OCCUPANT RESTRAINT CUSHION

• US 3,733,091 A
• Filed: 05/12/1971
• Issued: 05/15/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lawrence L. Fleck, Robert Hickling, Thomas J. Smalldon
• Original Assignee: Lawrence L. Fleck, Robert Hickling, Thomas J. Smalldon
• Inventors: Fleck, Lawrence L., Hickling, Robert, Smalldon, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/142,537
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB,15B 296/84K 5/347,348 244/138
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23115 with inflatable support compartments creating an internal suction volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

An occupant restraint cushion includes a planar base portion having upper and lower walls secured at the edges thereof. The lower wall has a center inlet which is located at the intersection of inflatable linear passages terminating at an inflatable manifold extending around the periphery of the base portion. The passages and the manifold are formed by triangular portions of the upper and lower walls which are secured to each other in surface-to-surface relationship and provided with apertures. The cushion further includes a frontal portion which extends across the base portion and is secured at opposite edge portions thereof to opposite edges of the base portion. The frontal portion includes a number of adjacent interconnected inflatable tubes. Each tube communicates at the ends thereof with the manifold through openings in the upper wall of the base portion. Apertured intermediate and outer end walls extend between the tubes and the base portion to define ambient air chambers. The apertures of the walls and of the triangular portions are covered by porous material permitting passage of ambient air therethrough. The apertures of the triangular portions and of the base portions and of the outer end walls are further provided with flap-type valves which easily permit the ingress of ambient air into the ambient air chambers but permit only limited egress of the ambient air from the chambers upon pressurization thereof. The base portion is mounted on a vehicle body with the inlet communicating with a source of pressure fluid. In stored position, halves of the base portion and like portions of the frontal portion are respectively rolled upon themselves, or spaced edge portions of the base portion and of the frontal portion are folded upon themselves over a center portion. Upon communication of the inlet with the source of pressure fluid, the fluid inflates the passages and the manifold to move the base portion from stored position to a planar operative position over a backing portion of the vehicle body to preform the frontal portion prior to inflation thereof. Upon inflation of the tubes from the manifold, the frontal portion advances relative to the base portion to operative position. As the frontal portion advances, ambient air is drawn into the cushion through the apertures in the base portion and in the outer end walls.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle body and a source of pressure fluid, an occupant restraint cushion comprising, a generally planar flexible base portion of predetermined shape, means mounting the base portion on the body for movement from a stored nonplanar position to an operative planar position over an adjacent backing portion of the vehicle body, pressure fluid inlet means for the base portion communicable with the pressure fluid source, means within spaced peripheral edge portions of the base portion providing inflatable pressure fluid receiving manifold means, inflatable passage means within the base portion communicating the inlet means with the manifold means to move the peripheral edge portions relative to each other and move the base portion to operative position, an inflatable flexible frontal portion including a plurality of adjacent cooperative pressure fluid receiving compartments, traversing the base portion between the spaced peripheral edge portions thereof, means communicating the compartments with the manifold means to inflate the compartments and advance the frontal portion relative to the base portion intermediate the manifold means, wall means interconnecting the remaining edge portions of the base portion and the compartments and defining therewith an ambient air receiving chamber, and means within the wall means permittiNg the induction of ambient air within the ambient air receiving chamber upon inflation and advance of the frontal portion relative to the base portion.

2. In combination with a vehicle body and a source of pressure fluid, an occupant restraint cushion comprising, a generally planar flexible base portion of predetermined shape, means mounting the base portion on the body for movement from a non-planar stored position to an operative planar position over an adjacent backing portion of the vehicle body, pressure fluid inlet means for the base portion communicable with the pressure fluid source, means within spaced peripheral edge portions of the base portion providing inflatable pressure fluid receiving manifold means, inflatable passage means within the base portion communicating through the inlet means with the manifold means to move the spaced peripheral edge portion relative to each other and move the base portion to operative position, an inflatable flexible frontal portion including a plurality of laterally aligned interconnected inflatable tubular portions traversing the base portion between the spaced peripheral edge portions thereof, means communicating the tubular portions with the manifold means to inflate and advance the tubular portions relative to the base portion intermediate the manifold means, wall means interconnecting the remaining edge portions of the base portion and the tubular portions and defining therewith an ambient air receiving chamber, and means within the wall means permitting the induction of ambient air within the ambient air receiving chamber upon inflation and advance of the tubular portions relative to the base portion.

