Air Belt and Air Belt Apparatus

• US 20090051150A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Murakami, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,766,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

A predetermined tension force is generated to an air belt even when an expandable portion is expanded in a narrow space. An air belt 30 includes a first normal belt 31, a second normal belt 32, and an expandable portion 33 therebetween. In order to regulate a thickness of the expandable portion 33 in an expanding operation, portions of the expandable portion 33 facing each other are coupled by means of a coupling portion 34 formed of a stitching thread. The expandable portion 33 includes a bag-shaped belt 33a and a knit cover 33b that is not extended in a longitudinal direction. When an inflator is operated, the expandable portion 33 is expanded and the air belt 30 fits an occupant. At this moment, since the knit cover of the expandable portion 33 is not extended in the longitudinal direction of the air belt 30, a length of the expandable portion 33 is reduced along with an expansion of the expandable portion 33 and the tension force is generated to the air belt 30.

Claims

1. An air belt including an expandable portion, in which a length of the expandable portion in a longitudinal direction of the air belt is reduced when the expandable portion is expanded,

wherein when the expandable portion is expanded, and when a maximum width of the expandable portion in a cross-section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the air belt is defined as W, and a maximum thickness of the expandable portion in a direction perpendicular to the maximum width W is defined as T, the maximum thickness T is smaller than the maximum width W.

2. The air belt according to claim 1, wherein the maximum thickness T is configured to be smaller than the maximum width W by means of coupling the portions facing each other in the maximum thickness direction when the expandable portion is expanded.

3. The air belt according to claim 1, wherein the maximum thickness T is 30 to 99% of the maximum width W.

4. The air belt according to claim 1, wherein the maximum thickness T is 40 to 80% of the maximum width W.

5. The air belt according to claim 2, wherein a coupling is formed of a stitching thread.

6. The air belt according to claim 5, wherein the coupling portion is formed into a ring shape or an elliptic ring shape.

7. The air belt according to claim 5, wherein the coupling portion is formed into a straight-line shape.

8. The air belt according to claim 7, wherein the coupling portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the air belt.

9. The air belt according to claim 2, wherein the coupling is formed of a tether.

10. The air belt apparatus including an expandable air belt, and an inflator expanding the air belt by means of supplying a gas thereinto, wherein the air belt is the air belt according to claim 1.

11. The air belt apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least a part of the air belt is disposed between a side surface of a seat and a side surface portion of a vehicle in a wearing state of the air belt.