Airbag for head protection

• US 7,083,189 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogata, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/773,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A head-protecting airbag according to the present invention is normally folded and housed in an upper edge of windows inside a vehicle, and includes a gas admissive portion inflatable with inflation gas from inflator and a non-admissive portion admitting no inflation gas. The gas admissive portion includes a shielding portion for covering the vehicle'"'"'s interior side of the windows upon deployment of the airbag. The shielding portion includes a plurality of vertical chambers each of which is located vertically upon deployment of the airbag, and at least one horizontal chamber which is located along longitudinal direction of the vehicle upon deployment of the airbag. The horizontal chamber is located between at least one neighboring pair of the vertical chambers in the vicinity of vertically middle position of the pair of the vertical chambers, thereby communicating the pair of the vertical chambers.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag mountable on a vehicle normally folded and housed in an upper edge of windows inside the vehicle,

the airbag comprising a gas admissive portion inflatable with inflation gas from inflator, a non-admissive portion admitting no inflation gas, and a gas feed passage disposed along an upper edge of the airbag,

the gas admissive portion comprising a shielding portion, located below the gas feed passage, for covering the vehicle'"'"'s interior side of the windows upon deployment of the airbag, the gas feed passage being adapted to guide inflation gas discharged from the inflator to the shielding portion,

the shielding portion comprising:

a plurality of vertical chambers, each of the vertical chambers being disposed vertically upon deployment of the airbag and being communicated with the gas feed passage; and

at least one horizontal chamber, the horizontal chamber being disposed along longitudinal direction of the vehicle upon deployment of the airbag,

the horizontal chamber is located between at least one pair of the vertical chambers neighboring each other such that the horizontal chamber communicates the pair of the vertical chambers in the vicinity of vertically middle position of the vertical chambers.

2. The head-protecting airbag according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the pair of the vertical chambers deploys in an area with which an object interferes upon deployment of the airbag,

the shielding portion further comprises a second horizontal chamber located below the horizontal chamber as set forth in claim 1, the second horizontal chamber being disposed along longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

the second horizontal chamber is closed at a side proximate to the vertical chamber in which the object is located, and is opened at the other side proximate to the other vertical chamber.

3. The head-protecting airbag according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal chamber is located at upper level than the vertically middle position of the vertical chambers that interpose the horizontal chamber.

4. The head protecting airbag according to claim 1, wherein the gas feed passage is disposed over substantially the entire length of the airbag.

5. The head protecting airbag according to claim 1, wherein the gas admissive portion further comprises a gas inlet port projected upward at a longitudinal middle of the gas feed passage.

6. The head protecting airbag according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of vertical chambers includes a first vertical chamber and a second vertical chanter located upstream of the first vertical chamber,

wherein an opening width of an upper end of the second vertical chamber is smaller than an opening width of an upper end of the first vertical chamber.