Airbag apparatus for head-protecting

• US 6,644,687 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Etsuji, Chida, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAPER, DEANN L
• Application Number:
  US10/102,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20020096864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/728.2, 280/743.1, 280/749, 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 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 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/195 with means to tension the belt in an emergency, e.g. means of the through-anchor or splitted reel typeelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

In a head-protecting airbag apparatus where an airbag body inflated in a curtain configuration is mounted in a folded state along a roof side rail across at least a center pillar, the airbag body includes an upper portion folded in a bellows, and a lower portion subjected to one of turning-back performed toward an occupant compartment inner side and rolling-up performed towards the occupant compartment inner side. Accordingly, even when there is a vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion such as a slip joint in a vehicle, the airbag body is inflated and expanded so as to cover the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion from the above or ride on the same. As a result, the lower portion of the airbag body is hard to be caught up by the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion, thereby improving a expanding performance of the airbag body.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag body expanding in a curtain shape disposed in a folded state along a roof side rail across at least a center pillar, the air bag body comprising;

a gas introducing path formed generally linearly along the roof side rail on only a region corresponding to the roof side rail, one end of the gas introducing path communicating with an inflator, and

a plurality of inflating chambers formed in only a region positioned below the roof side rail, each one end of the inflating chambers communicating with the gas introducing path,

wherein the gas introducing path is folded once along a longitudinal direction of the gas introducing path so as to form a vehicle occupant compartment outer side portion thereof and a vehicle occupant compartment inner side portion thereof, the vehicle occupant compartment outer side portion being located outside with respect to the vehicle occupant compartment inner side portion in a widthwise direction of the vehicle, and one end of the vehicle occupant compartment outer side portion communicating with the inflator, and

the gas introducing path expands before a portion of the airbag body such that the portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path expands after being pressed and moved toward a vehicle occupant compartment inner side by the expanding gas introducing path.

2. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path is subjected to one of a roll-shape folding and a bellows shape folding.

3. A head-projecting airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path is positioned in parallel with the gas introducing path at a vehicle occupant compartment inner side when the airbag body is the folded state.

4. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inflator is disposed at a portion of vehicle body positioned rearward of the center pillar, and a cut-out portion is formed at the portion of the airbag body expanding below a front pillar.

5. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inflator is disposed at one of lower portion of a front pillar, a quarter pillar and a rear pillar, and the gas introducing path and the inflator are connected to each other via a gas guide tube.

6. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a spherical portion having a larger cross section than that of the gas introducing path is formed at a downstream end portion of the gas introducing path.

7. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path comprises:

a portion which is one of a roll-shape folding portion and a bellows-shape folding portion, and

a turned-back portion, which is turned-backed toward a vehicle occupant compartment inner side in a folded state, formed at a distal end side with respect to said portion which is one of a roll-shape folding portion and a bellows-shape folding portion.

8. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the a vehicle occupant compartment outer side portion expands faster than the vehicle occupant compartment inner side portion.

9. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path expands after the portion of the airbag body except for the gas introducing path is pressed and moved in a folded state toward the vehicle occupant compartment inner side by the expanding gas introducing path.

10. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas introducing path is only folded once.

11. A head-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the vehicle occupant compartment outer side portion communicates with the inflator via a gas guiding path provided between the gas introducing path and the inflator.