Airbag module

• US 20110074141A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition, LLC (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Padiyar, Prabhakar, Clarke, Jonathan Lee, Wipasuramonton, Pongdet Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/736
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams

Abstract

An airbag module comprising an inflatable airbag; and an inflator configured to provide gas to inflate the airbag; wherein the airbag comprises first and second panels positioned on opposite sides of an inflatable chamber; wherein each of the panels include a peripheral portion and an interior portion; wherein a portion of the interior portion is a covered portion; wherein a portion outside of the covered portion of the interior portions of the first and second panels are connected together to thereby limit the inflation of a portion of the inflatable chamber; and wherein the airbag is configured so that the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels is released during inflation of the airbag in order to permit an increase in the volume of the inflatable chamber.

Claims

1. An airbag module comprising:

an inflatable airbag; and

an inflator configured to provide gas to inflate the airbag;

wherein the airbag comprises first and second panels positioned on opposite sides of an inflatable chamber;

wherein each of the panels include a peripheral portion and an interior portion;

wherein a portion of the interior portion is a covered portion;

wherein a portion outside of the covered portion of the interior portions of the first and second panels are connected together to thereby limit the inflation of a portion of the inflatable chamber; and

wherein the airbag is configured so that the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels is released during inflation of the airbag in order to permit an increase in the volume of the inflatable chamber.

2. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels includes a plurality of parallel stitched seams.

3. The airbag module of claim 2, wherein the plurality of stitched seams are configured to release the interior portions of the first and second panels at different times during inflation of the airbag.

4. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels includes a plurality of non-linearly stitched seams.

5. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels is located in an upper portion of the inflatable chamber so that upon initiation of the inflator and prior to release of the connection between the interior portions of the panels inflation of the upper portion of the inflatable chamber is limited while inflation of a lower portion of the inflatable chamber is unabated.

6. The airbag module of claim 5, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels that is located in the upper portion of the inflatable chamber extends in length to a central portion of the inflatable chamber.

7. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels is located in a lower portion of the inflatable chamber so that upon initiation of the inflator and prior to release of the connection between the interior portions of the panels inflation of the lower portion of the inflatable chamber is limited while inflation of an upper portion of the inflatable chamber is unabated.

8. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels is located in a central portion of the inflatable chamber so that upon initiation of the inflator and prior to release of the connection between the interior portions of the panels inflation of the central portion of the inflatable chamber is limited while inflation of an upper portion and a lower portion of the inflatable chamber is unabated.

9. An airbag module comprising:

an inflatable airbag; and

an inflator configured to provide gas to inflate the airbag;

wherein the airbag comprises first and second panels positioned on opposite sides of an inflatable chamber;

wherein each of the panels include a peripheral portion and an interior portion;

wherein the interior portions of the first and second panels are stitched together along a seam to thereby limit the inflation of a portion of the inflatable chamber;

wherein the seam does not intersect with the peripheral portion of the panels;

wherein the seam is configured to tear apart during inflation of the airbag in order to allow the interior portions of the first and second panels to separate and thereby permit further inflation of the portion of the inflatable chamber.

10. The airbag module of claim 9, wherein the airbag module includes a plurality of seams configured to tear apart during inflation of the airbag in order to allow the interior portions of the first and second panels to separate and thereby permit further inflation of the portion of the inflatable chamber.

11. The airbag module of claim 10, wherein the plurality of seams are separated by an offset distance that remains constant along the lengths between any two seams.

12. The airbag module of claim 10, wherein the plurality of seams are separated by an offset distance that varies along the lengths between any two seams.

13. The airbag module of claim 12, wherein the plurality of seams are non-linearly configured.

14. The airbag module of claim 9, wherein the seam is configured to extend from a first end located in an upper portion of the inflatable chamber that is central to the width of the inflatable chamber, and is configured to extend to a second end located in about a mid-height portion of the inflatable chamber that is forward along the width of the inflatable chamber.

15. An airbag module comprising:

an inflatable airbag;

an inflator configured to provide gas to inflate the airbag;

wherein the airbag comprises first and second panels positioned on opposite sides of an inflatable chamber;

wherein each of the panels include a peripheral portion and an interior portion having a covered portion;

wherein the airbag includes a tear mechanism provided outside of the covered portion connecting the interior portions of the first and second panels together to thereby limit the inflation of a portion of the inflatable chamber;

wherein tear mechanism is configured to release the connection between the interior portions of the first and second panels during inflation of the airbag in order to permit further inflation of the portion of the inflatable chamber.

16. The airbag module of claim 15, wherein the tear mechanism includes a plurality of stitched seams;

wherein at least one of the seams is configured to tear apart during inflation of the airbag to allow the previously connection portion of the interior portions of the first and second panels to separate.

17. The airbag module of claim 15, further comprising at least a second tear mechanism connecting the interior portions of two panels together to thereby limit the inflation of a second portion of the inflatable chamber, wherein the second tear mechanism is configured to release the connection between the interior portions of the two panels during inflation of the airbag in order to permit further inflation of the portion of the inflatable chamber.

18. The airbag module of claim 17, wherein the second tear mechanism includes a plurality of stitched seams, wherein at least one of the seams is configured to tear apart during inflation of the airbag to allow the second connection portion of the interior portions of the first and second panels to separate.

19. The airbag module of claim 17, wherein the portion of the inflatable chamber connected by the first tear mechanism is located in a different portion of the inflatable chamber than the second portion of the inflatable chamber connected by the second tear mechanism.

20. The airbag module of claim 17, wherein the two panels connected by the second tear mechanism include third and fourth panels.