Side air bag device

• US 20040124615A1
• Filed: 09/03/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Koyama, Toru, Mizuno, Yoshio, Tanase, Toshinori
• Application Number:
  US10/468,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20040124615A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23332 using independent bags, one within the other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

A side airbag device (10) for protecting an occupant (P) from a side impact applied to a body (15). The inside of the airbag (18) is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. A connecting portion (24) is formed by joining the inside surfaces of the airbag. The flow of the inflation gas is distributed to the upper chamber and the lower chamber by the connecting portion.

Claims

1. A side airbag device comprising:

an inflator for generating an inflation gas when an impact exceeding a predetermined impact is exerted on the side surface of a body;

an airbag that is inflated and deployed by the inflation gas;

a partitioning means provided in the airbag for dividing the inside of the airbag into at least an upper chamber and a lower chamber;

a flow restricting means provided in the airbag for distributing the flow of the inflation gas to the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

2. The side airbag device of claim 1, wherein the side airbag device is mounted to the seat back of a seat disposed in a passenger compartment.

3. The side airbag device of claim 2, wherein the airbag is accommodated in the seat back, and deployment of the airbag is permitted by breaking part of the seat back.

4. The side airbag device of claim 3, wherein a means for facilitating the breaking of the seat is provided in part of the seat back that accommodates the lower chamber of the airbag.

5. The side airbag device of claim 4, wherein the break facilitating means is formed from a relatively nonstretchable material.

6. The side airbag device of claim 1, wherein the partitioning means defines at least a rear passage connecting the upper chamber and the lower chamber in the rear part of the airbag, and part of the partitioning means also operates as the flow restricting means.

7. The side airbag device of claim 6, wherein the rear end of the flow restricting means is disposed in front of the seat back, and part of the rear passage is disposed in front of the seat back when the airbag is deployed.

8. The side airbag of claim 6, wherein the flow restricting means has a part extending vertically.

9. The side airbag device of claim 6, wherein the flow restricting means distributes more inflation gas to the lower chamber than to the upper chamber.

10. The airbag device of claim 9, wherein the airbag is provided with a means for maintaining pressure of the upper chamber below a predetermined pressure.

11. The side airbag device of claim 10, wherein the means for maintaining pressure is a vent mechanism.

12. The side airbag device of claim 11, wherein the vent mechanism includes a variable vent mechanism.

13. The side airbag device of claim 10, further comprising a thickness restricting means for restricting the thickness of the airbag, wherein the thickness restricting means releases thickness restriction when the pressure of the airbag reaches a predetermined pressure, and the thickness restricting means also functions as the means for maintaining pressure.

14. The side airbag device of claim 9, wherein the aperture cross sectional area at the lower end of the rear passage is greater than the aperture cross sectional area at the upper end.

15. The side airbag device of claim 9, wherein the partitioning means includes a front portion disposed in front of the flow restricting means.

16. The side airbag device of claim 15, wherein the front portion is connected to the flow restricting means.

17. The side airbag device of claim 15, wherein the airbag has a front passage connecting the upper chamber and the lower chamber in front of the front portion.

18. The side airbag device of claim 17, wherein the front portion is formed so as to extend vertically in the front part of the airbag.

19. The side airbag device of claim 17, wherein the partitioning means is formed in a U-shape, V-shape, H-shape, W-shape, or horizontal T-shape.

20. The side airbag device of claim 15, wherein the lower chamber has a relatively flat bottom portion.

21. The side airbag device of claim 15, wherein the airbag in the deployed state has a lower portion corresponding to a hip region of an occupant and a main portion adjacent to the abdominal region of the occupant, and when the side airbag device is in a standby state, the front part of the main portion and the front part of the lower portion are folded back to the front end of the partitioning means, and the lower portion is folded back to the lower end of the partitioning means.

22. The side airbag device of claim 15, wherein the partitioning means defines the upper chamber, the lower chamber, and a main portion between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the thickness of the airbag at the main portion is less than the thickness of the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

23. The side airbag device of claim 22, wherein the thickness of the lower chamber is greater than that of the upper chamber.

24. The side airbag device of claim 22, wherein the main portion is disposed at the height of an armrest on the vehicle door when the airbag is inflated.

25. The side airbag device of claim 6, wherein the thickness restricting means is a tether or a connecting portion connecting inner surfaces of the airbag.

26. The side airbag device of claim 6, wherein the airbag includes an outer bag and an inner bag, which is disposed within the outer bag.

27. The side airbag device of claim 26, wherein the flow restricting means has a shape that is substantially the same as the lower chamber, and has a connecting hole so that the gas flows into the upper chamber.

28. The side airbag device of claim 1, wherein the upper chamber is disposed at the height of the chest of the occupant, and the lower chamber is disposed at the height of the abdomen of the occupant when the airbag is inflated.

29. The side airbag device of claim 28, wherein at least part of the lower chamber is disposed on a side surface of the seating portion of the seat when the airbag is inflated.

30. The side airbag device of claim 28, wherein at least part of the lower chamber is disposed beside a thigh of the occupant when the airbag is inflated.