Air bag for side air bag device

• US 6,129,377 A
• Filed: 07/07/1998
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanase, Toshinori, Kondo, Shinji, Nakamura, Eisiti, Terazawa, Choko, Ochiai, Yasuo, Yamamoto, Takashi, Kubota, Yasushi, Nakajima, Hiroki, Miura, Shuji, Fujiwara, Hideyuki, Okumura, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US09/101,721
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2375 Folding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An air bag (11) for a side air bag device capable of reducing the size and weight of the device (M1) while retaining a tension line (L--L) when expanded is mounted on the peripheral edge of a door opening (W) at the inside of a compartment, and is formed into a generally rectangular bag shape for covering the door opening when expanded, while being equipped with a gas inlet (19) for introducing an expanding gas. The air bag is provided with joints (22) jointing an inner side wall (12) and an outer side wall (13) partially so as to form a tension line L--L when expanded. The individual joints (22) are juxtaposed in plurality along the tension line so as to cross the tension line, and are arranged generally at vertically middle portions so as to form one expansion chamber (18) having upper and lower spaces (18a and 18b) for the expanding gas to flow therethrough.

Claims

1. An air bag for a side air bag device adapted to be mounted on the peripheral edge of a door opening inside of the compartment of a vehicular body, comprising:

an air bag having a generally rectangular bag shape having a gas inlet for introducing an inflating gas so as to cover said door opening when inflated, and a tensing joint partially jointing an inner side wall and an outer side wall is arranged to form a tension line for establishing a tension from a lower side to an obliquely upper side of said door opening peripheral edge at the time of expansion,

such that a plurality of said tensing joints are juxtaposed along the direction of said tension line so as to cross said tension line,

such that said individual tensing joints are arranged generally at vertical middle portions so as to form one expansion chamber having upper and lower spaces for said inflating gas to flow therethrough, and

such that said individual tensing joints are shaped to have curved bulges bulging toward said gas inlet.

2. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said individual tensing joints have recesses at the side opposed to said gas inlet so as to be recessed toward said gas inlet.

3. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, characterized in that a joint arranged at the peripheral edge for forming said expansion chamber and said individual joints for establishing said tension are formed by stitching said inner side wall and said outer side wall.

4. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, characterized in that a joint arranged at the peripheral edge for forming said expansion chamber and said individual joints for establishing said tension are formed by stitching said inner side wall and said outer side wall together with a sheet material having elasticity disposed between said inner side wall and said outer wall.

5. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said individual tensing joints are formed by stitching said inner side wall and said outer side wall into a closed loop.

6. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, such that a joint arranged at the peripheral edge for forming said expansion chamber and said individual joints for establishing said tension are formed by adhering said inner side wall and said outer side wall.

7. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that a front side fixed point is set under a front pillar, whereas a rear side fixed point is set in a roof side rail near a quarter pillar.

8. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said air bag is so arranged that its expansion area includes when inflated, a portion of a center pillar so as to be supported by said center pillar when inflated.

9. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that a front side fixed point is set under a front pillar, whereas a rear side fixed point is set under a quarter pillar.

10. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that a front side fixed point is set under a front pillar.

11. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that a strap for jointing said inner side wall and said outer side wall to each other is arranged between said joints at the side of said gas inlet and a gas outlet.

12. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 11, characterized in that said strap is arranged to have a width direction generally at a right angle with respect to the inflow direction of said expanding gas from said gas inlet.

13. An air bag for a side air bag device adapted to be mounted on the peripheral edge of a door opening inside of the compartment of a vehicular body, comprising:

an air bag having a generally rectangular bag shape having a gas inlet for introducing an inflating gas so as to cover said door opening when inflated, and having a tensing joint partially jointing an inner side wall and an outer side wall is arranged to form a tension line for establishing a tension at the time of expansion,

such that a plurality of said tensing joints are juxtaposed along the direction of said tension line so as to cross said tension line,

such that said individual tension joints are arranged generally at vertical middle portions so as to form one expansion

such that said air bag is so arranged that its expansion area includes, when inflated, a portion of a center pillar so as to be supported by said center pillar when expanded, and

such that said portion to be supported by the center pillar at the time of inflation is expanded such that said portion is thicker than the remaining ordinary expansion thickness.

14. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 13, characterized in that the expansion to be supported by said center pillar at the time of expansion is formed such that a gap between the adjoining joints is set to be larger than that of the adjoining joints in the remaining ordinary expansion portions.

