Airbag apparatus

• US 7,367,582 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nishizawa, Muneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCCA, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US11/017,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20050140122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.1, 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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 21/26 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

An airbag apparatus is installed in a vehicle having a three-seat-row arrangement, and includes a vehicle airbag having a plurality of sections and a gas supplying device. The vehicle airbag is installed on an upper sidewall of the vehicle, and inflated downwardly in passenger-protection regions located between passengers on the seats and a sidewall of the vehicle for protecting the passengers during an accident such as a side collision or roll-over. The gas supplying device is capable of generating an inflation gas for inflating the airbag. The sidewall constitutes a large area on a side of the vehicle at a left or right side of the passenger such as a side window or a door. The vehicle airbag is typically installed in an area between a side roof panel on an upper region of the sidewall and a ceiling panel.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle having a sidewall and at least three seatrows arranged in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle airbag installed at an upper portion of the sidewall of the vehicle to be inflated downwardly in passenger-protection regions between passengers seated in seats and the sidewall of the vehicle for protecting the passengers upon a vehicle accident, said vehicle airbag extending at the upper portion of the sidewall between a first region corresponding to a first seat-row from a front side of the vehicle to a third region corresponding to a third seatrow from the front side of the vehicle,

first and second sections disposed in the vehicle airbag for completely separately defining an inside of the vehicle airbag, each of said first and second sections having a main inflatable chamber forming one passenger-protection region and a sub-inflatable chamber located at a side of the main inflatable chamber, said sub-inflatable chamber of the first section being configured to overlap with the subinflatable chamber of the second section in a vertical direction to form one passenger-protection region by the two sub-inflatable chambers when the vehicle airbag is inflated,

a first gas supplying device for supplying gas to the first section, and

a second gas supplying device for supplying gas to the second section.

2. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second region includes at an upper section the sub-chamber communicating with the main inflatable chamber of the first section, and at a lower section the sub-chamber communicating with the main inflatable chamber of the second section.

3. An airbag apparatus for a vehicle having a sidewall and at least three seat-rows arranged in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle airbag installed at an upper portion of the sidewall of the vehicle to be inflated downwardly in passenger-protection regions between passengers seated in seats and the sidewall of the vehicle for protecting the passengers upon a vehicle accident, said vehicle airbag extending at the upper portion of the sidewall between a first region corresponding to a first seat-row from a front side of the vehicle to a third region corresponding to a third seatrow from the front side of the vehicle,

first, second and third sections disposed in the vehicle airbag for completely separately defining, an inside of the vehicle airbag, each of said first and second sections having a main inflatable chamber forming one passenger-protection region and a sub-inflatable chamber located at a side of the main inflatable chamber, said third section having two sub-inflatable chambers spaced apart vertically and laterally, said subinflatable chamber of the first section being configured to overlap with the sub-inflatable chamber of the third section in a vertical direction and said sub-inflatable chamber of the second section being configured to overlap with the sub-inflatable chamber of the third section in the vertical direction to form one passenger-protection region, respectively, by the two sub-inflatable chambers when the vehicle airbag is inflated,

a first gas supplying device for supplying gas to the first section,

a second gas supplying device for supplying gas to the second section, and

a third gas supplying device for supplying gas to the third section.