Air bag and air bag device

• US 6,439,605 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ariyoshi, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROYAL, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/725,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/739, 280/740, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/738
• US Class Current: 280/739
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• 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

An air bag is formed of a panel portion with a gas introducing port, a partition wall situated inside the panel portion for partitioning an inside of the panel portion into a first chamber located on a front side of an automobile and a second chamber located on a rear side of the automobile, a gas passage situated between the first chamber and the second chamber, and at least one vent hole formed in the panel portion at the second chamber. An air bag device includes, in addition to the air bag, a retainer for retaining the air bag, an inflator for expanding the air bag, and a lid for covering the retainer. In case a collision speed is small or the passenger is relatively small, the passenger can be received by the air bag with a soft touch. In case the collision speed is large or the passenger is large, the passenger can be securely received by the first and second chambers.

Claims

1. An air bag comprising:

an air bag panel portion with a gas introducing port,

a partition wall situated inside the panel portion for partitioning an inside of the panel portion into a first chamber located on a front side of an automobile and having the gas introducing port, and a second chamber located on a rear side of the automobile,

a gas passage situated between the first chamber and the second chamber,

at least one vent hole formed in the panel portion at the second chamber, and

a reverse-flow preventing device formed in the gas passage between the panel portion and the partition wall and situated between the first and second chambers for allowing a gas to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber and preventing the gas from flowing from the second chamber to the first chamber, said reverse-flow preventing device being a valve made of a sheet, said at least one vent hole passing through the panel portion and the sheet of the valve, which are sewed together around a circumferential portion of the vent hole.

2. An air bag according to claim 1, wherein said partition wall is a flexible sheet having a main portion for separating the first and second chambers, and a plurality of flaps extending from the main portion, at least one of the flaps extending toward the second chamber to form the reverse-flow preventing device between the flap and a part of the panel portion situated adjacent thereto.

3. An air bag according to claim 2, wherein said flexible sheet has upper, lower and two side flap portions, said upper flap portion being fixed to the panel portion, and two side flap portions being at least partly fixed to the panel portion.

4. An air bag according to claim 1, wherein said gas passage is provided on only a lower surface side of the panel portion, or on only the lower surface side and two lateral sides of the panel portion.

5. An air bag according to claim 1, wherein said second chamber has a capacity greater than that of the first chamber.

6. An air bag device comprising the air bag according to claim 1 and an inflator for supplying a gas into the air bag to expand the same.

7. An air bag comprising:

an air bag panel portion with a gas introducing port,

a partition wall situated inside the panel portion for partitioning an inside of the panel portion into a first chamber located on a front side of an automobile and having the gas introducing port, and a second chamber located on a rear side of the automobile, said partition wall being a flexible sheet having a main portion for separating the first and second chambers and upper, lower and two side flap portions extending from the main portion, said upper flap portion being fixed to the panel portion, and said two side flap portions being at least partly fixed to the panel portion,

a gas passage situated between the first chamber and the second chamber,

at least one vent hole formed in the panel portion at the second chamber, and

a reverse-flow preventing device formed in the gas passage between the panel portion and the partition wall and situated between the first and second chambers for allowing a gas to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber and preventing the gas from flowing from the second chamber to the first chamber, at least one of the flap portions extending toward the second chamber to form the reverse-flow preventing device between the flap portion and a part of the panel portion situated adjacent thereto.

8. An air bag according to claim 7, wherein said at least one vent hole is formed in the side flap portion and the panel portion to penetrate therethrough, said side flap portion and the panel portion being fixed together around the at least one vent hole.

9. An air bag according to claim 8, wherein said lower flap portion is disposed over the panel portion without being fixed thereto.

10. An air bag comprising:

an air bag panel portion with a gas introducing port,

a partition wall situated inside the panel portion for partitioning an inside of the panel portion into a first chamber located on a front side of an automobile and having the gas introducing port, and a second chamber located on a rear side of the automobile, said partition wall being a flexible sheet having a main portion for separating the first and second chambers and a plurality of flaps extending from the main portion and located adjacent the panel portion, at least one of the flaps extending toward the second chamber adjacent the panel portion,

a gas passage situated between the first chamber and the second chamber,

at least one vent hole formed in the panel portion at the second chamber, and

a reverse-flow preventing device formed in the gas passage between the panel portion and the partition wall and situated between the first and second chambers for allowing a gas to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber and preventing the gas from flowing from the second chamber to the first chamber, said at least one of the flaps extending toward the second chamber forming the reverse-flow preventing device between said at least one of the flaps and a part of the panel portion situated adjacent thereto so that in a condition that the air bag is fully opened, when the second chamber is pushed, the gas in the second chamber is ejected through the at least one vent hole, and when the partition wall is pushed through the second chamber toward the first chamber at a pressure greater than that in the first chamber, the gas in the first chamber is ejected outside the air bag through the reverse-flow preventing device and the at least one vent hole to thereby absorb impact at plural stages.

11. An air bag according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of flaps forms the reverse-flow preventing device between each of the flaps and the panel portion.