Gas bag

• US 6,273,456 B1
• Filed: 08/20/1999
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Heigl, Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAPER, DEANN L
• Application Number:
  US09/378,423
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.1, 280/729, 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/742, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23123 Heat protection panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23547 one piece weaving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2617 Curtain bag nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/08 Arched, corrugated, or like fabrics

Abstract

A gas bag has several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag, adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving, and an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region. The interwoven region provided for separating chambers has opposite ends and terminates at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag. The interwoven region runs out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at the end terminating at a distance from the outer periphery.

Claims

1. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, with

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

with an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

with several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region, wherein said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends and terminates at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag, and

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery.

2. The gas bag according to claim 1, wherein said interwoven region for separating chambers terminates at a distance from an lower part of the outer periphery so that an overflow channel exists at the lower edge of said gas bag.

3. The gas bag according to claim 1, wherein said interwoven region separating said adjacent chambers runs obliquely to warp and weft threads of said fabric layers.

4. The gas bag according to claim 3, wherein said interwoven region provided for separating chambers runs in a linear shape.

5. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag, and

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery,

said elongated edge of the interwoven region adjoining the interior of adjacent chambers running at least in sections in an undulating shape which shape is defined by successive concave and convex portions of said edges.

6. The gas bag according to claim 5, wherein said gas bag is a side gas bag similar to a curtain, which moves in the case of restraint between an occupant and a side wall of a vehicle.

7. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag,

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery, and

at least in the region of a lower part of said outer periphery of said gas bag, the edge of said interwoven region running in an undulating shape.

8. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag,

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery, said rounding being closed peripherally.

9. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag,

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery,

said walls being interwoven with each other over the entire surface inside said rounding or said drop shape.

10. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag,

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery,

said walls being not interwoven with each other over the entire surface inside said rounding or said drop shape, and said rounding or said drop shape being defined by a peripheral line formed by interweaving.

11. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

several walls of layers of fabric, which delimit the interior of said gas bag,

adjacent walls being connected in one piece with each other by interweaving,

an outer periphery along which said walls are connected to each other by interweaving, and

several chambers which are separated from each other by the provision of an elongated, interwoven region,

said interwoven region provided for separating chambers having opposite ends terminating at least at one of said ends at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery, in order to delimit at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery of said gas bag, and

said interwoven region running out in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery,

said rounding or said drop being wider in dimension than the width of said interwoven region immediately before said end having said rounding and said drop, respectively.

12. A gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag comprising:

a plurality of fabric layers having an outer periphery, said fabric layers including adjacent layers interwoven in one piece along said outer periphery to form the interior of a gas bag, and

a plurality of chambers formed in said interior of said gas bag by at least one elongated interwoven region of said fabric layers,

said at least one interwoven region including opposite ends, at least one of said ends terminating at a distance from said interwoven outer periphery to form at least one overflow channel in the region of said outer periphery,

said at least one interwoven region separating said chambers terminating in at least one of a rounding and a drop shape at said end terminating at a distance from said outer periphery.