Head portion protecting air bag apparatus

• US 7,198,289 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahara, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Application Number:
  US10/451,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20040026907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/740, 280/728.2
• 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 2021/2617 Curtain bag nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10

Abstract

In a head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag (11) housed along a roof side rail (21) is inflated and deployed in a curtain-like shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator (14) so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, the air bag (11) is provided with a front seat inflating portion (11c), a rear seat inflating portion (11d), and a gas passage (11b) communicated with inflating chambers of both of these inflating portions (11c, 11d), a gas supply port (11a) for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator (14) downward is provided corresponding to the gas passage (11b), and an auxiliary inflating chamber (11e1) is provided corresponding to the gas supply port (11a).

Claims

1. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus for use with a roof side rail and a vehicle compartment side wall, the apparatus comprising:

an inflator that supplies a gas;

an air bag housed along the roof side rail that is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along the vehicle compartment side wall by the gas supplied from the inflator provided outside of the air bag so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, the air bag including a front seat inflating portion, a rear seat inflating portion, a non-expanding portion provided between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion, and a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of the inflating portions;

a single gas supply port provided with the air bag so that the single gas supply port opens into the gas passage from upward; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber provided with the air bag so that the auxiliary inflating chamber is communicated with the gas passage downward of the gas supply port, and the auxiliary inflating chamber opens toward the gas supply port, gas from the inflator being supplied only to the gas supply port;

wherein the gas passage is accommodated in a folded manner, for quickly expanding in a vertical direction when said air bag is inflated, wherein the inflowing gas firstly flows into the auxiliary inflating chamber to be further supplied to the front seat inflating portion and to the rear seat inflating portion via the gas passage.

2. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary inflating chamber is independently formed.

3. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a ratio between a front portion effective cross sectional area of the gas passage for communicating the gas supply port with an inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion and a rear portion effective cross sectional area of the gas passage for communicating the gas supply port with an inflating chamber of the rear seat inflating portion is set according to a ratio of the capacity of an inflating chamber between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion.

4. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary inflating chamber is communicated with one or more inflating chambers of the front seat inflating portion or the rear seat inflating portion at a lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

5. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a ratio between:

(a) a sum of;

(1) an effective cross sectional area of a passage for communicating the lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber with the inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion or the rear seat inflating portion and

(2) an effective cross sectional area of the gas passage on a communication side for communicating the inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion or the rear seat inflating portion, having an inflating chamber communicating with the lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber, with the gas supply port

and

(b) an effective cross sectional area of the gas passage on a non-communication side

is set in correspondence with a ratio of the capacity of the inflating chamber between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion.

6. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion or the rear seat inflating portion communicating with the lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber is constituted by a plurality of chambers, and these respective inflating chambers extend in a vertical direction so as to be communicated with each other at both of an upper and lower end portions provided with a throttle.

7. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the inflator is arranged in a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

wherein the inflator is arranged in a vehicle width direction along a roof panel above the air bag.

8. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas supplied from the inflator is supplied to the gas supply port of the air bag via a diffuser pipe.

9. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a shower head for dispersing a gas flow is provided in a lower end portion of the diffuser pipe.

10. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a front end portion of the diffuser pipe is arranged substantially parallel to a side glass surface.

11. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein gas flow dispersing means for dispersing a gas flow is provided in the gas supply port.

12. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber is communicated with a lower end of the respective inflating chambers in the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion.

13. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a ratio between:

(a) a sum of;

(1) an effective cross sectional area of a passage for communicating a lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber with a lower end of the inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion and

(2) a front portion effective cross sectional area of the gas passage for communicating the gas passage with the inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion

and

(b) a sum of;

(1) an effective cross sectional area of a passage for communicating the lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber with the lower end of the inflating chamber of the rear seat inflating portion and

(2) a rear portion effective cross sectional area of the gas passage for communicating the gas supply port with the inflating chamber of the rear seat inflating portion

is set in correspondence with a ratio of the capacity of the inflating chamber between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion.

14. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a sum of:

(1) an effective cross sectional area of a passage for communicating the lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber with the lower end of at least one inflating chamber of the front seat inflating portion and

(2) an effective cross sectional area of a passage for communicating the lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber with the lower end of at least one inflating chamber of the rear seat inflating portion

is set to be equal to or less than an effective cross sectional area of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

15. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein another gas passage for respectively communicating the lower end portion of the auxiliary inflating chamber with the lower ends of the respective inflating chambers of the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion is set so that an effective cross sectional area of the another gas passage is reduced toward at least one of a front end portion and a rear end portion of the another gas passage.

16. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one inflating chamber extending in a vertical direction of the air bag close to a front or rear pillar garnish are formed so as to expand a lower area forward or rearward.

17. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cross sectional area of the auxiliary inflating chamber is set so as to be reduced toward a lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

18. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a throttle portion is formed in an inflow port of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

19. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inflating chamber in a longitudinal direction horizontally crossing an interior side of a vehicle body structural member during inflating and deploying is formed in a lower end portion of the air bag.

20. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the inflating chamber in a longitudinal direction set in the lower end portion of the air bag is formed by expanding a lower end portion of an independent inflating chamber extending in a vertical direction and communicated with the gas passage at an upper end in the longitudinal direction.

21. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a width of a forward portion of the gas passage for supplying the gas from the gas supply port to the front seat inflating portion is made substantially the same as a width of a rear portion of the gas passage for supplying the gas from the gas supply port to the rear seat inflating portion, and a vertical width of the gas passage is set to an integral multiple of a folding width at a time when the air bag is folded up in the vertical direction.

22. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion of the air bag are constituted by a plurality of inflating chambers, and these respective inflating chambers have upper ends provided so as to be inclined toward the gas supply port.

23. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 22, wherein a lower boundary line of the gas passage is formed so as to be upwardly inclined toward a front end portion and a rear end portion.

24. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more inflating chambers of the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion are sectioned into a plurality of sections, and a capacity of the auxiliary inflating chamber is set smaller than a capacity of each of the sectioned inflating chambers.

25. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the auxiliary inflating chamber is arranged adjacent to the front seat inflating portion or the rear seat inflating portion.

26. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein and the auxiliary inflating chamber has a vertical length that is shorter than a vertical length of any inflating chamber.

27. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rear seat inflating portion is formed by an expanding portion for a rear seat front row and an expanding portion for a rear seat rear row.

28. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary inflating chamber is arranged in an area corresponding to a pillar.

29. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inflator is arranged in a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

30. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the inflator is arranged in a longitudinal direction along the roof side rail above the air bag.

31. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein the gas passage is formed along an upper edge portion of the air bag and an effective cross sectional area of the gas passage is reduced toward at least one of the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof.

32. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 31, wherein a lower boundary line of the gas passage is formed so as to be upwardly inclined toward at least one of the front end portion and the rear end portion.

33. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a diffusing nozzle connected to the inflator via a diffuser pipe, for diffusing the gas in a longitudinal direction at a predetermined angle, is provided so as to face the gas supply port and the gas supply port is formed in a shape expanding toward the gas passage in the longitudinal direction at an angle equal to or more than an angle of diffusion of the diffusing nozzle.

34. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 33, wherein a non-expanded portion is formed continuous with an expanded portion of the gas supply port, and the air bag and the diffuser pipe are clamped and fixed at the non-expanded expanded portion.

35. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the air bag and the diffuser pipe are clamped and fixed in a state in which the diffuser pipe has been moved close to the front or the rear of the gas supply port.

36. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a diffusing nozzle connected to the inflator via a diffuser pipe, for diffusing the gas at a predetermined angle, is provided so as to face the gas supply port and the gas is injected farther forward than a radial end point in front of an upper end of the auxiliary inflating chamber and farther rearward than a radial end point at a rear of the upper end.

37. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a non-expanding portion provided between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a balancer chamber protruding to at least one of a front and a rear is set in a middle portion in a vertical direction of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

38. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a non-expanding portion provided between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a deflecting chamber for applying a contractile force to a fabric portion between the front seat inflating portion and the rear seat inflating portion is set in a lower end of the auxiliary inflating chamber.

39. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a vertical width of a forward portion of the gas passage for supplying the gas from the gas supply port to the front seat inflating portion is made different from a vertical width of a rear portion of the gas passage for supplying the gas from the gas supply port to the rear seat inflating portion, and respective vertical widths of the forward portion and the rearward portion of the gas passage are set to an integral multiple of a folding width at a time when the air bag is folded up in the vertical direction.

40. A head portion protecting air bag apparatus in which an air bag housed along a roof side rail is inflated and deployed in a curtain shape along a vehicle compartment side wall by a gas supplied from an inflator so as to protect a head portion of an occupant, comprising:

a front seat inflating portion;

a rear seat inflating portion;

a gas passage communicated with one or more inflating chambers of each of these inflating portions;

a gas supply port for supplying the gas supplied from the inflator downward, and to the gas passage; and

an auxiliary inflating chamber in communication with the gas supply port,

wherein a diffusing nozzle connected to the inflator via a diffuser pipe, for diffusing the gas at a predetermined angle, is provided so as to face the gas supply port, an inclined portion expanding toward a lower portion is formed to a front or a rear of the gas supply port, and the air bag and the diffuser pipe are clamped and fixed in a state in which the diffuser pipe has been moved close to the inclined portion.