Cushion for protection of a vehicle occupant's head

• US 6,877,768 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David R.
• Application Number:
  US10/064,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20030042716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23523 Composite coated fabric B60R2021/23514
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23576 Sewing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2358 Bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A cushion for protecting a vehicle occupant'"'"'s head. The cushion inflates and deploys smoothly and is configured so that gas leakage out of the cushion is reduced in order to maintain the inner pressure high for an extended period of time. The cushion includes a protective cushion element and outer shell fabrics superposed on both outer surfaces of the protective cushion element. The cushion element includes a cabin-side base fabric and a window-side base fabric that are sewn together by sewing yarns after bonded to each other by adhesive. The outer shell fabrics are bonded to the protective cushion element by adhesive. The adhesive is applied to the outer surfaces of the protective cushion element the joint wherein the base fabrics are sewn together.

Claims

1. A cushion configured to inflate downwardly along a side surface of a vehicle for protecting a vehicle occupant'"'"'s head comprising:

a cabin-side base fabric and a window-side base fabric sewn together along a seam to enclose an inflatable chamber;

an outer shell fabric superposed on outer surfaces of the cabin-side base fabric and the window-side base fabric; and

wherein the outer shell fabric is bonded to the base fabrics at the seam by adhesive.

2. The cushion for protecting a vehicle occupant'"'"'s head of claim 1, wherein the seam where the cabin-side base fabric and the window-side base fabric are sewn together is located along the periphery of the base fabrics.

3. The cushion for protecting a vehicle occupant'"'"'s head of claim 1, wherein the cabin-side base fabric and the window-side base fabric are bonded together by adhesive along the seam.

4. The cushion for protecting a vehicle occupant'"'"'s head of claim 1, wherein the outer shell fabric comprises two separate pieces of fabric, one of the separate pieces of fabric being superposed on the outer surface of the cabin-side base fabric and the other of the separate pieces of fabric being superposed on the outer surface of the window-side base fabric.

5. A side airbag for protecting a vehicle passenger comprising:

an inflatable cushion comprising a window side sheet and a passenger side sheet, wherein the sheets are sewn together along a seam to enclose an inflatable chamber;

a layer of fabric attached to an exterior surface of the passenger side sheet by adhesive, wherein the adhesive is located between the layer of fabric and the passenger side sheet along the seam,

wherein the seam does not pass through the layer of fabric.

6. The side airbag of claim 5, wherein the shape of the fabric layer corresponds substantially to the shape of the passenger side sheet.

7. A side airbag for protecting a vehicle passenger comprising:

an inflatable cushion comprising a window side sheet and a passenger side sheet, wherein the sheets are sewn together along a seam;

a layer of fabric attached to an exterior surface of the passenger side sheet by adhesive, wherein the adhesive is located between the layer of fabric and the passenger side sheet along the seam.

wherein the seam does not pass through the layer of fabric, and wherein the seam is located along a periphery of the window side sheet and the passenger side sheet; and

wherein the sheets are further connected by interior seams that divide a gas containing chamber located between the sheets.

8. The side airbag of claim 7, wherein the fabric layer comprises cloth patches that cover the interior seams.

9. A cushion for protecting the head of a vehicle passenger comprising:

a window side sheet and a passenger side sheet, wherein the sheets are sewn together along a peripheral seam located along a periphery of the window side sheet and the passenger side sheet; and

wherein the sheets are further connected by interior seams that divide a gas containing chamber located between the sheets;

a layer of fabric attached to the exterior of the window side sheet and the passenger side sheet by adhesive, wherein the adhesive is located between the layer of fabric and the sheets along the peripheral seam; and

wherein the shape of the fabric layer corresponds substantially to the shape of the sheets,

wherein the peripheral seam does not pass through the layer of fabric.

10. The cushion of claim 9, further comprising a second adhesive connecting the layer of fabric to the sheets at the interior seams.

11. The cushion of claim 9, wherein the layer of fabric comprises a first layer of fabric connected to the window-side sheet and a second layer of fabric connected to the passenger side sheet.

12. A side airbag for protecting a vehicle passenger comprising:

an inflatable cushion comprising a window side sheet and a passenger side sheet, wherein the sheets are sewn together along a seam to enclose an inflatable chamber;

a layer of fabric attached to an exterior surface of the window side sheet by adhesive, wherein the adhesive is located between the layer of fabric and the window side sheet along the seam,

wherein the seam does not pass through the layer of fabric.

13. The side airbag of claim 12, wherein the shape of the fabric layer corresponds substantially to the shape of the window side sheet.

14. A side airbag for protecting a vehicle passenger comprising:

an inflatable cushion comprising a window side sheet and a passenger side sheet, wherein the sheets are sewn together along a seam;

a layer of fabric attached to an exterior surface of the window side sheet by adhesive, wherein the adhesive is located between the layer of fabric and the window side sheet along the seam,

wherein the seam does not pass through the layer of fabric, and wherein the seam is located along a periphery of the window side sheet and the passenger side sheet; and

wherein the sheets are further connected by interior seams that divide a gas containing chamber located between the sheets.

15. The side airbag of claim 14, wherein the fabric layer comprises cloth patches that cover the interior seams.