Passenger seat air bag system

• US 6,299,202 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazumasa, Kuriyama, Yuji, Okada, Yasushi, Hirano, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/472,899
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 280/732, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/732
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• 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 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

In a passenger seat air bag system, when inflating gas is made to flow through a gas inlet into an air bag folded, received and fixed in a case in order to unfold and inflate the air bag, the air bag opens a door disposed in an instrument panel, projects therefrom, and inflates toward the rear side of a vehicle. A cover portion of a flow control cloth is provided inside the air bag so as to cover the gas inlet so that the cover portion closes the opposite sides of the gas inlet in the right/left direction of the vehicle while the cover portion leaves the opposite sides of the gas inlet in the front/rear direction of the vehicle open. The cover portion of the flow control cloth is disposed so that its center in the front/rear direction of the vehicle is shifted from the center of the gas inlet toward the rear side of the vehicle. The air bag is folded, received and fixed in the case so that its ceiling wall portion opposite to the gas inlet is disposed close to the gas inlet, while the air bag is transversely folded so that its front and rear edges are disposed close the vicinity of the center, and while the air bag is longitudinally folded so that its left and right edges are disposed close to the vicinity of the center. The front portion of the air bag is folded in the form of bellows in the state where the front edge is folded back on the ceiling wall portion side so as to lap over the ceiling wall portion when the air bag is folded transversely.

Claims

1. A passenger seat air bag system comprising:

a case received in an instrument panel disposed under a wind shield of a vehicle;

a door formed as a portion of a top surface of said instrument panel in an upper portion of said case; and

a folded air bag received and fixed in said case,

wherein, when inflating gas flows into said air bag through a gas inlet of said air bag, said air bag is unfolded and inflated to open said door so that said air bag projects from said door and expands toward a rear side of said vehicle along said wind shield,

wherein said air bag comprises;

a ceiling wall portion opposite to said gas inlet;

front and rear edges located on front and rear sides of said vehicle; and

left and right edges located on left and right sides of said vehicle,

wherein, before said air bag is unfolded, said air bag is folded so that said ceiling wall portion is disposed close to said gas inlet, while said air bag is transversely folded so that said front and rear edges are disposed close to each other near a center of said air bag in front/rear direction of said vehicle, while said air bag is longitudinally folded so that said left and right edges are made close to each other near the center of said air bag in the right/left direction of said vehicle, and

wherein a front portion of said air bag is folded in a form of bellows in a state where said front edge is folded to lap over said ceiling wall portion.

2. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 1, wherein a rear portion of said air bag is folded to roll inward.

3. A passenger seat air bag system comprising:

a case received in an instrument panel of a vehicle;

a door formed as a portion of a top surface of said instrument panel in an upper portion of said case; and

a folded air bag received and fixed in said case,

wherein, when inflating gas flows into said air bag through a gas inlet of said air bag, said air bag is unfolded and inflated to open said door so that said air bag projects from said door, and expands toward a rear side of said vehicle,

wherein said air bag comprises;

an air bag main body having said gas inlet; and

a flow control cloth attached to an inside of said air bag main body so as to cover said gas inlet in a condition that said flow control cloth closes opposite sides of said gas inlet in right/left direction of said vehicle while said flow control cloth leaves opposite sides of said gas inlet in front/rear direction of said vehicle opened, and said flow control cloth being disposed so that a center of said flow control cloth in the front/rear direction of said vehicle is shifted from a center of said gas inlet in the front/rear direction of said vehicle toward the rear side of said vehicle.

4. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 3, wherein the center of said flow control cloth is disposed so as to be shifted within a range where a front edge of said flow control cloth is disposed in a more forward side of said vehicle than a front edge of said gas inlet.

5. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 3, wherein a front edge of said flow control cloth is disposed in a more forward side of said vehicle than a front edge of said gas inlet.

6. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 3, wherein said flow control cloth has a tapered shape which is open outside on the front side of said vehicle.

7. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 3, wherein a front edge of said flow control cloth is formed so as to be longer than a rear edge thereof.

8. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 3, wherein front and rear openings are defined by said air bag main body and said flow control cloth so that said front opening is wider than said rear opening.

9. A passenger seat air bag system comprising:

a case received in an instrument panel disposed under a wind shield of a vehicle;

a door formed as a portion of a top surface of said instrument panel in an upper portion of said case; and

a folded air bag received and fixed in said case,

wherein, when inflating gas flows into said air bag through a gas inlet of said air bag, said air bag is unfolded and inflated to open said door so that said air bag projects from said door, and expands toward a rear side of said vehicle along said wind shield;

wherein said air bag comprises;

a ceiling wall portion opposite to said gas inlet;

front and rear edges located on front and rear sides of said vehicle;

left and right edges located on left and right sides of said vehicle; and

a flow control cloth attached to an inside of an air bag main body so as to cover said gas inlet in a condition that said flow control cloth closes opposite sides of said gas inlet in right/left direction of said vehicle while said flow control cloth leaves opposite sides of said gas inlet in front/rear direction of said vehicle opened, said flow control cloth being disposed so that a center of said flow control cloth in the front/rear direction of said vehicle is shifted from a center of said gas inlet in the front/rear direction of said vehicle toward the rear side of said vehicle,

wherein before said air bag is unfolded, said air bag is folded so that said ceiling wall portion is disposed close to said gas inlet, while said air bag is transversely folded so that said front and rear edges are disposed close to each other near the center of said air bag in the front/rear direction of said vehicle, and while said air bag is longitudinally folded so that said left and right edges are disposed close to each other near the center of air bag in the right/left direction of said vehicle, and

wherein a front portion of said air bag is folded in a form of bellows in a state where said front edge is folded back to lap over said ceiling wall portion.

10. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein a rear portion of said air bag is folded to roll inward.

11. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein the center of said flow control cloth is disposed so as to be shifted within a range where a front edge of said flow control cloth is disposed in a more forward side of said vehicle than a front edge of said gas inlet.

12. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein a front edge of said flow control cloth is disposed in a more forward side of said vehicle than a front edge of said gas inlet.

13. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein said flow control cloth has a tapered shape which is open outside on the front side of said vehicle.

14. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein a front edge of said flow control cloth is formed so as to be longer than a rear edge thereof.

15. A passenger seat air bag system according to claim 9, wherein front and rear openings are defined by said air bag main body and said flow control cloth so that said front opening is wider than said rear opening.