15. A side air bag device for installation in a vehicular body, comprising:

an air bag having an inner wall and an outer wall adapted to be mounted on a peripheral edge of a door opening on an inside of the vehicular body, and folded and accommodated along a roof side rail such that said air bag is capable of inflating to cover the door opening;

wherein said air bag includes an upper side mounted on said roof side rail of said vehicular body and a lower side extending in a front and a rear of the air bag and arranged to face said upper side and a free end of the air bag;

wherein a plurality of joints joint the inner wall and the outer wall in a position between said upper side and said lower side and restrict expansion of said air bag, said plurality of joints divide said upper side from said lower side;

wherein an upper space for an inflating gas to flow therethrough is defined in said upper side; and

wherein the air bag is folded in a bellows shape with said inner wall and said outer wall collapsed together and overlapping each other such that folded overlapping faces are generally at a right angle with respect to a door inside face of said vehicular body.

16. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that the expansion chamber of said air bag is manufactured by folding one cloth material and by jointing the peripheral edges of said cloth material excepting the creases thereof such that the creases of the cloth material at the time of forming said expansion chamber are arranged at the portions which are to be folded into the belows shape at the time of accommodation.

17. A side air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 15 or 17, a projecting side joint in the peripheral edge of the cloth material for forming the expansion chamber is arranged to be cross folded in an overlapping direction when accommodated in said side air bag device.

18. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, characterized:

in that said air bag is formed, when expanded, into a parallelogram bag shape having two sides of an upper side having mounting members to be mounted on the peripheral edge of the opening inside of the compartment, and an oblique side leading at an obtuse angle obliquely downward from said upper side; and

in that said air bag is folded and accommodated to have creases in parallel with said upper side and to overlap said upper side at a right angle.

19. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that said air bag is accommodated in a case to be fastened together on said body.

20. An air bag for a side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that said air bag is wrapped, when accommodated, in a folded state.

21. The side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, wherein said joints are severally and linearly formed so as to extend in an up and down direction of said airbag and in a direction extending from the front to the rear of the airbag, such that a tension is established in said air bag when the air bag expands.

22. The side air bag device as set forth in claim 15, wherein said air bag defines a lower space for the expanding gas to flow therethrough, said lower space being defined in said lower side of said air bag.

23. A side air bag device for installation in a vehicular body, comprising:

an air bag having an inner wall and an outer wall adapted to be mounted on a peripheral edge of a door opening on an inside of the vehicular body, and folded and accommodated along a roof side rail such that said air bag is capable of expanding to cover the door opening;

wherein said air bag includes an upper side mounted on said roof side rail of said vehicular body and a lower side extending in a front and a rear of the air bag and arranged to face said upper side and a free end of the air bag;

wherein a plurality of joints join the inner wall and the outer wall in a position between said upper side and said lower side and restrict expansion of said air bag, said plurality of joints divide said upper side from said lower side;

wherein a lower space for an inflating gas to flow therethrough is defined in said lower side; and

wherein the air bag is folded in a bellows shape with said inner wall and said outer wall collapsed together and overlapping each other such that folded overlapping faces are generally at a right angle with respect to a door inside face of said vehicular body.

24. The side air bag device as set forth in claim 23, wherein said joints are severally and linearly formed so as to extend in an up and down direction of said airbag and in a direction extending from the front to the rear of the airbag, such that a tension is established in said air bag when the air bag expands.

25. A side air bag device for installation in a vehicular body, comprising:

an air bag having an inner wall and an outer wall adapted to be mounted on a peripheral edge of a door opening on an inside of the vehicular body, and folded and accommodated along a roof side rail such that said air bag is capable of expanding to cover the door opening;

wherein said air bag includes an upper side mounted on said roof side rail of said vehicular body and a lower side extending in a front and a rear of the air bag and arranged to face said upper side and a free end of the air bag;

wherein a plurality of joints join the inner wall and the outer wall in a position between said upper side and said lower side and restrict expansion of said air bag, said plurality of joints divide said upper side from said lower side;

wherein an upper space for an inflating gas to flow therethrough is defined in said upper side of said air bag and a lower space for said inflating gas to flow therethrough is defined in said lower side; and

wherein the air bag is folded in a bellows shape with said inner wall and said outer wall collapsed together and overlapping each other such that folded overlapping faces are generally at a right angle with respect to a door inside face.

26. The side air bag device as set forth in claim 25, wherein said joints are severally and linearly formed so as to extend in an up and down direction of said airbag and in a direction extending from the front to the rear of the airbag, such that a tension is established in said air bag when the air bag expands.