Airbag cover

• US 5,221,108 A
• Filed: 10/02/1991
• Issued: 06/22/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): FERRITER, KARIN L
• Application Number:
  US07/769,708
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728, 280/730, 280/731, 280/732, 280/743, 150/154
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21656 Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers

Abstract

An airbag cover for covering an airbag stored in its folded state within a steering wheel or instrument panel of an automobile. The air bag cover is formed of a planar woven fabric having two pair of cut-outs, each pair being two cut-outs diagonally opposite from each other. The woven fabric consists of a warp yarn and a weft yarn, with the warp yarn having a weave parallel to a line connecting one of the two pair of cutouts and the weft yarn having a weave parallel to a line connecting the other pair of cutouts. The warp and weft, by extending parallel between cutouts, facilitates ready tearing of the cover between the cutouts when the bag is inflated.

Claims

1. In an airbag system for a vehicle, in which an airbag is normally stored in a folded state with an airbag cover for covering at least any exposed part of said airbag while stored in the folded state, said airbag cover being designed to rupture to permit said airbag to inflate upon detection of an impact, the improvement wherein said airbag cover comprises:

a woven fabric woven with weft and warp yarns having a central portion defined by a peripheral ending portion and side portions extending from said peripheral ending portion, said side portions being bent about said peripheral ending portion to form a three-dimensional cover for covering said airbag,

wherein said central portion is further defined by a first pair of diametrically opposed cutouts, in which a first imaginary line connecting each cutout of said first pair extends across said central portion; and

a second pair of diametrically opposed cutouts, in which a second imaginary line connecting each cutout of said second pair extends across said central portion about perpendicular to said first imaginary line,

wherein said warp yarns extending in a direction substantially parallel with said first imaginary line and said weft yarns extending in a direction substantially parallel with said second imaginary line to cause said airbag cover to rupture substantially parallel to said first and second imaginary lines.

2. In an airbag system for a vehicle, in which an airbag is normally stored in a folded state with an airbag cover for covering at least any exposed part of said airbag while stored in the folded state, said airbag cover being designed to rupture to permit said airbag to inflate upon detection of an impact, the improvement wherein said airbag cover comprises:

a three dimensional woven fabric structure woven with weft and warp yarns defining a hollow cavity defined by bending a planar woven fabric having a planar central portion and planar side portions extending from peripheral edges thereof which form a cross-shaped planar woven fabric, said side portion being bent about said peripheral edges to form a three-dimensional cover for covering said airbag, said structure being fixedly connected to a support means surrounding said hollow cavity,

said planar woven fabric having a first and a second cutout which are located generally diametrically opposed to each other and third and fourth cutouts which are located generally diametrically opposed to each other, at least one of said warp yarns and said weft yarns extending in a direction substantially parallel with an imaginary line which connects said first and second cutouts or said third and fourth cutouts to cause said airbag cover to rupture substantially parallel to said imaginary line.

3. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein said cross-shaped planar woven fabric has first and second generally L-shaped peripheral portions which respectively define said first and second cutouts, said first and second L-shaped peripheral portions including, respectively, first and second indented corners which are generally diametrically opposed to each other;

and third and fourth generally L-shaped peripheral portions which respectively define said third and fourth cutouts, said third and fourth L-shaped peripheral portions including, respectively, third and fourth indented corners which are generally diametrically opposed to each other, wherein said imaginary line extends to connect said diagonally opposite indented corners.

4. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cross-shaped planar woven fabric includes a generally rectangular central portion, and four generally rectangular sides, each of which is integrally connected with four edges of said rectangular central portion.

5. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 4, wherein said three-dimensional woven fabric structure is formed by bending said four sides along the four edges of said rectangular central portion.

6. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 5, wherein said three-dimensional woven fabric structure is located with said central portion facing a vehicle passenger.

7. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein said warp yarns extend in a direction parallel with a first imaginary line connecting said first and second cutouts, and said weft yarns extend in a direction parallel with a second imaginary line connecting said third and fourth cutouts.

8. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of openings in said planar woven fabric, each of said openings being located at a position around an intersecting position at which a center warp yarn in said warp yarns crosses one of said weft yarns.

9. An airbag cover as claimed in claim 8, wherein said one of said weft yarns reaches one of said cutouts.

10. In an airbag system for a vehicle, in which an airbag is normally stored in a folded state with an airbag cover for covering at least any exposed part of said airbag while stored in the folded state, said airbag cover being designed to rupture to permit said airbag to inflate upon detection of an impact, the improvement wherein said airbag cover comprises:

a woven fabric means formed with woven weft and warp yarns having at least first and second pairs of diametrically opposed cut outs defining a predetermined tear out area in said woven fabric means;

means for permitting tearing, in response to an inflating force of fan airbag, of said woven fabric means substantially parallel to a first imaginary line formed between said first pair of diametrically opposed cut-outs and substantially parallel to a second imaginary line formed between said second pair of diametrically opposed cut-outs, said tearing permitting means comprising said warp yarns extending substantially parallel to said first imaginary line and said weft yarns extending substantially parallel to said second imaginary line to permit said airbag cover to rupture substantially parallel to said first and second imaginary lines.