Passenger safety device for a vehicle

• US 20040075256A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata Petri Ulm GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Petri Ulm GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Einsiedel, Heinrich, Glockler, Oliver, Klaiber, Uwe, Volk, Jurgen
• Granted Patent: US 6,976,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23184 Tubular air bags connected to the vehicle at their two extremities
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A passenger safety device in which an airbag is disposed in the roof area of the vehicle, especially in the area of the roof rail of the vehicle, and in which the airbag of the airbag is stowed at least partially rolled up in the passenger safety device.

Claims

1. A passenger safety device for a vehicle comprising an airbag stored in a partially rolled up condition in an area of a roof rail of the vehicle, wherein the airbag is inflated in the case of an accident by a gas generator of the passenger safety device so that the airbag unfolds in the area between the head of the passenger and a lateral wall of the vehicle and protects the head of the passenger against colliding with the lateral wall.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the airbag is rolled up in a prescribed winding direction to form an airbag roll arranged so that the side of the airbag configured to face the passenger after deployment of the airbag is faces outward in the roll and the side of the airbag configured to face the lateral wall after deployment of the airbag faces inward in the roll.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the airbag is rolled up so that the airbag roll unwinds and deploys at a level in the vicinity of a head of a passenger.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the winding direction of the airbag in the airbag roll is reversed at least once to thereby form of an inner first airbag roll which is rolled up in an outer second airbag roll of the opposite rolling direction.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the inner airbag roll has the prescribed rolling direction and is arranged such that, when the airbag is inflated, it unrolls in an area at the level of the passenger'"'"'s head.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the outer airbag roll has the prescribed rolling direction and is arranged such that upon the inflation of the airbag it unrolls in an area at the level of the passenger'"'"'s head.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the airbag has an accordion pleating in at least a portion of the area of its envelope.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein a module sheath surrounds the airbag.

9. The device of claim 2, further comprising a gas distributing device located between the airbag and the gas generator to thereby ensure uniform distribution of gas into the airbag.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the gas distributing device includes a fill tube or a fill hose.

11. The device of claim 3, wherein the lateral includes a side window of the vehicle.