Inflator bag for occupant restraint device and method of manufacturing the inflator bag

• US 20050173899A1
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Korechika, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,431,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23519 Resin
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23528 Metal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

By forming a resin sheet or a metal sheet, an angular-box-shaped bag main body (51) having gore portions (54) on surrounding side faces to ensure its height is formed. A folded line (55) to be folded, in a manner to form a valley line, toward an inside of the box-shaped bag main body (51) is formed in an intermediate portion of each of the gore portions (54) in a height direction. A triangular overlaid and folded portion (56) is formed in an end of each of the gore portions (54a) on each of the surrounding side faces with each corner portion of the angular-box-shaped bag main body (51) being sandwiched between one surrounding side face and another surrounding side face adjacent to the one surrounding side face in which the gore portion (54b) is folded in an overlaid manner in the overlaid and folded portion (56) at a same time when another gore portion on another surrounding side face is folded. The angular box-shaped bag main body (51) is folded so as to be in a flat state by allowing each of the gore portions to be folded in a manner to form a valley line along the folded line (55). By blocking a bottom face being opposite to a ceiling plate (52) with a bottom plate (53), the box-shaped bag main body (51) has a hermetically sealed structure. By configuring above, an inflator bag (50) for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus is obtained. Thus, the inflator bag (50) is able to be housed in a compact manner and to be developed so as to be in a stable state with a sufficient developing stroke being ensured and able to be processed easily.

Claims

1. An inflator bag for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus being able to expand and develop by a high-pressure gas filled in said inflator bag and is capable of restraining a vehicle occupant by being expanded and developed, comprising:

a box-shaped bag main body including gore portions on surrounding side faces to ensure its height, wherein, in each of said gore portions, a folded line to be folded toward an inside of said box-shaped bag main body is formed in an intermediate portion in a height direction of each of said gore portions, which is used to allow each of said gore portions to be folded, and wherein an overlaid and folded portion is formed in an end of each of said gore portions on each of said surrounding side faces with each corner portion of said box-shaped bag main body being sandwiched between one surrounding side face and another surrounding side face adjacent to said one surrounding side face wherein each of said gore portions is folded in a overlaid manner in each of said overlaid and folded portions at a same time when another gore portion on another surrounding side face is folded, and wherein said box-shaped bag main body is folded in a manner so as to be in a flat state when each of said gore portions is folded in a manner to form a valley line along said folded line.

2. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said box-shaped bag main body is so constructed as to have a hermetically sealed structure by blocking a bottom face of said box-shaped bag main body being opposite to a ceiling plate with a bottom plate.

3. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said box-shaped bag main body and said bottom plate are integrally formed.

4. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said box-shaped bag main body comprises a resin sheet or a metal sheet.

5. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said box-shaped main body, having a rectangular cross-section whose longitudinal side is smaller than its horizontal side, is so constructed that opening faces on both sides of a tube-shaped body are blocked with end face plates and side face plates serving as said longitudinal side of said tube-shaped body and said end face plates make up gore portions.

6. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tube-shaped body is so constructed that plates making up said tube-shaped body have unequal wall thicknesses wherein wall thicknesses of its upper-face plate and its lower-face plate both serving as horizontal sides of said tube-shaped body are large and wall thicknesses of its side face plates serving as longitudinal sides are smaller than said wall thicknesses of said upper-face plate and said lower-face plate and wall thicknesses of said end face plates are equal to said wall thicknesses of said side face plates.

10. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inflator bag is used for restraining a hip portion of a vehicle occupant which is mounted in a front lower portion of a seat cushion in a vehicle and expands and develops by being filled with a high-pressure gas at a time of sharp reduction of speed of a vehicle to raise a front seat face of said seat cushion which prevents a vehicle occupant being seated on a seat from being moved forward.

11. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inflator bag is used for restraining a leg portion of a seated vehicle occupant which is placed in a lower portion of an instrument panel of a vehicle and expands and develops at a time of being filled with a high-pressure gas at time of sharp reduction of speed of a vehicle.

12. The inflator bag for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said box-shaped bag main body comprises an angular-box shaped bag main body.

13. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said folded portion comprises a triangular folded portion.

14. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tube-shaped body is angularly tube-shaped.

15. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tube-shaped body is circularly tube-shaped.

7. An inflator bag for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus being able to expand and develop by a high-pressure gas filled in said inflator bag and is capable of restraining a vehicle occupant by being expanded and developed, comprising:

a hollow body being opened at its both sides and having a cross-sectional structure in which both sides of said hollow body are dented in a U-shaped manner toward an inside of a tube-shaped body in one diameter direction out of two diameter directions intersecting at right angles on said hollow body and both sides of said hollow body are crushed in a manner so as to be in a plane state in another diameter direction, and, wherein a bag main body is formed by blocking opened portions of said hollow body on both sides with end face plates and said bag main body is crushed in a manner so as to be in a flat state on both sides in said another diameter direction.

8. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, by denting, in a U-shaped manner, portions on both sides of said tube-shaped body toward its inside portions in one diameter direction out of two diameter directions intersecting at right angles on said tube-shaped body and, at a same time, by crushing portions on both sides of said tube-shaped body in a manner so as to be in a plane state in another diameter direction, a hollow body being opened at both ends and having a cross-sectional structure in which said tube-body is crushed and wherein a bag main body is formed by blocking opened portions of said hollow body with end face plates using both sides on which said hollow body is dented in an inside direction and said end face plates as gore portions and;

wherein said bag main body is folded in a manner so as to be a flat state by further denting portions on both sides having been dented toward an inside direction of said hollow body and serving as said gore portions and said end face plates and, at a same time, by further crushing portions on both sides in another diameter direction.

9. The inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said end face plates includes a shrunk portion formed so as to be placed in an inside of said hollow body and to develop at a time when said hollow body is filled with said high-pressure gas.

16. A method for manufacturing an inflator bag for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus which is able to expand and develop by being filled with a high-pressure gas and is capable of restraining a vehicle occupant by being expanded and developed, said method comprising:

forming a tube-body having an approximately rectangular cross-section in which each of longitudinal sides is smaller than each of horizontal sides by deforming a cross section of a pipe cut so as to have a specified length;

forming a folded line along which each of side face plates serving as each of said longitudinal sides of said tube-shaped body is folded in a manner to form a valley line toward an inside portion of said tube-shaped body in an intermediate portion in its height direction;

forming a folded line along which each of end face plates is folded in a manner to form a valley line toward an inside portion of said tube-shaped body in an intermediate portion in its height direction, which is used when opening faces on both sides of said tube-body are blocked with said end face plates;

forming a box-shaped main body by blocking said opening faces on both sides of said tube-shaped body with said end face plates and by using side face plates serving as longitudinal sides of said tube-shaped body and said end face plates as gore portions;

forming an overlaid and folded portion at an end of each of said gore portions in a manner that each of corners of said box-shaped body is sandwiched between one surrounding side face and another surrounding side face adjacent to said one surrounding side face and each of said gore portions is folded in an overlaid manner in said overlaid and folded portion at a same time when another gore portion on another surrounding side face is folded; and

obtaining an inflator bag folded so as to be in a flat state by folding, in a manner to form a valley line, each of said gore portions made up of said side face plates and end face plates along said folded line.

20. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said folded portions comprise triangular folded portions.

21. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said tube-shaped body comprises an angular tube-shaped body.

22. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said pipe comprises a circular pipe.

23. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for a vehicle occupant apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said inflator bag comprises a hermetically sealed structure.

17. A method for manufacturing an inflator bag for a vehicle occupant restraining apparatus which is able to expand and develop by being filled with a high-pressure gas and is capable of restraining a vehicle occupant by being expanded and developed, said method comprising:

forming a tube-shaped body being opened at its both ends and having a cross-sectional structure in which both side portions of a circular pipe cut so as to have a specified length are dented toward its inside in one diameter direction out of two diameter directions intersecting at right angles and both side portions in another diameter direction are crushed so as to be in a plane state; and

obtaining a hermetically sealed-structured inflator bag being folded so as to be in a flat state by crushing both side portions of said tube-shaped body in said another diameter direction.

18. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each of said end face plates has a shrunk portion being placed at an inside of said hollow body and formed so as to develop at time when said inflator bag is filled with said high-pressure gas.

19. The method for manufacturing the inflator bag for the vehicle occupant restraining apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

forming said tube-shaped body being opened at its said both sides and having a cross-sectional structure in which a circular shape is crushed by denting both side portions of a circular pipe cut so as to have a specified length toward its inside in one diameter direction out of two diameter directions intersecting at right angles and by crushing both side portions in another diameter direction so as to be in a plane state;

forming a bag main body having both side portions dent toward an inside of said tube-shaped body and said end face plates used as gore portions by blocking opened portions on both sides of said tube-shaped body with said end face plates; and

further denting, when said bag main body is folded so as to be in a flat state, both side portions dent toward an inside of said tube-shaped body serving as said gore portions and said end face plates serving as said gore portions toward said inside of said tube-shaped body and, at a same time, further crushing said both side portions in another diameter direction so as to be in a flat state.