Snowmobile with airbag system

• US 7,344,151 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Shimizu, Takashi, Sonoda, Yuji, Kurata, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCREARY, LEONARD
• Application Number:
  US11/111,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20050236817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/730.1, 280/743.1, 280/751, 280/748, 280/753
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0065 Type of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 27/20 Airbags specially adapted for motorcycles or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 27/02 power driven

Abstract

A snowmobile is provided with airbag systems including airbag bodies expanding from a portion near a steering handle bar respectively, one of the airbag bodies expanding rearward of a handle bar and outward of both the ends of the handle bar, and the other airbag body expanding toward a front side of rider'"'"'s knees. Another airbag system includes an airbag body expanding from an upper surface of an engine hood on the front portion of a vehicle body frame and blowing up toward a windshield of the engine hood. The respective airbag systems are detachable from the vehicle body, and hence, can be stored indoors.

Claims

1. A snowmobile with an airbag system comprising:

a vehicle body extending in a longitudinal direction of a snowmobile;

a handle bar provided at an intermediate upper portion of the vehicle body for steering a steering skid;

an engine hood for covering the front portion of the vehicle body at a front side of the handle bar;

a windshield provided at a rear portion of the engine hood;

an engine mounted inside the engine hood;

a driver'"'"'s seat provided behind the handle bar;

a vehicle body frame provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body; and

an airbag system provided for the vehicle body, the airbag system comprising;

an airbag body formed into a bag-shape;

a storage housing for storing the airbag body;

an impact detection device for detecting a collision of the vehicle body;

an airbag expanding device for expanding the airbag body upon the collision of the vehicle body; and

a controller for controlling the impact detection device and expansion of the airbag body, the airbag system including

a first airbag body to be expanded from a portion near the handle bar and blown up rearward of the handle bar and outward of both ends of the handle bar,

a second airbag body to be expanded from a portion near the handle bar and blown up to a front side of rider'"'"'s knees, and

a third airbag body to be expanded from an upper surface of the engine hood toward the windshield having an inclined surface as a guide slope for the blowing-up of the third airbag,

wherein the controller is configured to select, depending on a degree of an impact of the collision, whether only the airbag body on the side of the handle bar is to be expanded, both the airbag body on the side of the handle bar and the airbag body on the side of the engine hood are to be expanded, and the airbag body on the side of the engine hood is delayed in an expansion timing with respect to a timing of the expansion of the airbag body on the side of the handle bar.

2. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the timing of the expansion of the airbag body on the side of the engine hood is delayed with respect to the timing of expansion of the airbag body on the side of the handle bar, and the surface area of expansion of the airbag body on the side of the engine hood is larger than the surface area of expansion of the airbag body on the side of the handle bar.

3. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the airbag body on the side of the engine hood is set to reduce the speed of deflation after the expansion of the airbag, to be difficult to deflate, or hard to deflate with respect to the airbag body on the side of the handle bar.

4. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein a width of the airbag body on the side of the engine hood is set to be equal to or larger than a width of the vehicle when the airbag body is expanded, and a height of a front end portion of the airbag body when grounded in front of the vehicle body is set to be higher than a base portion of the airbag body.

5. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the airbag body is colored other than white or in fluorescent color.

6. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein a steering shaft for supporting the handle bar is provided with a dividable portion which divides the steering shaft in an axial direction thereof and connects the steering shaft to the handle bar to be integrally rotatable.

7. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the engine is a four-stroke-cycle engine.

8. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1, wherein a front end portion of the vehicle body frame is arranged between the storage housing for storing the airbag body on the side of the engine hood and the impact detection device when viewing the vehicle body in a side view.

9. The snowmobile with an airbag system according to claim 1,

wherein the engine is inclined rearward so as to provide a space between the engine hood and the engine, and at least the airbag body and the storage housing are disposed in the space.

10. A snowmobile with an airbag system comprising:

a vehicle body extending in a longitudinal direction of a snowmobile;

a handle bar provided at an intermediate upper portion of the vehicle body for steering a steering skid;

an engine hood for covering the front portion of the vehicle body at a front side of the handle bar;

a windshield provided at a rear portion of the engine hood;

an engine mounted inside the engine hood;

a driver'"'"'s seat provided behind the handle bar;

a vehicle body frame provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body; and

an airbag system provided for the vehicle body, the airbag system comprising;

an airbag body formed into a bag-shape;

a storage housing for storing the airbag body;

an impact detection device for detecting a collision of the vehicle body;

an airbag expanding device for expanding the airbag body upon the collision of the vehicle body; and

a controller for controlling the impact detection device and expansion of the airbag body, the airbag system including

a first airbag body to be expanded from a portion near the handle bar and blown up rearward of the handle bar and outward of both ends of the handle bar,

a second airbag body to be expanded from a portion near the handle bar and blown up to a front side of rider'"'"'s knees, and

a third airbag body to be expanded from an upper surface of the engine hood toward the windshield having an inclined surface as a guide slope for the blowing-up of the third airbag,

wherein a relationship between widths is set to be W1<

W2<

W3<

W4, where W1 represents a gripping distance of the handle bar, W2 represents a width of the airbag body on the side of the handle bar, W3 represents an entire width of the steering skid, and W4 represents a width of the airbag body on the side of the engine hood.