Air bag apparatus for vehicle

• US 6,869,099 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Takuji, Sugiyama, Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US10/276,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: B60/R.2124, 290/730.2, 290/743.1, 290/743.2, 290/729
• 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 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

Abstract

An air bag apparatus is capable of inflating an air bag body downwardly and appropriately in spite of the collapse deformation of a center pillar toward a vehicle'"'"'s interior. The air bag apparatus includes a plurality of inflatable chambers juxtaposed in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. In these chambers, the chamber 3A corresponding to the center pillar 13 is provided, on its upper side, with a hooking part 21 for joining an inside cloth 1a of the chamber 3A to its outside cloth 1b. Owing to the provision of the hooking part 21, since the expansion thickness of the chamber 3A is partially restricted, the air bag body 1 being folded in two has its lower end capable of passing under a lower end of a roof trim 16 with ease and without being caught by an upper part of the center pillar 13, accomplishing the expansion of the air bag body 1 in the form of a curtain.

Claims

1. An air bag apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflator arranged in a vehicle body to generate air-bag gas at a vehicle collision;

an air bag body connected with the inflator, the air bag body having a plurality of chambers juxtaposed in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the air bag body being folded and accommodated in a space defined between an interior side face of a roof-side rail forming the vehicle body and a trim for covering the interior side face of the roof-side rail; and

a preventive mechanism for preventing the air bag body from being incompletely inflated at a specified chamber of the chambers the specified chamber being arranged corresponding to a center pillar forming the vehicle body, the preventive mechanism configured to reduce an expansion thickness of the specific chamber in a vicinity of an upper end of a center pillar garnish, the preventive mechanism configured to be broken when an inner pressure in the specific chamber reaches a normal inflating pressure, thereby accomplishing a normal expansion thickness of the specific chamber,

whereby, at the vehicle collision, the air bag body can be completely inflated by the air-bag gas downwardly from the space while springing an lower end of the trim backwardly.

2. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preventive mechanism comprises a hooking part positioned at a substantial center of the specified chamber in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, joining an inside cloth to an outside cloth which form the specified chamber.

3. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the specified chamber'"'"'s portion forming the hooking part is established to be elongated in an up-and-down direction of the vehicle.

4. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the specified chamber'"'"'s portion forming the hooking part is established to be elongated in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

5. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preventive mechanism comprises a plurality of hooking parts formed on the specified chamber in staggered arrangement, joining an inside cloth to an outside cloth which form the specified chamber.

12. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preventive mechanism is formed by partially joining an inside cloth and an outside cloth of the air bag body.

6. An air bag apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an inflator arranged in a vehicle body to generate air-bag gas at a vehicle collision;

an air bag body connected with the inflator, the air bag body having a plurality of chambers juxtaposed in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the air baa body being folded and accommodated in a space defined between an interior side face of a roof-side rail forming the vehicle body and a trim for covering the interior side face of the roof-side rail; and

a preventive mechanism for preventing the air bag body from being incomnletely inflated at a specified chamber of the chambers, the specified chamber being arranged corresponding to a center pillar forming the, vehicle body,

wherein the preventive mechanism comprises a seaming part arranged in a course of the air-bag gas flowing from the inflator to the chambers, for blocking up the course partially thereby to allow the air-bag gas to be introduced into the specified chamber with priority, the seaming part being capable of breaking open when an inside pressure of the specified chamber reaches a predetermined inside expansion pressure,

whereby, at the vehicle collision, the air baa body can be completely inflated by the air-bag gas downwardly from the space while springing an lower end of the trim backwardly.

7. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the course for introducing the air-bag gas of the inflator into the chambers comprises one duct pan in common with the chambers and a plurality of gas induction ports corresponding to the chambers and also communicating the chambers with the duct pan respectively, and the seaming part is arranged, in the flowing direction of the air-bag gas, on its downstream-side margin of the gas induction port corresponding to the specified chamber, thereby to block up the duct part.

8. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seaming part is in the form of a perpendicular line to the flowing direction of the air-bag gas.

9. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seaming part is in the form of a curved line to the flowing direction of the air-bag gas.

10. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seaming pan is in the form of a slanted line to the flowing direction of the air-bag gas.

11. The air bag apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the course for introducing the air-bag gas of the inflator into the chambers comprises one duct part in common with the chambers and a plurality of gas induction ports corresponding to the chambers and also communicating the chambers with the duct part respectively, and the seaming pan is formed so as to block up the gas induction ports for the other chambers besides the gas induction port corresponding to the specified chamber.