Side airbag apparatus
First Claim
1. A side airbag apparatus used in a vehicle, comprising:
- an airbag;
an inflator, wherein the inflator supplies gas to the airbag, thereby deploying the airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and a seat located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
an upper chamber and a lower chamber provided in the airbag, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the upper chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant sitting on the seat and the lower chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant; and
a gas guiding mechanism, wherein the gas guiding mechanism guides gas from the inflator to the upper and lower chambers, thereby substantially simultaneously inflating the upper and lower chambers.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A side airbag apparatus for vehicle has an airbag and an inflator. An upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an intermediate chamber are defined by a seam in the airbag. When the airbag is deployed, the upper chamber corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant, the lower chamber corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant, and the intermediate chamber corresponds to a thorax of the occupant. The seam guides gas from the inflator to the upper and lower chambers such that the upper and lower chambers are substantially simultaneously inflated, and the intermediate chamber is inflated after a delay. The thickness of the intermediate chamber is less than the thicknesses of the upper and lower chambers. As a result, the occupant of the vehicle is effectively protected.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A side airbag apparatus used in a vehicle, comprising:
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an airbag;
an inflator, wherein the inflator supplies gas to the airbag, thereby deploying the airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and a seat located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
an upper chamber and a lower chamber provided in the airbag, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the upper chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant sitting on the seat and the lower chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant; and
a gas guiding mechanism, wherein the gas guiding mechanism guides gas from the inflator to the upper and lower chambers, thereby substantially simultaneously inflating the upper and lower chambers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A side airbag apparatus used in a vehicle, comprising:
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an airbag;
an inflator, wherein the inflator supplies gas to the airbag, thereby deploying the airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and a seat located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
an upper deploying portion, a lower deploying portion, and an intermediate portion provided in the airbag, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the upper deploying portion is located at a position that corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant sitting on the seat, the lower deploying portion is located at a position that corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant, and the intermediate portion is located at a position that corresponds to a thorax of the occupant; and
a limiting mechanism, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the limiting mechanism limits bulging of the intermediate portion such that the thickness of the intermediate portion is less than the thickness of the upper and lower deploying portions in respect to a horizontal direction between the occupant and the body side portion. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A side airbag apparatus used in a vehicle, comprising:
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an airbag;
an inflator, wherein the inflator supplies gas to the airbag, thereby deploying the airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and a seat located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an intermediate chamber provided in the airbag, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the upper chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant sitting on the seat, the lower chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant, and the intermediate chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a thorax of the occupant; and
a promoting mechanism, wherein, when the inflator generates gas, the promoting mechanism promotes inflation of the upper and lower chambers compared to inflation of the intermediate chamber. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A side airbag apparatus used in a vehicle, comprising:
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an airbag;
an inflator, wherein the inflator supplies gas to the airbag, thereby deploying the airbag between a body side portion of the vehicle and a seat located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an intermediate chamber provided in the airbag, wherein, when the airbag is deployed, the upper chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a shoulder of an occupant sitting on the seat, the lower chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a lumbar region of the occupant, and the intermediate chamber is located at a position that corresponds to a thorax of the occupant; and
a delaying mechanism, wherein, when the inflator generates gas, the delaying mechanism delays inflation of the intermediate chamber compared to inflation of the upper and lower chambers.
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Specification