Bag for protecting head of automobile passenger, protecting device, and automobile

• US 6,386,578 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Masuda, Yasushi, Nanbu, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US09/661,908
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• 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 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger is formed of a main path having a gas inlet, and a cushion connected to the main path and having chambers communicating with the main path to be expand as a result of gas entering into the cushion from the main path. The chambers includes an upper chamber extending along a top side in a direction of a line extending from the main path and having one end connected to the main path; a side chamber connected to the other end of the upper chamber and extending downwardly from the top side; a lower chamber extending along the bottom side of the bag and having one end connected to the side chamber; and an intermediate chamber communicating with and disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber, and separated from the side chamber. The bag can expand smoothly and the required strength is reduced as a result of preventing localized excess stress.

Claims

1. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger, comprising:

two sheets laminated together,

a main path formed between the two sheets and having a gas inlet,

a cushion formed between the two sheets and connected to the main path, said cushion including a top side to be arranged along a ceiling of the automobile, a bottom side, and chambers communicating with the main path to be expanded as a result of gas entering into the cushion from the main path, said chambers including an upper chamber extending along the top side in a direction of a line extending from the main path and having one end connected to the main path;

a side chamber connected to the other end of the upper chamber and extending downwardly from the top side;

a lower chamber extending along the bottom side of the bag and having one end connected to the side chamber; and

an intermediate chamber communicating with and disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber, and separated from the side chamber, and

first, second and third annular joining sections for partly joining the two sheets together inside the cushion to define the upper, side, lower and intermediate chambers and located at a corner between the upper and side chambers, a corner between the side and lower chambers and an end of the lower chamber away from the side chamber, respectively, each annular joining section having an annular shape.

2. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 1, wherein the bag is disposed near a corner of an automobile where a side surface and a ceiling inside the automobile intersect, said bag expanding downwardly along the side surface of the automobile as a result of gas entering from the gas inlet.

3. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 2, further comprising a front side disposed along an A pillar of the automobile, and a back side disposed along one of a C pillar and a D pillar of the automobile, said main path extending along the front side and a front portion of the top side and said gas inlet being formed in a lower portion of the front side.

4. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 3, wherein the cushion is disposed near an intermediate portion of the bag in a lateral direction so that the cushion is located near a B pillar and a back portion of a front-door window adjacent to the B pillar of the automobile.

5. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 1, further comprising curtains which do not expand by the gas, said curtains being provided between the cushion and the front side of the bag, and between the cushion and a back side of the bag, respectively.

6. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 5, wherein said bag is formed of said two sheets, at least one of the sheets having a size including the curtains, and the other of the sheets having a size at least forming the cushion.

7. A device for protecting a head of an automobile passenger, comprising:

the bag for protecting the head of an automobile passenger according to claim 1; and

an inflator connected to the gas inlet of the bag.

8. An automobile comprising:

the device for protecting the head of an automobile passenger according to claim 7.

9. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 1, further comprising outer linear joining sections for defining outer peripheries of the main path and the cushion, said first, second and third annular joining sections being located inside the outer linear joining sections.

10. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 9, further comprising fourth annular joining section formed at an end of the main path adjacent the upper chamber and located at a corner of two of the outer linear joining sections, and fifth annular joining section situated between the first and fourth annular joining sections.

11. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 10, further comprising a first linear joining section extending between the first and second annular joining sections, and a second linear joining section extending from the first linear joining section to the third annular joining section.

12. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 10, further comprising a first linear joining section extending between the third and fifth annular joining sections, a second linear joining section with a curved portion extending between the second and fifth annular joining sections, and a third linear joining section with a curved portion extending between the second and third annular joining sections.

13. A bag for protecting a head of an automobile passenger according to claim 1, wherein each of the annular joining sections is a double-ringed joining section.