Continuous side airbag seam

• US 20080290635A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pistons Interiors LLC
• Original Assignee: Irvin Automotive Products Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hamlin, Timothy Owen, Wieczorek, Joseph P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,967,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2076 Removable covers with tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats

Abstract

A continuous side airbag seam for use in a seat of a motor vehicle is disclosed. The seam includes a first material and a second material or a combination of materials joined to one another. The seam further may include any known thread member used to join the first material to the second material. The seam will extend from a portion near the top of the side panel of the seat cover to a portion near the back of the side panel of the seat cover. The seam will be continuous from the top portion to the back portion of the side panel cover of the seat. The continuous seam will have a predetermined shaped curve therein. The predetermined shaped curve will allow for quicker deployment of both the thorax section and pelvis section of an advanced two part side airbag to deploy both downward and forward in a controlled manner.

Claims

1. A seam for use in a seat of a vehicle having an airbag deploying through the seam in crash situations, said seam including:

a continuous path from a top front portion of a side panel of the seat to a lower back portion of said side panel of the seat.

2. The seam of claim 1 having a monofilament thread.

3. The seam of claim 1 having a natural material type thread.

4. The seam of claim 1 wherein the airbag deploys from said seat in approximately six to twelve milliseconds.

5. The seam of claim 4 wherein the airbag deploys in approximately ten milliseconds.

6. The seam of claim 1 wherein said path having a predetermined shaped curve portion, said curve provides a transition from a front of said side panel to a back of said side panel.

7. The seam of claim 5 wherein the airbag is a two part airbag having a pelvis section and a thorax section.

8. A seat for use in an automotive vehicle having crash protection arranged therein, said seat including:

an airbag arranged within the seat;

a seat cover having a side panel and a front panel; and

a continuous seam arranged between a top front portion of said side panel and a lower back portion of said side panel.

9. The seat of claim 8 wherein said continuous seam is arranged adjacent to said airbag.

10. The seat of claim 8 wherein said airbag is a two part airbag.

11. The seat of claim 10 wherein said airbag having a pelvis section and a thorax section.

12. The seat of claim 8 wherein said airbag deploys from the seat in approximately six to twelve milliseconds.

13. The seat of claim 12 wherein said airbag fully deploys in approximately ten milliseconds.

14. The seat of claim 8 wherein said continuous seam is made with a monofilament thread.

15. The seat of claim 8 wherein said continuous seam is made with a natural material thread.

16. The seat of claim 8 wherein said continuous seam having a predetermined shaped curve portion therein.

17. The seat of claim 16 wherein said curved portion provides a transition from a front portion of said side panel to a lower back portion of said side panel.

18. The seat of claim 8 wherein said continuous seam provides for a quicker, more complete and unified tearing motion of said seat cover adjacent to said airbag.

19. A method of deploying an airbag from a seat in a vehicle during a crash situation, said method including the steps of:

sewing a seat cover with a continuous seam that extends from a top portion of a side panel of said seat cover to a lower back portion of said side panel of said seat cover;

arranging an airbag within the seat adjacent to said continuous seam; and

tearing said continuous seam in a unified motion to allow said airbag to have a predetermined deployment time in the crash situation.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein predetermined deployment time is approximately ten milliseconds or less.