Seat mounted side impact airbag module

• US 7,278,656 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kalandek, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To; Toan C.
• Application Number:
  US11/668,775
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/736, 280/742, 280/728.2, 280/729
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• 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

A seat mounted side impact airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle has an airbag with a first inflation chamber for engaging the pelvic region of the vehicle occupant and a second inflation chamber for engaging the thoracic region of the vehicle occupant. The inflation chambers are separated by a chamber separator. An inflator provides inflation gas to fill the airbag housed in a tubular housing manifold having a first aperture and a second aperture. The housing manifold is shaped to retain the inflator and create two discrete flows of inflation gas. A first flow of inflation gas goes into the first inflation chamber via the first aperture and a second flow of inflation gas goes into the second inflation chamber via the second aperture. The chamber separator is tightly sealed around the housing manifold to prevent the first flow and second flow to pass into the other inflation chamber. The chamber separator may be rubber coated with the housing manifold having a recess adapted to accept and hold the chamber separator sealed in a gas tight manner around the exterior of the housing manifold.

Claims

1. A side impact airbag module for protecting a vehicle occupant, the airbag module comprising:

an airbag comprising first and second inflation chambers having different volumes separated from one another by a gas impermeable chamber separator, the airbag containing a housing manifold having at least one first aperture therethrough aligned with the first inflation chamber and at least one second aperture therethrough aligned with the second inflation chamber, the chamber separator being fixed to the housing manifold between the first and second apertures in the housing manifold in a gas tight manner;

said housing manifold comprises a recess formed as a groove in the housing manifold;

said chamber separator comprising an ellipsoidal cut out portion in the chamber separator to form an opening slot which is fit into said recess of the housing manifold in a gas tight manner; and

wherein said slot in said chamber separator is larger than the exterior of said housing manifold recess, said housing manifold containing a single inflator that provides inflation gas to the first and second inflation chambers via the apertures in the housing manifold such that when the airbag is deployed the inflation chambers are inflated to different inflation pressures and the chamber separator prevents gas from passing between the inflation chambers.

2. The side impact airbag module of claim 1 wherein the area of the first aperture is greater than the area of the second aperture.

3. The side impact airbag module of claim 1 comprising more than one first aperture and more than one second aperture in the housing manifold, wherein the sum of the areas of the first apertures is greater than the sum of the areas of the second apertures.

4. A side impact airbag module for protecting a vehicle occupant, the airbag module comprising:

an airbag having a lower first inflation chamber and an upper second inflation chamber, said lower first and said upper second inflation chambers separated by a gas impermeable chamber separator, the airbag containing an assembly comprising a single inflator fitted to an interior of a housing manifold, the housing manifold having at least one first aperture therethrough aligned with the lower first inflation chamber and at least one second aperture therethrough aligned with the upper second inflation chamber such that inflation gas exiting the inflator into the housing manifold is divided into a first flow of inflation gas that enters the lower first inflation chamber via the at least one first aperture and a second flow of inflation gas that enters the upper second inflation chamber via the at least one second aperture such that the flows of inflation gas are of different volumes causing the lower first and upper second inflation chambers to be inflated to different inflation pressures, and wherein said housing manifold comprises a recess formed as a groove in the housing manifold; and

wherein said chamber separator comprising an ellipsoidal cut out portion in the chamber separator to form an opening slot which is fit into said recess of the housing manifold in a gas tight manner; and

wherein said slot in said chamber separator is larger than the exterior of said housing manifold.

5. The side impact airbag module of claim 4 wherein the area of the first aperture is greater than the area of the second aperture.

6. The side impact airbag module of claim 4 comprising more than one first aperture and more than one second aperture in the housing manifold, wherein the sum of the areas of the first apertures is greater than the sum of the areas of the second apertures.

7. A seat mounted side impact airbag module for protecting a vehicle occupant, the airbag module comprising:

an airbag comprising a chamber separator that defines a first inflation chamber for engaging a pelvic region of the vehicle occupant and a second inflation chamber for engaging a thoracic region of the vehicle occupant;

a single inflator that provides inflation gas to the first and second inflation chambers; and

a housing manifold having at least one first aperture therethrough aligned with the first inflation chamber and at least one second aperture therethrough aligned with the second inflation chamber, wherein the housing manifold is shaped to retain the inflator and direct a first flow of inflation gas into the first inflation chamber via the first aperture and a second flow of inflation gas into the second inflation chamber via the second aperture wherein the chamber separator is tightly sealed around the housing manifold to prevent the first flow of inflation gas from entering the second inflation chamber and the second flow of inflation gas to entering into the first inflation chamber, and wherein said housing manifold comprises a recess formed as a groove in the housing manifold; and

wherein said chamber separator comprising an ellipsoidal cut out portion in the chamber separator to form an opening slot which is fit into said recess of the housing manifold in a gas tight manner; and

wherein said slot in said chamber separator is larger than the exterior of said housing manifold.

8. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7, wherein the inflator is positioned within the housing manifold to provide a single source of inflation gas to each aperture in the housing manifold such that the first inflation chamber inflates to a higher pressure than a pressure to which the second inflation chamber is inflated.

9. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 8, wherein the housing manifold is disposed within the airbag.

10. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 wherein the first aperture is at or near a first end of the housing manifold and is directed toward the first inflation chamber direction of deployment upon activation.

11. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 10 wherein the second aperture is at or near a second end of the housing manifold directed toward the second inflation chamber'"'"'s direction of deployment upon activation.

12. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 wherein the area of the first aperture is greater than the area of the second aperture.

13. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 comprising more than one first aperture and more than one second aperture in the housing manifold, wherein the sum of the areas of the first apertures is greater than the sum of the areas of the second apertures.

14. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 12 wherein the housing manifold has a circular cross section and the first and second apertures extend less than 180 degrees around a circumference of the housing manifold.

15. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 13 wherein the housing manifold has a circular cross section and the first and second apertures extend less than 180 degrees around a circumference of the housing manifold.

16. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 wherein the chamber separator comprises a silicone coated fabric.

17. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 wherein the chamber separator is sealed in a gas tight manner against an external surface of the tubular housing manifold.

18. The seat mounted side impact airbag module of claim 7 wherein the chamber separator has a clamp to seal an opening in the chamber separator through which the tubular housing manifold extends.