Airbag arrangement

• US 6,783,151 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Takata Petri Ulm GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.), Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Riedel, Andreas, Küster-Claus, Norbert, Fürst, Franz, Schawe, Sven, Heuschmid, Reiner, von Jan, Tycho, Cakmak, Mehmet, Wiegert, Stefan, Rasch, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAPER, DEANN L
• Application Number:
  US09/833,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20020047253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/739, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/729
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

An airbag arrangement for a motor vehicle includes an airbag deployable in a direction to protect a vehicle occupant and an arrangement for limiting the unfolding impulse of the airbag upon an obstacle placed in a deployment path of the airbag to reduce the unfolding impulse transferred to the obstacle. The limitation arrangement, which can be, for example, a sheath, aperture in the airbag, can respond to the resistance of the occupant located in the deployment path, which is outside a normal seating position, or respond to a lack of resistance from the passenger. As the limitation arrangement limits the unfolding impulse of the airbag, it reduces the maximum unfolding impulse transferable to the occupant located outside the normal seating, in the deploying path.

Claims

1. An airbag arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one inflatable airbag deployable in a direction to protect a vehicle occupant; and

at least one arrangement associated with the airbag for limiting an unfolding impulse of the airbag upon an obstacle placed in a deployment path of the airbag to reduce the unfolding impulse transferred to the obstacle,

wherein the limitation arrangement comprises an airbag sheath surrounding the airbag, the sheath having a lower degree of unfolding substantially in a direction of the deployment path than perpendicular to the deployment path.

2. An airbag arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the limitation arrangement responds to the resistance of the occupant located in the deployment path, which is outside a normal seating position.

3. An airbag arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the limitation arrangement responds to a lack of resistance from the occupant.

4. An airbag arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is folded along with the sheath and is arranged areally along a contact surface located in the deployment path, the sheath has an areal contact with the contact surface, which extends at least approximately perpendicular to the airbag deployment path.

5. An airbag arrangement according to claim 4, further including an airbag cover having the contact surface, the airbag being adapted to be arranged at or in a vehicle seat.

6. An airbag arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the airbag cover comprises a seat cover that is initially expandable and adapted to tear upon fully deploying the airbag.

7. An airbag arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the limitation arrangement reacts with the occupant located outside a normal seating position, in the deployment path, so that occupant blocks the deployment path to limit space for deploying the airbag.

8. An airbag arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the limited space configures the airbag to prevent the airbag from reaching a threshold pressure in the airbag, which is only reachable in a normal protection case resulting from opposite external reaction forces generated when the occupant is in a normal seating position.

9. An airbag arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the sheath is folded, at least in part, and wherein a maximum expandability of the sheath in a direction of the deployment path is smaller than that of the airbag.

10. An airbag arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the limitation sheath is adapted to be attached to part of the vehicle at or in which the airbag is positioned, the part being a vehicle seat or a seat cover.

11. An airbag arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the sheath is attached to a module holding the airbag or to the airbag.

12. An airbag arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one inflatable airbag deployable in a direction to protect a vehicle occupant; and

at least one arrangement associated with the airbag for limiting an unfolding impulse of the airbag upon an obstacle placed in a deployment path of the airbag to reduce the unfolding impulse transferred to the obstacle,

wherein the airbag comprises at least two sections, a primary section and a secondary section, that are inflatable sequentially one after another,

the limitation arrangement comprising a valve formed between the primary and secondary sections, and

wherein the valve is closed when the airbag is folded and maintained in the folded or partially folded position by an occupant located outside a normal seating position blocking the deployment path and the valve opens by the inflation of the primary section of the airbag, which is inflatable first, when the deployment path is not blocked.

13. An airbag arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the valve is maintained closed when the secondary section is in a folded condition.

14. An airbag arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the valve comprises a nozzle section with at least one aperture, the nozzle section being foldable or bendable against a direction of the deployment path to close the aperture.

15. An airbag arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the nozzle section has a tubular, hose, or snorkel configuration.

16. An airbag arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the primary and the secondary sections are separated from one another with a separating layer arranged in the airbag.

17. An airbag arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one inflatable airbag deployable in a direction to protect a vehicle occupant; and

at least one arrangement associated with the airbag for limiting an unfolding impulse of the airbag upon an obstacle placed in a deployment path of the airbag to reduce the unfolding impulse transferred to the obstacle,

wherein the limitation arrangement comprises at least one discharge aperture formed in the airbag, the aperture being closed when the airbag deploys in the deployment path without the obstacle in the deployment path and the aperture being open so that gas escapes when the obstacle blocks the airbag in the deployment path.

18. An airbag arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the limitation arrangement further includes a closing arrangement for closing the discharge aperture, the closing arrangement being configured to close the aperture when the airbag is deployed without the obstacle in the deployment path.

19. An airbag arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the closing arrangement comprises at least one layer releasably connected to the airbag when the airbag is fully deployed.

20. An airbag arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the one layer is sewn to the airbag.

21. An airbag arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the at least one layer which is releasably connected to a front region of the airbag relative to the direction of deployment, with the layer being fixedly connected to the airbag at a side region and/or at a region at a back region of the airbag relative to the direction of deployment.

22. An airbag arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the layer is fixedly connected to the airbag so that the layer partly closes the aperture when the airbag is at least partly inflated.

23. An airbag arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the airbag has first and second sections connected together forming a seam, the aperture intercepting through the seam and the layer being connected to the first and second sections to cover the aperture.

24. An airbag arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the closing arrangement comprises an external closing surface against which the aperture is engageable, wherein the aperture is arranged in the airbag so that inflating the airbag without any resistance from the occupant prevents the aperture from engaging the external closing surface while inflating the air bag with resistance from the occupant forces the aperture to engage the external closing surface and at least partially close the aperture.

25. An airbag arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the closing surface comprises a side panel of the vehicle or vehicle seat.

26. An airbag arrangement for protecting an occupant of a motor vehicle, comprising:

an inflatable airbag having a discharge aperture;

a closing surface adjacent the airbag;

wherein the discharge aperture is positioned so that the aperture is closed by the surface when the airbag deploys into the occupant in a normal seated position; and

wherein the discharge aperture is open when the airbag deploys with the occupant in an out of position condition, thereby limiting an unfolding impulse and inflation force from the airbag to the occupant.

27. The arrangement of claim 26, wherein the closing surface comprises a side panel of the vehicle.