Airbag and airbag apparatus

• US 20070045997A1
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kumagai, Masayoshi, Abe, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,607,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

An airbag and an airbag apparatus includes a vent hole operable to close or open to a small extent until a passenger crashes into the airbag, and open or close to a large extent when the passenger crashes into the airbag. An interior of an airbag is partitioned into a first chamber at a center and a second chamber which surrounds the first chamber by an inner panel. A rear panel includes a vent hole for communicating the second chamber and the outside of the airbag. A lid member configured to cover the vent hole may be disposed on an outer surface of the rear panel. A tether may connect the lid member to the inner panel through the vent hole.

Claims

1. An airbag comprising:

an airbag panel for constituting the airbag;

a vent hole disposed in at least one surface of the airbag panel on a side opposite to a passenger-facing surface and a side surface of the airbag panel when the airbag is inflated; and

a constraining device for constraining discharge of gas from the vent hole, the constraining device comprising a lid member arranged outside the airbag panel and configured to cover the vent hole, and a joint member which passes through the vent hole and an interior of the airbag and connects the lid member and the passenger-facing surface;

wherein the vent hole is configured to be closed or opened to a small extent by the lid member superposed on the vent hole and pulled toward the interior of the airbag by the joint member when the airbag is inflated; and

the vent hole is configured to be fully opened or opened to a large extent by the lid member being moved apart from the vent hole when the passenger contacts the inflated airbag thereby moving the passenger-facing surface backward.

2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the vent hole comprises a slit shape.

3. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the joint member is connected at one end to the lid member and at the other end to the passenger-facing surface.

4. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an internal member disposed in the airbag and connects the passenger-facing surface of the airbag and the surface on the opposite side therefrom, the joint member being connected to the internal member.

5. The airbag according to claim 4, wherein

the internal member comprises an inner panel partitioning an interior of the airbag into a first chamber at a center and a second chamber surrounding the first chamber, and having a communicating section operable to communicate the first and second chambers;

the airbag is configured such that the first chamber is inflated first by the gas introduced into the first chamber and then the second chamber is inflated by the gas flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber via the communicating section; and

the vent hole operates to communicate the second chamber to an outside of the airbag.

6. The airbag according to claim 4, wherein the internal member is a suspension belt comprising a first end connected to the passenger-facing surface of the airbag and a second end connected to a surface of the opposite side of the passenger-facing surface.

7. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an internal member operable to extend across an interior of the airbag to connect side portions of the airbag in the inflated state, the joint member being connected to the internal member.

8. The airbag according to claim 4, wherein the joint member and the internal member are integrally connected.

9. The airbag according to claim 4, wherein the internal member includes a run-through member for the joint member, the joint member having a first end connected to the lid member, a second end connected to the surface on the opposite side from the passenger-facing surface of the airbag, and a longitudinal midsection threaded through the run-through member.

10. The airbag according to claim 4, wherein the lid member includes a run-through member for the joint member, the joint member having two ends connected to the internal member and a longitudinal midsection threaded through the run-through member.

11. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the joint member comprises a run-through member disposed on an inner surface of the passenger-facing surface of the airbag, a first end connected to the lid member, and a longitudinal midsection threaded through the run-through member.

12. The airbag according to claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of passenger-side run-through members disposed at positions different from each other on the passenger-facing surface; and

a plurality of non-passenger-side run-through members disposed on a surface opposite from the passenger-facing surface;

wherein the longitudinal midsection of the joint member is alternately threaded into the passenger-side run-through members and the non-passenger-side run-through members.

13. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the lid member is not connected to the airbag on the side opposite from the passenger, and is connected to a periphery of the vent hole of the airbag at least at a passenger-side of the lid member.

14. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the joint member has one end split into plurality of branches, the branches being connected to the lid member at positions different from each other.

15. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the joint member and the lid member are integrally configured.

16. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary lid member attached to the lid member and configured to cover the vent hole when the vent hole is closed by the lid member, and uncover the vent hole when the lid member uncovers the vent hole.

17. The airbag according to claims 1, wherein a plurality of vent holes is disposed in the airbag, and is configured to be covered by the lid member common to the vent holes, and the joint member being connected to the lid member at at least one of the vent holes.

18. The airbag according to claim 17, wherein at least a part of a peripheral edge of the lid member is not connected to the airbag and a remaining portion of the peripheral edge is connected to the airbag so as to surround the plurality of vent holes, the joint member being connected to the lid member via a vent hole located at a position closest to the portion of the peripheral edge of the lid member which is not connected to the airbag.

19. The airbag according to claim 17, wherein the lid member is connected to the airbag at least at one end and is not connected to the airbag at the other end, and the joint member is connected to the lid member at least via the vent hole located at a position closest to the other end of the lid member.

20. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an open vent hole that communicates the interior and an exterior of the airbag.

21. An airbag apparatus comprising the airbag according to claim 1, and a gas generator operable to supply gas to the airbag.