Head protective bag

• US 6,616,178 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nanbu, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US09/690,436
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/729, 280/728.2, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A head protective bag for vehicle passengers. The bag includes a lower section of which is tightly expanded when the bag is inflated. The protective bag includes an cabin side sheet and a window sheet. The sheets are overlapped and then coupled together along a line to form a main airway and small cells between the sheets. A front portion of the bag is located along an A-pillar of the vehicle in a folded state. An intermediate portion and a rear portion of the bag are located along a roof side rail and a C-pillar in a folded state. If the bag is maximally inflated without being installed in the vehicle, the dimension L from the through hole of a lowermost projection of the front section of the bag to the through hole of a lowermost projection of the rear section of the bag is smaller than the linear distance S from a position at which the lowermost front projection is secured to the A-pillar to a position at which the lowermost rear projection is secured to the C-pillar.

Claims

1. A head protective bag for passengers located in a vehicle, the bag adapted to be located along an interior side wall of the vehicle and configured to be inflated by gas from an inflator, the bag comprising:

a cabin side sheet and a window side sheet, wherein the sheets are connected to form an inflatable cell having a single opening for receiving gas from the inflator configured so that when the cell is inflated a bottom edge of the cell extends substantially horizontally along the side wall of the vehicle; and

first and second linear coupling portions located within the inflatable cell and positioned so that when the bag is inflated the linear coupling portions are completely surrounded by inflated portions of the cell; and

wherein the cell includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being defined by a half of the cell located closest to a roof of the vehicle when the bag is inflated; and

wherein the linear coupling portions are positioned so that a majority of each linear coupling portion is located in the upper portion of the cell.

2. The bag of claim 1, wherein the linear coupling portions are each formed by a single line of stitching.

3. The bag of claim 1, wherein the cell includes a gas inlet located in the upper portion of the cell.

4. The bag of claim 1, wherein the sheets are connected to form a second inflatable cell having a single opening for receiving gas from the inflator.

5. The bag of claim 4, wherein the second inflatable cell includes a third linear coupling portion surrounded by inflatable portions of the second cell.

6. The bag of claim 5, wherein the second inflatable cell is adjacent the first inflatable cell so that a connection between the cabin side sheet and the window side sheet forms a boundary for both the first inflatable cell and the second inflatable cell.

7. The bag of claim 5, wherein the second inflatable cell is located within the first inflatable cell.

8. The bag of claim 5, wherein the second inflatable cell is located spaced apart from the first inflatable cell in the forward and rearward direction of the vehicle so that an inflatable portion of the bag is located between the first and second inflatable cells.

9. The bag of claim 1, wherein the first and the second linear coupling portions are substantially parallel and extend in a direction from a floor to a roof of the vehicle adjacent to the same inflatable portion of the cell.

10. A head protective bag for passengers located in a vehicle, the bag adapted to be located along an interior side wall of the vehicle and configured to be inflated by gas from an inflator, the bag comprising:

a cabin side sheet and a window side sheet, wherein the sheets are connected to form a first and a second inflatable cell, wherein each cell includes a single opening for receiving gas from the inflator;

wherein a linear coupling portion is located within each of the inflatable cells and positioned so that when the bag is inflated the linear coupling portion is completely surrounded by inflated portions of the cell; and

wherein each cell includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being defined by a half of the cell located closest to a roof of the vehicle when the bag is inflated; and

wherein each linear coupling portion is positioned so that a majority of the linear coupling portion is located in the upper portion of the cell.

11. A head protective bag for passengers located in a vehicle, the bag adapted to be located along an interior side wall of the vehicle and configured to be inflated by gas from an inflator, the bag comprising:

a cabin side sheet and a window side sheet, wherein the sheets are connected to form first and second inflatable cells each having a single opening for receiving gas from the inflator;

a plurality of annular coupling portions located within the inflatable cells and positioned so that when the bag is inflated each of the annular coupling portions is completely surrounded by inflated portions of the cell; and

wherein the first and second cells each include an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being defined by a half of the cell located closest to a roof of the vehicle when the bag is inflated; and

wherein the majority of the annular coupling portions are located in the upper portion of the cell.