Side-curtain airbag and method of manufacture

• US 6,666,475 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kippschull, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David R.
• Application Number:
  US09/962,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20020167153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/729, 280/743.1, 280/739, 280/743.2, 428/125, 428/35.2, 428/35.5, 428/36.1, 428/76
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23514 coated fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• 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

Abstract

A side-curtain airbag has at least two inflation chambers spaced apart from each other. The inflation chambers each have two fabric layers. The region between the two inflation chambers has at the most one layer of fabric. A method of manufacturing such a side-curtain airbag is disclosed.

Claims

1. A side-curtain airbag comprising

two inflation chambers located at a distance from one another, each inflation chamber comprising two fabric layers, in which in a region between the two inflation chambers is a free space, whereby each inflation chamber defines a single, continuous space for storing gas and

two connecting strips that comprise only a single layer of fabric and extend in the free space between the inflation chambers, the two connecting strips are disposed in a crossing manner, wherein one of the connecting strips is secured to approximately the bottom of one of the inflation chambers and to approximately the top of the other inflation chamber, the other connecting strip is secured to approximately the bottom of one of the inflation chambers and to approximately the top of the other inflation chamber.

2. The side-curtain airbag according to claim 1 wherein each connecting strip comprises a fabric material that is not gas tight.

3. The side-curtain airbag according to claim 1 wherein the two inflation chambers are made from the same two fabric layers whereby the tow fabric layers are cut in a U-shape manner creating a cut out section, the cut out section is folded outward forming one inflation chamber and the remainer of the two fabric layers form the other inflation chamber.

4. The side-curtain according to claim 1 further comprising a cover in the form of a tube extending between the two inflation chambers.