Method of folding a vehicle safety airbag

• US 5,782,737 A
• Filed: 07/29/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Warner, Larry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, III, Joseph J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAY, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US08/688,631
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 493/243, 493/250, 493/251, 493/255, 493/256, 493/257, 493/258, 493/259, 493/262, 493/309-314, 493/405-407, 493/418, 493/450, 493/451, 493/456, 493/457, 493/458, 493/464, 493/940, 493/260, 493/958, 493/310
• US Class Current: 493/405
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2375 Folding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/94 Bellows

Abstract

A vehicle safety airbag is folded to an annular compact accordion-like configuration for placement around a conventional bag inflator. The bag folding operation involves axially stretching the bag, restraining localized areas of the stretched bag against radial expansion, and axially compressing the bag while moving the restraining devices together, such that annular accordion-like folds are formed in the bag.

Claims

1. A method of folding a vehicle safety airbag wherein said bag has an open mouth, said method comprising:

providing an elongated mandrel having a central longitudinal axis;

anchoring said bag at the bag mouth in a fixed position;

moving the mandrel into the bag to stretch the bag along the mandrel axis;

restraining spaced localized areas of the bag against expansion away from the mandrel central axis by moving plural sets of clamping plates edgewise toward the central axis to clamp the localized areas to the mandrel;

rotating the mandrel around the central axis while the clamping plates are moving the localized areas of the bag into contact with the mandrel, whereby the localized areas of the bag are prevented from being pinched between confronting edges of the clamping plates;

ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly away from the central axis to form respective ballooned areas;

moving the mandrel out of the bag and along the central axis to collapse the bag along said axis, while simultaneously moving the clamping plates toward one another and along a direction parallel to the central axis; and

then withdrawing the clamping plates away from the central axis when the ballooned areas of the bag occupy essentially parallel planes normal to the central axis so as to form the folded vehicle safety airbag.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly is accomplished by blowing air outwardly from the mandrel into the bag.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly is accomplished by blowing air outwardly from the mandrel into the bag at plural spaced locations along the mandrel.

4. A method of folding a vehicle safety airbag, wherein the bag has a mouth connected to an annular mounting disk, said method comprising:

providing an elongated mandrel having a central longitudinal axis;

anchoring the bag mounting disk in a fixed position;

moving the elongated mandrel through the bag mouth into the bag so that the mandrel stretches the bag along the mandrel central axis;

loosely clamping localized areas of the bag to the mandrel along plural spaced planes normal to said central axis, so that the localized bag areas are restrained against expanding radially away from the central axis by restraining forces;

collapsing the bag by moving the mandrel out of the bag and along the mandrel axis while maintaining the localized restrained areas of the bag in position on the mandrel while simultaneously moving the restraining planes toward one another and along a direction parallel to the central axis;

ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly away from the central axis during the step of collapsing the bag; and

then

withdrawing the restraining forces away from the central axis when the unrestrained areas of the bag have been formed into relatively flat folds extending normal to the bag central axis, whereby the flat folds are retained so as to form the folded vehicle safety airbag.

5. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of rotating the mandrel around the central axis during the step of clamping localized areas of the bag to the mandrel, whereby the localized areas of the bag are prevented from being pinched during the clamping step.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly is accomplished by blowing air outwardly from the mandrel into the bag at plural spaced locations along the mandrel.

7. A method of folding a vehicle safety airbag, wherein the bag has a mouth connected to an annular mounting disk, said method comprising:

providing an elongated mandrel having a central longitudinal axis and a cylindrical side surface concentric around said axis;

anchoring the bag mounting disk in a fixed position;

moving the elongated mandrel through the bag mouth into the bag so that the mandrel stretches the bag along the mandrel central axis;

loosely clamping localized areas of the bag to the mandrel side surface so that the localized bag areas are restrained against expanding away from the central axis;

collapsing the bag by moving the mandrel out of the bag and along the central axis while simultaneously moving the loosely clamped areas of the bag toward one another and along a direction parallel to the central axis;

ballooning unrestrained areas of the bag outwardly away from the central axis by blowing air outwardly from the mandrel into the bag at plural spaced locations along the mandrel; and

then unclamping the localized bag areas from the mandrel side surface when the unrestrained areas of the bag have been formed into relatively flat folds extending normal to the bag central axis, whereby the flat folds are retained so as to form the folded vehicle safety airbag.