Air bag device

• US 6,419,267 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Syuzo, Chiba, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US09/547,721
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/739, 280/742, 280/738, 280/731
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• 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 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

There is provided an air bag device of the present invention which allows generation of suitable reaction force which corresponds to a physical constitution of a vehicle occupant abutting against an air bag body. In the air bag device, a region of an outer air bag body pressed by the vehicle occupant abuts an inner air bag body and closes vent holes formed in the inner air bag body. Therefore, a quantity of gas flowing from the inner air bag body into a space formed between the outer air bag body and the inner air bag body can be controlled. Accordingly, the quantity of gas flowing through the vent holes into the space and further escaping from the air bag body via vent holes formed in the outer air bag body can be adjusted in accordance with a physical constitution of the vehicle occupant abutting against the air bag body.

Claims

1. An air bag device having an air bag body which expands to unfold in an interior of a vehicle, said air bag body comprising:

an outer air bag body having a low permeability contact area facing a vehicle occupant when unfolded and vent holes spaced from the contact area and communicating with an exterior of said air bag body; and

an inner air bag body having a capacity smaller than that of said outer air bag body and unfolding in an interior of said outer air bag body,

said inner air bag body being formed with a high gas permeability at a surface of the inner air bag body facing a vehicle occupant and the contact area of the outer air bag body at the time the air bag body unfolds,

wherein when the vehicle occupant abuts against said outer air bag body, a portion of the contact area of said outer air bag body pressed by the vehicle occupant abuts said inner air bag body so as to control the quantity of gas flowing from said inner air bag body into said outer air bag body and out through the vent holes.

2. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said inner air bag body is made of a cloth material having a large number of vent holes formed therein.

3. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said inner air bag body is made of a cloth material having a high gas permeability.

4. An air bag device having an air bag body which unfolds in an interior of a vehicle, said air bag body comprising:

an outer air bag body having a low permeability contact area facing a vehicle occupant when unfolded and at least one first hole spaced from the contact area; and

an inner air bag body having a capacity smaller than that of said outer air bag body and unfolding in an interior of said outer air bag body,

wherein said inner air bag body includes a plurality of second holes formed at least on a surface thereof substantially facing the contact area and a vehicle occupant at the time of unfolding the air bag body, said plurality of second holes being provided to allow communication between the interior of said inner air bag body and a space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body.

5. An air bag device according to claim 4, wherein at the time of unfolding said air bag body, in accordance with a number of said second holes closed by said outer air bag body pressed by the vehicle occupant, a quantity of gas flowing from the interior of said inner air bag body into the space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body is adjusted.

6. An air bag device according to claim 4, wherein at least said surface of said inner bag body substantially facing the vehicle occupant is air-permeable cloth.

7. An air bag device according to claim 6, wherein at the time of unfolding said air bag body, in accordance with an area of said cloth member abutted by said outer air bag body pressed by the vehicle occupant, a quantity of gas flowing from the interior of said inner air bag body into the space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body is adjusted.

8. An air bag device according to claim 4, wherein at the time of unfolding said air bag body, due to a portion of the contact area of said outer air bag body being pressed by the vehicle occupant into abutment with an abutted portion of said inner air bag body, a portion of the plurality of second holes formed on said abutted portion do not pass gas from the interior of said inner bag body to the space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer bag body.

9. An air bag device according to claim 8, wherein due to a change of an area of said abutted portion in accordance with a physical constitution of the vehicle occupant abutting said outer air bag body, a quantity of gas flowing from the interior of said inner air bag body into the space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body is adjusted.

10. An air bag device according to claim 4, wherein the first hole allows communication between a space which is formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body, and an exterior of said outer air bag body.

11. An air bag device according to claim 4, further comprising prevention means which prevents said inner air bag body from abutting the first hole formed in said outer air bag body at the time of unfolding the air bag body.

12. An air bag device according to claim 11, wherein said prevention means is formed in such a manner that one end thereof is fixed to a portion of said inner air bag body in the vicinity of the first hole at the time of unfolding said air bag body, and another end is fixed to one of an inflator for unfolding said air bag body and a portion in the vicinity of the inflator.

13. An air bag device having an air bag body which unfolds in an interior of a vehicle, said air bag body comprising:

an outer air bag body having a low permeability contact area facing a vehicle occupant when unfolded and at least a first hole spaced from the contact area; and

an inner air bag body having a capacity smaller than that of said outer air bag body and unfolding in an interior of said outer air bag body,

wherein said inner air bag body includes a coarsely woven or meshed cloth material on at least a surface thereof substantially facing the contact area and a vehicle occupant at the time of unfolding the air bag body, said coarsely woven or meshed cloth material being provided to allow gas flow between an interior of said inner air bag body and a space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body.

14. An air bag device according to claim 13, wherein at the time of unfolding said air bag body, due to a portion of the contact area of said outer air bag body being pressed by the vehicle occupant into abutment with an abutted portion of said inner air bag body, a portion of said coarsely woven or meshed material cloth does not pass a gas from the interior of said inner air bag body to the space formed between said inner air bag body and said outer air bag body.