Airbag apparatus for vehicle

• US 5,642,905 A
• Filed: 08/03/1995
• Issued: 07/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Honda, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US08/511,053
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/729, 280/741, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/743.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2173 the module or part thereof being movably mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10

Abstract

An airbag apparatus for a vehicle in which the installing work is simple, the weight is light and there is no fear of unnecessary gas leakage on inflation of the airbag is provided. In an airbag apparatus for a vehicle having an airbag inflated by a gas flowing out from an inflator when a deceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value for protecting an occupant in the vehicle, the inflator is held in the airbag and fixed to an elongated member with at least one end fixed to an inner surface of the airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle having an airbag inflated by a gas flowing out from an inflator having opposite ends and a gas permeable housing between said opposite ends when a deceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value for protecting an occupant in the vehicle, comprising an elongated member with at least one end fixed to an inner surface of said air bag, said inflator being fixed at at least one of said opposite ends to said elongated member and held in said air bag by said elongated member.

2. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongated member is a suspension string having one end fixed to a base end side of an inner surface of said air bag and an opposite end fixed to an apex side of said inner surface of said airbag, and said inflator is fixed at said opposite ends to a middle portion of said suspension string.

3. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are two separate elongated members one of said two separate elongated members extending from an inner surface of said airbag between one of a base end side and an apex side of the airbag and the other of said two separate elongated members extending from an opposite inner surface of said airbag between said base end side and said apex side of said airbag and inner ends of said elongated members are connected, respectively, to said opposite ends of said inflator.

4. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein means for restraining gas flow in a predetermined direction from said inflator is positioned adjacent said inflator.