Controlling deployment of air-bag body of head-protection air-bag device

• US 6,386,581 B1
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohno, Mitsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Lanna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US09/734,736
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/737, 280/730.2, 701/45, 180/282
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/268 using instantaneous release of stored pressurised gas B60R21/26005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling deployment of an air-bag body of a head-protection air-bag device, in which the internal-pressure retention time can be increased in the case of the rollover of a vehicle without increasing the bulk of the air-bag body in the non-operational state. When rollover of a vehicle is detected by a rollover sensor, only a squib is actuated by the output of a control circuit. As a result, a firing pin pierces through a burst disk, so that a compressed gas that is not heated and pressurized by a gas-heating agent flows through a small-diameter portion and a diffuser into an air-bag body. Accordingly, in the case of the rollover, an internal pressure of the air-bag body has a lower peak value and reaches the peak value for a longer time compared with the side collision case.

Claims

1. A method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body of a head-protection air-bag device, said method comprising:

providing the air-bag along a side of a vehicle compartment, the air-bag body being deployable and inflatable by a gas injected from at least one inflator actuated in response to a detection signal; and

injecting gas from the at least one inflator at one of a first pressure and a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure, wherein the first pressure is provided when said detection signal is a side collision signal, and the second pressure is provided when said detection signal is a rollover signal.

2. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, wherein a time for an internal pressure of the air-bag body to reach a peak value by the injected gas from the at least one inflator when rollover is detected is larger than a time for an internal pressure of the air-bag body to reach a peak value by the injected gas from the at least one inflator when side collision is detected.

3. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inflator is capable of changing the pressure of the gas injected therefrom in multiple stages.

4. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 3, further comprising:

providing the inflator with a portion filled with a compressed gas and a heater for hearing the compressed gas,

wherein the inflation by the inflator actuates the heater to inject the compressed gas when side collision is detected, and

wherein the inflation by the inflator injects the compressed gas without actuating the heater when rollover is detected.

5. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing the head-protection air-bag device with a plurality of inflators,

wherein a number of inflators to be actuated when side collision is detected is more than the number of inflators to be actuated when rollover is detected.

6. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of inflators have different output characteristics from each other.

7. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, wherein the air-bag body is shaped to protect heads of occupants in front and rear seats of a vehicle.

8. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 7, wherein the inflator is comprised of a front inflator for injecting a gas into the air-bag body from front of the vehicle and a rear inflator for injecting a gas into the air-bag body from rear of the vehicle, and

wherein an output of the front inflator is set to be higher than that of the rear inflator.

9. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 8, wherein the front and rear inflators are substantially simultaneously actuated when the side collision is detected, and

wherein only one of the front inflator and the rear inflator is actuated when the rollover is detected.

10. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, wherein the air-bag body is shaped to protect heads of occupants in front, second-row and third-row seats of a vehicle.

11. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 1, wherein the side collision signal is detected by a side collision sensor and the rollover signal is detected by a rollover sensor.

12. A method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body of a head-protection air-bag device, said method comprising:

providing the air-bag body along a side of a vehicle compartment, the air-bag body being deployable and inflatable by a gas injected from at least one inflator actuated in response to a detection signal;

providing a first time and a second time that is more than the first time for an internal pressure of the air-bag body to reach a peak-value by the injected gas from the at least one inflator, wherein the first time is provided when the detection signal is a side collision signal and the second time is provided when the detection signal is a rollover signal.

13. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, wherein the at least one inflator is capable of changing a time for a pressure of the gas injected from the at least one inflator to reach a peak value.

14. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing the inflator with a portion filled with a compressed gas and a heater for heating the compressed gas,

wherein the inflation by the inflator actuates the heater simultaneously with starting injection of the compressed gas when side collision is detected, and

wherein the inflation by the inflator actuates the heater at a predetermined time interval from starting injection of the compressed gas when rollover is detected.

15. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing the head-protection air-bag device with a plurality of inflators.

wherein at least one of the plurality of inflators is actuated at a timing different from that of the remainder of the inflators when rollover is detected.

16. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 15, further comprising:

providing the head-protection air-bag device with a plurality of inflators,

wherein first and second inflators are simultaneously actuated when side collision is detected, and

wherein the second inflator is actuated at a predetermined time interval from actuation of the first inflator when rollover is detected.

17. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 16, wherein the first and second inflators have different output characteristics from each other.

18. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, wherein the air-bag body is shaped to protect heads of occupants in front and rear seats of a vehicle.

19. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 18, wherein the inflator is comprised of a front inflator for injecting a gas into the air-bag body from front of the vehicle and a rear inflator for injecting a gas into the air-bag body from rear of the vehicle, and

wherein an output of the front inflator is set to be higher than that of the rear inflator.

20. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 19, wherein the front and rear inflators are substantially simultaneously actuated when the side collision is detected, and

wherein the other of the front and rear inflators is actuated at a predetermined time interval from actuation of one of the front and rear inflators when the rollover is detected.

21. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, wherein the air-bag body is shaped to protect heads of occupants in front, second-row and third-row seats of a vehicle.

22. The method for controlling deployment of an air-bag body according to claim 12, wherein the side collision signal is detected by a side collision sensor and the rollover signal is detected by a rollover sensor.

23. A head-protection air-bag device having an air-bag body, comprising:

at least one inflator for holding gas and that injects gas to the air-bag body;

a side-collision sensor that detects side collision of the vehicle;

a rollover sensor that detects rollover of the vehicle; and

a control circuit operatively connected to the at least one inflator and the side-collision sensor for causing the at least one inflator to inject gas at of a first pressure or a second pressure lower than the first pressure from the inflator, wherein the first pressure is provided when the side-collision sensor detects a side collision, and wherein the second pressure is provided when the rollover sensor detects a rollover.

24. A head-protection air-bag device having an air-bag body, comprising:

at least one inflator for holding gas and that injects gas to the air-bag body;

a side-collision sensor that detects side collision of the vehicle;

a rollover sensor that detects rollover of the vehicle; and

a control circuit operatively connected to the at least one inflator, the side-collision sensor and the rollover sensor, wherein a first time for an internal pressure of the air-bag body to reach a peak value by the injected gas from the at least one inflator when the side-collision sensor detects side collision is less than a second time for an internal pressure of the air-bag body to reach a peak value by the injected gas from the at least one inflator when the rollover sensor detects rollover.