Passenger-seat airbag

• US 20020005633A1
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Amamori, Ichiro
• Application Number:
  US09/892,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/729
• 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 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 21/2342 Tear seams

Abstract

A passenger-seat airbag of the invention has an occupant-facing surface at the front end and a windshield-facing surface on the upper side-face. The occupant-facing surface and the windshield-facing surface are connected together with an internal member. When an inflator is operated for gas-injection, the occupant-facing surface is inflated due to the gas pressure so as to approach an occupant while an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the windshield-facing surface is pulled by the occupant-facing surface via the internal member so as to form a depressed shape inside the airbag. Thereby, the airbag is reduced in volume so as to promptly complete the inflation even when the inflator has a small output while the occupant-facing surface approaches sufficiently close to the occupant, enabling to receive the occupant promptly.

Claims

1. A passenger-seat airbag for mounting in a vehicle for inflation between a windshield and an occupant, comprising a bag, said bag having a concave depression which separates the bag from the windshield formed on a windshield-facing surface of the bag when the bag is fully inflated.

2. A passenger-seat airbag according to claim 1, wherein said bag comprises a windshield-facing surface and an occupant facing surface, and an internal member connecting the windshield-facing surface to the occupant-facing surface whereby the windshield-facing surface is separated from the windshield when the bag is fully inflated.

3. A passenger-seat airbag according to claim 2, wherein the internal member connecting the windshield-facing surface to the occupant-facing surface has sufficient strength so as not to break even when the final expanded shape is formed.

4. A passenger-seat airbag according to claim 2, wherein the internal member breaks when the occupant impacts the inflated bag.

5. A passenger-seat airbag according to claim 4, wherein the internal member absorbs an impact by being broken.

6. A passenger-seat airbag for mounting in a vehicle for inflation between the vehicle windshield and a vehicle passenger, comprising

an inflatable bag having a windshield-facing surface and a passenger-facing surface when inflated, and

volume-reducing means in said inflatable bag, said volume reducing means including a flexible member joining said windshield-facing and said passenger-facing surfaces for dividing the interior of said inflatable bag into an upper and a lower chamber so that when said inflatable bag is inflated, said upper chamber is positioned to engage the vehicle windshield and said lower chamber is spaced from the windshield.

7. A passenger-seat airbag as claimed in claim 6, wherein said volume-reducing means comprises an air-permeable flexible panel.

8. A passenger-seat airbag as claimed in claim 7, wherein said flexible panel is a fabric panel.

9. A passenger-seat air bag as claimed in claim 6, wherein said flexible member restrains said windshield-facing surface to form a depression therein which separates at least a portion of said windshield-facing surface from the vehicle windshield when said inflatable bag is fully inflated.