AIRBAG DEVICE

• US 20110285114A1
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SASAKI, Takashi, OHARA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,215,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

The present invention obtains an airbag device that can effectively protect an upper body and knees of a passenger by a simple airbag structure. An airbag that structures an airbag device for a passenger'"'"'s seat has a main bag that restrains an upper body of a vehicle passenger from a front side in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a sub-bag that has a smaller volume than the main bag and that restrains knees of the passenger from the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and an inner tube that is folded-up together with the main bag and the sub-bag and is inflated and expanded within the airbag by a gas supply from an inflator. The inner tube directly supplies gas of the inflator to the main bag and the sub-bag respectively. A check valve is provided at a gas exit that communicates the inner tube with the sub-bag.

Claims

1. An airbag device comprising:

a first airbag that, by receiving a gas supply and inflating and expanding from a folded-up state, restrains an upper body of a vehicle passenger from a front side in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

a second airbag that has a smaller volume than the first airbag and that, by receiving a gas supply and inflating and expanding from a folded-up state, restrains knees of the passenger from the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction;

a gas flow path member that is flexible, that is folded-up together with the first airbag and the second airbag, and that, by a gas supply from an inflator, is inflated and expanded at interiors of the first airbag and the second airbag and directly leads gas from the inflator to the first airbag and the second airbag respectively;

a gas discharge suppressing structure that suppresses discharging, from the second airbag, of gas supplied to the second airbag; and

a cloth-like material that demarcates an internal space of the first airbag and an internal space of the second airbag, and limits an expanded thickness of the second airbag in the vehicle longitudinal direction,

the gas flow path member passing through the cloth-like material and the gas flow path member being opened at the second airbag interior.

2. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein the gas discharge suppressing structure includes a check valve that is provided at the gas flow path member or a communicating portion of the gas flow path member and the second airbag, and that prevents gas flow from the second airbag to the gas flow path member when internal pressure of the second airbag becomes higher than internal pressure of the gas flow path member.

3. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein the gas discharge suppressing structure includes a flow path closing structure that is provided at the gas flow path member or a communicating portion of the gas flow path member and the second airbag, and that, accompanying inflation and expansion of at least one of the first airbag and the second airbag, closes a flow path that communicates the gas flow path member with the second airbag.

4. The airbag device of claim 3, wherein the flow path closing structure is structured such that a cord-like member or a pair of cord-like members, that is connected to a mounting portion to a vehicle body at a front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the first airbag or the second airbag and to a portion that is expanded toward a rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to the mounting portion at the first airbag or the second airbag, are wound around a portion that leads gas to the second airbag at the gas flow path member.

5. The airbag device of claim 1, further comprising a communication delaying structure that is provided at the gas flow path member or a communicating portion of the gas flow path member and the first airbag, and that, when internal pressure of the gas flow path member exceeds a predetermined value, changes a state between the inflator and the first airbag to a communicating state from a non-communicating state.

6. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein the gas flow path member is inflated and expanded along a vehicle vertical direction, and is communicated with the first airbag at an upper end side in the vehicle vertical direction, and is communicated with the second airbag at a lower end side in the vehicle vertical direction.

7. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein the gas flow path member extends toward a rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction and toward an upper side in a vehicle vertical direction, and is expanded so as to be folded-back toward the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction and a lower side in the vehicle vertical direction, and is communicated with the first airbag at a folded-back portion, and is communicated with the second airbag at a folded-back end side.

8. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein

the second airbag interior is demarcated by a partitioning cloth into two chambers in the vehicle vertical direction, and

a plurality of communication paths that communicate the two chambers are formed at the partitioning cloth.

9. The airbag device of claim 8, wherein the gas flow path member passes through the cloth-like material and the partitioning cloth respectively, and is opened within a chamber at a lower side in the vehicle vertical direction at the second airbag interior.

10. The airbag device of claim 8, wherein the gas flow path member passes through the cloth-like material, and is opened within a chamber at an upper side in the vehicle vertical direction at the second airbag interior.

11. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion, that leads gas to the first airbag at the gas flow path member, is structured so as to supply gas toward both sides in a vehicle transverse direction at the first airbag interior.

12. The airbag device of claim 1, wherein

the first airbag, the second airbag and the gas flow path member are disposed in a folded-up state within an instrument panel of a vehicle, and

the airbag device further comprises:

an in-bag expanding portion that is communicated with the gas flow path member, and that is inflated and expanded by a gas supply from the gas flow path member such that an upper end side in the vehicle vertical direction faces a windshield glass from a rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction and a lower end side in the vehicle vertical direction faces the instrument panel from a rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction; and

a gas discharge suppressing structure for the in-bag expanding portion that suppresses discharging, from the in-bag expanding portion, of gas supplied to the in-bag expanding portion,

wherein reaction force at a time of restraining the upper body of the passenger by the first airbag is supported by the windshield glass and the instrument panel via the in-bag expanding portion.

13. The airbag device of claim 12, wherein the in-bag expanding portion is shaped such that an interval between both edges in a vehicle transverse direction gradually widens from a lower side toward an upper side in the vehicle vertical direction.