Vehicle occupant restraint system

• US 5,975,566 A
• Filed: 08/28/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH
• Original Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH
• Inventors: Bocker, Dietmar, Eyrainer, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/919,978
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/733, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/195 with means to tension the belt in an emergency, e.g. means of the through-anchor or splitted reel typeelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

A vehicle occupant restraint system, particularly for vehicle occupant side restraint, includes an inflatable gas bag which, in a restraint situation, is fully inflated and is arranged in a final, desired position to restrain a vehicle occupant, a gas generator and a means engaging the gas bag. The means pulls the gas bag in a restraint situation into the desired position and maintains it in this position when the vehicle occupant impacts the gas bag.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant restraint system, particularly for vehicle occupant side restraint, including:

an inflatable gas bag which, in a restraint situation, is fully inflated and is arranged in a final, desired position to restrain a vehicle occupant;

a gas generator;

a means comprising a spring drive, said means engaging said gas bag and being shiftable, in a restraint situation, from a locked position into a release position, said means further pulling said gas bag into said desired position and maintaining it in this position when the vehicle occupant impacts said gas bag; and

a latching means being shiftable, due to deployment of said gas bag, from a locked position into a release position in which spring energy of said spring drive is liberated.

2. The restraint system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said gas bag has a surrounding edge and mounting points on said edge at which it is fixed to said vehicle, said spring drive exerting a pulling force on said gas bag in said final, desired position thereof as a result of which said inflated gas bag is tensioned between said mounting points in said vehicle.

3. The restraint system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said gas bag has a configuration in its inflated state and in said final position and wherein said pulling force applied to said gas bag is so high that said means is also included in determining said configuration of said inflated gas bag.

4. The restraint system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said vehicle has at least one vehicle-integrated mounting point at which said gas bag is rigidly secured to said vehicle by securing its surrounding edge to said vehicle-integral mounting point and wherein said means engages said gas bag at a region of said surrounding edge opposing said mounting point on said surrounding edge.

5. The restraint system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means comprises a traction cable engaging said gas bag and said spring drive.

6. The restraint system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said latching means comprises a locking body connected to said traction cable, wherein said vehicle has a vehicle-integral contact surface against which said locking body is urged in said locked position, and wherein said locking body is moved and released from said contact surface by inflation of said gas bag.

7. The restraint system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means comprises a return lock which maintains said inflated gas bag in its final position.

8. The restraint system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said return lock is a clamp lock engaging said traction cable.

9. The restraint system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle has a roof frame and wherein said gas bag has a surrounding edge and is a cushion shaped head gas bag accommodated in said roof frame and is secured in the region of an upper portion of said surrounding edge to said vehicle and is engaged by said means at the lower portion of said surrounding edge.

10. The restraint system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle has a B-pillar with a cover and wherein said means is arranged behind said cover of said B-pillar of said vehicle.

11. A vehicle occupant restraint system, particularly for vehicle occupant side restraint, including:

an inflatable gas bag which, in a restraint situation, is fully inflated and is arranged in a final, desired position to restraint a vehicle occupant;

a gas generator; and

a means comprising a drive and a traction cable engaging said gas bag and said drive, said means pulling said gas bag, in a restraint situation, into said desired position and maintaining it in this position when the vehicle occupant impacts said gas bag, said means further comprising a return lock which maintains said inflated gas bag in its final position, said return lock being a clamp lock engaging said traction cable.

12. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said drive is one of a spring drive and a pyrotechnical drive.

13. The restraint system as set forth in claim 12, wherein a sorce for stored compressed gas is provided and wherein said drive is a piston/cylinder drive, said piston cylinder drive being coupled to said stored compressed gas and being actuatable by means of said stored compressed gas.

14. The restraint system as set forth in claim 12, including a spring drive shiftable from a locked position into a release position and including a latching means which, due to deployment of said gas bag, is shifted from a locked position into a release position in which spring energy is liberated.

15. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said vehicle has a roof frame and wherein said gas bag has a surrounding edge and is a cushion-shaped head gas bag accommodated in said roof frame and is secured in the region of an upper portion of said surrounding edge to said vehicle and is engaged by said means at a lower portion of said surrounding edge.

16. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said vehicle has a B-pillar with a cover and wherein said means is arranged behind said cover of said B-pillar of said vehicle.

17. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said gas bag has a surrounding edge and mounting points on said edge at which it is fixed to said vehicle, said drive exerting a pulling force on said gas bag in said final, desired position thereof as a result of which said inflated gas bag is tensioned between said mounting points in said vehicle.

18. The restraint system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said gas bag has a configuration in its inflated state and in said final position and wherein said pulling force applied to said gas bag is so high that said means is also included in determining said configuration of said inflated gas bag.

19. The restraint system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said vehicle has at least one vehicle-integrated mounting point at which said gas bag is rigidly secured to said vehicle by securing its surrounding edge to said vehicle-integral mounting point and wherein said means engages said gas bag at a region of said surrounding edge opposing said mounting point on said surrounding edge.