Roll-over air bag
First Claim
1. A roll-over airbag for an automobile self-inflating restraint system, said roll-over airbag comprising:
- a first woven fabric panel having a perimeter of a pre-selected length, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid;
a second woven fabric panel perimetrically bonded to said first fabric panel, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid;
at least one port opening provided in said first fabric panel for connecting said roll-over airbag to an inflator to allow communication of an expansion fluid from the inflator to said roll-over airbag;
a reinforced perimeter seal of said preselected length, wherein said reinforced perimeter seal is reinforced by at least one securement member disposed proximate said perimeter, wherein each said at least one securement member has an upper portion bonded to said first fabric panel and a lower portion bonded to said second fabric panel thereby distributing stress associated with expansion of said roll-over airbag over a larger surface area such that a tear stress is transformed by said at least one securement member into a shear stress; and
at least one tether disposed within said airbag for limiting displacement of said first and second fabric panels from one another, wherein said at least one tether is defined by at least a two-ply member defining a I-shaped cross section and having a first end bonded to said first fabric panel and a second end bonded to said second fabric panel and defining concave edge portions.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A roll-over airbag 10 having an upper fabric panel 15 and a lower fabric panel 20 perimetrically bonded to the upper fabric panel 15. This perimetric joint is reinforced with a lap joint 30 defining a reinforced interior seal. In order to limit the height and/or thickness of the roll-over airbag 10 by limiting the displacement of the upper and lower fabric panels 15 and 20 from one another during expansion of the roll-over airbag 10, at least one tether member 40 is disposed within roll-over airbag 10. Also a through-opening is defined by passageway 85 to permit passage of a seat belt through the roll-over airbag 10 while stored in a deflated condition. In the preferred embodiment, the passageway 85 is defined by a pleated channel member 90. The pleats 96 allow the channel member 90 to fold flat when the roll-over airbag 10 is deflated and allows substantially uniform expansion of the roll-over airbag 10 during inflation.
54 Citations
4 Claims
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1. A roll-over airbag for an automobile self-inflating restraint system, said roll-over airbag comprising:
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a first woven fabric panel having a perimeter of a pre-selected length, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid; a second woven fabric panel perimetrically bonded to said first fabric panel, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid; at least one port opening provided in said first fabric panel for connecting said roll-over airbag to an inflator to allow communication of an expansion fluid from the inflator to said roll-over airbag; a reinforced perimeter seal of said preselected length, wherein said reinforced perimeter seal is reinforced by at least one securement member disposed proximate said perimeter, wherein each said at least one securement member has an upper portion bonded to said first fabric panel and a lower portion bonded to said second fabric panel thereby distributing stress associated with expansion of said roll-over airbag over a larger surface area such that a tear stress is transformed by said at least one securement member into a shear stress; and at least one tether disposed within said airbag for limiting displacement of said first and second fabric panels from one another, wherein said at least one tether is defined by at least a two-ply member defining a I-shaped cross section and having a first end bonded to said first fabric panel and a second end bonded to said second fabric panel and defining concave edge portions.
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2. A roll-over airbag for an automobile self-inflating restraint system, said roll-over airbag comprising:
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a first woven fabric panel having a perimeter of a pre-selected length, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid; a second woven fabric panel perimetrically bonded to said first fabric panel, said woven fabric incorporating a weldable coating so as to be impervious to an expansion fluid; at least one port opening provided in said first fabric panel for connecting said roll-over airbag to an inflator to allow communication of an expansion fluid from the inflator to said roll-over airbag; a reinforced perimeter seal of said preselected length, wherein said reinforced perimeter seal is reinforced by at least one securement member disposed proximate said perimeter, wherein each said at least one securement member has an upper portion bonded to said first fabric panel and a lower portion bonded to said second fabric panel thereby distributing stress associated with expansion of said roll-over airbag over a larger surface area such that tear stress is transformed by said at least one securement member into a shear stress; and at least one tether defined by a first fabric member having a folded portion and a cooperating second fabric member having a folded portion, said folded portion of said first fabric member being secured to said folded portion of said second fabric member by a securement member, wherein said folded portions of said first and second fabric members have a first preselected width and said securement member has a second preselected width, said first preselected width being greater than said second preselected width.
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3. A roll-over airbag for an automobile self-inflating restraint system, said roll-over airbag comprising:
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a first fabric panel having a perimeter of a pre-selected length; a second fabric panel perimetrically bonded to said first fabric panel; at least one port opening provided in said first fabric panel for connecting said roll-over airbag to an inflator to allow communication of an expansion fluid from the inflator to said roll-over airbag; at least one securement member disposed proximate said perimeter, each said at least one securement member having an upper portion bonded to said first fabric panel and a lower portion bonded to said second fabric panel thereby distributing stress associated with expansion of said roll-over airbag over a larger surface area; and a passageway disposed through said roll-over airbag whereby a seatbelt can pass through said roll-over airbag, said passageway being defined by a first opening provided in said first fabric panel, a second opening in said second panel in register with said first opening, and an expandable, pleated channel member in register with said first and said second opening, said expandable channel member having a first end bonded to said first fabric panel and a second end bonded to said second fabric panel, whereby an expandable through opening is provided in said roll-over airbag for allowing passage of a seatbelt therethrough and whereby said through opening allows uniform displacement of said first fabric panel from said second fabric panel during inflation of said roll-over airbag. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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Specification