Head protecting air bag apparatus

• US 6,619,690 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2002
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Takashi, Tanase, Toshinori, Ohno, Mitsuyoshi, Urushi, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/277,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20030047920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A head protecting air bag apparatus includes a lid and an air bag. The lid is disposed at an upper edge side periphery of an opening at a vehicle'"'"'s inner side in a vehicle body and at an upper portion of a pillar portion. The air bag is attached to the vehicle'"'"'s inner side of the vehicle body, is housed at a vehicle'"'"'s outer side position of the lid in a folded state, and pushes and opens the lid to cover the opening when unfolding and expansion is caused by inflow of gas for expansion. The air bag is folded so that a lower edge side approaches an upper edge side, and an attachment portion at the upper edge side is attached to the vehicle body so that the air bag is housed at the vehicle'"'"'s outer side of the lid. A part of a lower end of the lid is disposed at a vehicle'"'"'s outer side of an upper end of a pillar garnish covering a vehicle'"'"'s inner side of the pillar portion. A part of the air bag at a position where the lower end of the lid is disposed at the vehicle'"'"'s outer side of the upper end of the pillar garnish has a more intensified force to push and open the lid than another part. In the head protecting air bag apparatus of the invention, when the air bag is unfolded and expanded, the lower end of the lid disposed at the vehicle'"'"'s outer side of the upper end of the pillar garnish easily gets over the upper end of the pillar garnish. Then the air bag is smoothly unfolded and expanded.

Claims

1. An air bag apparatus, comprising:

a moveable lid disposed in a folded state adjacent an interior upper edge of a vehicle window and adjacent an upper portion of a pillar;

an air bag attached to the interior of the vehicle body, the air bag being arranged to push against and open the lid as the air bag deploys, the air bag including a lower edge, an upper edge, and an attachment portion disposed at the upper edge for attachment to the vehicle body,

the air bag initially has flat, unexpanded unfolded orientation that is folded in a bellows fashion in a substantially vertical direction from the lower edge toward the upper edge,

the air bag being folded so that the lower edge approaches the upper edge and the attachment portion is attached to the vehicle body so that the air bag is housed behind the lid,

a portion of a lower end of the lid being retained by a portion of the interior trim on the pillar, and

a portion of the air bag adjacent the lower end of the lid providing a focused and intensified force against the lid upon deployment, the intensified force being larger than forces provided against the lid by remaining portions of the air bag upon deployment,

wherein the portion of the air bag providing the focused and intensified force is twisted from the remaining portions of the air bag so that a lower end side of the twisted portion is directed toward the vehicle'"'"'s inner side, the lower end side including the lower edge.

2. An air bag apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a restraining member disposed at an upper position of the pillar portion, for preventing the air bag at the time of unfolding and deployment from engaging the pillar trim.

3. An air bag apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the restraining member includes a guide surface, a lower end of the guide surface being directed toward a parting portion defined between the lower end of the lid and an upper end of the pillar trim.

4. An air bag apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the air bag providing focused and intensified force to open the lid is positioned to be parallel to the guide surface.

5. An air bag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the restraining member is formed integrally with the vehicle body.

6. An air bag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the restraining member is formed with a flat plate shape and is disposed substantially vertically.

7. An air bag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the restraining member includes a substantially L-shaped section including a vertical wall portion and a horizontal wall portion extending from a lower end of the vertical wall portion toward the vehicle'"'"'s inner side,

the vertical wall portion supporting an outer side of the folded air bag,

an upper surface side of the horizontal wall portion comprising a guide surface, and

a lower end of the portion of the air bag providing focused and intensified force is supported on the guide surface.