3. In combination with a vehicle body and a source of pressure fluid, an occupant restraint cushion comprising, a generally planar flexible base portion of predetermined shape, means mounting the base portion on the body for movement from a stored position to an operative planar position over an adjacent backing portion of the vehicle body, pressure fluid inlet means for the base portion communicable with the pressure fluid source, means within laterally spaced peripheral edge portions of the base portion providing inflatable pressure fluid receiving manifold means, inflatable passage means within the base portion communicating through the inlet means with the manifold means to move the spaced peripheral edge portion relative to each other to move the base portion to operative position, a plurality of arcuately shaped interconnected tubes traversing the base portion between the spaced peripheral edge portions thereof, means respectively communicating each tube with the manifold means to inflate the tubes to arcuate shape relative to the base portion, wall means interconnecting the base portion and the terminal tubes and defining therewith an ambient air receiving chamber, and valve means within the base portion and wall means permitting the induction of ambient air within the ambient air receiving chamber on inflation of the tubes relative to the base portion.

4. In a vehicle body having a source of pressure fluid, an occupant restraint cushion comprising, in combination, a mounting portion providing manifold means communicable with the pressure fluid source, an inflatable flexible frontal portion of arcuate shape laterally thereof and defined by arcuately shaped portions of a plurality of side-by-side directly interconnected pressure fluid receiving compartments extending in loop fashion from the mounting portion and mutually reinforcing each other against independent movement, means communicating the compartments with the manifold means for inflation of the compartments to arcuate shape and advancement of the frontal portion from a deflated position adjacent a portion of the body to an advanced inflated position relative thereto upon communication of the manifold means with the pressure fluid source, means closing the interior of the frontal portion to the ambient atmosphere and defining an ambient atmosphere receivIng chamber with the frontal portion, means permitting the induction of ambient atmosphere into the chamber upon inflation and advancement of the frontal portion relative to the vehicle body, and means permitting the expulsion of ambient atmosphere from within the ambient air receiving chamber upon occupant impact with the frontal portion.

5. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the arcuately shaped portions of the compartments are toroids joined laterally to each other.

6. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the means closing the interior of the frontal portion include wall means extending from respective terminal pressure fluid receiving compartments, and the means permitting the induction of ambient atmosphere into the chamber include valve means in the wall means permitting the introduction of ambient atmosphere into the chamber and blocking expulsion of such ambient atmosphere so inducted.

7. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the means communicating the compartments with the manifold means include pressure fluid inlet means respective to each of the compartments and commonly communicated with the source by the manifold means.

8. In combination with a vehicle body and a source of pressure fluid, an occupant restraint cushion comprising, a base portion of predetermined shaped including a central inlet communicating with the pressure fluid source and a plurality of inflatable passages extending from the inlet to the periphery of the base portion, a pressure fluid inflatable portion of arcuate shape spanning the base portion and communicating with the inflatable passages for inflation of the pressure fluid inflatable portion and advancement thereof relative to the base portion to an occupant engaging position, means cooperating with the base portion and pressure fluid inflatable portion to define an ambient atmosphere inflatable chamber within the pressure fluid inflatable portion, and means communicating the ambient atmosphere inflatable chamber with the ambient atmosphere through the base portion upon inflation and advancement of the pressure fluid inflatable portion.

9. The combination recited in claim 8 wherein the base portion is flexible and the inflatable passages are formed integral with the base portion.

10. The combination recited in claim 8 wherein the base portion includes a pair of planar sheets of flexible material secured to each other along predetermined lines, the unsecured areas within such lines providing the inflatable passages.

11. The combination recited in claim 8 wherein the base portion includes a pair of like-shaped planar sheets of flexible material secured to each other at predetermined areas jointly defining elongated unsecured areas providing the inflatable passages.

12. The combination recited in claim 11 wherein the inflatable passages cross each other at the central inlet.