Occupant arresting device

• US 6,893,045 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Totani, Chiharu, Inoue, Michio, Tanase, Toshinori, Oguchi, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/257,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20030075910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 280/753, 280/730.2, 280/749, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/753
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/02 Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners B60R13/01 takes precedence ; padded linings for the vehicle interior B60R21/04; arrangements or adaptations of floor mats or carpets in vehicles B60N3/04; internal lining for trains B61D17/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21 in vehicle side panels, e.g. doors pillar mounted arrangements B60R21/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/195 with means to tension the belt in an emergency, e.g. means of the through-anchor or splitted reel typeelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

An occupant restraining device (S1) is provided with a shielding member (51F/51R) to be deployed from the peripheral edge of a window (WF/WR) of a vehicle so as to shield the window (WF/WR). The occupant restraining device (S1) is further provided with an inflator (82), a cylinder (87) and a piston rod (88) for deploying the shielding member (51F/51R) housed to shield the window (WF/WR). The shielding member (51F/51R) is arranged to substantially rise from the lower edge side (DW) in the peripheral edge of the window (WF/WR). The shielding member (51F/51R) can be smoothly expanded to shield the window (WF/WR) even if the occupant leans against the peripheral edge of the window (WF/WR).

Claims

1. An occupant restraining device for shielding a vehicle window during a vehicle rollover, comprising:

a shielding member adapted to be deployed from a peripheral lower edge side of the window to shield the window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said shielding member to shield the window upon detection of the vehicle rollover, wherein

said deployment mechanism including a drive source arranged on a lower side of the window for generating a motive power to deploy said shielding member, and a connector for connecting said drive source and said shielding member, and

said connector moving upwardly with said shielding member along a peripheral vertical edge portion of the window upon deployment of said shielding member by said deployment mechanism.

2. An occupant restraining device for a vehicle window, comprising:

a shielding member housed within, and adapted to be deployed from, a peripheral edge of the window to shield the window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said housed shielding member to shield the window, wherein

said shielding member is formed generally in a sheet shape and has at least one oblique side for crossing the window upon deployment completion, with an end thereof connected to said deployment mechanism so that a tension of said shielding member in a direction along the at least one oblique side is higher than tension in other directions, and

said shielding member includes a notched recess formed in a vicinity of said deployment mechanism and not on the at least one oblique side.

3. An occupant restraining device comprising:

a shielding member housed within, and adapted to be developed from, a peripheral edge of the window to shield the window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said housed shielding member to shield the window, wherein

said shielding member is formed generally in a sheet shape and has at least one oblique side for crossing the window upon deployment completion, with an end thereof connected to said deployment mechanism so that a tension of said shielding member in a direction along the at least one oblique side is higher than tension in other directions, and

wherein said shielding member;

is formed of a woven fabric of warps and wefts; and

is arranged to have said warps or said wefts generally in parallel with said at least one oblique side and to have the bias direction of said woven fabric at the deployment completion set along a deployment direction of said development mechanism.

4. An occupant restraining device according to claim 3,

wherein the at least one oblique side of said shielding member is constructed to have a longer length at the deployment completion than at non-deployment.

5. An occupant restraining device according to claim 3,

wherein said deployment mechanism has a deployment direction set generally along said at least one oblique side of said shielding member at deployment completion.

6. An occupant restraining device for shielding a window of a vehicle, comprising:

a shielding member adapted to be deployed from a peripheral edge of the window to shield the window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said shielding member, wherein;

said shielding member folded in an L-shaped configuration and is housed both in a lower peripheral edge portion of the window and in a vertical edge portion of the window that extends upwardly from the lower edge portion, said shielding member including a moving side edge portion that moves across the window when said deployment mechanism deploys said shielding member and a fixed end portion, one end of which is housed at an intersection of the lower peripheral edge portion and the vertical edge portion of the window.

7. An occupant restraining device comprising:

a shielding member housed in, and adapted to be deployed from, a peripheral edge of a window of a vehicle so as to shield said window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said shielding member, wherein;

said shielding member includes a stationary side edge portion that remains stationary upon deployment, and an, oblique moving side edge portion for obliquely crossing said window, said shielding member being formed in a generally triangular shape to shield said window on lower side of said oblique moving side edge portion;

said shielding member is folded such that said oblique moving side edge portion is closer to said stationary side edge portion without changing a length of said stationary side edge portion;

said shielding member is folded in a bellows fashion on folds generally parallel to said oblique moving side edge portion with said stationary side edge portion overlapped on said oblique moving side edge portion; and

said shielding member is housed in the peripheral edge of said window so that two end portions of said stationary side edge portion are mounted and fixed on the peripheral edge of said window.

8. An occupant restraining device comprising:

a shielding member adapted to be deployed from a peripheral edge of a window of a vehicle to shield said window; and

a deployment mechanism for deploying said shielding member, wherein;

said shielding member includes a stationary side edge portion that remains stationary upon deployment and;

an oblique moving side edge portion for crossing said window obliquely upon deployment, said shielding member being formed in a generally triangular shape to shield said window on the lower side of said oblique moving side edge portion;

said shielding member is folded such that said oblique moving side edge portion comes closer to said stationary side edge portion without changing a length of said stationary side edge portion;

said shielding member is folded in a folding-fan shape having a center near an intersection of said oblique moving side edge portion and said stationary side edge portion; and

said shielding member is housed in the peripheral edge of said window so that two end portions of said stationary side edge portion are mounted and fixed on the peripheral edge of said window.