Attaching structure for air belt inflator

• US 20090230662A9
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Itoga, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,661,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/733
• 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 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

An inflator attaching structure is capable of firmly attaching an inflator to a seat member or the like. An inflator attaching structure includes an attaching clamp that is composed of a main plate connected to a seat frame, and a sub-plate attached to the main plate, and an inflator is sandwiched between the main plate and the sub-plate. When attaching the inflator to the attaching clamp, a hook portion of the sub-plate is hooked on a hook-portion hooking opening of the main plate, and thereafter the fastening portion and the base piece portion are fastened by a bolt upon situating the fastening portion of the sub-plate in parallel with the base piece portion of the main plate in a manner so as to sandwich the inflator between the main plate and the sub-plate.

Claims

1. A structure for attaching an inflator, for expanding a bag of an occupant-restraining device, to a member of a vehicle body, comprising an attaching member that includes:

a main plate attached to the member of the vehicle body;

a sub-plate attached to the main plate; and

wherein the inflator is sandwiched between the main plate and the sub-plate.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a hook portion is provided at either one of the main plate or the sub-plate, and a hook opening to be caught by the hook portion is provided at the other plate, and wherein the hook portion catches the hook opening, and portions of the main plate and the sub-plate that are at a side opposite to the hook portion and hook opening across the inflator are fastened by a fastening member.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a plate thickness of the sub-plate is configured to be smaller than a plate thickness of the main plate.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a convex positioning portion is provided in either one of an outer peripheral surface of the inflator or an inflator-opposed surface of the attaching member, and an engaging portion for engaging the convex portion is provided in the other surface.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the member of the vehicle body is a seat member.

6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein the attaching member comprises a lap anchor for fixing a base end side of a lap portion of an expandable air belt to the seat member, and wherein the base end side of the lap portion is connected to the main plate, and the main plate is attached to the seat member in a manner so as to be rotatable in a front-and-back direction of a seat.

7. An occupant restraint system comprising:

a lap anchor connected to a base end side of a lap portion of an expandable air belt, wherein the belt is configured to be drawn around a front side of an occupant seated on a seat, and wherein the lap anchor is attached to a seat member in a manner so as to be rotatable in a front-and-back direction of the seat; and

an inflator attached to the lap anchor for expanding the air belt.

8. The system according to claim 7, comprising:

a main plate to be attached to the seat member; and

a sub-plate to be attached to the main plate,

wherein the inflator is sandwiched between the main plate and the sub-plate.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein a hook portion is provided at either one of the main plate or the sub-plate, and a hook opening to be caught by the hook portion is provided at the other plate, and portions of the main plate and the sub-plate that are at a side opposite to the hook and hook openings across the inflator are fastened by a fastening member.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein a plate thickness of the sub-plate is configured to be smaller than a plate thickness of the main plate.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein a convex positioning portion is provided in either one of an outer peripheral surface of the inflator or an inflator-opposed surface of the main plate or the sub-plate, and an engaging portion for engaging the convex portion is provided in the other surface.

12. An occupant protection device for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflatable air belt with a lap portion and a shoulder portion;

an inflator to inflate the air belt; and

an attaching member to attach the inflator to a vehicle seat;

wherein the lap portion includes a duct portion configured to receive inflation fluid from the inflator;

wherein the attaching member includes a main plate and a sub-plate, and the inflator is positioned between the main plate and the sub-plate.

13. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, wherein the attaching member is rotatably attached to a seat body party in a front-to-back direction by a pivot.

14. The occupant protection device according to claim 13, wherein the inflator is configured to rotate with the attaching member in response to movement of the air belt.

15. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, further comprising a hook portion on the sub-plate and a hook opening on the main plate to hook to the hook portion;

and portions of the main plate and sub-plate that are at a side opposite to the hook portion and hook opening across the inflator are fastened by a fastening member.

16. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, wherein a plate thickness of the sub-plate is configured to be smaller than a plate thickness of the main plate.

17. The occupant protection device according to claim 12, further comprising a convex positioning portion on the inflator, and an engaging portion for engaging the convex positioning portion provided on a surface of the main plate.