Air bag for steering wheel

• US 7,198,290 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Tadashi, Ishiguro, Naohiko, Iida, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth; Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gooden, Jr.; Barry
• Application Number:
  US10/950,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20050098992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 280/731, 280/743.2, 280/729
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

An air bag for steering wheel of the invention is folded and housed in a boss positioned in the vicinity of the center of a ring of a steering wheel gripped by a driver during steering. The air bag includes a driver side wall and a wheel side wall that are substantially equal in outer shape to each other. The wheel side wall includes an opening for supplying an inflation gas therethrough in the center. A periphery of the opening provides an area for attachment of the air bag to the steering wheel. A thickness regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls and thus regulating the thickness of the completely inflated air bag is disposed in the vicinity of the opening. An oscillation regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls is disposed in the vicinity of the ring of the steering wheel in the completely inflated air bag. The separation distance between the walls which distance is regulated by the oscillation regulating tether is such a length that the air bag can secure a cushioning action, and is shorter than the separation distance between the walls regulated by the thickness regulating tether. The air bag enables the oscillation regulation tether to restrain oscillations from occurring in the course of inflation.

Claims

1. An air bag for a steering wheel that is folded and housed in a boss positioned in the vicinity of the center of a ring of the steering wheel which ring is gripped by a driver during steering, the air bag comprising:

a driver side wall that is disposed on a driver side of the completely inflated air bag;

a wheel side wall that has substantially the same outer shape as the driver side wall and is disposed on a steering wheel side of the completely inflated air bag;

an opening that is disposed in the vicinity of the center of the wheel side wall and used for supplying an inflation gas therethrough, a periphery of the opening providing an area for attachment of the air bag to the steering wheel;

a thickness regulating tether disposed in the vicinity of the opening for regulating a separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall of the completely inflated air bag and thus regulating a thickness of the completely inflated air bag; and

an oscillation regulating tether disposed in the vicinity of the ring of the steering wheel as the airbag is completely inflated, for regulating a separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall, wherein;

the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the oscillation regulating tether is set to a length capable of securing a cushioning action of the air bag, and is shorter than the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the thickness regulating tether;

the oscillation regulating tether is connected to the driver side wall and the wheel side wall in such a manner as to extend perpendicularly to a plane defined by the ring of the steering wheel when the airbag is completely inflated; and

the oscillation regulating tether is disposed only in an area on the rear side of the ring closer to an abdomen of the driver in the completely inflated air bag.

2. An air bag for a steering wheel that is folded and housed in a boss positioned in the vicinity of the center of a ring of the steering wheel which ring is gripped by a driver during steering, the air bag comprising:

a driver side wall that is disposed on a driver side of the completely inflated air bag;

a wheel side wall that has substantially the same outer shape as the driver side wall and is disposed on a steering wheel side of the completely inflated air bag;

an opening that is disposed in the vicinity of the center of the wheel side wall and used for supplying an inflation gas therethrough. a periphery of the opening providing an area for attachment of the air bag to the steering wheel;

a thickness regulating tether disposed in the vicinity of the opening for regulating a separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall of the completely inflated air bag and thus regulating a thickness of the completely inflated air bag; and

an oscillation regulating tether disposed in the vicinity of the ring of the steering wheel as the airbag is completely inflated, for regulating a separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall, wherein;

the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the oscillation regulating tether is set to a length capable of securing a cushioning action of the air bag, and is shorter than the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the thickness regulating tether;

the oscillation regulating tether is connected to the driver side wall and the wheel side wall in such a manner as to extend perpendicularly to a plane defined by the ring of the steering wheel when the airbag is completely inflated; and

places for connection of the oscillation regulating tether to the driver side wall and the wheel side wall are disposed, in a condition that the driver side wall and the wheel side wall are superimposed one on the other and flatly developed, along a position for disposition of the ring of the steering wheel as viewed in plan when the attachment area of the opening periphery of the air bag is aligned with a position for attachment thereof in the steering wheel.

3. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the oscillation regulating tethers are disposed and the individual oscillation regulating tethers are radially arranged about the opening of the airbag with even spaces between one another.

4. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the oscillation regulating tether is disposed so as to secure a flow path of the inflation gas that is directed from the opening toward a rear end of the air bag as completely inflated.

5. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein the flow path of the inflation gas is secured by a gap between two of the oscillation regulating tethers disposed apart one from the other.

6. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein the flow path of the inflation gas is secured by an opening provided in the oscillation regulating tether itself.

7. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein:

the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the thickness regulating tether is indicated by L1, and the separation distance between the driver side wall and the wheel side wall regulated by the oscillation regulating tether is indicated by L2, L1>

L2≧

50 mm; and

the minimum length capable of securing a cushioning action of the airbag is 50 mm.

8. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein L1×

⅔

≧

L2≧

50 mm.

9. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 8, wherein L1×

⅔

=100 to 235≧

L2≧

50 mm.

10. An air bag for a steering wheel according to claim 9, wherein L1×

⅔

=120 to 200≧

L2≧

50 mm.