Air bag tether construction

• US 6,783,155 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Original Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Inventors: Keshavaraj, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US10/118,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20020153717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 280/743.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23533 characterised by the manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23566 Nesting of panels, i.e. for material utilisation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material

Abstract

The present invention relates to air bag tethers and to a pattern-wise arrangement of such tethers in relation to air bag panels on a fabric blank, thus resulting in increased fabric utilization per tether and an overall cost savings per finished air bag. The air bag tether system of the present invention is comprised of two congruent tether panels that are joined to one another and to a respective air bag panel. In a preferred embodiment, the tether panel that is attached to the face panel of the air bag is cut in alignment with the warp and the fill of the fabric blank, while the rear tether panel that is attached to the rear panel of the air bag is cut on the bias with respect to the warp and the fill of the fabric blank. The two tether panels are then connected to one another to form a functional tether system. This two-piece construction, with one bias-cut piece, decreases the amount of fabric that is used in the manufacture of the air bag and tethers, while providing sufficient elongation for the tether system to be functional.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing airbag cushions having tether systems, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a length of fabric;

cutting desired shapes from said fabric to serve as components of an airbag cushion, wherein some of said components comprise tethers, and wherein said airbag cushion components necessary to manufacture one complete airbag cushion are cut from less than 1.69 square yards of fabric; and

attaching said components together to form an airbag cushion, wherein said airbag cushion includes a fully inflated volume of at least 52 liters and exhibits a burst pressure of at least about 13 Psi.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said tethers comprise at least two tether panels.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said airbag cushion components necessary to manufacture one complete airbag cushion are cut from less than 1.42 square yards of fabric.

4. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said airbag cushion components necessary to manufacture one complete airbag cushion are cut from about 1.36 square yards of fabric.

5. A method of manufacturing airbag cushions, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a fabric, said fabric being configured in a plane, said fabric being comprised of a group of warp yarns and a group of fill yarns, said warp yarns being oriented generally perpendicular to said fill yarns;

(b) cutting planar portions from said fabric, said planar portions including at least a first tether panel and a second tether panel, said tether panels having an elongated dimension along their length, wherein said first tether panel is cut such that the elongated dimension of said first tether panel is substantially aligned with one of said warp or fill yarns, further wherein said second tether panel is cut such that the elongated dimension of said second tether panel is substantially out of alignment with respect to the direction of both said warp yarns and said fill yarns;

(c) further cutting from said fabric airbag cushion components needed to manufacture at least one complete airbag cushion, wherein said fabric comprises less than about 1.69 square yards of fabric; and

(d) assembling said first tether panel with said second tether panel, thereby forming a tether system; and

(e) connecting said components together to form an airbag cushion, wherein said airbag cushion includes a fully inflated volume of at least about 52 liters and exhibits a burst pressure of at least about 13 Psi.

6. A method of forming an airbag cushion, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a fabric blank having a warp yarn fiber direction and a perpendicular fill yarn fiber direction;

(b) cutting from said fabric blank multiple components adapted to form an airbag cushion, said components including at least a first tether panel and a second tether panel;

(c) wherein said first tether panel is cut from said fabric blank in a manner so as to provide a long dimension of said first tether panel that is in alignment with said warp or fill yarn direction of said fabric blank;

(d) wherein said second tether panel is cut from said fabric blank in a manner so as to provide a long dimension of said second tether panel which is out of alignment with said warp and said fill yarn directions of said fabric blank.

(e) attaching said components together to form an airbag cushion, wherein said airbag cushion includes a fully inflated volume of about 52 liters and exhibits a burst pressure of at least about 13 Psi; and

(f) wherein all of said components collectively are cut from less than about 1.69 square yards of fabric.