Air belt apparatus

• US 20070102909A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nezaki, Takuya, Suyama, Yoji
• Granted Patent: US 7,604,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement

Abstract

An air belt apparatus for use in a vehicle is provided to improve the comfort of the webbing during normal operation by thinning the webbing that passes through a shoulder anchor, while extending a developing length of an expanding portion upward when the expanding portion is expanded. The air belt apparatus includes webbing corresponding to the chest of an occupant, an expanding portion provided in the webbing, and folded back so as to be developed up to a position corresponding to a head of the occupant at a time of expansion, and an extending portion covering the expanding portion and extended upward from an upper end of the expanding portion, and further includes an elastic cover being expandable along the expansion of the expanding portion, and a non-extendable sheet member that enables the extending portion to pass through the shoulder anchor by reinforcing the extending portion of the elastic cover.

Claims

1. An air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:

webbing for occupant restraint corresponding to a chest portion of an occupant;

an expanding portion provided in the webbing for occupant restraint and folded back so as to be developed up to a position corresponding to a head portion of the occupant when expanded;

an elastic cover covering the expanding portion, and including an extending portion extended upward from an upper end of the expanding portion, configured to be expanded along with an expansion of the expanding portion, and

a non-extendable sheet member reinforcing the extending portion of the elastic cover, and thereby enabling the extending portion to be passed through a shoulder anchor.

2. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the non-extendible sheet member is inserted into the elastic cover, and is combined with the elastic cover in a manner capable of being separated therefrom when the expanding portion is expanded.

3. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sheet member is combined with an inner peripheral surface of the elastic cover.

4. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the non-extendable sheet member is combined together with the elastic cover and a cover covering the elastic cover other than the extending portion, and wherein the elastic cover and the sheet member are able to be separated from the cover when the expanding portion is expanded.

5. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a tongue plate positioned at the end of the webbing, configured to fit in a buckle.

6. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein gas is capable of being supplied into the expanding portion from a side of the buckle.

7. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a lap belt is connected to the tongue plate.

8. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic cover is a bag-shaped mesh webbing.

9. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic cover is stitched to the webbing and the non-extendable sheet member.

10. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the non-extendable sheet member is made of polyester.

11. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the non-extendable sheet member is attached to the upper end of the expanding portion.

12. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the expanding portion further comprises a separate chest expanding portion and a separate head expanding portion.

13. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the chest expanding portion and the head expanding portion are expanded by separate inflators.

14. The air belt apparatus for use in a motor vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the chest expanding portion and the head expanding portion are configured to expand independently of each other.