Hose for introduction and distribution of inflator gas

• US 20040147186A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fujii, Tamotsu, Konishi, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/76
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23514 coated fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2612 Gas guiding means, e.g. ducts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2617 Curtain bag nozzles
• 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: D03D 1/02 Inflatable articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/20 Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which is not [a] associated with another preformed layer or fiber layer or, [b] with respect to woven and knit, characterized, respectively, by a particular or differential weave or knit, wherein the coating or impregnation is neither a foamed material nor a free metal or alloy layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2139 Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to a specific substance [e.g., water vapor, air, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/273 Coating or impregnation provides wear or abrasion resistance

Abstract

A woven fabric-made hose having at least one distribution hole for introduction and distribution of inflator gas on actuation of an air bag, which hose is installed in a side air bag module, wherein at least one of the outer surface and inner surface of said hose is coated with a rubber or a synthetic resin, and the maximum drawing resistance of fiber is at least 70 N/3 cm in a warp direction and a weft direction.

Claims

1. A woven fabric-made hose having at least one distribution hole for introduction and distribution of inflator gas on actuation of an air bag, which hose is installed in a side curtain air bag module, wherein at least one of the outer surface and inner surface of said hose is coated with a rubber or a synthetic resin, and the maximum drawing resistance of fiber is at least 70 N/3 cm in a warp direction and a weft direction, when the drawing resistance is measured by a pin-hitching method defined in JIS L1096, 8.21.3 with a sample having a width of 3 cm and a length of 5 cm which is cut out from the hose such that the periphery of the hole constitutes one side of the sample and the width direction of the sample is perpendicular to each of the warp and weft directions of the fabric of the hose.

2. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 1, wherein said maximum drawing resistance is at least 100 N/3 cm in a warp direction and a weft direction.

3. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a coated amount of said coating agent is 10 to 80% by weight of the weight of the hose before coating.

4. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said hose has a reinforced part at the inner periphery of the hole.

5. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 4, wherein said reinforced part is formed by applying an adhesive to the inner periphery of the hole.

6. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 4, wherein said reinforced part is formed at the same time as the formation of the hole by cutting the hose wall with laser beam.

7. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 4, wherein said reinforced part is formed by contacting a heating means to the inner periphery of the hole.

8. A woven fabric-made hose for introduction and distribution of inflator gas on actuation of an air bag, which hose is installed in a side air bag module, wherein at least one of the outer surface and inner surface of said hose is coated with a rubber or a synthetic resin, and the fabric has a bending resistance of at least 100 mm in a direction in parallel with the lengthwise direction of the hose.

9. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 8, wherein the lengthwise direction of said hose is in accordance with either a warp direction or a weft direction of said woven fabric.

10. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 8 or 9, wherein an original yarn in the lengthwise direction of said hose has a single filament fineness of at least 2 dtex when the fabric is unwoven.

11. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 8, wherein said fabric has a cover factor (CF), which is defined by the following formula, of at least 2,000 in the lengthwise direction of said hose:

CF=[total fineness (dtex) of a yarn in lengthwise direction of a hose]^1/2×

[weave density in lengthwise direction of a hose (threads/2.54 cm)].

12. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 8, wherein a coated amount of said coating agent is 10 to 80% by weight of the weight of the hose before coating.

13. A woven fabric-made hose having at least one distribution hole for introduction and distribution of inflator gas on actuation of an air bag, which hose is installed in a side air bag module, wherein said hole is formed by perforating the fabric of the hose, and a total area S₁ of discrete yarn parts each surrounded by the following (1) and (2) is 30% or less of the area S₀ of the hole when the hose area having said hole is flattened:

(1) Edges of the hole perforated

(2) Discrete yarn having the longest length among discrete yarns remaining on the hose, the both ends of which are cut when the hole is perforated and which intersect the edge of the hole.

14. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 13, wherein said hose has a weft skew of 20% or less in the widthwise direction of said hose when measured according to JIS L1096, 8.11.

15. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 13, wherein said fabric has a cover factor (CF), which is defined by the following formula, of at least 2,000 in the lengthwise direction of said hose:

CF=[total fineness (dtex) of a yarn in lengthwise direction of a hose]^1/2×

[weave density in lengthwise direction of a hose (yarns/2.54 cm)].

16. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of said hose is coated with a rubber or a synthetic resin.

17. A woven fabric-made hose for introduction and distribution of inflator gas on actuation of an air bag, which hose is installed in a side air bag module, wherein at least one of the outer surface and inner surface of said hose is coated with a rubber or a synthetic resin, a single woven fabric constituting the hose has a thickness t of 0.9 to 3 mm, and a loop hardness Lh (unit:

N) and the thickness t of the single fabric (unit;

mm) has the following relationship;

Lh/t≦

5 (N/mm)

when measured according to a loop-compression method defined in JIS L1096, 8.20.3 with a rectangular sample having a length of 5 cm and a width of 2 cm which is cut out from the hose such that the shorter side of the sample is in parallel with the lengthwise direction of the hose.

18. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 17, wherein said fabric has a loop repulsion rate Lr of 60% or less when measured according to the loop compression method of JIS L1096, 8.20.3.

19. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 17, wherein said rubber is a silicone rubber.

20. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 17, wherein said fabric is mainly twill weave or satin weave

21. The woven fabric-made hose according to claim 17, wherein said hose has at least one distribution hole for introduction and distribution of inflator gas.