Motor vehicle head-protecting curtain

• US 6,000,715 A
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Tschaeschke, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Lanna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US08/904,307
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/749, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/162 Means for diverting, destroying or blocking the bag in case of dangerous deployment, e.g. during rescue operations or use of rear-facing children seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23576 Sewing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A head-protecting curtain in a motor vehicle is stored folded at the roof rail. In the event of a collision, the curtain is moved in the interior into a protecting position in front of a vehicle door, whereupon it then covers at least an upper area of the door opening and is stretched horizontally. The head-protecting curtain has at least two curtain sections that remain connected during the impact, said sections being separable from one another after the impact, starting at the bottom edge of the head-protecting curtain, along a parting line for at least part of the height.

Claims

1. A head-protecting curtain for use in a motor vehicle, comprising at least two curtain sections, said curtain sections having a parting line wherein said curtain sections are configured to remain connected to each other during a collision and to be separated from one another after the collision, starting at a lower edge of the head-protecting curtain, along said parting line for at least a portion of the height thereof,

wherein the curtain is configured to be stored folded at a vehicle roof rail, and movable internally in the collision into a protecting position in front of a vehicle door so as to cover at least an upper area of the door.

2. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 1, wherein the connection between curtain sections is arranged to be broken manually.

3. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 1, wherein the connection of curtain sections is formed by a sewn seam which, when pulled at a free end of sewing thread of the sewn seam, is configured to separate continuously.

4. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 3, wherein a gripping section is provided in a highly visible manner at the free end of the sewing thread.

5. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 1, wherein the head-protecting curtain is configured to extend in protecting position from the roof rail to proximate a sill of the motor vehicle.

6. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 1, wherein the head-protecting curtain comprises an airbag adapted to be filled upon impact, with edges of said airbag being made gas-tight along the parting line.

7. The head-protecting curtain according to claim 6, wherein the airbag has a plurality of gas chambers connected with one another to conduct gas, and the parting line is located in a gas-free zone between two of the gas chambers.