Airbag Apparatus And Motorcycle Having The Same

• US 20070052215A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), Joyson Safety Systems Japan GK (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyata, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 7,665,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/217 Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 27/20 Airbags specially adapted for motorcycles or the like

Abstract

A technique is provided that is effective in easily draining liquid entering the interior of a housing for housing a prefolded airbag of an airbag apparatus mounted to motorcycles. In a first form, an airbag apparatus mounted to a motorcycle has an opening at the bottom of a retainer, through which the water entering a retainer can be drained to the outside of retainer.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus to be mounted to a motorcycle, the airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag to be deployed and inflated upon detection of a front collision of the motorcycle;

a retainer for housing the airbag in a folded state;

an inflator in the retainer for supplying inflation gas to the airbag; and

a through opening in the retainer for draining liquid from the retainer.

2. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the retainer includes a base portion having at least a section thereof that slopes downward toward the through opening.

3. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the through opening is located under the inflator in the retainer.

4. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the through opening includes a pair of through openings each having a diameter of at least 7 mm.

5. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the retainer includes a base portion, and the through opening includes at least one pair of through openings symmetrically positioned in the retainer base portion.

6. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the retainer includes a base portion having a section that is recessed from the remainder of the base portion and on which the through opening is formed.

7. The airbag apparatus of claim 6 wherein the base portion of the retainer includes opposite inclined portions that slope downward toward opposing edges of the recessed section of the base portion of the retainer.

8. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the retainer includes a lower base portion having four edges and the through opening is located adjacent an edge of the base portion of the retainer.

9. The airbag apparatus of claim 8 wherein the through opening comprises a plurality of through openings with there being at least one of the plurality of through openings located adjacent each of the four edges of the base portion.

10. The airbag apparatus of claim 8 wherein the through opening comprises a pair of through openings located adjacent opposing edges of the base portion of the retainer.

11. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 including a cover portion for covering the retainer having peripheral side wall portions depending therefrom, with at least one of the peripheral side wall portions secured to the retainer and an enlarged through hole on one of the peripheral side wall portions for a tether to extend therethrough.

12. An airbag apparatus comprising:

a retainer having a base portion;

an inflator in the retainer having a predetermined footprint;

a recessed area of the retainer with a predetermined footprint slightly larger than the predetermined footprint of the inflator for generally fitting the inflator therein; and

a through opening in the retainer recessed area underlying the inflator for fluid drainage out from the retainer.

13. The airbag apparatus of claim 12 wherein the footprints of the inflator and recessed area have an elongated configuration, and the through opening comprises a pair of through openings spaced longitudinally from each other in the recessed area.

14. The airbag apparatus of claim 12 wherein the retainer includes a base wall including the recessed area, and additional through openings in non-recessed portions of the base wall.

15. A motorcycle comprising:

a body;

a seat of the body for supporting a rider seated thereon;

an airbag retainer mounted forwardly of the seat;

an airbag housed in the retainer in a folded state for being deployed and inflated upon detection of a front collision of the motorcycle;

an inflator in the retainer for supplying inflation gas to the airbag;

a plurality of through openings disposed at predetermined locations in the base portion of the retainer such that at least one of the plurality of through openings is oriented at the lowest point of the retainer when the motorcycle is tilted in any of fore, aft, and either lateral direction.

16. The motorcycle of claim 15 wherein the retainer includes a lower base wall portion and the through opening is located adjacent an edge of the base wall portion of the retainer.

17. The motorcycle of claim 15 wherein the plurality of through openings include symmetrically opposed through openings.

18. The motorcycle of claim 15 wherein the retainer includes a lower base wall portion having an inclined wall portion that slopes downward towards at least one of the plurality of through openings.

19. The motorcycle of claim 15 wherein at least one of the plurality of through openings is located under the inflator in the retainer.