Airbag device

• US 20010033072A1
• Filed: 02/06/2001
• Published: 10/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Hideaki, Kumagai, Masayoshi, Nakahara, Shingo
• Granted Patent: US 6,536,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• 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 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

An airbag device including an airbag that provides more effective protection of an occupant. The airbag has an indentation located approximately in the center of a contact surface thereof. The indentation is formed in the shape of a recess or a valley to form the airbag into a heart-like shape. The area including the indentation is at least greater than an area where comes in contact with the face of an occupant. The deepest point of the dent (the farthest point from the occupant in the contact surface) is positioned below the jaw of the occupant. The contact surface extending from the deepest point of the dent to the upper projection top thereof overhangs toward the occupant to have an angle between 0° and 45° (preferably, between 15° and 25°) relative to the cervical vertebrae axis of the occupant.

Claims

1. An airbag device comprising:

an airbag having a front face with upper and lower portions, and being configured to be housed in an upper portion of an instrument panel, the airbag being adapted to be inflated and deploy toward the front of an occupant in the case of an emergency so that the upper portion of the front face of the airbag is positioned to contact the face of the occupant;

wherein the airbag includes an indentation positioned to maintain the airbag in the shape of a heart when the airbag is inflated;

wherein the airbag is configured so that when deployed a lower end of the airbag is positioned below the chest of the occupant;

wherein an area of the front face including the indentation is greater than an area of the upper potion that contacts the face of the occupant in the even of an emergency.

2. The airbag device of

claim 1

, wherein the indentation is formed in the shape of a valley in the airbag.

3. The airbag device of

claim 1

, wherein the air bag further includes a pair of side panels.

4. The airbag device of

claim 1

, further comprising a tether belt having a pair of ends.

5. The airbag device of

claim 4

, wherein one end of the tether belt is connected to the airbag at the bottom of the indentation.

6. The airbag of

claim 4

, wherein the tether belt comprises an elastic band surrounding the airbag and passing across the front face in the vicinity of the indentation.

7. The airbag of

claim 4

, further comprising a second tether belt having a pair of ends, wherein each tether belt is attached at one end to the airbag in the vicinity of the indentation.

8. The airbag of

claim 1

, wherein the front face includes stitching for limiting the expansion of the airbag in the vicinity of the indentation.

9. An airbag device positioned in the instrument panel of a vehicle comprising an airbag configured to deploy away from the panel toward a passenger riding in the vehicle;

a tether belt having a first and second end; and

wherein the first end of the tether belt is connected to the vehicle and the second end of the tether belt is connected to an inner surface of the airbag approximately at the center of the airbag, thereby forming an indentation in the center of the airbag when the airbag deploys so that the head of the passenger contacts an inclined surface of the airbag extending away from the indentation.

10. An airbag device comprising:

an airbag configured to be housed in an upper portion of an instrument panel of a vehicle, the airbag including a front face for contacting an occupant of the vehicle when the airbag is inflated or deployed in the event of emergency;

wherein the front face of the air bag includes an upper portion and a lower portion; and

wherein the upper portion includes a contact surface that is configured so that when the airbag is deployed and the head of the occupant just comes into contact with the airbag in the event of emergency the contact surface forms an angle between 0° and

45°

with the cervical vertebrae axis of the occupant.

11. The airbag device of

claim 10

, wherein the front face of the airbag is configured so that the angle formed is between 15 and 25 degrees.

12. The airbag device of

claim 10

, wherein the airbag comprises an upper and a lower airbag, the airbags positioned adjacently so that when the airbags deploy toward an occupant the upper airbag includes the contact surface and the lower airbag includes the lower portion.

13. The airbag device of

claim 12

, wherein the indentation is formed between the upper airbag and the lower airbag.

14. The airbag device of

claim 13

, wherein the airbag device is configured so that the lower airbag contacts the abdomen of the passenger when the airbag deploys.

15. An airbag device for a vehicle comprising:

an airbag adapted to be housed in an upper portion of an instrument panel, the airbag including a front face that contacts an occupant of the vehicle when the airbag is inflated or deployed in the event of emergency;

wherein the front face includes an upper portion, a lower portion, and an indentation formed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the front face having a surface inclined toward the occupant, the inclined surface extending from the bottom of the indentation towards the upper portion of the front face; and

wherein the airbag is configured so that when the airbag deploys the inclined surface is positioned to contact a part of the occupant corresponding to the center of gravity of the head of the occupant regardless of the build of the occupant.

16. The airbag device of

claim 15

, further comprising a tether belt secured at a first end to the vehicle and at a second end to the front face of the air bag.

17. The airbag device of

claim 15

, wherein the front face further comprises a second indentation formed in the upper portion.

18. The airbag device of

claim 17

, wherein the front face further comprises a second inclined surface extending toward the occupant from the bottom of the second indentation.

19. The airbag device of

claim 15

, further comprising a diffuser positioned inside the airbag to direct pressurized gas for inflating the airbag toward the upper and lower portions of the front face.

20. An airbag device positioned in the instrument panel of a vehicle comprising an airbag configured to deploy away from the panel toward a passenger riding in the vehicle;

wherein the airbag is configured to have a front face positioned to face the passenger, the front face being arranged so that when the airbag is inflated the front face includes an inclined surface that is angled toward the passenger and extends from approximately the passenger'"'"'s waist to approximately the top of the passenger'"'"'s head thereby reducing the required volume of the airbag.