Dual volume air bag with vent

• US 6,428,042 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Fischer, Kurt F., Bauer, John G., Turnbull, Roy C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Lanna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US09/756,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 280/742, 280/728.1, 280/729, 280/739, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/739
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• 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 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (10) comprises flexible material defining an inflation fluid volume (42) for receiving inflation fluid. The material includes a first panel portion (30) on which is located a set of first points (A-D) and a second panel portion (40) on which is located a set of second points (A′-D′). A rupturable stitching section (50) holds the set of first points (A-D) closely adjacent the set of second points (A′-D′)when the device (10) is in the deflated condition and when the device is in a partially inflated condition. The rupturable stitching section (50) is rupturable in response to the application of a force greater than a predetermined force in response to inflation of the protection device (10). Rupturing of the stitching section (50) enables movement of the first panel portion (30) away from the second panel portion (40).

Claims

1. An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said device being inflatable from a deflated condition through a partially inflated condition to a fully inflated condition by inflation fluid from an inflation fluid source, said device comprising:

flexible material defining an inflation fluid volume for receiving inflation fluid, said material including a first panel portion on which is located a set of first points and a second panel portion on which is located a set of second points;

a rupturable stitching section holding said set of first points closely adjacent said set of second points when said device is in the deflated condition and when said device is in the partially inflated condition;

said rupturable stitching section being rupturable in response to the application of a force greater than a predetermined force in response to inflation of said protection device to enable movement of said first panel portion away from said second panel portion thereby to enable movement of said device from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition;

all of said first points on said first panel portion moving away from all of said second points on said second panel portion when said rupturable stitching section ruptures and said device moves from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition; and

said device including a vent in said material for discharging inflation fluid from said device, said vent being blocked from fluid flow through said vent when said rupturable stitching section is not ruptured and said device is in the partially inflated condition, said vent opening to an open condition to permit flow of pressurized fluid from said device through said vent in response to rupturing of said rupturable stitching section and movement of said device from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition;

said device having a cylindrical configuration including a center panel and first and second side panels, said first portion of said material being said first side panel of said device, said vent being located on said first side panel, said second portion of said material being a selected one of said center panel and said second side panel of said device, said rupturable stitching section extending through said first side panel and through said selected one of said center panel and said second side panel of said device, said rupturable stitching section extending around and enclosing said vent.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second portion of said material is said second side panel of said device, said rupturable stitching section extending through said first side panel and through said second side panel of said device.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second portion of said material is said center panel of said device, said rupturable stitching section extending through said first side panel and through said center panel of said device.

4. An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said device being inflatable from a deflated condition through a partially inflated condition to a fully inflated condition by inflation fluid from an inflation fluid source, said device comprising:

flexible material defining an inflation fluid volume for receiving inflation fluid, said material including a first panel portion on which is located a set of first points and a second panel portion on which is located a set of second points;

a rupturable stitching section holding said set of first points closely adjacent said set of second points when said device is in the deflated condition and when said device is in the partially inflated condition;

said rupturable stitching section being rupturable in response to the application of a force greater than a predetermined force in response to inflation of said protection device to enable movement of said first panel portion away from said second panel portion thereby to enable movement of said device from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition;

all of said first points on said first panel portion moving away from all of said second points on said second panel portion when said rupturable stitching section ruptures and said device moves from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition; and

said device including a vent in said material for discharging inflation fluid from said device, said vent being blocked from fluid flow through said vent when said rupturable stitching section is not ruptured and said device is in the partially inflated condition, said vent opening to an open condition to permit flow of pressurized fluid from said device through said vent in response to rupturing of said rupturable stitching section and movement of said device from the partially inflated condition to the fully inflated condition;

each one of said first points being directly on top of a corresponding one of said second points when said device is in the deflated condition and when said device is in the partially inflated condition, and wherein the distance between each pair of corresponding first and second points is substantially the same as the distance between each other pair of corresponding first and second points directly on top of each other when said device is in the fully inflated condition.

5. A protection device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said set of first points defines a closed plane figure.

6. A protection device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said set of second points defines a closed plane figure substantially identical to the closed plane figure defined by said set of first points.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said vent has a circular configuration and said rupturable stitching section has a circular configuration extending around and enclosing said vent.