Inflatable curtain mudule for use in a vehicle

• US 20030178820A1
• Filed: 03/19/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gammill, Kurt L., Young, Anthony M., Green, David J., Rink, Karl K., Dinsdale, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 6,848,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/195 with means to tension the belt in an emergency, e.g. means of the through-anchor or splitted reel typeelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

An inflatable curtain module is disclosed, where the inflatable curtain module has an inflator, and an inflatable curtain. The inflator may have a biaxial flow providing a gas input into two separate inflatable cushions. The cushions may be different sizes or volumes. Alternatively, other inflatable curtain modules may incorporate multiple inflators and multiple cushions to create an inflatable curtain module. The multiple inflators can be employed to provide two gas inputs into a single inflatable cushion. An inflatable curtain module may also be created from a number of generically sized cushions and inflators that are assembled into an inflatable curtain module for a wide range of vehicles.

Claims

1. An inflatable curtain module for use in a vehicle comprising:

a generally elongated inflator having a gas chamber, a first end, and a second end, wherein a first orifice is located in the first end and a second orifice is located in the second end, such that the gas chamber is substantially positioned between the first orifice and the second orifice; and

an inflatable curtain, comprising at least one cushion fluidly, coupled to the inflator.

2. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 1, wherein the inflatable curtain comprises a first protection zone and a second protection zone.

3. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first protection zone is a first cushion and the second protection zone is a second cushion.

4. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 3, wherein the first cushion is fluidly coupled to the first orifice and the second cushion is fluidly coupled to the second orifice.

5. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first and second protection zone are the same size.

6. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first protection zone and the second protection zone are different sizes.

7. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first protection zone and the second protection zone are not in fluid communication.

8. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first protection zone and the second protection zone further comprise a plurality of sections.

9. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 2, wherein the first protection zone and the second protection zone are portions of a single cushion.

10. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 1, wherein the inflatable curtain has a first inlet port and a second inlet port.

11. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 10, wherein the first inlet port is fluidly coupled to the first orifice and the second inlet port is fluidly coupled to the second orifice.

12. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 10, wherein the inflator is directly connected to the first inlet port and the second inlet port.

13. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a tether for securing a portion of the inflatable curtain to a structural member of a vehicle.

14. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 13, wherein the inflatable curtain has a fore section and an aft section corresponding to a fore section and an aft section of the vehicle.

15. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 14, wherein the tether is configured to attach the fore section of the inflatable curtain to the fore section of the vehicle and wherein the tether is configured to attach the aft section of the inflatable curtain to the aft section of the vehicle.

16. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a bracket for attaching the inflator to a structural member of the vehicle.

17. An inflatable curtain module for use in a vehicle comprising:

a first inflator having a gas chamber, a first orifice, and a second orifice, wherein the gas chamber maintains a gas source;

a second inflator having a gas chamber, a first orifice, and a second orifice, wherein the gas chamber maintains a gas source; and

an inflatable curtain fluidly coupled to the first orifice and the second orifice of the first inflator and fluidly coupled to the first orifice and the second orifice of the second inflator.

18. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 17, wherein the inflatable curtain is comprised of a first protection zone, a second protection zone, and a third protection zone.

19. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone is a first cushion, the second protection zone is a second cushion, and the third protection zone is a third cushion.

20. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone, the second protection zone, and the third protection zone are not in fluid communication.

21. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone, the second protection zone, and the third protection zone are a single cushion.

22. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone is fluidly coupled to the first orifice of the first inflator.

23. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the second protection zone is fluidly coupled to the second orifice of the first inflator and is fluidly coupled to the first orifice of the second inflator.

24. The protection zone module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the third protection zone is fluidly coupled to the second orifice of the second inflator.

25. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone is similarly sized to the third protection zone.

26. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the second protection zone is a different size than the first protection zone and the second protection zone.

27. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 17, wherein the first orifice and the second orifice of the first inflator are located on a first axis and the first orifice and the second orifice of the second inflator are located on a second axis.

28. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 27, wherein the first axis and the second axis are coaxial.

29. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 17, further comprising a tether for securing a portion of the inflatable curtain to a structural member of a vehicle.

30. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 29, wherein the tether is configured to attach the first protection zone to a first vehicle structural member and the tether is configured to attach the second protection zone to a second vehicle structural member.

31. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 29, wherein the tether connects the first protection zone to the second protection zone and connects the second protection zone to the third protection zone.

32. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 18, wherein the first protection zone, the second protection zone, and the third protection zone are not in fluid communication.

33. An inflatable curtain module for use in a vehicle comprising:

a first inflator having a gas chamber, a first orifice, and a second orifice, wherein the gas chamber maintains a gas source;

a second inflator having a gas chamber and a first orifice, wherein the gas chamber maintains a gas source; and

an inflatable curtain fluidly coupled to the first orifice and the second orifice of the first inflator and fluidly coupled to the first orifice of the second inflator.

34. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, wherein the inflatable curtain is comprised of a first protection zone, and a second protection zone.

35. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 34, wherein the first protection zone has a first inlet port, and wherein the second protection zone has a first inlet port and a second inlet port.

36. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 35, wherein the first orifice of the first inflator is located in the first inlet port of the first protection zone.

37. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 35, wherein the second orifice of the first inflator is located in the first inlet port of the second protection zone.

38. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 35, wherein the first orifice of the second inflator is located in the second inlet port of the second protection zone.

39. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 34, wherein the first protection zone is a first cushion and the second protection zone is a second cushion.

40. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 39, wherein the first cushion and the second cushion are different sizes.

41. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 38, wherein the first cushion and the second cushion are the same size.

42. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 39, wherein the first cushion and the second cushion are not in fluid communication.

43. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, wherein the inflatable curtain is comprised of a plurality of individual cushions.

44. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, further comprising a tether for attaching a portion of the inflatable curtain to a structural member of the vehicle.

45. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 44, wherein the inflatable curtain has a fore section and an aft section corresponding to a fore section and an aft section of the vehicle.

46. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 45, wherein the tether is configured to attach the fore section of the inflatable curtain to the fore section of the vehicle, and wherein the tether is configure to attach the aft section of the inflatable curtain to the aft section of the vehicle.

47. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, wherein the second inflator comprises a diffuser for diffusing a gas ejection from the first orifice of the second inflator.

48. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, wherein the first orifice and the second orifice of the first inflator are substantially coaxial.

49. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 33, wherein the first inflator has a first longitudinal axis and the second inflator has a second longitudinal axis.

50. The inflatable curtain module, as recited in claim 49, wherein the first axis and the second axis are substantially coaxial.

51. An inflatable curtain module system for producing inflatable curtain modules from a number of generic parts for varying types of vehicles, the system comprising:

a selective number of inflatable cushions having varying sizes;

a selective number of inflators for providing an inflation source to the cushions, and wherein at least two inflatable cushions are fluidly coupled to at least one inflator in a number of differing inflatable curtain module configurations.

52. The inflatable curtain module system, as recited in claim 51, further comprising at least one tether for maintain the position of the cushions.

53. The inflatable curtain module system, as recited in claim 51, wherein the cushions further comprise a varying number of inlet ports.

54. The inflatable curtain module system, as recited in claim 51, wherein one inflator is a biaxial inflator.

55. The inflatable curtain module system, as recited in claim 51, wherein one inflator is a unidirectional inflator.

56. The inflatable curtain module system, as recited in claim 51, wherein the inflatable cushions are varying volumes.