MULTI-CHAMBER AIRBAGS

• US 20150158452A1
• Filed: 12/07/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Choi, ChangSoo, Schneider, David W., Morris, Christina R., Jayakar, Hylus Ranjit Raj, Park, Harry H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,376,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23308 the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23332 using independent bags, one within the other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence

Abstract

An airbag can include a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber and a second cushion portion that is connected to the first cushion portion and defines a second inflatable chamber. The first inflatable chamber can receive inflation gas from an inflator to expand the first cushion portion and the second cushion portion can receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion. In some arrangements, a temporary fastener may maintain the second cushion portion in a compact state during expansion of the first cushion portion.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing configured to be mounted in a dashboard of a vehicle at a first position;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that comprises;

a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the first cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy from the housing when the housing is mounted in the dashboard of the vehicle at the first position, and wherein the first cushion portion is configured to receive a torso of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from a vehicle occupant position primarily in a forward direction relative to the vehicle;

a second cushion portion connected to the first cushion portion, wherein the second cushion portion defines a second inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state to cover a second portion of the dashboard that is closer to a center of a vehicle than is the first portion of the dashboard; and

at least one discrete vent that is internal to the airbag cushion and provides fluid communication between the first and the second inflatable chambers to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the first inflatable chamber to the second inflatable chamber and to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the second inflatable chamber to the first inflatable chamber.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy from the housing in a first direction toward the vehicle occupant position, and wherein the second cushion portion is configured to expand away from the first cushion portion in a second direction.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 2, wherein the second direction is lateral relative to the first direction.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 2, wherein the second cushion portion is configured to receive a head of the vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from the vehicle occupant position in a direction that is oblique relative to the forward direction and includes a component in the second direction.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one discrete vent is positioned directly between the first and the second inflatable chambers to provide direct fluid communication between the first and the second inflatable chambers.

7. The airbag of claim 1, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy earlier than the second cushion portion such that the first cushion portion is prepared to receive a vehicle occupant seated directly in front of the first cushion portion when the vehicle occupant moves in a forward direction earlier than the second portion is prepared to receive the vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves in a direction that is oblique relative to the forward direction.

8. The airbag of claim 1, further comprising a temporary fastener that is configured to maintain the second cushion portion in a compact state during at least a portion of an expansion of the first cushion portion from the compact state to the deployed state.

9. The airbag of claim 8, wherein the temporary fastener comprises a break stitch.

10. The airbag of claim 1, wherein a partition comprises the at least one discrete vent and separates the first and second inflatable chambers from each other.

11. The airbag of claim 10, wherein a unitary piece of material defines both the partition and a portion of the first cushion portion that extends outwardly beyond a perimeter of the second cushion portion.

12. The airbag of claim 1, wherein a single discrete vent provides fluid communication between the first and the second inflatable chambers, and wherein a perimeter of the vent is defined by a seam that connects the first and the second cushion portions to each other.

13. The airbag of claim 1, wherein the first and second cushion portions are devoid of external vent openings, and wherein the second inflatable chamber is configured to receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber via the at least one discrete vent that is internal to the airbag cushion as a vehicle occupant is cushioned by the first cushion portion.

14. The airbag of claim 1, wherein the second cushion portion is connected to the first cushion portion via stitching.

15. The airbag of claim 14, wherein a periphery of the second cushion portion is smaller than a periphery of the first cushion portion, where wherein the periphery of the second cushion portion is secured to a sidewall of the first cushion portion via the stitching at a position internal to the periphery of the first cushion portion.

16. The airbag of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the first and second cushion portions are connected via a common seam.

3. (canceled)

17. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing configured to be mounted in a vehicle at a first position;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that comprises;

a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the first cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy from the housing when the housing is mounted in the vehicle at the first position, and wherein the first cushion portion is configured to receive a torso of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from a vehicle occupant position primarily in a forward direction relative to the vehicle;

a second cushion portion connected to the first cushion portion, wherein the second cushion portion defines a second inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state to cover a region of the vehicle that is at a second position, wherein the second position is spaced laterally from the first position; and

at least one discrete vent that is internal to the airbag cushion and provides fluid communication between the first and the second inflatable chambers to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the first inflatable chamber to the second inflatable chamber and to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the second inflatable chamber to the first inflatable chamber.

48. The airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy from the housing in a first direction toward the vehicle occupant position, and wherein the second cushion portion is configured to expand away from the first cushion portion in a second direction.

18-34. -34. (canceled)

35. An airbag comprising:

a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from an inflator to expand the first cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state;

a second cushion portion connected to the first cushion portion, wherein the second cushion portion defines a second inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state; and

a temporary fastener that is configured to maintain the second cushion portion in the compact state thereof during expansion of the first cushion portion from the compact state thereof;

wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy primarily in a first direction toward a vehicle occupant position, and wherein the second cushion portion is configured to deploy primarily in a second direction that is lateral to the first direction.

47. The airbag of claim 35, wherein a partition that comprises at least one internal vent separates the first and the second inflatable chambers from each other, wherein the at least one internal vent provides free fluid communication from the first inflatable chamber to the second inflatable chamber and from the second inflatable chamber to the first inflatable chamber.

36-46. -46. (canceled)

49. The airbag assembly of claim 49, wherein the second direction is toward an outboard region of the vehicle, as compared to the first position of the vehicle.

50. An assembly for restraining an occupant during a collision event, the assembly comprising:

a housing configured to be mounted adjacent a dashboard of a vehicle at a first position;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that comprises;

a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the first cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state, wherein the first cushion portion is configured to deploy from the housing when the housing is mounted adjacent the dashboard of the vehicle at the first position, and wherein the first cushion portion is configured to receive a torso of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from a vehicle occupant position primarily in a forward direction relative to the vehicle;

a second cushion portion connected to the first cushion portion, wherein the second cushion portion defines a second inflatable chamber that is configured to receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion from a compact state to a deployed state to cover a second portion of the dashboard that is closer to a center of a vehicle than is the first portion of the dashboard; and

at least one discrete vent that is internal to the airbag cushion and provides fluid communication between the first and the second inflatable chambers to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the first inflatable chamber to the second inflatable chamber and to permit inflation gas to flow freely from the second inflatable chamber to the first inflatable chamber; and

a bucket seat configured to provide a vehicle occupant position for a single occupant,

wherein the first airbag cushion deploys toward the vehicle occupant position upon inflation, and the second airbag cushion deploys from the first airbag cushion toward the center of the vehicle upon inflation to receive the vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from the bucket seat in an oblique direction during the collision event.