Head-protective airbag device

• US 20050127644A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• 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, Ogata, Tetsuya, Kino, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 7,264,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

The head-protecting airbag device (M1) includes an airbag (12) provided with a gas admissive portion (13) and a non-admissive portion (23). The gas admissive portion (13) includes a gas feed passage (14) for feeding inflation gas G toward both front and rearwards of the vehicle, and a plurality of vertical chambers (17) juxtaposed along front-rear direction of the vehicle. Each of the vertical chambers (17) includes a communication port at its upper end for communicating with the gas feed passage (14). The substantial lengths of a vehicle'"'"'s outer wall (13b) and an inner wall (13a) of the airbag (12) are differentiated from each other by a belt (31) in the periphery (19) of the communication port (18). Thus the periphery (19) of the communication port (18) guides inflation gas (G) obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior (O) when inflation gas (G) flows into the vertical chamber (17) via the communication port. The head-protecting airbag device (M1) is made compact and improves workability in the mounting work on the vehicle while ensuring downward deployment of the airbag (12) along the window (W).

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising an airbag folded and housed in the upper edge of windows inside a vehicle, and deployable downward along the windows when fed with inflation gas, wherein:

the airbag includes;

a gas admissive portion, which is inflatable with inflation gas by separating a vehicle'"'"'s inner wall and an outer wall of the airbag; and

a non-admissive portion, which is formed by joining the vehicle'"'"'s inner wall and outer wall and admits no inflation gas;

the gas admissive portion includes;

a gas feed passage extending along the upper edge of the airbag as flatly expanded for feeding inflation gas along front-rear direction; and

a plurality of vertical chambers juxtaposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, each of the vertical chambers being provided at upper end thereof with a communication port for communicating with the gas feed passage; and

a gas flow regulating means is located in at least one of the vertical chambers, whereby, when inflation gas flows into the vertical chamber via the communication port, the inflation gas is directed obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior.

2. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

substantial length of the vehicle'"'"'s outer wall and substantial length of the inner wall are differentiated from each other in the gas feed passage in the periphery of the communication port of the at least one vertical chamber; and

the difference of the lengths of the vehicle'"'"'s outer and inner walls constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

3. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the airbag includes a flexible belt in an exterior side thereof, the belt being joined to the vicinity of the at least one vertical chamber and to a vehicle body in the vicinity of a housing position of the airbag, whereby the vertical chamber, when inflated, is pressed toward the window; and

the belt constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

4. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the gas admissive portion includes an auxiliary chamber located above the gas feed passage for, upon airbag deployment, inflating between a panel as part of the vehicle body and an airbag cover in the vicinity of the housing position of the airbag, the airbag cover being openably covering an airbag side toward the vehicle'"'"'s interior; and

the auxiliary chamber constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

5. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary chamber is located in plurality, respectively above predetermined numbers of the vertical chambers.

6. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the opening dimension of each of the auxiliary chambers in the front-rear direction and the opening dimension of the communication port located below the auxiliary chamber in the front-rear direction are equal to each other.

7. The head-protecting airbag device according to either one of claim 4 to claim 6, wherein the airbag includes a mounting portion for attachment to the panel of vehicle body, the mounting portion being located, when the airbag is completely inflated, below the upper end of the auxiliary chamber and above the vertical chamber.

8. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 5, wherein:

the airbag includes a secondary chamber inflatable below the gas feed passage, the secondary chamber not being communicated with the gas feed passage at upper end thereof;

the vertical chambers having the auxiliary chambers thereabove are located in both front and rear of the secondary chamber; and

the secondary chamber is communicated with lower part of at least one of the front and rear vertical chambers, whereby inflation gas flows into the secondary chamber.

9. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the gas admissive portion includes a joining inflatable portion located between the gas feed passage and the vertical chambers for, upon airbag deployment, inflating between a panel as part of the vehicle body and an airbag cover in the vicinity of the housing position of the airbag, the airbag cover being openably covering an airbag side toward the vehicle'"'"'s interior; and

the joining inflatable portion constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

10. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

a holder is located proximate to the housing position of the airbag for holding and fixing the periphery of the communication port of at least one of the vertical chambers upon airbag deployment; and

the holder constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

11. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

a part of the airbag cover openeably covering an airbag side toward the vehicle'"'"'s interior in the vicinity of the housing position of the airbag is suppressed from opening toward the vehicle'"'"'s interior than remaining part of the airbag cover, whereby at least one of the vertical chambers deploys while being pressed toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior; and

the part of the airbag cover suppressed from opening constitutes the gas flow regulating means.