Airbag Device

• US 20090189379A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Aki, UNNO, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 7,878,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/743.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

An airbag device includes an airbag, an adjusting unit capable of adjusting an aperture efficiency of at least one vent hole, a tether belt whose one end is connected to the adjusting unit, and a holding unit for hooking another end of the tether belt. In case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a small reactive force, the adjusting unit is made in a full-opened state at a development early stage with the other end being held by the holding unit and then made in a half-opened until a development final stage with the other end being kept held by the holding unit. In case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a large reactive force, the adjusting unit is made in a full-closed state from a development start to the development final stage with the other end being released from the holding unit.

Claims

1. An airbag device comprising:

an airbag to be inflated and deployed toward a passenger by high-pressure gas ejected from an inflator upon a vehicle collision;

an inner pressure adjusting unit provided on the airbag and capable of adjusting an aperture efficiency of at least one vent hole in plural steps according to a deploying state of the airbag;

a tether belt whose one end is connected to the inner pressure adjusting unit; and

a holding unit for hooking another end of the tether belt and capable of releasing the other end of the tether belt,

wherein, in case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a small reactive force, the inner pressure adjusting unit is made in a full-opened state at a development early stage of the airbag with the other end of the tether belt being held by the holding unit and then the inner pressure adjusting unit is made in a half-opened until a development final stage of the airbag with the other end of the tether belt being kept held by the holding unit, and,

in case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a large reactive force, the inner pressure adjusting unit is made in a full-closed state from a development start to the development final stage of the airbag with the other end of the tether belt being released from the holding unit.

2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the inner pressure adjusting unit comprises

a cover protruding outward from the airbag and having a bottom portion,

an outer vent hole provided on the bottom portion of the cover, and

a valving sheet attached onto an inner surface of the bottom portion and including an inner vent hole offset with the outer vent hole,

wherein the one end of the tether belt is connected to the valving sheet.

3. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the holding unit keeps the other end of the tether belt held in a vehicle collision in case where a seat belt is fastened and releases the other end of the tether belt in a vehicle collision in case where a seat belt is not fastened.

4. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a small reactive force is a case where a passenger is fastening a seat belt, and

the case where the inflating airbag needs to exert a large reactive force is a case where a passenger is not fastening a seat belt.

5. The airbag device according to claim 2, wherein

the cover is provided on a front side surface of the airbag being inflated, the front side surface being opposed with a rear side surface facing the passenger, and

the holding unit is fixed on a vehicle body.