Airbag, airbag apparatus, and method for folding airbag

• US 20080030011A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Hiroyuki, Yoshida, Mitsuhiro, Saito, Hideaki, Ishikawa, Tomotaka, Ueda, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,744,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An airbag, which is folded and assembled elongatedly, is deployed along a side window. The airbag has a folded portion and a pleated portion which wraps the folded portion under the assembled condition. The airbag also has an inner tube which is provided from the inside of an infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of an inflating portion. The inner tube prevents that the airbag is damaged by heat of inflation gas. When the airbag is assembled, the inner tube is positioned along a first fabric, which is developed so that the surface of the first fabric faces an inside of a vehicle compartment, by the infused fluid. Deployment performance of the airbag (curtain airbag deploying along a side window of an automobile) is improved.

Claims

1. An airbag comprising:

(a) an airbag main portion including

(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and

(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion potion to inflate the inflating portion; and

(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion,

wherein

the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions each other, and

the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats.

2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein

a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion.

3. An airbag apparatus comprising:

(i) an airbag which deploys along a side window inside a vehicle compartment and comprises

(a) an airbag main portion including

(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and

(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion potion to inflate the inflating portion; and

(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion,

wherein

the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions each other,

a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion, and

the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats; and

(ii) an inflator for infusing gas into the gas infusion portion of the airbag,

wherein

the first fabric of the airbag is developed so that the surface of the first fabric faces the inside of the vehicle compartment, and

the inner tube of the airbag is folded with the pleat of the first fabric.

4. A method for folding an airbag;

the airbag comprising

(a) an airbag main portion including

(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and

(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion potion to inflate the inflating portion; and

(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion,

wherein

the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions each other, and

the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats;

the method comprising;

infusing fluid into the inside of the inner tube from a prescribed direction to inflate the inflating portion and detach the first and second fabrics each other, and

pleating the inflating portion to form the pleated portion under the condition where the inner tube is positioned along any one of the first and second fabrics by the infused fluid.

5. A method for folding an airbag;

the airbag comprising

(a) an airbag main portion including

(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and

(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion potion to inflate the inflating portion; and

(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion,

wherein

the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions each other,

a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion, and

the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats;

the method comprising

folding the inflating portion to form the folded portion which is apart from the gas infusion portion,

infusing fluid into the inside of the inner tube from a prescribed direction to inflate the inflating portion except the folded portion and detach the first and second fabrics each other, and

pleating the inflating portion except the folded portion to form the pleated portion under the condition where the inner tube is positioned along any one of the first and second fabrics by the infused fluid.