Mounting structure for use with a head-protecting airbag body

• US 6,254,123 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Kenichi, Saito, Etsuji, Furukawa, Yoshiharu, Ishiyama, Hiroshi, Chida, Minoru, Urushi, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US09/363,390
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/749
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars

Abstract

A structure for mounting a head-protecting airbag body which inflates in the form of a curtain at least along a roof side rail across a B pillar is provided with an airbag body expansion direction restricting member which is disposed on the roof side rail in the vicinity of a upper end portion of a B pillar garnish covering the B pillar and has a guide wall extending toward the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish, and moving restricting portions which are disposed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and the airbag body expansion direction restricting member and engage each other when a side collision occurs so as to restrict movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish. When a vehicle body is deformed upon a slide collision, the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish attempts to move in a vehicle occupant compartment inner direction. However, when the movement restricting means disposed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and airbag body expansion direction restricting means engage each other, the movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish in a vehicle occupant compartment inner direction is restricted, so that the airbag body during inflation is never caught by the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish.

Claims

1. A mounting structure for use with a head-protecting airbag body in a vehicle having a roof side rail and a B pillar, wherein the airbag body is inflatable at least along the roof side rail and across the B pillar, the mounting structure comprising:

a B pillar garnish mountable to the B pillar for covering the B pillar, the B pillar garnish having an upper end portion; and

catch preventing means for, even when a position of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish moves inwardly relative to the vehicle during a side collision of the vehicle, preventing the airbag body from being caught on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish.

2. A mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the catch preventing means comprises airbag body expansion direction restricting means mountable on the roof side rail in a vicinity of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and having a guide wall extending toward the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish;

and

movement restricting means disposed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and by engaging each other upon a side collision, restricting movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish in a transverse inner direction relative to the vehicle.

3. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging protrusion formed so as to protrude on one of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the other thereof.

4. A mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle occupant compartment and the catch preventing means further comprises an airbag body link means for moving the airbag body in an inner direction relative to the vehicle occupant compartment, in linkage with a movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish upon a side collision.

5. A mounting structure according to claim 4, wherein the airbag body link means is a plate disposed at the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and comprising a guide wall for guiding the airbag body in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction and an extending portion for scrawling over the airbag body from an outer side of the vehicle occupant compartment.

6. A mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle occupant compartment and the catch preventing means comprises airbag body expansion direction restricting means mountable on the roof side rail in a vicinity of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and having a guide wall extending toward the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and guide wall link means for moving the guide wall of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means in an inner direction relative to the vehicle occupant compartment, in linkage with movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction upon a side collision.

7. A mounting structure according to claim 6, wherein the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is mount able to the roof side rail so as to be deformable in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction.

8. A mounting structure according to claim 6, wherein the guide wall of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is deformable in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction.

9. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging protrusion formed on one of the B pillar garnish upper end portion and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the other, which the engaging protrusions engages, and the engaging protrusion has a tapered face so that the width of a distal end thereof is smaller than the width of a proximal portion thereof, the engaging protrusion being caught by the engaging hole via the tapered face.

10. A mounting structure according to claim 6, wherein the guide wall link means comprises an engaging protrusion formed on one of the B pillar garnish upper end portion and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the other, which the engaging protrusions engages, and the engaging protrusion has a tapered face so that the width of a distal end thereof is smaller than the width of a proximal portion thereof, the engaging protrusion being caught by the engaging hole via the tapered face.

11. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging protrusion formed on one of the B pillar garnish upper end portion and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the other, which the engaging protrusion engages, and the engaging protrusion has a tapered face so that the width of a front end thereof is smaller than the width of a root thereof, the engaging protrusion being formed in such shape that an engaging groove is formed at a proximal portion thereof.

12. A mounting structure according to claim 6, wherein the guide wall link means comprises an engaging protrusion formed on one of the B pillar garnish upper end portion and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the other, which the engaging protrusion engages, and the engaging protrusion has a tapered face so that the width of a front end thereof is smaller than the width of a root thereof, the engaging protrusion being formed in such a shape that an engaging groove is formed at a proximal portion thereof.

13. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging protrusion formed so as to protrude on the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the B pillar garnish upper end portion and a brittle portion is formed on the airbag body expansion direction restricting means, so that when the airbag body inflates, the guide wall of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is deformed downward with the brittle portion as a beginning point, thereby engaging the engaging protrusion in the engaging hole.

14. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging plate having an engaging protrusion movable downward relative to the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the B pillar garnish upper end portion, and the engaging plate is moved downward by an inflation force of the airbag body, thereby engaging the engaging protrusion in the engaging hole.

15. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the movement restricting means comprises an engaging protrusion formed so as to protrude on the airbag body expansion direction restricting means and an engaging hole formed on the B pillar garnish upper end portion, and the guide wall of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is slidable by a predetermined amount in a vertical direction.

16. A mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the B pillar includes an inner panel, and the vehicle includes a compartment for vehicle occupants, the catch preventing means comprising a concave bottom portion formed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and coming into contact with the inner panel of the B pillar;

an assist grip for a vehicle occupant in which a mounting portion of the assist group inserted in the concave portion is fasten able to the inner panel of the B pillar by tightening means; and

a terminal portion of a vehicle transverse direction outer portion.

17. A mounting structure according to claim 16, wherein the assist grip includes a top face opposing the airbag body, the top face being a guide surface inclined downwardly inward of relative to the vehicle occupant compartment.

18. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is formed by an elongated plate member having a generally L-shaped section.

19. A mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is disposed in a region opposed to the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish.

20. A mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein the guide portion has a bellows portion, and the bellows portion is stretched so that the guide wall is deformed.

21. A mounting structure according to claim 7, wherein the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is mount able at two points spaced from each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction on the roof side rail, the two points being movable towards each other so that the airbag body expansion direction restricting means is bent in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction.

22. A mounting structure according to claim 13, wherein the brittle portion includes a cutaway portion formed on the guide wall.

28. A mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the catch preventing means includes an airbag body link means having a region which substantially encompasses a vehicle outer side surface of the airbag body, and said airbag body link means moves the airbag body toward a vehicle interior in linkage with movement of an upper end portion of a B pillar garnish toward the vehicle interior at a time of a side collision.

23. A mounting structure for use with a head-protecting airbag body in a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle occupant compartment, a roof side rail and a B pillar, wherein the airbag body is inflatable at least along the roof side rail and across the B pillar, the mounting structure comprising:

a B pillar garnish mountable to the B pillar for covering the B pillar, the B pillar, garnish having an upper end portion;

airbag body expansion direction restricting means mountable on the roof side rail close to the, upper end portion of the B pillar garnish when the B pillar garnish is mounted to the B pillar, a longitudinal direction of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means extending generally perpendicularly to the B pillar, and having a guide wall extending to the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and a vertical wall generally perpendicular to the guide wall; and

movement restricting means disposed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means, which is placed in an engagement state in a vehicle side collision to restrict movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish in an inner direction relative to the vehicle occupant compartment.

24. A mounting structure according to claim 23, wherein the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish includes a different member fixed to the B pillar garnish, the movement restricting means including an engaging protrusion projecting from one of the different member and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means, and an engaging hole formed on the other, and the different member comprises a metal.

25. A mounting structure for use with a head-protecting airbag body in a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle occupant compartment, a roof side rail and a B pillar, wherein the airbag body is inflatable at least along the roof side rail and across the B pillar, the mounting structure comprising:

a B pillar garnish mountable to the B pillar for covering the B pillar, the B pillar garnish having an upper end portion;

airbag body expansion direction restricting means on the roof side rail close to the upper end portion of B pillar garnish when the B pillar garnish is mounted to the B pillar, a longitudinal direction of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means extending generally perpendicularly to the B pillar, and having a guide wall extending to the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and a vertical wall generally perpendicular to the guide wall; and

guide wall link means for moving the guide wall of the airbag body expansion direction restricting means in an inner direction relative to the vehicle occupant compartment in linkage with movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction upon a side collision.

26. A mounting structure according to claim 25, wherein the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish includes a different member fixed to the B pillar garnish, a movement restricting means including an engaging protrusion projecting from one of the different member and the airbag body expansion direction restricting means, and an engaging hole formed on the other, and the different member comprising a metal.

27. A mounting structure according to claim 25, wherein the guide wall has a bellows portion, and the bellows portion is stretched so that the guide wall is deformed in the vehicle occupant compartment inner direction.