Air bag apparatus

• US 5,704,637 A
• Filed: 04/24/1996
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Koide, Teruhiko, Matsuura, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/636,923
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2176 the air bag components being completely enclosed in a soft or semi-rigid housing or cover

Abstract

An air bag apparatus provided at a seat back for a vehicle body has an inflator which has a substantially cylindrical configuration. The inflator is accommodated within a bag body which is expanded due to the gas ejected from the inflator. The inflator is disposed at the seat back such that the longitudinal direction of the inflator is directed along the height direction of the seat back. Accordingly, the air bag apparatus can be made compact in the thickness direction of the seat back.

Claims

1. An air bag apparatus, comprising:

a bag body which is provided at a predetermined portion of a vehicle seat in a state in which said bag body is folded;

an inflator which is disposed along the height direction of the vehicle seat, said inflator ejecting a gas when the side portion of a vehicle body is collided so as to inflate said bag body along a side door of a vehicle body; and

fixing means which is fixed to the vehicle seat, said fixing means retaining said inflator and fixing said bag body in a clamped state.

2. An air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fixing means serves as baffle means which baffles the flow of the gas ejected from one side of said inflator along a longitudinal direction thereof so as to flow the gas into the bag body.

3. An air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fixing means includes a retaining member which retains said inflator and a base member which supports said inflator to a frame of said vehicle seat through said retaining member.

4. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said bag body is clamped and fixed between said retaining member and said base member.

5. An air bag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said inflator is formed into an elongated cylindrical configuration, a gas ejecting portion ejecting a gas is provided at one end portion off said inflator along the longitudinal direction thereof, and said longitudinal direction of said inflator is directed along the height direction of said vehicle seat.

6. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said baffle means is provided in said retaining means.

7. An air bag apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said inflator is disposed at the seat back of said vehicle seat.

8. An air bag apparatus, comprising;

a bag body which is provided at a predetermined portion of a vehicle seat in a state in which said bag body is folded;

an inflator which is formed into a substantially cylindrical configuration, at least one portion of said inflator being positioned inwardly of said bag body, the longitudinal direction of said inflator being directed along the height direction of the vehicle seat, and said inflator ejecting a gas at the time of a collision of the side portion of a vehicle body so as to inflate said bag body along the side door of the vehicle body; and

fixing means which is fixed to said vehicle seat, said fixing means retaining said inflator and fixing said bag body in a clamped state.

9. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said fixing means includes baffle means which baffles the flow of the gas ejected from one side of said inflator along the longitudinal direction thereof so as to flow the gas into said bag body.

10. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said at least one portion of said inflator is a gas ejecting portion which is provided at one end portion of the longitudinal direction of said inflator in order to eject said gas.

11. An air bag apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said fixing means includes retaining means which retains said inflator and a base plate which supports said inflator to a frame of said vehicle seat.

12. An air bag apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said bag body is clamped and fixed between said retaining means and said base plate.

13. An air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said baffle means is provided in said retaining means.

14. An air bag apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said retaining means is a retaining plate and said baffle means is a portion which opposes said gas ejecting portion forming a part of said retaining plate.

15. An air bag apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said retaining plate includes a first portion which extends in a transverse direction of said inflator and includes a hole into which said inflator is inserted, and said inflator is fixed to said first portion.

16. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said inflator has an external thread portion;

and

said fixing means has an infernal thread portion on which said external thread portion is screwed so as to fix said inflator.

17. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said inflator is entirely disposed within said bag body.

18. An air bag apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said baffle means includes at least one baffle hole through which the gas ejected from said inflator passes.

19. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said bag body and said inflator are disposed at the seat back of said vehicle seat.

20. An air bag apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said gas ejecting portion is positioned inside said inflator and said inflator is positioned following to said bag body from the top to the bottom of the seat back along the height direction thereof.

21. An air bag apparatus, comprising:

an air bag;

an inflator having a gas ejecting portion for injecting gas into the air bag to inflate the air bag, at least a portion of the inflator, including the gas ejecting portion, disposed within the air bag; and

a support for holding the inflator relative to the air bag, the support including a baffle having a solid wall facing the gas ejecting portion of the inflator for deflecting gas exiting the gas ejecting portion.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the baffle includes a substantially cup-shaped member surrounding the gas ejecting portion of the inflator.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the inflator is substantially cylindrical, the gas ejecting portion being disposed proximate one end of the inflator.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the support extends along the length of the inflator and is adapted to engage at least one end of the inflator, the baffle comprising a substantially planar portion of the support.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a member external of the air bag and adapted to be connected to the portion of the support within the air bag for fixing the support and air bag to a selected position in a vehicle.