Vehicle occupant crash protector

• US 5,752,713 A
• Filed: 09/20/1996
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Matsuura, Naoki, Matsui, Kenji, Ibe, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth, Eric D.
• Application Number:
  US08/717,325
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/728.1, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/4619 Transmission of tensioning power by cable, e.g. using a clutch on reel side

Abstract

A structurally-simple and inexpensive vehicle occupant crash protector is provided which can be miniaturized in its entirety and cope with an impact which occurs at the side of a vehicle. A folded air bag is disposed in the vicinity of a window of a vehicle. An end of the air bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves, is pulled out by a wire retracted to a tensile device so that the air bag is expanded and a state of expansion of the air bag is held. Thus, the tensile device rapidly expands the air bag and helps the inflation thereof. Further, the end of the expanded and inflated air bag is supported by the wire retracted to the tensile device so that the expanded state of the air bag is properly held.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant crash protector which copes with an impact which occurs at the side of a vehicle, comprising:

a bag provided so as to be folded in the vicinity of a window of the vehicle and expanded in a direction across said window by a flow of gas injected from an inflator;

at least one through member provided at an end of said bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves;

a fixing member provided in the vicinity of the window; and

a tensile device for retracting therein and supporting the other end of a string member having one end fixed to said fixing member and extending through said through member, thereby expanding said bag and holding a state of expansion of said bag.

2. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 1, wherein said fixing member is placed near the window of the vehicle at a portion of a side of an end of the expanded bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves, said tensile device is placed near the window of the vehicle at a portion across said window from said fixing member of the side of the end of the expanded bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves, and said string member extending between said fixing member and said tensile device is capable of supporting the portion of said expanded bag through said through member.

3. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 1, wherein said tensile device is activated by a gas generating portion with an acceleration sensor, which responds to the impact occurring at the side of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 3, wherein said gas generating portion includes a cylindrical portion integrally connected to a gas injection hole defined in said gas generating portion, a piston member disposed in the vicinity of the gas injection hole so as to be slidable within a cylinder of said cylindrical portion, a pulley member composed of a small-diameter wheel portion and a large-diameter wheel portion concentric with the small-diameter wheel portion, said small-diameter wheel portion and said large-diameter wheel portion being integrally formed, and a drawing wire having one end fixed to said piston member and the other end which is pulled out from said cylindrical portion so as to be wound around the small-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member, and said string member is fixed to the large-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member.

5. A vehicle occupant crash protector which copes with an impact occurring at the side of a vehicle, comprising:

a bag disposed so as to be folded in the vicinity of a window of the vehicle and expanded in a direction across said window by the flow of gas injected from an inflator;

an attachment member provided at an end of said bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves; and

a tensile device for retracting therein and supporting a string member whose one end is fixed to said attachment member, thereby expanding said bag and holding a state of expansion of said bag.

6. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 5, wherein said tensile device is activated by a gas generating portion with an acceleration sensor, which responds to the impact occurring at the side of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 6, wherein said gas generating portion includes a cylindrical portion integrally connected to a gas injection hole defined in said gas generating portion, a piston member disposed in the vicinity of the gas injection hole so as to be slidable within a cylinder of said cylindrical portion, a pulley member composed of a small-diameter wheel portion and a large-diameter wheel portion concentric with the small-diameter wheel portion, said small-diameter wheel portion and said large-diameter wheel portion being integrally formed, and a drawing wire having one end fixed to said piston member and the other end which is pulled out from said cylindrical portion so as to be wound around the small-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member, and said string member is fixed to the large-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member.

8. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 5, wherein said bag is shaped in the form of a triangle as seen from a side.

9. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 5, wherein said bag is shaped in the form of a quadrangle as seen from a side.

10. A vehicle occupant crash protector which copes with an impact occurring at the side of a vehicle, comprising:

a bag disposed so as to be folded in the vicinity of a window of the vehicle and expanded in a direction across said window by the flow of gas injected from an inflator;

a string member for pulling said bag; and

a tensile device for retracting therein and supporting said string member at the time of an impact which occurs at the side of the vehicle, thereby expanding said bag and holding a state of expansion of said bag.

11. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 10, wherein said tensile device is activated by a gas generating portion with an acceleration sensor, which responds to the impact occurring at the side of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 11, wherein said gas generating portion includes a cylindrical portion integrally connected to a gas injection hole defined in said gas generating portion, a piston member disposed in the vicinity of the gas injection hole so as to be slidable within a cylinder of said cylindrical portion, a pulley member composed of a small-diameter wheel portion and a large-diameter wheel portion concentric with the small-diameter wheel portion, said small-diameter wheel portion and said large-diameter wheel portion being integrally formed, and a drawing wire having one end fixed to said piston member and the other end which is pulled out from said cylindrical portion so as to be wound around the small-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member, and said string member is fixed to the large-diameter wheel portion of said pulley member.

13. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 10, wherein said bag includes a string engaging member which is provided at an end thereof in the direction in which said bag expands and moves, and engages with said string member.

14. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 13, wherein said string engaging member is at least one through member provided at an end of said bag, a fixing member is provided in the vicinity of a window of the vehicle, and said string member has one end fixed to said fixing member and extending through said through member and the other end supported by said tensile device.

15. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 14, wherein said fixing member is disposed in the vicinity of the window of the vehicle at a portion of a side of an end of the expanded bag in the direction in which said bag expands and moves,

said tensile device is disposed in the vicinity of the window of the vehicle at a portion across said window from said fixing member and across the direction in which said bag expands and moves, and

said string member extending between said fixing member and said tensile device is capable of supporting the portion of said expanded bag via said through member.

16. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 13, wherein said string engaging member is an attachment member provided at the end of said bag and to which one end of said string member is attached.

17. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 16, wherein said bag is shaped in the form of a triangle as seen from a side.

18. A vehicle occupant crash protector according to claim 16, wherein said bag is shaped in the form of a quadrangle as seen from a side.