Airbag midule

• US 20100207368A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Original Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Inventors: Weyrich, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,988,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/736
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An airbag module including an airbag, an airbag covering, that defines an interior space of the airbag, that can be filled with gas for inflating the airbag, a gas generator for providing the gas needed for inflating the airbag, an insertion opening of the airbag covering, wherein the gas generator is inserted through the insertion opening into the interior space of the airbag, so that gas provided by the gas generator enters the interior space of the airbag, a boundary region of the insertion opening delimiting the insertion opening, which boundary region annularly encompasses the gas generator, and a sealing means for sealing the insertion opening. The sealing means is arranged between the boundary region and the gas generator so that the sealing means is widened by the gas provided by the gas generator and pressed against the boundary region of the insertion opening for sealing the insertion opening.

Claims

1. An airbag module, particularly for a motor vehicle, comprising

an airbag that can be inflated in order to protect a person,

an airbag covering of the airbag, that defines an interior space of the airbag, that can be filled with gas for inflating the airbag,

a gas generator for providing the gas needed for inflating the airbag,

an insertion opening of the airbag covering, wherein the gas generator is inserted through the insertion opening into the interior space of the airbag, so that gas provided by the gas generator can get into the interior space of the airbag,

a boundary region of the insertion opening delimiting the insertion opening, which boundary region annularly encompasses the gas generator, and

a sealing means for sealing the insertion opening,

wherein the sealing means is arranged between the boundary region and the gas generator in a way, that the sealing means is widened by means of the gas provided by the gas generator and pressed against the boundary region of the insertion opening for sealing the insertion opening, wherein the sealing means is pressed with a middle portion circulating the gas generator against the boundary region of the insertion opening.

2. The airbag module according to claim 1, wherein the middle portion of the sealing means is arranged with respect to the at least one outflow opening of the gas generator in way, that gas flowing out of the at least one outflow opening hits the middle portion, wherein the middle portion widens in cross section in said cross section plane.

3. The airbag module according claim 1, wherein the sealing means is fixed to the gas generator by means of a clamping element.

4. The airbag module according to claim 1, wherein the sealing means comprises a first end portion connected to the middle portion, that is particularly integrally formed with the middle portion.

5. The airbag module according to the claim 3, wherein the clamping element is designed to press a first end portion of the sealing means against the gas generator, so that the sealing means tightly butts against the gas generator with the first end portion of the sealing means.

6. The airbag module according to claim 4, wherein the first end portion of the sealing means is arranged outside the interior space of the airbag.

7. The airbag module according to claim 1, wherein the sealing means is formed out of at least one flexible material layer, wherein particularly at least one part of the material layer is wound up along a winding direction for forming the sealing means, so that the material layer forms a circulating wall of the sealing means, that defines a receptacle for the gas generator, and wherein particularly the middle portion of the sealing means circulates along the winding direction.

8. The airbag module according to claim 7, wherein the material layer overlaps along the winding direction, so that the wall particularly comprises two layers lying on top of one another, wherein particularly the wall comprises along its whole periphery running along the winding direction at least two layers of the material layer lying on top of one another.

9. The airbag module according to claim 8, wherein the layers of the material layer lying on top of one another and forming the wall are connected to each other by means of a connection, particularly a seam, in a way, that a first end portion of the sealing means widens less than the middle portion of the sealing means and does not widen in particular.

10. The airbag module according to claims 4, wherein the first end portion of the sealing means is connected to a second end portion of the sealing means via the middle portion, which is arranged inside the interior space of the airbag, wherein the second end portion of the sealing means is particularly integrally formed with the middle portion of the sealing means, and wherein particularly the layers of the material layer forming the wall and lying on top of one another are connected to each other at the second end portion by means of a connection, particularly in the form of a seam, in a way, that the second end portion widens less than the middle portion of the sealing means and does not widen in particular, and wherein particularly the sealing element is fastened to the airbag covering via the second end portion.

11. The airbag module according to claim 10, wherein a diffuser is integrally formed with the second end portion of the sealing means for distributing the gas that is to be provided by the gas generator, wherein the sealing means is particularly fastened to the airbag covering via the diffuser.

12. The airbag module according claim 1, wherein the gas generator is inserted into the insertion opening along an insertion direction, and in that the airbag covering consists of at least two airbag parts which—

related to a flatly outspread state of the airbag covering, in which the two airbag parts lie on top of each other flatly outspread—

are integrally formed with each other along an outermost boundary portion of the airbag covering extending along the insertion direction.

13. The airbag module according to claim 12, wherein the boundary portion comprises a cut running across the boundary portion, so that said boundary portion is divided into a first and a second portion, wherein the first portion is folded in towards the interior space of the airbag covering, so that the cut forms the insertion opening and the folded-in first portion butts against the gas generator under interposition of the sealing means.

14. The airbag module according to claim 13, further comprising a loop fastened to the airbag covering, that faces the insertion opening along the insertion direction, wherein the loop together with the first portion of the boundary portion of the airbag covering annularly encompasses the gas generator in a plane running perpendicular to the insertion direction.

15. A method for producing an airbag, particularly according to one claim 1, comprising the steps of:

providing an airbag covering of an airbag, that defines an interior space of the airbag, that can be filled with gas for inflating the airbag,

inserting a sealing means into the insertion opening, so that a boundary region of the insertion opening delimiting the insertion opening annularly encompasses a circumferential middle portion of the sealing means, that forms a receptacle for the gas generator, and

inserting the gas generator into the receptacle of the sealing means, such that gas that is to be provided by the gas generator can get into the interior space of the airbag and can widen the middle portion and press it against the boundary region of the insertion opening.