Occupant arresting device

• US 6,938,920 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• 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:
  US10/257,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20030075906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/749
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• 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) comprises a shielding member (51F) and an airbag (104F). The shielding member (51F) in action is deployed from the peripheral edge (DW) of a window (WF) of a vehicle to shield the window. The airbag (104F) in action is expanded and inflated from the peripheral edge (UW) of the window that it can be interposed between the shielding member (51F) and an occupant (M). The airbag (104F) allows the side of the lower end (105b) at the time of completion of the expansion and inflation to move in the direction generally perpendicular to the window (WF). Even if the occupant (M) is close to the window (WF), the expanded and inflated airbag (104F) is smoothly interposed between the occupant (M) and the window (WF).

Claims

1. An occupant restraining device comprising a shielding member and an airbag, said shielding member being deployed from the peripheral edge of a window of a vehicle to shield said window when a rollover of a vehicle is detected, and said airbag being expanded and inflated from the peripheral edge of said window to be interposed between said shielding member and an occupant when a rollover of a vehicle is detected,

wherein said shielding member is arranged to substantially rise from the lower edge side of said window peripheral edge thereby to shield said window on the outer side of an occupant, and

wherein said airbag is folded and housed in the upper edge portion of said window peripheral edge while allowing the lower end side thereof at the time of completion of the expansion and inflation to move in a direction generally perpendicular to said window, and having the upper end side thereof at the time of completion of the expansion and inflation connected to and supported by the upper edge portion of said window peripheral edge.

2. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1, wherein:

said window is formed in a door of the vehicle;

said shielding member is housed in the side of said door, and said airbag is housed in an upper edge portion of said window on the body side of the vehicle.

3. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said window is formed in the body of the vehicle, and

wherein said airbag and said shielding member are housed in the body at said window peripheral edge.

4. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said shielding member has an oblique side in its shape at the completion of deployment such that the shielding member crosses said window obliquely and is shaped to shield said window by the lower side of said oblique side.

5. An occupant restraining device according to claim 4,

wherein said shielding member is so folded and housed that said oblique side may come close to a vertical edge portion extending upward from one of the front or rear end portions of the lower edge portion of said window peripheral edge in the shielded region of said window, and

said shielding member is so arranged that said oblique side may deploy the lower end side thereof in the direction apart from the side of said vertical edge portion on a housed side.

6. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said airbag is arranged so that substantially the entire length of the lower end of the portion to shield the inner side of said window at the completion of the expansion and inflation horizontally overlaps said shielding member when deployment is completed.

7. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said airbag covers the inner side of a pillar portion of the vehicle at the time of completion of the expansion and inflation.

8. An occupant restraining device according to claim 7,

wherein said airbag covers a part of an adjoining window over said inner side portion of said pillar portion.

9. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said occupant restraining device includes a plurality of airbags having their lower edge sides connected to one another.

10. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

further comprising an inflator for feeding said airbag with an inflating gas,

wherein said occupant restraining device includes a plurality of airbags arranged in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

wherein said inflator is so interposed between said airbags as to feed each of said airbags with the inflating gas.

11. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said occupant restraining device includes at least three airbags sharing one inflator.

12. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1, further comprising an inflator for feeding a plurality of airbags with an inflating gas;

and a feed pipe for feeding the inflating gas from said inflator into said airbags;

wherein said feed pipe is inserted straight through the upper edge side of said airbags over the substantially entire length of the upper edge side of said airbags in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

13. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said airbag at the time of completion of the expansion and inflation includes a main portion having a generally rectangular sheet shape extending downward from the upper edge side, and a bulging portion bulging from at least one of the front or rear edge of said main portion along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

wherein said airbag is folded in the upper edge portion of said window peripheral edge having said bulging portion put into said main portion.

14. An occupant restraining device according to claim 13,

wherein said bulging portion covers the inner side portion of a pillar portion.

15. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1,

wherein said vehicle is provided at a roof side rail portion with an upper rail which guides the opening/closing action of a slide door and which is provided with at its front end side with a bent portion bent to the inner side,

wherein said occupant restraining device includes at least two front and rear airbags arranged separately in front and in rear of the bent portion of said upper rail, and

wherein said front and rear airbags are folded and housed on the inner side of said roof side rail portion and are connected to one feed pipe for feeding the inflating gas from one inflator.

16. An occupant restraining device according to claim 15,

wherein a plurality of airbags is arranged on the back side of said bent portion.

17. An occupant restraining device according to claim 15,

wherein said front airbag is folded and housed in a portion of the roof side rail portion on the front side of said bent portion and is provided with a cover portion for covering the inner side portion of a pillar portion located below said bent portion at the time of the expansion and inflation.

18. An occupant restraining device according to claim 1, wherein:

said folded airbag is covered with a door portion which is pushed and opened inward of the vehicle from a lower edge thereof at the time of the expansion and inflation; and

said door portion is provided with a hinge portion about which the door portion opens, and the hinge portion is arranged to extend substantially in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.