KNEE AIRBAG ASSEMBLIES CONFIGURED FOR INFLATOR INSERTION AND INFLATOR-MEDIATED COUPLING TO AN AIRBAG HOUSING

• US 20100270775A1
• Filed: 04/27/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Enders, Mark L., Mueller, Louis, Lunt, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 8,083,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• 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 21/2338 Tethers
• 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 assembly with a reduced-cost knee airbag cushion and internal tethers can be formed from a single rectangular panel of material so that there is very little material waste. A pleat can be formed in a rear face so that the combination of tethers and pleat help the cushion deploy with favorable characteristics and adopt an arced shape when inflated. The cushion can have apertures for inserting an inflator with mounting stems partially within the cushion so that the mounting stems can be used to couple the cushion to an airbag housing. The assembly can also have a bag strap formed from a single piece of fabric that can wrap around a rolled and/or folded cushion. The assembly can also have a stabilizer strap that can be coupled to the cushion and to the airbag housing so that during deployment, the cushion does not skew or twist.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly, comprising:

an inflator having at least one mounting stem that projects perpendicularly away from a long axis of a body portion of the inflator;

an airbag housing coupled to the inflator, wherein the airbag housing comprises at least one aperture that is configured to receive the at least one inflator mounting stem;

an inflatable airbag cushion coupled to the airbag housing via the inflator, wherein the cushion has a folded portion that is located at a lower portion of the cushion, wherein the folded portion comprises an inflator attachment portion; and

,

a stabilizer strap coupled to the airbag cushion, wherein the stabilizer strap extends to and is coupled to the airbag housing,

wherein upon inflatable airbag cushion deployment, the stabilizer strap comes under tension and stabilizes the airbag cushion during deployment.

2. The airbag cushion of claim 1, wherein during inflatable airbag cushion deployment, the stabilizer strap is configured such that it prohibits the airbag cushion from rotating around the inflator attachment area, relative to the airbag housing.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the inflator attachment area is configured such that it is seamless.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion and the inflator are configured such that the inflator can be inserted into the airbag cushion after the airbag cushion has been placed in a folded configuration.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises a bag strap coupled to the inflatable airbag cushion, and wherein the bag strap comprises at least on inflator mounting aperture.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the bag strap is configured such that it can be wrapped around and retain a folded inflatable airbag cushion in the folded configuration, such that the airbag cushion comprises a packaged configuration.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the inflator configured such that it may be inserted into the airbag cushion after the airbag cushion has been placed in the packaged configuration.

8. An inflatable airbag cushion assembly, comprising:

an inflator having at least one mounting stem that projects perpendicularly away from a long axis of a body portion of the inflator;

an airbag housing coupled to the inflator, wherein the airbag housing comprises at least one aperture, which is configured to receive the at least one inflator mounting stem;

an inflatable airbag cushion coupled to the airbag housing via the inflator, wherein the cushion is defined by a single piece of material that is folded at a middle portion such that the cushion has a first face and a second face, and wherein the folded middle portion comprises an inflator mounting portion that has an inflator insert aperture and an inflator mounting stem aperture that are both located on the first face of the airbag cushion; and

,

a stabilizer strap coupled to the airbag cushion at the middle portion and located on the same face as the inflator insert aperture and an inflator mounting stem aperture, wherein the stabilizer strap is configured to be coupled to the airbag housing.

9. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 8, wherein the inflatable airbag cushion comprises a knee airbag cushion.

10. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 8, wherein the airbag housing further comprises an aperture for receiving the stabilizer strap.

11. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 8, wherein the airbag housing further comprises a mounting component for coupling the stabilizer strap to the airbag housing.

12. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 11, wherein the mounting component for coupling the stabilizer strap to the airbag housing is located on an outside portion of the airbag housing.

13. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting component for the stabilizer strap comprises a member that extends from the airbag housing.

14. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 13, wherein the extension comprises a barb.

15. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 11, wherein the mounting component comprises a hook.

16. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 11, wherein the stabilizer strap comprises an aperture that is configured to be received by the extension.

17. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 16, wherein the stabilizer strap comprises a loop of material.

18. The inflatable airbag cushion assembly of claim 8, wherein the stabilizer strap is coupled to the airbag cushion by stitching.

19. The airbag cushion assembly of claim 18, wherein a lower-most portion of the stitching, relative to the inflator mounting area, is aligned with each of the centers of the inflator insert aperture and the inflator mounting stem aperture.

20. The airbag assembly of claim 13, wherein the inflator is configured to be inserted into the airbag cushion after the airbag cushion has been sewn closed.

21. The airbag assembly of claim 20, wherein the airbag cushion and the inflator are configured such that the inflator may be inserted into the airbag cushion after the airbag cushion has been folded in accordance with a method for folding an airbag cushion.

22. A method for coupling an inflator to an inflatable airbag cushion comprising the steps of:

providing an inflatable airbag cushion having a stabilizer strap, an inflator insert aperture, and an inflator mounting stem aperture;

providing an inflator that comprises a first end and a second end as well as a first mounting stem and a second mounting stem, wherein each of the mounting stems protrude perpendicularly away from a body of the inflator;

providing an airbag housing for the inflatable airbag cushion, wherein the airbag housing comprises at least one mounting component for the stabilizer strap, a first inflator mounting stem aperture, and a second inflator mounting stem aperture, wherein each of the mounting stem apertures are configured to receive one of the inflator mounting stems;

inserting the first end of the inflator into the inflator insert aperture of the inflatable airbag cushion;

inserting the first mounting stem of the inflator into the inflator insert aperture such that the inflator is partially located within an inflatable void of the airbag cushion;

aligning the first mounting stem of the inflator with the inflator mounting stem aperture of the inflatable airbag cushion;

inserting the first mounting stem of the inflator through the inflator mounting stem aperture in the inflatable airbag cushion;

inserting the first mounting stem through the first mounting stem aperture in the airbag housing;

inserting the second mounting stem through the second mounting stem aperture in the airbag housing;

coupling the stabilizer strap to the airbag housing for the inflatable airbag cushion;

securing the inflator to the airbag housing.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the steps of inserting the first mounting stem through the first aperture in the airbag housing and inserting the second mounting stem through the second aperture in the airbag housing are performed simultaneously.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one mounting component for the stabilizer strap comprises an aperture in the airbag housing, wherein the aperture is configured such that the strap can protrude through the aperture.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising a step of threading the stabilizer strap on the airbag cushion through the aperture for the stabilizer strap in the airbag housing.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one mounting component for the stabilizer strap further comprises an extension.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of coupling the stabilizer strap to the extension.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the aperture is defined by a loop in the stabilizer strap.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of placing the aperture on the hook.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the aperture is defined by an aperture in a body portion of the stabilizer strap.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of placing the aperture on the hook.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of securing the inflator to the airbag housing comprises securing each of the first and second inflator mounting stems to the airbag housing.