Side airnet cushioning/ restraint device

• US 20050104343A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Levine, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/716,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20050104343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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

A side airnet cushioning and restraint device for a vehicle configured to be inflated and deployed on a side of a vehicle between a front pillar and a rear pillar of the vehicle via an inflator during a side impact accident, a rollover accident, or a side impact and a rollover accident, the side airnet comprising: an inflatable net operatively connected to the inflator having a top edge secured at a point above the vehicle'"'"'s side windows and between the front pillar and the rear pillar, and a lower edge extending below the vehicle'"'"'s side windows and between the front pillar and the rear pillar; a cable tensioner operatively connected to the inflater; a retention cable anchored at the front pillar and the rear pillar and fed through guides near the lower edge of the inflatable net and operatively engaged by the cable tensioner.

Claims

1. A side airnet cushioning and restraint device for a vehicle configured to be inflated and deployed on a side of a vehicle between a front pillar and a rear pillar of said vehicle via an inflator during a side impact accident, a rollover accident, or a side impact and a rollover accident, said side airnet comprising:

an inflatable net operatively connected to said inflator having

a top edge secured at a point above said vehicle'"'"'s side windows and between said front pillar and said rear pillar, and

a lower edge extending below said vehicle'"'"'s side windows and between said front pillar and said rear pillar;

a cable tensioner operatively connected to said inflater;

a retention cable anchored at said front pillar and said rear pillar and fed through guides near said lower edge of said inflatable net and operatively engaged by said cable tensioner.

2. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where regions of said lower edge extend above said vehicle'"'"'s side windows and regions of said lower edge extend below said vehicle'"'"'s side windows.

3. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said retention cable tensioner incorporates a one-way clutch that maintains tension on said retention cable until positively released.

4. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 3, where said one-way clutch further comprises a mechanical release mechanism.

5. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 3, where said one-way clutch further comprises an electromechanical release mechanism.

6. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 3, where said one-way clutch further comprises a mechanical release mechanism and an electro-mechanical release mechanism.

7. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said one-way clutch further comprises a mechanical release mechanism.

8. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said retention cable is fabricated from braided poly(p-phenyleneterephtalamide).

9. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said inflatable net is reinforced with a supporting mesh.

10. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said inflatable net is reinforced with a supporting net.

11. The side airnet cushioning and restraint device of claim 1, where said inflatable net incorporates open cell foam padding.