Apparatus for folding air bag body

• US 6,520,901 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2001
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Inventors: Ueno, Masaki, Kaneko, Kazuhiro, Nishijima, Kazuyoshi, Ochiai, Mikio, Sugiyama, Toshiyuki, Endo, Tetsuji, Ishizuka, Masahito, Goto, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Rada, Rinaldi I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESAI, HEMANT
• Application Number:
  US09/817,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 493/405, 493/409, 493/463, 493/464, 493/451, 493/454-458, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 493/451
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2375 Folding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/217 Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An air bag body (1) is expanded by charging an air therein after being expanded in a flat surface shape. Next, by gently gripping the air bag body (1) by upper and lower blades (26, 25) radially arranged in a radial direction of the air bag body (1), a height in a radial direction of the air bag body (1) is linearly restricted along the upper and lower blades (26, 25). Next, a plurality of movable blocks (24) are forward moved toward a center of the air bag body (1), and upper and lower panels (12, 11) of the air bag body (1) are accumulated. At this time, the upper and lower panels (12, 11) of the air bag body (1) are folded in a state of being apart from each other so as to form a wave shape. Next, the air bag body (1) is rotated, a portion left in a tab shape is wound around a periphery, and a center protruding portion of the air bag body (1) is pressed from an upper side, whereby a front surface deploying portion (35) is formed. When supplying gas to the folded air bag body (1), the front surface deploying portion (35) rapidly deploys so as to break a cover (5) and the gas is smoothly supplied to a peripheral edge portion (14), whereby it is possible to smoothly and rapidly deploy the air bag body (1).

Claims

1. An apparatus for folding an air bag body having a first surface portion having an inlet port from which gas is introduced into said air bag body and a second surface portion opposing to said first surface portion comprising:

a table for mounting said air bag body thereon;

expanding means for introducing air into said air bag body;

a plurality of accumulating means for accumulating said air bag body from a peripheral edge portion toward said inlet port;

a guide member for guiding said air bag body along a line between said peripheral edge portion and said inlet port and setting said first surface portion and said second surface portion close to each other; and

displacing means for pressing a part of said second surface portion protruding away from said inlet port toward said inlet port.

2. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 1,

wherein said guide member comprising an upper guide member and a lower guide member in which said air bag body is put therebetween.

3. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 1, further comprising;

pushing means for pushing a guided portion of said air bag body along said line against an outer periphery of an accumulated portion of said air bag body.

4. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 3,

wherein said pushing means comprising a rotating mechanism for rotating an air bag body portion adjacent to said inlet port, so that guided portion of said air bag body is received between said accumulating means and said outer periphery of an accumulated portion of said air bag body.

5. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 2,

wherein said upper and lower guide members having substantially equal length along said line.

6. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 2,

wherein said upper guide member is larger in height than said lower guide member.

7. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 1,

wherein said displacing means is descended so as to accumulate an expanding portion located above said air bag body down to form a flat-table-like portion.

8. An apparatus for folding an air bag body according to claim 3,

wherein a shape of said air bag body is arranged in a column shape of a regular octagon in plan view having a predetermined height by an operation of said pushing means and displacing means.