then the airbag is folded and stored in the storage portion.

5. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein

a tether for connecting an area located around a center of the occupant side panel to a peripheral edge portion of the gas inflow port in the vehicle body side panel is disposed inside the bag body.