Air bag

• US 3,892,425 A
• Filed: 12/26/1972
• Issued: 07/01/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hiroshi Sakairi, Noboru Watanabe, Tetuyosi Tezuka
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Sakairi, Noboru Watanabe, Tetuyosi Tezuka
• Inventors: Watanabe, Noboru, Sakairi, Hiroshi, Tezuka, Tetuyosi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lesmes, George F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Ellis P.
• Application Number:
  US05/318,479
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 161/92,89,159,160 280/15AB 206/DIG.30 117/63,DIG.7,98,138.8N,135.5,161UF,161KP 260/2.5AY 182/137 244/138R
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23514 coated fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23552 Knitting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 3/0052 obtained by leaching out of a compound, e.g. water soluble salts, fibres or fillers; obtained by freezing or sublimation; obtained by eliminating drops of sublimable fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249978 Voids specified as micro
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2148 Coating or impregnation is specified as microporous but is not a foam

Abstract

A vehicle safety device to be usually installed in a vehicle in a folded form and inflatable within an appropriate period of time necessary to protect the occupant from a collision against the interior components of the vehicle. The device, namely air bag, is composed of a composite material comprising an air permeable and stretchable knitted fabric and a coating layer of elastomer or analogue thereof formed on the surface of the fabric and having microporous openings. When the internal pressure exceeds a predetermined level in an event of collision, the stretching stitches of the fabric are brought out of balance with the coating layer to form new openings other than the microporous openings, permitting an increased amount of pressurized gas to be released from both openings throughout the bag and causing the bag to reduce the energy of impact by virtue of deformation of the bag due to free stretching.

Claims

1. A VEHICLE SAFETY DEVICE COMPRISING AN INFLATABLE CONFINEMENT NORMALLY STORED IN A NON-OPERATING STATE AND MEANS COUPLED TO THE CONFINEMENT TO INFLATE THE CONFINEMENT, AND WHEREIN THE CONFINEMENT IS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN OCCUPANT WHEN THE OCCUPANT IS MOVED RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE UPON THE VEHICLE BEING ABRUPTED BROUGHT TO A HALT, SAID CONFINEMENT BEING MADE OF A COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPRISING A GAS PERMEABLE STRETCHABLE NYLON OR POLYESTER KITTED FABRIC AND AN ELASTOMER COATING LAYER ON ONE SURFACE OF THE KNITTED FABRIC AND HAVING MICROPOROUS OPENINGS, THE KNITTED FABRIC HAVING HIGHER STRETCHABILITY THAN THE ELASTOMER COATING LAYER SUCH THAT THE LOOPS OF THE KNITTED FABRIC AND THE MICROPOROUS OPENINGS OF THE ELASTOMER COATING LAYER ARE ENLARGEABLE BY STORETCHING AS THE CONFINEMENT IS INFLATED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO AN ABRUPT HALT TO MAINTAIN THE INTERNAL PRESSURE OF THE INFLATED CONFINEMENT AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL, AND AT THE TIME THE OCCUPANT IS FORCED INTO THE INFLATED CONFINEMENT IN STRIKING CONTACT THEREWITH ARE FURTHER ENLARGEABLE BY THE RSULTING ENERGY OF IMPACT CAUSING THE FORMATION OF NEW OPENINGS IN THE ELASTOMER COATING BY THE DIFFERENCE IN STRETCHABILITY BETWEEN THE KNITTED FABRIC AND THE COATING LAYER THEREBY MAINTAINING THE INTERNAL PRESSURE OF THE CONFINEMENT AT A CONSTANT LEVEL.

2. A VEHICLE SAFETY DEVICE COMPRISING AN INFATABLE CONFINEMENT NORMALLY STORED IN A NON-OPERATING STATE AND MEANS COUPLED TO THE CONFINEMENT TO INFLATE THE CONFINEMENT, AND WHEREIN THE CONFINEMENT IS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN OCCOPANT WHEN THE OCCUPANT IS MOVED RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE UPON THE VEHICLE BEING ABRUPT BROUGHT TO A HALT, SAID CONFINEMENT BEING MADE OF A COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPRISING A GAS PERMEABLE STRETCHABLE NYLON OR POLYESTER KNITTED FABRIC AND AN ELSTOMER COATING LAYER ON ONE SURFACE OF THE KNITTED FABRIC AND HAVING MACROPOROUS OPENINGS THE KNITTED FABRIC HAVING HIGHER STRETCHABILITY THAN THE ELASTOMER COATING LAYER SUCH THAT THE LOOPS OF THE KNITTED FABRIC AND THE MACROPOROUS OPENINGS OF THE ELASTOMER COATING LAYER ARE ENLARGEABLE BY STRETCHING AS THE CONFINEMENT IS INFLATED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO AN ABRUPT HALT TO MAINTAIN THE INTERNAL PRESSURE OF THE INFLATED CONFINEMENT AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL, AND AT THE TIME THE OCCUPANT IS FORCED INTO THE INFLATED CONFINEMENT IN STRIKING CONTACT THEREWITH ARE FURTHER ENLARGEABLE BY THE RESULTING ENERGY OF IMPACT CAUSING THE FORMATION OF NEW OPENINGS IN THE ELASTOMER COATING BY THE DIFFERENCE IN STRETCHABILITY BETWEEN THE KNITTED FABRIC AND THE COATING LAYER THEREBY MAINTAINING THE INTERMAL PRESSURE OF THE CONFINEMENT AT A CONSTANT LEVEL

3. The safety device of claim 1 wherein the elastomer is a poolyurethane or chlorinated polyethylene elastomer.

4. The safety device of claim 2 wherein the elastomer is a polyurethane or chlorinated polyethylene elastomer.