Head-protective airbag device

• US 7,264,267 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Koyama, Toru, Mizuno, Yoshio, Tanase, Toshinori, Ogata, Tetsuya, Kino, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECK, KAREN JANE AMORES
• Application Number:
  US10/500,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050127644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/730.1, 280/733, 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

The head-protecting airbag device (M1) includes an airbag (12) provided with a gas admissive portion (13) and a non-admissive portion (23). The gas admissive portion (13) includes a gas feed passage (14) for feeding inflation gas G toward both front and rearwards of the vehicle, and a plurality of vertical chambers (17) juxtaposed along front-rear direction of the vehicle. Each of the vertical chambers (17) includes a communication port at its upper end for communicating with the gas feed passage (14). The substantial lengths of a vehicle'"'"'s outer wall (13b) and an inner wall (13a) of the airbag (12) are differentiated from each other by a belt (31) in the periphery (19) of the communication port (18). Thus the periphery (19) of the communication port (18) guides inflation gas (G) obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior (O) when inflation gas (G) flows into the vertical chamber (17) via the communication port. The head-protecting airbag device (M1) is made compact and improves workability in the mounting work on the vehicle while ensuring downward deployment of the airbag (12) along the window (W).

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising an airbag folded and housed in the upper edge of windows inside a vehicle, and deployable downward along the windows when fed with inflation gas, wherein:

the airbag includes;

a gas admissive portion, which is inflatable with inflation gas by separating an inner wall and an outer wall of the airbag; and

a non-admissive portion, which is formed by joining the inner wall and outer wall and admits no inflation gas;

the gas admissive portion includes;

a gas feed passage extending along the upper edge of the airbag as flatly expanded for feeding inflation gas along front-rear direction; and

a plurality of vertical chambers juxtaposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, each of the vertical chambers being provided at upper end thereof with a communication port for communicating with the gas feed passage; and

a gas flow regulating means is located in at least one of the vertical chambers, the regulating means being constituted by part of the airbag itself, whereby, when inflation gas flows into the vertical chamber via the communication port, the inflation gas is directed obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior,

wherein;

substantial length of the inner wall and substantial length of the inner wall are differentiated from each other in the gas feed passage in the periphery of the communication port of the at least one vertical chamber; and

the difference lengths of the outer and inner walls constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

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

the airbag includes a flexible belt in an exterior side thereof, the belt being joined to the vicinity of the at least one vertical chamber and to a vehicle body in the vicinity of a housing position of the airbag, whereby the vertical chamber, when inflated, is pressed toward the window; and

the belt constitutes the gas flow regulating means.

3. A head-protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising an airbag folded and housed in the upper edge of windows inside a vehicle, and deployable downward along the windows when fed with inflation gas, wherein:

the airbag includes;

a gas admissive portion, which is inflatable with inflation gas by separating an inner wall and an outer wall of to airbag; and

a non-admissive portion, which is formed by joining the inner wall and outer wall and admits no inflation gas;

the gas admissive portion includes;

a gas feed passage extending along the upper edge of the airbag as flatly expanded for feeding inflation gas along front-rear direction; and

a plurality of vertical chambers juxtaposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, each of the vertical chambers being provided at upper end thereof with a communication port for communicating with the gas feed passage; and

a gas flow regulating means is located in at least one of the vertical chambers, the regulating means being constituted by part of the airbag itself, whereby, when inflation gas flows into the vertical chamber via the communication port, the inflation gas is directed obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior.

wherein the gas admissive portion includes an auxiliary chamber located above the gas feed passage for, upon airbag deployment, inflating between a panel as part of the vehicle body and an airbag cover in the vicinity of the housing position of the airbag, the airbag cover being openably covering an airbag side toward the vehicle'"'"'s interior.

wherein the auxiliary chamber constitutes the gas flow regulating means,

wherein the auxiliary chamber is located in plurality, respectively above predetermined numbers of the vertical chamber,

wherein the opening dimension of each of the auxiliary chambers in the front-rear direction and the opening dimension of the communication port located below the auxiliary chamber in the front-rear direction are equal to each other.

4. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the airbag includes a mounting portion for attachment to the panel of vehicle body, the mounting portion being located, when the airbag is completely inflated, below the upper end of the auxiliary chamber and above the vertical chamber.

5. A head-protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising an airbag folded and housed in the upper edge of windows inside a vehicle, and deployable downward along the windows when fed with inflation gas, wherein:

the airbag includes;

a gas admissive portion, which is inflatable with inflation gas by separating an inner wall and an outer wall of the airbag; and

a non-admissive portion, which is formed by joining the inner wall and outer wall and admits no inflation gas;

the gas admissive portion includes;

a gas feed passage extending along the upper edge of the airbag as flatly expanded for feeding inflation gas along front-rear direction; and

a plurality of vertical chambers juxtaposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, each of the vertical chambers being provided at upper end thereof with a communication port for communicating with the gas feed passage;

a gas flow regulating means for redirecting the inflation gas flowing into at least one of the vertical chambers, obliquely down and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior via the communication port;

a holder located proximate to the housing position of the airbag for holding and fixing the periphery of the communication port of the at least one of the vertical chambers upon airbag deployment; and

the holder constitutes the gas flow regulating means,

the holder is made of sheet metal and has a substantially L-shaped section including a fixing portion secured to an inner panel of a vehicle body and two projected portions having a recessed portion between themselves,

the airbag includes slits at front and rear periphery of the communication port for receiving the projected portions of the holder, and

when the airbag device is mounted on the vehicle, the axial direction of an opening plane of the recessed portion disposed between the projected portions is directed downward and toward the vehicle'"'"'s exterior.