Air bag device for vehicles

• US 4,043,572 A
• Filed: 07/17/1975
• Issued: 08/23/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Hattori, Yoshiyuki, Suzuki, Mikio, Taguchi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/595,742
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730, 280/736, 280/738, 280/739, 280/740, 137/844, 137/845, 137/513.3
• US Class Current: 280/738
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/30 with means to draw ambient air into the flow line and mix such air with the inflation fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/788 Having expansible port

Abstract

An air bag device designed to protect passengers in a vehicle. In the device, an inflatable gas bag is inflated by a gush of high pressure gas which is discharged from a gas supply source through a gas discharging pipe and guided by a housing. The housing has defined therein large openings to introduce ambient air, and has mounted, at the region where the inflatable gas bag are mounted, gas permeable supporting plates and valve members urged against the gas-permeable supporting plates. The gush of the high pressure gas discharged through the gas discharging pipe sucks in and mixes with the ambient air introduced through the large openings in the housing. The resultant air-high pressure gas mixture passes through the supporting plates, opens the valve members and then, flows into the inflatable bag to inflate the latter.

Claims

1. An air bag device for vehicles comprising:

a. a gas supply source for supplying high pressure gas;

b. a gas discharging pipe communicated with said gas supply source and adapted to discharge high pressure gas therethrough;

c. a housing mounted to said gas discharging pipe and adapted to guide the high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe, said housing having means defining at least one large opening for introducing air from a passenger compartment in consequence of the gush of the discharged high pressure gas;

d. at least one supporting plate fixedly mounted to one end of said housing opposite to said gas discharging pipe, said supporting plate being gas permeable;

e. at least one valve member adapted to cover over said supporting plate, said valve member being directly opened by the gush of mixture gas constituted by mixing of high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe and air introduced from the passenger compartment so as to permit the mixture gas to pass from the inside of said housing, while blocking most counter-flow in the direction toward the inside of the housing, said valve member further having a discharge port means which allows part of the counterflow to pass therethrough; and

f. inflatable bag means adapted to cover over said valve member, and to be inflated by the mixture gas which opens said valve member to pass through the latter;

said valve member comprising an inner portion which is made of resilient material having discharge holes, and an outer portion of air permeable material surrounding said inner portion.

2. An air bag device for vehicles comprising:

a. a gas supply source for supplying high pressure gas;

b. a gas discharging pipe communicated with said gas supply source and adapted to discharge high pressure gas therethrough;

c. a housing mounted to said gas discharging pipe and adapted to guide the high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe, said housing having means defining at least one large opening for introducing air from a passenger compartment in consequence of the gush of the discharged high pressure gas;

d. at least one supporting plate fixedly mounted to one end of said housing opposite to said gas discharging pipe, said supporting plate being gas permeable;

e. at least one valve member adapted to cover over said supporting plate, said valve member being directly opened by the gush of mixture gas constituted by mixing of high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe and air introduced from the passenger compartment so as to permit the mixture gas to pass from the inside of said housing, while blocking most counter-flow in the direction toward the inside of the housing, said valve member further having a discharge port means which allows part of the counter-flow to pass therethrough; and

f. inflatable bag means adapted to cover over said valve member, and to be in inflated by the mixture gas which opens said valve member to pass through the latter;

said valve member being made of an air permeable cloth.

3. An air bag device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said bag means comprise a torso bag;

said device further comprising;

an additional gas permeable supporting plate mounted to said one end of said housing; and

additional valve member covering over said additional supporting plate and being directly opened by the gush of said mixture gas, while blocking most counter-flow in the direction toward the inside of the housing, said additional valve member having a discharge port means which allows part of the counterflow to pass therethrough; and

a knee bag adapted to cover over said additional valve member.

4. An air bag device for vehicles comprising:

a. a gas supply source for supplying high pressure gas;

b. a gas discharging pipe communicated with said gas supply source and adapted to discharge high pressure gas therethrough;

c. a housing mounted to said gas discharging pipe and adapted to guide the high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe, said housing having means defining at least one large opening for introducing air from a passenger compartment in consequence of the gush of the discharged high pressure gas;

d. at least one supporting plate fixedly mounted to one end of said housing opposite to said gas discharging pipe, said supporting plate being gas permeable;

e. at least one valve member adapted to cover over said supporting plate, said valve member being directly opened by the gush of mixture gas constituted by mixing of high pressure gas discharged from said gas discharging pipe and air introduced from the passenger compartment so as to permit the mixture gas to pass from the inside of said housing, while blocking most counter-flow in the direction toward the inside of the housing, said valve member further having a discharge port means which allows part of the counterflow to pass therethrough; and

f. inflatable bag means adapted to cover over said valve member, and to be inflated by the mixture gas which opens said valve member to pass through the latter;

said valve member being made of an air permeable synthetic resin.