Selectively deployable airbag apparatus for vehicle and control method thereof

• US 20070257473A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Choi, Hyeong Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01238 control of expansion shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558

Abstract

A selectively deployable airbag apparatus for vehicles includes: an impact detection sensor; a seat belt sensor; a first inflator and a second inflator; an airbag supplied with gas emitted from the first inflator and the second inflator and having a base chamber and a chest chamber separated from each other by a partition with at least one inner vent hole such that the base chamber and the chest chamber fluidly communicate with each other; and a controller receiving signals from the impact detection sensor and the seat belt sensor and operating the airbag to deploy, and determining whether to deploy the chest chamber or not based on whether the passenger has fastened the seat belt or not and an impact force.

Claims

1. A selectively deployable airbag apparatus, comprising:

an impact detection sensor detecting an impact acting on a vehicle body;

a seat belt sensor detecting whether or not a seat belt is fastened;

an airbag comprising a base chamber and a chest chamber, said chambers being separated from each other by a partition comprising at least one inner vent hole such that the base chamber and the chest chamber are in fluid communication with each other through the inner vent hole;

a first inflator for inflating the base chamber;

a second inflator for inflating the chest chamber; and

a controller for deploying the airbag, wherein said controller receives signals from the impact detection sensor and the seat belt sensor, and determines whether to deploy the chest chamber or not based on the signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second inflator is disposed within the chest chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second inflator is attached to a front portion of an airbag housing within the chest chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second inflator uses a pressure lower than a pressure of the first inflator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein gas supplied into the base chamber from the first inflator moves into the chest chamber through the inner vent hole by pressure caused by a collision of the base chamber and an occupant.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second inflator emits gas after a predetermined time delay from a time of gas emission of the first inflator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner vent hole comprises a substantially circular or quadrangular shape.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the partition is disposed substantially horizontally or is slanted such that an upper end thereof is slanted toward an occupant.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the partition comprises a first partition comprising two end portions spaced from each other at a left side and a right side of an inner bottom of the airbag and upwardly extended, and a second partition horizontally extended and connected to both upper end portions of the first partition.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one inner vent hole comprises a first inner vent hole at a left side of the first partition and a second inner vent hole at a right side of the first partition.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first end of the partition is attached to an inner side of an airbag housing and is forwardly extended, and a second end of the partition is connected to an inner side of a front end of the airbag.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a tether, wherein a first end of the tether is attached to an inner side of the airbag, and a second end of the tether is attached to the second partition.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base chamber has a greater volume than the chest chamber and has a size sufficient to protect a head of an occupant can be protected, and the chest chamber has a size sufficient to protect a body part below a chest of the occupant.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base chamber has a shape such that lower ends thereof are deployed to be adjacent to knees of an occupant when the airbag is deployed, and the chest chamber has a shape such that it is disposed between the lower ends of the base chamber when the airbag is deployed.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the airbag further comprises at least one outer vent hole through which gas can be discharged.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the outer vent hole is disposed at a position at which gas is not discharged directly to an occupant.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one tube through which gas generated by the second inflator is supplied, disposed inside the chest chamber.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one tube is disposed substantially at a center of the chest chamber or at both sides of the chest chamber.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls such that gas of the first inflator is supplied to the base chamber and the chest chamber is supplied with gas from the base chamber, or such that both the first inflator and the second inflator emit gas thereby supplying gas to both the base chamber and the chest chamber so that gas moves according to a pressure difference between the base chamber and the chest chamber, wherein the controller selectively controls the first inflator and the second inflator based on the signals.

20. A control method of a selectively deployable airbag apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

detecting a vehicle crash;

detecting whether or not a seat belt is fastened; and

selectively operating an airbag to deploy with a predetermined time delay depending on whether the seat belt is fastened.

21. The control method of claim 20, wherein the airbag comprises a base chamber inflated by a first inflator and a chest chamber inflated by a second inflator.

22. The control method of claim 21, wherein the operating of the airbag comprises operating only the first inflator if the seat belt is fastened.

23. The control method of claim 21, wherein the operating of the airbag comprises operating the first inflator and the second inflator if the seat belt is not fastened.

24. The control method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined time delay is such that the base chamber is deployed first, and then the chest chamber is deployed.

25. A control method of a selectively deployable airbag apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

detecting an impact force acting on a vehicle body;

comparing the detected impact force to predetermined values; and

determining whether a seat belt is fastened or not if it is determined that the detected impact force is within a set range, and deploying the airbag by selectively operating a first inflator and a second inflator.

26. The control method of claim 25, wherein the comparing of the detected impact force comprises a first impact force step set for a case that a vehicle crash occurs at a low speed, a second impact force step set for a case that a vehicle crash occurs at a medium speed, and a third impact force step set for a case that a vehicle crash occurs at a high speed.

27. The control method of claim 26, wherein the low speed is equal to or less than about 14 mph.

28. The control method of claim 26, wherein the medium speed is between about 14 and 20 mph.

29. The control method of claim 26, wherein the high speed is higher than about 20 mph.

30. The control method of claim 26, wherein the deploying of the airbag comprises a first deploying mode step of operating only the first inflator if the seat belt is fastened and the detected impact force is less than or equal to the second impact force.

31. The control method of claim 26, wherein the deploying of the airbag comprises a second deploying mode step of operating only the first inflator if the seat belt is not fastened and the detected impact force is less than or equal to the second impact force.

32. The control method of claim 26, wherein the deploying of the airbag comprises a third deploying mode step of operating only the first inflator if the seat belt is fastened and the detected impact force is greater than or equal to the third impact force.

33. The control method of claim 26, wherein the deploying of the airbag comprises a fourth deploying mode step of operating both the first inflator and the second inflator if the seat belt is not fastened and the detected impact force is greater than or equal to the third impact force.