Air bag apparatus

• US 6,155,594 A
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inoac Corporation (Inoue Rubber Public Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Inoac Corporation (Inoue Rubber Public Company Limited), Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Iwanaga, Kentaro, Ibe, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US09/170,120
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/728.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21506 comprising tearing tabs, legs or the like for holding the lid before deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2161 the cover being displaced towards the occupant during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/216 comprising tether means for limitation of cover motion during deployment

Abstract

A garnish for housing an air bag in a folded state is mounted in such a manner as to enable the housed air bag to move from a housing position of the air bag near a frame member to a position spaced apart therefrom so as to be inflatable outwards, so that the air bag can expand toward the inside of a vehicle from a portion between the moved garnish and the frame member at the time of inflation of the air bag.

Claims

1. An air bag apparatus which absorbs the kinetic energy of an occupant of a vehicle by an air bag which is inflated and expanded by being charged with a gas, comprising:

a cover member for housing the air bag in a folded state;

a fixing element which has an enlarged head portion at one end portion thereof and which is attached to a fixing member at a vehicle body side at another end portion thereof;

hollow cylindrical holding members provided on the cover member so that the one end portion of the fixing element is movably inserted into each holding member;

a partition projecting inwards in a holding, portion of the hollow cylinder in such a manner that the partition abuts an enlarged head portion of the fixing element when the cover member is positioned for housing the air bag, and the enlarged head portion of the fixing element is disengaged from the partition when inflating force of the air bag is applied to the cover member; and

a bottom portion, projecting inwards in the holding portion of the hollow cylinder, which is brought into contact with the enlarged head portion of the fixing element when the cover member is moved to a position where the air bag is inflated outward to hold the cover member so as not to be disengaged.

2. An air bag apparatus comprising an air bag disposed between a location of an occupant of a vehicle and a side wall of a vehicle so as to inflate on a vehicle interior side of the side wall of the vehicle comprising:

a cover member for covering a side of the air bag facing the interior of the vehicle, wherein the air bag is disposed inside the side wall of the vehicle in a contracted state;

a fixing element which has an enlarged head portion at one end portion thereof and which is attached to a fixing member at a vehicle body side at another end portion thereof;

hollow cylindrical holding members provided on the cover member so that the one end portion of the fixing element is movably inserted into each holding member;

a partition projecting inwards in a holding portion of the hollow cylinder in such a manner that the partition abuts an enlarged head portion of the fixing element when the cover member is positioned for housing the air bag, and the enlarged head portion of the fixing element is disengaged from the partition when inflating force of the air bag is applied to the cover member; and

a bottom portion, projecting inwards from each of the holding members which is brought into contact with the enlarged head portion of the fixing element when the cover member is moved to a position where the air bag is inflated outward to hold the cover member so as not to be disengaged.

3. An air bag apparatus which absorbs the kinetic energy of an occupant of a vehicle having a frame member extending from a front body pillar towards a roof in an interior of the vehicle by an air bag which is inflated and expanded by being charged with a gas ejected from an inflator due to an actuation of the inflator, comprising:

a garnish arranged so as to correspond to the frame member of a vehicle and which houses the air bag in a folded state;

hollow cylindrical holding members having a bottom portion thereof in a plurality of portions of the garnish and having a partition at a position separated from the bottom portion of the hollow cylinder; and

a fixing element for penetrating the bottom portion of each holding member, the partition, and the frame member and is disposed in a fixed state where the fixing element abuts the partition and the frame member and holds the garnish in an air bag housing position where the garnish contacts the frame member, and after the garnish has been separated from the partition due to inflation and expansion of the air bag externally of the air bag housing, the fixing element abuts the bottom portion of the holding member and holds the bottom portion of each holding member and the frame member in a fixed position.

4. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the garnish has an elongated partly curved shape extending from the front body pillar to the roof and is formed having an L-shaped cross section, and is disposed so as to form together with the frame member at the vehicle body side of the front body pillar a space for housing the air bag.

5. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fixing element is a fixing bolt provided at the center of the bottom portion of each holding member.

6. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each holding member is formed in such a manner that the partition plate is integrally formed in a concentric manner from a predetermined intermediate position in a direction perpendicular to the frame member toward the inside of each holding member in an inner peripheral surface portion of each holding member.

7. An air bag apparatus which absorbs the kinetic energy of an occupant of a vehicle by an air bag which is inflated and expanded by being charged with a gas ejected from an inflator due to actuation of the inflator, comprising:

a garnish similar in shape to a frame member extending from a front body pillar towards a roof in an interior of a vehicle and which houses the air bag in a folded state;

hollow cylindrical holding members located at a plurality of portions of the garnish, each holding member having an aperture with a diameter reduced relative to the diameter of the holding member and located adjacent a side of the vehicle frame member, and a partition at a position separated from the aperture;

an assist provided with a foot portion having a bottom portion smaller than the hollow cylindrical holding member; and

a fixing element which penetrates both the frame member and the air bag thereby fixing both, and which holds the garnish in an air bag housing position where the garnish contacts the frame member, and which penetrates the partition and the bottom portion of the assist so as to hold the partition and the bottom portion of the assist at a predetermined distance from each other, and when the fixing element is caused by the inflating force of the air bag to no longer be fixed to the partition, and the garnish moves to a position where the air bag is able to expand externally of the air bag housing, then the aperture abuts the bottom portion of the assist and the fixing element holds the frame member and the aperture via the bottom portion of the assist.

8. An air bag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a thin breakable portion is formed in a connecting portion between the partition and the holding member along the whole inner periphery thereof, and an engaging hole for engaging an engaging hook of a lid for blocking an opening in the interior side of the vehicle is formed in the assist.

9. An air bag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the fixing element is a single fixing bolt for fixing the holding member to the frame member and for fixing the assist to the holding member.

10. An air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the aperture in the holding member at the side of the frame member is constituted from an aperture having a smaller diameter than the cylindrical diameter of the holding member and is formed in a stepped shape.

11. An air bag apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a convex table portion of the frame member with a through hole for inserting the fixing bolt, and wherein a housing wall portion of the frame member is continuously curved from the convex table portion, separated from the garnish and forms a space for housing the air bag having a predetermined size.

12. An air bag apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising the garnish in which foot portions at both ends of the assist are respectively fixed, the assist wholly being formed in a substantially U shape having the foot portions with free ends and a handle portion in the middle of both the foot portions which is curved and extends perpendicularly from both free ends thereof.

13. An air bag apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the fixing bolt has flange, shaft and threaded portions and the convex table portion and the air bag are held between the shaft portion of the fixing bolt and a nut meshed with the threaded portion of the bolt so as to be fixed to the frame member.

14. An air bag apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the garnish is constructed in such a manner that the flange portion of the fixing bolt is brought into contact with the bottom portion of the assist, and the holding member is supported by the frame member through the partition which contacts the bottom portion of the assist.

15. An air bag apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the partition wall has a breakable portion which is broken in a state where the holding member and the assist portion are fixed to the frame member by the fixing bolt at the time of inflation of the air bag due to an actuation of the inflator, whereby the garnish is deformed in the direction of the inside of the vehicle.

16. An air bag apparatus which absorbs the kinetic energy of an occupant of a vehicle by an air bag which is inflated and expanded by being charged with a gas ejected from an inflator due to an actuation of the inflator, comprising:

a garnish similar in shape to a frame member extending from a front body pillar towards the roof in the interior of a vehicle and which houses the air bag in a folded state;

hollow cylindrical holding members having a bottom portion thereof in a plurality of portions of the garnish;

a fixing bolt having a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion to form a stepped portion, wherein the small diameter portion of the fixing bolt penetrates the bottom portion of the holding member and the frame member so as to press and hold the air bag between the bottom portion of the holding member and the frame member by using a nut screwed onto the small diameter portion of the fixing bolt, wherein a plurality of slits are provided in the bottom portion of the holding member so that the bottom portion is broken by the inflating force of the air bag and the garnish is separated from the frame member so as to enable the air bag to expand externally.