Side airbag apparatus

• US 20080231026A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Daisuke, Sato, Yuji, Naito, Takashi, Inoue, Michio
• Granted Patent: US 7,819,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2633 with a plurality of inflation levels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• 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 21/2342 Tear seams

Abstract

A side airbag apparatus has an airbag assembly that protects a passenger seated on a seat in a passenger compartment by being inflated and deployed at a side wall portion of the passenger compartment corresponding to the seat in a collision of a vehicle. The airbag assembly includes a main airbag and an auxiliary airbag that inflate and deployed in a state arranged along a lateral direction of the vehicle. If the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to a predetermined size, the main airbag is inflated and deployed and the auxiliary airbag is not inflated or deployed. If the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size, the main airbag and the auxiliary airbag are both inflated and deployed. Thus, in the latter case, the airbag assembly in the inflated and deployed state has a great thickness in the lateral direction of the vehicle compared to the case in which the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.

Claims

1. A side airbag apparatus mounted in a vehicle, comprising an airbag that protects a passenger seated on a seat in a passenger compartment in a collision of the vehicle by being inflated and deployed at a side wall portion of the passenger compartment corresponding to the seat,

wherein, if a body size of the passenger is smaller than a predetermined size, inflation and deployment of the airbag are controlled in such a manner that the airbag in a inflated and deployed state has a great thickness in a lateral direction of the vehicle compared to a case in which the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag in the inflated and deployed state has a lower portion corresponding to a lumbar region of the passenger and an upper portion corresponding to a portion of the body above the lumbar region of the passenger, and

wherein the inflation and deployment of the airbag are controlled in such a manner that, if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size, the upper portion of the airbag in the inflated and deployed state has a great thickness in the lateral direction of the vehicle compared to the case in which the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lower portion of the airbag in the inflated and deployed state has a constant thickness in the lateral direction of the vehicle regardless of the body size of the passenger.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is an airbag assembly including a main airbag and an auxiliary airbag that inflate and deployed in a state arranged along the lateral direction of the vehicle,

wherein the main airbag is inflated and deployed and the auxiliary airbag is not inflated or deployed if the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size, and

wherein the main airbag and the auxiliary airbag are both inflated and deployed if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary airbag in the inflated and deployed state is arranged between the side wall portion and the main airbag in the inflated and deployed state.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a body size sensor that detects the body size of the passenger when the passenger sits on the seat, wherein the thickness of the airbag in the lateral direction of the vehicle is adjusted based on a detection result obtained in advance by the body size sensor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inflation and deployment of the airbag is further controlled in such a manner that, if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size, a pressure in the airbag in the inflated and deployed state becomes low compared to the case in which the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the airbag in the inflated and deployed state has a lower portion corresponding to a lumbar region of the passenger and an upper portion corresponding to a portion of the body above the lumbar region of the passenger, and

wherein the inflation and deployment of the airbag are controlled in such a manner that, if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size, the pressure in the upper portion in the inflated and deployed state becomes low compared to the case in which the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a pressure in the lower portion of the airbag in the inflated and deployed state is constant regardless of the body size of the passenger.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pressure in the airbag is adjusted by changing an amount of gas sent to the airbag per unit time.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a main inflator and an auxiliary inflator that inject gas into the airbag,

wherein, if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size, the main inflator is actuated and the auxiliary inflator is maintained in a non-actuated state, and

wherein, if the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size, the main inflator and the auxiliary inflator are both actuated.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a body size sensor detecting the body size of the passenger when the passenger sits on the seat, wherein the pressure in the airbag is adjusted based on a detection result obtained in advance by the body size sensor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag has a tether portion that restricts inflation and deployment of the airbag in such a manner as to prevent the thickness of the airbag in the lateral direction of the vehicle from exceeding a predetermined thickness, wherein the tether portion is broken when receiving a tensile force exceeding a predetermined level, and wherein, when broken, the tether portion releases the airbag from the restricted inflation and deployment.

14. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper portion of the airbag in the inflated and deployed state corresponds at least to a thorax of the passenger.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the upper portion of the airbag in the inflated and deployed state corresponds to the thorax and a shoulder of the passenger if the body size of the passenger is smaller than the predetermined size and to the thorax of the passenger if the body size of the passenger is greater than or equal to the predetermined size.