Airbag Apparatus for Vehicle

• US 20100133797A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Choi, Jun Yeol, KIM, Yong Sun
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/743.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• 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

Abstract

An airbag apparatus for a vehicle may include an inflator; a housing installed in a roof, and a cushion contained in the housing and configured to be deployed downwards by a gas discharged from the inflator to protect an occupant in the vehicle, wherein an upper surface of the cushion is supported by the roof when the cushion is in a deployed state, and a front surface of the cushion extends in a rear direction of the vehicle in an inclined shape to form a recess to prevent interference with a seatback of the front seat while the cushion is deployed downwards.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflator;

a housing installed in a roof; and

a cushion contained in the housing and configured to be deployed downwards by a gas discharged from the inflator to protect an occupant in the vehicle,

wherein an upper surface of the cushion is supported by the roof when the cushion is in a deployed state, and a front surface of the cushion extends in a rear direction of the vehicle in an inclined shape to form a recess to prevent interference with a seatback of the front seat while the cushion is deployed downwards.

2. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is installed between a front seat and a rear seat.

3. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cushion is -shaped when the cushion is completely deployed.

4. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cushion is configured to have locally-different gas pressures therein.

5. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein a gas pressure in front upper portion of the cushion is higher than a gas pressure in a rear lower portion of the cushion and the gas pressure in the rear lower portion of the cushion is higher than a gas pressure in a rear upper portion thereof.

6. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein a gas passage through which a gas flows is formed in the cushion so that a gas supplied from the inflator in the front upper portion of the cushion flows along an inner surface of the recess around the rear lower portion of the cushion and then charged into the rear upper portion of the cushion.

7. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the cushion is partitioned into a plurality of chambers by diaphragms, at least one chamber being disposed in the front upper portion of the cushion, at least one chamber being disposed in the rear lower portion thereof to fluid-communicate with the chambers disposed in the front upper portion of the cushion, and at least one chamber being disposed in the rear upper portion thereof to fluid-communicate with the chambers disposed in the rear lower portion of the cushion.

8. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein each chamber includes a gas pressure control member so as to control a gas pressure in the respective chamber.

9. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the gas pressure control member is at least a gas hole formed on the diaphragm to control flow amount of a gas between adjacent chambers.

10. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least a vent hole is formed in the chambers so as to discharge a gas outside the cushion.

11. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the chambers comprising:

a first chamber formed between front and rear ends of the upper surface of the cushion and an upper end of the front surface thereof;

a second chamber extending along a lower portion of the front surface below the first chamber and along a rear surface of the cushion upwards; and

a third chamber disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber in a shape wherein the first chamber and the second chamber substantially surround the third chamber.

12. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first chamber has a shape protruding forwards so that, in the deployed state of the cushion, the first chamber is supported by the roof to withstand force applied to the rear surface of the cushion by the occupant.

13. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein, in the deployed state of the cushion, the first chamber is highest in gas pressure and gas pressure in the second chamber is higher than gas pressure in the third chamber.

14. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the diaphragms comprise:

a first diaphragm for partitioning the first chamber and the second chamber, with at least a through hole formed through the first diaphragm so that a gas is drawn from the first chamber into the second chamber through the through hole;

a second diaphragm for partitioning the second chamber and the third chamber; and

a third diaphragm for partitioning the third chamber and the first chamber.

15. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the first diaphragm and the third diaphragm are monolithically integrated with each other and partition the first chamber both from the second chamber and from the third chamber.

16. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein a first vent hole is formed in the second chamber to discharge a gas outside the second chamber therethrough.

17. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein a second vent hole is formed in the second diaphragm to discharge a gas in the second chamber into the third chamber through.

18. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein a tether is provided between the second diaphragm and the rear surface of the cushion to determine a deployed shape of the second chamber.

19. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflator;

a housing installed in a roof between a front seat and a rear seat;

a cushion contained in the housing, the cushion being deployed downwards by gas discharged by the inflator to protect a rear seat passenger; and

a gas passage configured such that the gas flows along an inner surface of the cushion and then around a rear surface of the cushion that faces the rear seat passenger, and the gas is charged into the cushion in a direction from a lower end to an upper end of the rear surface of the cushion.

20. The airbag apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein a front surface of the cushion extends towards the rear surface thereof in an inclined shape and has a recess to prevent interference with a seat back of the front seat while the cushion is being deployed.