PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE OCCUPANTS

• US 3,792,873 A
• Filed: 01/17/1972
• Issued: 02/19/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniroyal Englebert Reifen GmbH
• Original Assignee: Gerhard Paul Buchner, Hubertus Paulus Thomaschewski
• Inventors: Buchner, Gerhard Paul, Thomaschewski, Hubertus Paulus
• Primary Examiner(s): Schonberg, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/218,184
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB 244/138R 5/348,349 139/387,389,390 128/DIG.20
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23547 one piece weaving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23571 characterised by connections between panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23 Inflatable members B60R21/18 takes precedence; connection to inflation fluid source retainers B60R21/217

Abstract

Safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an accident comprising a confinement, or so-called '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'air bag'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"', inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which it is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during an accident, and means for effecting expansion of the confinement to the expanded condition by introducing a gas under pressure, typically compressed air or gas generated pyrotechnically, from an outside source into the confinement. The wall of the confinement is made of uninterruptedly woven fabric in tubular form which constitutes a member which completely encircles the inflating gas. The encircling wall of the confinement can be made from a circular woven tubular fabric member woven on a circular loom or from a double woven fabric made on a loom in the well-known manner by carrying out the weaving process in such a way that adjacent portions of fabric are interwoven together.

Claims

1. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment encircled by said outer assembly.

2. A confinement having an outer assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outer assembly and is formed by said outer assembly and by cap portions of woven fabric which are bonded to and which extend over the looped interwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said cap portions forming the ends of said inner compartment.

3. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outer assembly and is formed from a tubular object made of woven fabric which is uninterruptedly woven over its entire area encircling gas under pressure when inflated.

4. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of the said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and two vertically superimposed lOngitudinally extending looped compartments encircled by said outer assembly, each of said encircled compartments being formed of a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges in such a way that it forms a tubular looped compartment.

5. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment encircled by said outer assembly, both ends of each of said tubular looped compartments being connected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment or compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.

6. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outer assembly and is formed by said outer assembly and by cap portions of woven fabric which are bonded to and which extend over the looped interwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said cap portions forming the ends of said inner compartment, both ends of said tubular looped compartments being connected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment or compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.

7. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outer assembly and is formed from a tubular object made of woven fabric which is uninterruptedly woven over its entire area encircling gas under pressure when inflated, both ends of said tubular looped compartments being connected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment or compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.

8. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, and safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatable compartments, and two inflatable closed vertically superimposed longitudinally extending looped compartments encircled by said outer assembly, each of said encircled compartments being formed of a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges in such a way that it forms a tubular looped compartment, both ends of said tubular looped compartments which constitute said outer assembly being connected to a gas diffusor and both ends of said encircled compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.