Air bag device

• US 5,873,598 A
• Filed: 08/12/1997
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TOYO Tire & Rubber Company Limited (Toyo Tire Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozaki, Toru, Bito, Kazuaki, Mihara, Yoshinori, Yoshioka, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US08/909,720
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 280/736, 280/738, 280/740, 280/742, 280/732, 280/729
• US Class Current: 280/740
• 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 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

In an air bag device, a diffuser 5 is provided with a partition wall 51 partitioning a space on a case opening side of the diffuser 5 into a passenger side and a side further from the passenger; a gas guiding passage 7 for guiding gas produced by an inflator 4 to a case opening 21 is formed on the side of this partition wall 51 further from the passenger, a folded air bag 3 is packed on the passenger side of the partition wall 51, and a case-side end portion 32a of an air bag upper part 32 to constitute the upper part of the deployed air bag is disposed so as to cover the exit of the gas guiding passage 7. As a result, the end portion 32a of the air bag upper part 32 is expanded first and the air bag subsequently deploys progressively and smoothly from this air bag upper part 32 side in a controlled manner.

Claims

1. An air bag device comprising a case having an opening and mounted in a vehicle, an air bag received inside the case in a folded state, an inflator for inflating the air bag to a passenger side disposed at the bottom of the case, and a diffuser for regulating a flow of gas generated by the inflator disposed covering the inflator,

wherein the diffuser is provided with a partition wall partitioning a space between the diffuser and the case opening inside the case into a passenger side and a side further from a passenger;

a gas guiding passage for guiding gas generated by the inflator to the case opening is formed on the side of the partition wall further from the passenger;

the folded air bag is received on the passenger side of the partition wall; and

a case-side end portion of an air bag upper part to constitute an upper part of the deployed air bag is disposed covering an exit of the gas guiding passage.

2. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein a gas delivery opening of the diffuser is disposed at the entrance end of the gas guiding passage.

3. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein a gas delivery opening of the diffuser is disposed at the exit end of the gas guiding passage.

4. An air bag device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a gas delivery opening of the diffuser is also provided on the passenger side of the partition wall and the opening area of the gas delivery opening on the side of the partition wall further from the passenger is greater than the opening area of the gas delivery opening on the passenger side of the partition wall.