Air bag and method for making an air bag

• US 7,025,378 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Original Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Inventors: Wang, Yunzhang
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US10/617,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20050006882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/729, 280/730.1, 571/0, 572/0, 441/40, 441/129
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23184 Tubular air bags connected to the vehicle at their two extremities
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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

Abstract

An airbag formed to have a series of nodes therein, each node defined by pinching and jointing a portion of alternate opposing sides of a tubular structure so that each node lies generally in a plane at 90° (or near 90°) with respect to an adjacent node. The pinch points or joints are preferably short segments or small areas where the opposing sides are jointed by heat welding, sewing, ultrasonic welding, by adhesives, or by weaving.

Claims

1. An airbag, comprising:

a side curtain having a bottom edge and passages formed therein;

a tubular structure carried by said bottom edge of said side curtain and having plural nodes formed therein, each node of said plural nodes having an adjacent node and being formed by jointing together a portion of opposing sides of said tubular structure to form a joint, the respective joint of each node being oriented at an angle with respect to the respective joint of its adjacent node, said angle being defined by the relative rotation of the location of each joint about a longitudinal axis of the tubular structure; and

a nozzle for receiving gas in said passages of said side curtain and in said tubular structure.

2. The airbag as recited in claim 1, wherein said tubular structure and said side curtain are in fluid communication with each other.

3. The airbag as recited in claim 1, wherein said nozzle means further comprises a first nozzle carried by said side curtain and a second nozzle carried by said tubular structure.

4. The airbag as recited in claim 1, wherein said angle is approximately 90°

.

5. The airbag as recited in claim 1, wherein said tubular structure has a diameter and wherein said portion is a segment not more than about 40% of said diameter in length.

6. The airbag as recited in claim 1, wherein said each joint is formed by a method selected from the group consisting of weaving, welding, sewing, adhering and combinations thereof.