AIR BAG WITH GROOVE OR RECESS, OPEN OR PARTIALLY COVERED

• US 20070108753A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Soonsik, Pang, Hyunsok, Coon, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,625,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/743.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0044 Chest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• 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: B60R 21/272 with means for increasing the pressure of the gas just before or during liberation, e.g. hybrid inflators

Abstract

An air bag (100) has an inflatable chamber (101,301) defined by a main front panel (102, 212) and a pair of side panels (104a, b; 224, 226). The air bag (100) has a vertically oriented recessed portion (110, 220) spanning along most of the length of the main panel or a limited section thereof. The recessed portion (110, 220) divides the air bag (100, 210) into two lower lobe portions (112a,b, 240, 242) on each side of the recessed portion. Upon inflation an internal tether (180, 250) is attached to the recessed portion and is anchored at or adjacent to the gas inlet passageway thereby limiting forward movement of the recessed portion upon inflation. The air bag is useful as a frontal air bag, particularly a passenger frontal air bag.

Claims

1. An air bag assembly (100a) comprising:

a single inflatable chamber (101) having sides and a face portion;

a groove, intent or recess (110) formed in the face portion separating adjacent portions of the air bag into opposite inflatable lobes;

the air bag configured so that a top portion of the groove is spanned by a piece of material, the material having ends operatively part of each lobe.

2. The air bag assembly according to claim 1 including at least one tether, internal to the air bag, at least one end connected to the groove for limiting movement of the material forming the groove.

3. The air bag assembly according to claim 2 wherein the tether is secured to various portions of the material forming the groove as well as secured to a generally fixed portion of a housing or to a portion of the air bag.

4. The air bag assembly according to claim 1 wherein the groove is one of rectangular, oval or trapezoidal in shape.

9. The air bag of claim 1 wherein the recessed portion comprises a center recess panel and a pair of side recess panels, edges of the side recess panels being attached to or integrally formed with lateral edges of an opening in the front portion of the main panel and the center recess panel being attached to or integrally formed with upper and lower ends of the opening and to edges of each side panel to form the recessed portion.

13. The air bag of claim 9 wherein the recessed portion has a maximum depth as measured along one of the side recess panels at or below a vertical mid point of the side recess panel.

14. The air bag of claim 13 wherein the side recess panels are generally symmetrically curved along the edge attached to or integrally formed with the main panel.

15. The air bag of claim 13 wherein the side recess panels have an arcuate lower edge and a flat upper edge and a flat lower edge and wherein the tether is attached to the center recess at the inner most location of the flat upper edge.

16. The air bag of claim 1 wherein the main panel, side panels and recessed portion are woven or knitted to form the air bag.

5. An air bag assembly (100a) comprising:

a single inflatable chamber (101) formed by a main panel and pair of side panels integral to or otherwise attached along mating edges wherein the main panel has a top portion, a front portion and a bottom portion and the inflatable chamber has a gas inlet passageway anchored at an end for allowing inflation gases to enter to fill the inflatable chamber;

a vertically oriented recessed portion or groove formed on a forward facing portion of the air bag, the main panel covering a top region of the recessed portion, the recessed portion dividing the inflatable chamber into two lobe portions (112a, 112b); and

at least one internal tether having one end attached to the recessed portion and a second end which is also anchored thereby limiting forward movement of the recessed portion upon inflation of the inflatable chamber.

6. The air bag of claim 5 wherein the recessed portion extends from near a top portion of the main panel to about the bottom portion of the main panel.

7. The air bag of claim 5 further comprising a second upper internal tether attached to the top portion of the main panel and anchored at the gas inlet passageway thereby limiting forward movement of an upper portion of the inflatable chamber.

8. The air bag of claim 7 further comprising an internal diffuser element (160), the diffuser element spanning across the gas inlet passageway to redirect incoming inflation gases toward each side panel.

10. The air bag of claim 7 wherein the at least one tether is attached to the center recess panel at least two locations.

11. The air bag of claim 10 wherein the length of the upper tether is greater than or equal to the sum of the length of the tether attached to the center recess panel and the distance from the location the tether is attached to the center recess panel to the main panel extending along the side panels.

12. The air bag of claim 5 wherein the recessed portion has a width in the inflated condition of at least 25% of the width of the front portion of the main panel.

17. An air bag module comprising;

a module housing,

an inflator internal of the module housing; and

an air bag attached to the module housing, the air bag comprising;

a single inflatable chamber having a main panel and pair of side panels integral to or otherwise attached along edges of the main panel wherein the main panel has a top portion, a front portion and a bottom portion and the inflatable chamber has a gas inlet passageway anchored at an end for allowing inflation gases to enter to fill the inflatable chamber;

a vertically oriented recessed portion on the main panel located in the air bag dividing the inflatable chamber into two lower lobe portions, the top portion of the main panel covering a top region of the recessed portion; and

at least one internal tether attached to the recessed portion and anchored proximate the gas inlet passageway, thereby limiting forward movement of the recessed portion upon inflation of the inflatable chamber.

18. A method of forming an air bag, the air bag of the type having:

a single inflatable chamber (101) having sides and a face portion;

a groove, indent or recess (110) formed in the face portion separating adjacent portions of the air bag into opposite inflatable lobes;

the air bag configured so that a top portion of the groove is spanned by a piece of material, the material having ends operatively part of each lobe, the method including the steps of a) forming the inflatable chamber, b) forming the recess, groove or indent in the face portion of the air bag, and covering a top portion of the groove, indent or recess with a material.

19. The method of claim 18 including the step securing a tether to portions of the material forming the groove.

20. The method of claim 19 including the step of forming the groove into one of a rectangular, oval or trapezoidal shape.