INFLATABLE KNEE AIRBAG ASSEMBLIES WITH CUSHION FOLD PATTERN

• US 20130113190A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schneider, David W., Witt, John F. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,540,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An airbag assembly can include a housing and an airbag cushion within the housing in a packaged state. The airbag cushion can include a rolled region and an accordion fold. The rolled region and the accordion fold can be positioned within the housing so as to provide a desired trajectory when the airbag cushion is inflated.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing defining a cavity and a deployment opening, wherein the housing comprises a wall that defines at least a portion of the cavity;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion comprising a proximal portion and a distal end, wherein the proximal portion of the airbag cushion is coupled with the inflator such that an interior of the airbag cushion is in fluid communication with a portion of the inflator from which inflation gases are configured to be released,

wherein the airbag cushion is in a packaged configuration within the cavity of the housing and comprises a deployment accordion fold and a rolled region, wherein the deployment accordion fold is defined by at least a portion of the proximal portion of the airbag cushion, and wherein the distal end of the airbag cushion is at an interior of the rolled region, and

wherein the rolled region of the airbag cushion is adjacent to the wall of the housing and is positioned between the wall of the housing and the deployment accordion fold such that, upon inflation of the airbag cushion via the inflator, at least a portion of the accordion fold expands and exits the housing through the deployment opening of the housing while at least a portion of the rolled region remains within the cavity and adjacent to the wall of the housing.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is positioned adjacent to the deployment opening of the housing.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1, further comprising a cover that spans at least a portion of the deployment opening of the housing so as to at least partially enclose the airbag cushion within the cavity of the housing.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 3, wherein the cover and the wall of the housing are at opposite sides of the housing.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is adjacent to the cover.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 3, wherein the deployment accordion fold is positioned between the rolled region of the airbag cushion and the cover.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is no further from the cover than is any portion of the distal end of the airbag cushion.

8. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to be installed in a vehicle such that the deployment opening is at a lower end thereof, wherein the deployment accordion fold is configured to expand downwardly through the deployment opening during initial inflation of the airbag cushion, and wherein the rolled region of the airbag cushion is configured to be pulled from the housing and unrolled in each of a rearward direction toward a vehicle occupant position and an upward direction during further inflation of the airbag cushion.

9. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall and the deployment opening are at opposite sides of the housing such that the accordion fold is closer to the deployment opening than is the rolled region when the airbag cushion is in the packaged configuration.

10. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the housing is configured to be installed within a vehicle such that the wall is at an upper side of the housing and the deployment opening is at a lower end of the housing.

11. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the deployment accordion fold is positioned between the inflator and the rolled region of the airbag cushion.

12. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the wall of the housing is configured to act as a reaction surface during deployment of the airbag cushion, such that the deployment accordion fold urges the rolled region of the airbag cushion against the wall of the housing as the deployment accordion fold initially fills with inflation gases, and such that further filling of the deployment accordion fold causes it to exit the housing through the deployment opening.

13. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to be installed in a vehicle such that the wall of the housing is a rear wall that is positioned closest to a vehicle occupant position when the housing is installed in a vehicle, and wherein the deployment opening is at a lower end of the housing.

14. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the deployment accordion fold comprises a first and a second layer of the airbag cushion that are folded relative to each other so as to meet at an apex, and wherein the apex is further from the deployment opening than is any portion of either of the first and second layers of the airbag cushion.

15. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion comprises lateral regions that are configured to expand at opposite sides of the airbag cushion so as to extend in a cross-vehicle direction when the airbag cushion is deployed, and wherein at least a portion of each lateral region is in an accordion folded arrangement that is rolled within the rolled region of the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is in the packaged configuration.

16. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion comprises lateral regions that are configured to expand at opposite sides of the airbag cushion so as to extend in a cross-vehicle direction when the airbag cushion is deployed, and wherein at least a portion of each lateral region is in tucked arrangement that is rolled within the rolled region of the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is in the packaged configuration.

17. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing defining a cavity and a deployment opening;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the proximal portion of the airbag cushion is coupled with the inflator such that an interior of the airbag cushion is in fluid communication with a portion of the inflator from which inflation gases are configured to be released,

wherein the airbag cushion is in a packaged configuration within the cavity of the housing and comprises a deployment accordion fold and a rolled region, wherein the deployment accordion fold is defined by at least a portion of the proximal portion of the airbag cushion, and wherein the rolled region comprises at least a portion of the distal portion of the airbag cushion, and

wherein an exit path that extends from at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold to the deployment opening is unobstructed by the rolled region such that, upon inflation of the airbag cushion via the inflator, the accordion fold expands and exits the housing along the exit path and through the deployment opening without pushing the rolled region through the deployment opening.

18. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is positioned at the deployment opening of the housing.

19. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the accordion fold is positioned so as to expand and exit the housing through the deployment opening of the housing before any portion of the rolled region exits the housing.

20. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is positioned between the rolled region of the airbag cushion and the opening of the housing.

21. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold is positioned between the inflator and the rolled region of the airbag cushion.

22. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein the airbag cushion comprises lateral regions that are configured to expand in opposite lateral directions so as to extend in a cross-vehicle direction when the airbag cushion is deployed, and wherein at least a portion of the lateral regions are in an accordion folded arrangement that is rolled within the rolled region of the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is in the packaged configuration.

23. A method of packaging an airbag assembly, the method comprising:

providing a housing that defines a cavity and a deployment opening;

coupling an inflator with the housing;

providing an airbag cushion that includes a proximal portion and a distal portion;

coupling the proximal portion of the airbag cushion with the inflator;

rolling the distal portion of the airbag cushion so as to form a rolled region of the airbag cushion;

folding at least a portion of the proximal portion of the airbag cushion so as to form a deployment accordion fold; and

positioning the airbag cushion within the cavity of the housing such that an exit path extends from at least a portion of the deployment accordion fold to the deployment opening and is unobstructed by the rolled region.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the housing comprises a wall, and wherein the method further comprises positioning the rolled region of the airbag cushion between the wall of the housing and the deployment accordion fold.