Portable air bag system

• US 6,746,041 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jo Won Chang, Su Jin Chang
• Original Assignee: Jo Won Chang, Su Jin Chang
• Inventors: Chang, Jo Won, Chang, Su Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/067,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/728.2, 280/733, 280/743.1, 280/748, 280/751, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

A portable airbag system including a portable airbag mechanism which may be carried and moved by a vehicle occupant. The airbag system includes an impact sensor operated independently from or in cooperation with at least one fixed airbag mechanism mounted in a motor vehicle. The portable airbag mechanism has arranged therein an airbag which is inflated and deployed upon occurrence of a vehicle collision. A controller applies an actuating signal to the portable airbag mechanism when the vehicle collision is sensed, thereby allowing the bag arranged in the portable airbag mechanism to be inflated and deployed.

Claims

1. A portable air bag system comprising:

impact sensing means operated independently from or in cooperation with at least one fixed air bag mechanism mounted to a motor vehicle, for sensing a vehicle collision;

a portable air bag mechanism capable of being carried and moved by a vehicle occupant, the portable air bag mechanism having arranged therein an air bag which is inflated and deployed upon occurrence of the vehicle collision, the portable airbag mechanism being in communication with the fixed airbag mechanism so that the portable airbag mechanism can be actuated within 78 milliseconds after the fixed airbag mechanism is actuated; and

control means for applying an actuating signal to the portable air bag mechanism when the vehicle collision is sensed by the impact sensing means, and thereby allowing the air bag arranged in the portable air bag mechanism to be inflated and deployed.

2. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the impact sensing means comprises an impact sensor which generates an electrical signal upon occurrence of the vehicle collision.

3. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of portable air bag mechanisms are located in the motor vehicle so that a number of occupants can use the portable air bag mechanisms at different positions, respectively.

4. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable air bag mechanism is connected with the fixed air bag mechanism through wired communication.

5. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable air bag mechanism is connected with the fixed air bag mechanism through wireless communication.

6. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable air bag mechanism is connected with a plurality of fixed air bag mechanisms mounted to the motor vehicle, through wired or wireless communication, so that, upon occurrence of the vehicle collision, when at least one of the fixed air bag mechanisms is actuated, the portable air bag mechanism is actuated.

7. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein actuation and an operational status of the portable air bag mechanism are adjusted depending upon at least one of a posture and a physical condition of an occupant, existence of a child seat and a hardness of a colliding object.

8. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable air bag mechanism comprises:

an air bag body;

an air bag arranged in the air bag body, for being inflated and deployed by gas flowed therein through an inflator;

a transmitter/receiver unit positioned on a side of the air bag body, for wirelessly receiving an actuation signal upon occurrence of the collision and transmitting the actuation signal to an internal communication device so that the air bag is actuated under the control of the control means; and

a wired communication cable for wiredly connecting the internal communication device and the control means with each other, upon occurrence of the collision, so that the air bag is actuated under the control of the control means.

9. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 8, further comprising:

an identification key module mounted to the motor vehicle, for storing therein an inherent serial number of the motor vehicle.

10. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the portable air bag mechanism further includes an identification key verifying means for verifying the inherent serial number of the motor vehicle.

11. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the portable air bag mechanism is constructed in a manner such that it can be actuated after verifying the inherent serial number from the identification key module installed on the motor vehicle in which the portable air bag mechanism is positioned.

12. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the air bag body and the air bag can be disassembled from each other to be changed with new ones.

13. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the air bag body has a variety of configurations such as a doll, a robot, a cushion, a pillow and a toy.

14. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable air bag mechanism is provided with fastening means for allowing the portable air bag mechanism to be fastened with respect to the body of the occupant or a front seat back, so that the portable air bag mechanism is prevented from being freed from the body of the occupant.

15. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 14,

wherein the fastening means comprises main belts connected to the portable air bag mechanism and auxiliary belts formed separately from the main belts and locked at their both ends to the main belts to fasten the portable air bag mechanism with respect to the body of the occupant;

or the fastening means comprises a hanger member which is attached to the front seat back to hang the portable air bag mechanism.

18. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a control section, the control section, which receives a signal from the impact sensing means when the vehicle collision is sensed by the impact sensing means, enabling the air bag to be actuated by the medium of wireless communication through a transmitter/receiver unit positioned on a side of the portable air bag mechanism and an internal communication device disposed in the portable air bag mechanism, or the control section being connected with the internal communication device by a wired communication cable and enabling the air bag to be actuated by the medium of wired communication through the control section and the internal communication device.

19. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 18, wherein a transmitting message, which is outputted from the control section to actuate the air bag, is repeatedly transmitted through several times, so as to improve reliability of wired and wireless communication.

20. The portable air bag system as set forth in claim 18, wherein a transmitting message, which is outputted from the control section to actuate the air bag, passes through a channel coder and a channel decoder which are suitable for a communication channel characteristic, so as to improve reliability of wired and wireless communication.

16. A portable air bag system comprising:

impact sensing means operated independently from or in cooperation with at least one fixed air bag mechanism mounted to a motor vehicle, for sensing a vehicle collision;

a portable air bag mechanism capable of being carried and moved by a vehicle occupant, the portable air bag mechanism having arranged therein an air bag which is inflated and deployed upon occurrence of the vehicle collision; and

control means for applying an actuating signal to the portable air bag mechanism when the vehicle collision is sensed by the impact sensing means, and thereby allowing the air bag arranged in the portable air bag mechanism to be inflated and deployed;

wherein the portable air bag mechanism is provided with fastening means for allowing the portable air bag mechanism to be fastened with respect to the body of the occupant or a front seat back, so that the portable air bag mechanism is prevented from being freed from the body of the occupant; and

wherein the main belts are connected to the portable air bag mechanism to serve as both hand parts and both foot parts of the portable air bag mechanism, respectively; and

the auxiliary belts define an X-shaped contour and locked at their both ends to the main belts.

17. A portable air bag system comprising:

impact sensing means operated independently from or in cooperation with at least one fixed air bag mechanism mounted to a motor vehicle, for sensing a vehicle collision;

a portable air bag mechanism capable of being carried and moved by a vehicle occupant, the portable air bag mechanism having arranged therein an air bag which is inflated and deployed upon occurrence of the vehicle collision; and

control means for applying an actuating signal to the portable air bag mechanism when the vehicle collision is sensed by the impact sensing means, and thereby allowing the air bag arranged in the portable air bag mechanism to be inflated and deployed;

wherein the portable air bag mechanism is provided with fastening means for allowing the portable air bag mechanism to be fastened with respect to the body of the occupant or a front seat back, so that the portable air bag mechanism is prevented from being freed from the body of the occupant; and

wherein the main belts and the auxiliary belts are made of resilient material so that the occupant can move the portable air bag mechanism from the body within a predetermined range.