VEHICLE CURTAIN AIRBAG DEVICE

• US 20160297394A1
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Yusuke, Nakashima, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 9,862,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A vehicle curtain airbag device has a curtain airbag. The curtain airbag is configured such that: a front end side is Z-folded toward a vehicle width direction inner side, the curtain airbag is further folded top-to-bottom, and, in the stowed state, a front end portion at the Z-folded region is covered by a rear end portion of a front pillar garnish; a corner portion at a front end side and an upper end side of the front side sub chamber is formed in a circular arc shape; and in a mid-deployment state, a front end side and an upper end side of the Z-folded region are covered, the corner portion overlaps a vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion, and a rear end of the corner portion is positioned further to a vehicle rear side than a rear end of the front pillar garnish.

Claims

1. A vehicle curtain airbag device, comprising:

a curtain airbag including a front side sub chamber at a front side of a front side main chamber, the curtain airbag inflates and deploys along a vehicle cabin side section on being supplied with gas from an inflator,

wherein a front end side at which the front side sub chamber is provided is Z-folded toward a vehicle width direction inner side, the curtain airbag is further folded top-to-bottom and stowed in an upper end portion of the vehicle cabin side section, and, in the stowed state, a front end portion at the Z-folded region is covered from the vehicle width direction inner side by a rear end portion of a front pillar garnish;

wherein a corner portion at a front end side and an upper end side of the front side sub chamber is formed in a circular arc shape that is convex toward a front side and an upper side of the front side sub chamber; and

wherein in a mid-deployment state of the curtain airbag in which the top-to-bottom folding is unfolded and the Z-fold is not unfolded, a front end side and an upper end side of the Z-folded region are covered from the vehicle width direction inner side by the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish, the corner portion overlaps a vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish, and a rear end of the corner portion is positioned further to a vehicle rear side than a rear end of the front pillar garnish.

11. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the front side sub chamber is formed such that, in an inflated and deployed state, an upper edge side of the front side sub chamber overlaps a front pillar, and a lower end side of the front side sub chamber projects out further to the lower side than the front side main chamber, so as to straddle above and below a door belt line of a front side door.

2. A vehicle curtain airbag device, comprising:

a curtain airbag including a front side sub chamber at a front side of a front side main chamber, the curtain airbag inflates and deploys along a vehicle cabin side section on being supplied with gas from an inflator,

wherein a front end side at which the front side sub chamber is provided is Z-folded toward a vehicle width direction inner side to form three inflation portions that overlap each other in a vehicle width direction, the curtain airbag is further folded top-to-bottom and stowed in an upper end portion of the vehicle cabin side section, and, in the stowed state, a front end portion at the Z-folded region is covered from the vehicle width direction inner side by a rear end portion of a front pillar garnish; and

wherein in a mid-deployment state of the curtain airbag in which the top-to-bottom folding is unfolded and the Z-fold is not unfolded, at a front end side and an upper end side of the Z-folded region, at least one of the three inflation portions is not positioned at a vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish.

3. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein the Z-fold is set such that, in the mid-deployment state, among fold lines of the Z-fold, a fold line positioned at a vehicle front side is positioned at a vehicle rear side of a rear end of the front pillar garnish.

4. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein in the mid-deployment state, among three inflation portions, an inflation portion that forms a front end side of the front side sub chamber is not positioned at the vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish.

5. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein a corner portion at a front end side and an upper end side of an outer peripheral non-inflating portion set at an outer periphery of the curtain airbag, is formed at a front side and an upper side of the front side sub chamber such that, in the mid-deployment state, the outer peripheral non-inflating portion is not positioned at the vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish.

6. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein the Z-fold is set such that, in the mid-deployment state, among fold lines of the Z-fold, a fold line positioned at a vehicle front side is positioned at a vehicle front side of a rear end of the front pillar garnish, and a front edge portion of the front side sub chamber is positioned at a vehicle rear side of the rear end of the front pillar garnish.

7. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein, among three inflation portions, two inflation portions and an outer peripheral non-inflating portion are positioned at the vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish.

8. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein, in the mid-deployment state, among three inflation portions, two inflation portions are not positioned at the vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish.

9. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein a corner portion at a front end side and an upper end side of the front side sub chamber is formed in a circular arc shape that is convex toward a front side and an upper side of the front side sub chamber;

and in the mid-deployment state of the curtain airbag in which the top-to-bottom folding is unfolded and the Z-fold is not unfolded, the front end side and the upper end side of the Z-folded region are covered from the vehicle width direction inner side by the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish, the corner portion overlaps the vehicle width direction outer side of the rear end portion of the front pillar garnish, and a rear end of the corner portion is positioned further to a vehicle rear side than a rear end of the front pillar garnish.

10. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 5, wherein the corner portion at the front end side and upper end side of the outer peripheral non-inflating portion is cut.

12. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein the front side sub chamber is formed such that, in an inflated and deployed state, an upper edge side of the front side sub chamber overlaps a front pillar, and a lower end side of the front side sub chamber projects out further to the lower side than the front side main chamber, so as to straddle above and below a door belt line of a front side door.