Airbag system

• US 7,441,796 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Noguchi, Atsushi, Hiraoka, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US11/113,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20050242551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/743.1, 280/728.1, 280/727, 280/729, 280/749
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An airbag system includes at least an airbag and a gas supply device. The airbag is mounted to an upper part of a sidewall of a vehicle and has a function of protecting an occupant by inflating downwardly into an occupant protection region between the occupant and the sidewall of the vehicle in a car accident such as a side crash or rolling sideways. The gas supply device having a gas generating function supplies inflation gas to the airbag. The airbag has a folded portion and an extending portion. The folded portion is folded in a predetermined folded shape in advance. The extending portion extends downwardly along the folded portion so as to cover a side of the folded portion from an interior side of the vehicle when the airbag is mounted to the vehicle.

Claims

1. An airbag system for protecting an occupant, comprising:

a gas supply device for supplying inflation gas, and

an airbag to be mounted above a side of a vehicle to be inflated downwardly into an occupant protection region between the occupant and the side of the vehicle, said airbag having an interior side and an outer side opposite to the interior side when inflated, said interior and outer sides being entirely laminated together for folding, said airbag having a folded portion folded in a predetermined shape and an extending portion between the folded portion and the gas supply device, said extending portion being folded several times between the gas supply device and the folded portion, and extending downwardly along the folded portion for covering only one side of the folded portion at the interior side of the vehicle when the airbag is mounted to the vehicle, said extending portion being adapted to push and open a ceiling panel upon inflation of the airbag to thereby move the folded portion to the occupant protection region along a side window of the vehicle at an un-inflated condition so that the folded portion is inflated at the occupant protection region,

wherein said extending portion includes a first extending portion located above the folded portion, a second extending portion extending along the only one side of the folded portion, and a third extending portion continuously attached to the folded portion and pleated several times and located under the folded portion so that the third extending portion completely covers a lower half of the folded portion, and

wherein said first extending portion is connected to the gas supply device, and the second extending portion is disposed adjacent the first extending portion and the folded portion and covers the only one side of the folded portion.

2. An airbag system according to claim 1, wherein said folded portion is located under the first extending portion when the airbag is deployed so that the folded portion starts to deploy after the first and second extending portions deploy.

3. An airbag system according to claim 1, wherein said folded portion includes a rolled portion rolled in a roll shape so that the rolled portion is inflated in a region corresponding to a head of the occupant in the occupant protection region while being restrained by the extending portion from deploying directly towards the head of the occupant from above a vehicle sidewall.

4. An airbag system for protecting an occupant, comprising:

a gas supply device for supplying inflation gas, and

an airbag to be mounted above a side of a vehicle to be inflated downwardly by the inflation gas of the gas supply device into an occupant protection region between the occupant and the side of the vehicle, said airbag having an interior side and an outer side opposite to the interior side when inflated, said interior and outer sides being entirely laminated together for folding, said airbag having, in a folded state, a folded portion rolled inwardly so that a center of the folded portion is in a middle of the airbag and having an end portion located outside the folded portion, and an extending portion attached to the folded portion at a side close to the gas supply device, said extending portion including a first extending portion pleated several times and located above the folded portion, a second extending portion extending continuously downwardly from the first extending portion along the folded portion for covering one side of the folded portion at the interior side of the vehicle and then upwardly along the folded portion to be connected to the folded portion at an upper portion thereof, and a third extending portion as the end portion extending from the folded portion, said third extending portion being pleated several times and located under the folded portion.

5. An airbag system according to claim 4, wherein said extending portion entirely covers the only one side of the folded portion so that the folded portion is pushed toward the side of the vehicle by the extending portion when the inflation gas is supplied to the airbag.

6. An airbag system according to claim 4, wherein said second extending portion includes a portion located under the folded portion.

7. An airbag system for protecting an occupant, comprising:

a gas supply device for supplying inflation gas, and

an airbag to be mounted above a side of a vehicle to be inflated downwardly into an occupant protection region between the occupant and the side of the vehicle, said airbag having an interior side and an outer side opposite to the interior side when inflated, said interior and outer sides being entirely laminated together for folding, said airbag having a folded portion folded in a predetermined shape and an extending portion between the folded portion and the gas supply device, said extending portion being folded several times between the gas supply device and the folded portion, and extending downwardly along the folded portion for covering only one side of the folded portion at the interior side of the vehicle when the airbag is mounted to the vehicle, said extending portion being adapted to push and open a ceiling panel upon inflation of the airbag to thereby move the folded portion to the occupant protection region along a side window of the vehicle at an un-inflated condition so that the folded portion is inflated at the occupant protection region,

wherein said extending portion includes a first extending portion located above the folded portion and a second extending portion extending along the only one side of the folded portion,

wherein said first extending portion is connected to the gas supply device, and the second extending portion is disposed adjacent the first extending portion and the folded portion and covers the only one side of the folded portion,

wherein said folded portion is located under the first extending portion when the airbag is deployed so that the folded portion starts to deploy after the first and second extending portions deploy, and

wherein said folded portion is a pleated portion laminated under the first extending portion folded several times.

8. An airbag system according to claim 7, wherein said extending portion further includes a third extending portion folded and located between the second extending portion and the folded portion.

9. An airbag system according to claim 7, wherein said extending portion further includes a third extending portion located under the folded portion.