Airbag Apparatus And Motorcycle Having The Same

• US 20070052218A1
• 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
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyata, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 7,837,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0088 Cycles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 27/20 Airbags specially adapted for motorcycles or the like

Abstract

A technique is provided effective in smoothing the airbag deploying motion of an airbag apparatus to be mounted to a motorcycle. In one form, an airbag apparatus mounted to a motorcycle is constructed to hold the loose portions of elongated webbings that join an airbag to the vehicle body in a predetermined bunched state as a folded portion while the airbag is housed, and to release the hold upon the deployment of the airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus for a motorcycle, the airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag for being deployed and inflated during emergency conditions;

a tether for being anchored to the motorcycle and secured at one end thereof to the airbag;

a tether holder adapted and configured for releasably holding a portion of the tether in a predetermined arrangement, with the tether holder releasing the tether portion from the predetermined arrangement upon deployment of the airbag.

2. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether portion comprises an intermediate loose portion of the tether between the one end and an anchored end thereof with the tether holder operable to releasably hold the intermediate loose portion in a compact form in the predetermined arrangement thereof.

3. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the predetermined arrangement of the held portion of the tether comprises a folded arrangement thereof.

4. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether holder is configured to exert a predetermined holding force on the tether portion that is less than a force expected by the airbag deployment on the tether portion so that the tether portion is released from the predetermined arrangement thereof.

5. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether holder includes a hook-and-loop fastener that secures opposing surfaces of the tether portion together in the predetermined arrangement thereof.

6. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether holder includes stitches in the tether portion that keep the tether portion in the predetermined arrangement thereof.

7. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether holder includes a binding member that detachably binds the tether portion in the predetermined arrangement thereof.

8. The airbag apparatus of claim 7 wherein the binding member comprises adhesive tape.

9. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether comprises two tethers symmetrically located on opposite sides of the motorcycle.

10. The airbag apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tether comprises two elongated tethers, and corresponding tether holders with the tether holders located at the same position along the length of the respective tethers for smooth and even deployment of the airbag.

11. A motorcycle comprising:

a body including a seat for a rider;

an airbag for being deployed and inflated upon detection of a collision of the motorcycle;

an inflator for supplying inflation gas to the airbag;

a retainer for housing the airbag prior to deployment thereof;

an elongated tether having opposite ends with one end secured to the airbag in the retainer and the other end anchored to the motorcycle body outside the retainer;

an intermediate loose portion of the tether between the ends thereof;

a tether holder for holding the intermediate portion of the tether in a folded state while the airbag is housed, with the tether holder releasing the tether intermediate portion from the folded state upon deployment of the airbag.

12. The motorcycle of claim 11 wherein the tether comprises:

a pair of tethers symmetrically located on opposing sides of the body, with each tether secured at one end to the airbag in the retainer and at the other end to the body;

folded portions of each tether for storing each tether in the folded state when the airbag is in an inoperative state; and

a pair of through holes in the retainer with the pair of tethers extending through respective ones of the pair of through holes to the exterior of the retainer.

13. The motorcycle of claim 12 wherein the pair of tethers substantially extend in parallel between the ends secured to the airbag and the ends secured to the body to restrict motion of the deployed and inflated airbag.

14. The motorcycle of claim 11 wherein the folded intermediate portion of the tether is located outside of the retainer.

15. The airbag apparatus of claim 11 including a tether cover outside the retainer and the folded intermediate portion is covered by the tether cover.

16. The motorcycle of claim 11 wherein the tether holder includes a releasable fastener that temporarily secures the tether intermediate portion in the folded state, with the fastener configured to release upon deployment of the airbag.

17. The motorcycle of claim 16 wherein the releasable fastener comprises a hook-and-loop fastener that secures together opposing surfaces of the intermediate folded portion of the tether.