Curtain airbag device

• US 7,461,858 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Hirata, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US11/358,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/743.2, 280/749, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23153 specially adapted for rear seat passengers
• 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 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

When the airbag portion is inflated, the tip portions of the curtain portion are moved downward and thereby the tension portions connected by the bands are pulled down to the position of the support pins as shown in FIG. 6B. Thus, the tension can be provided to the curtain portion at a portion between the support pins with the length V between the right-side tension portion and the left-side tension portion, which is shorter than the three-side length (X+Y+Z).

Claims

1. A curtain airbag device, comprising:

a curtain portion provided at a window, the curtain portion being configured so as to be fixed to at least a window side at a portion thereof, accommodated at a peripheral portion of the window in a folded state thereof and cover the window in an inflated state thereof; and

a gas supply device operative to supply gas to an inflatable portion of said curtain portion to inflate said curtain portion in a specified condition,

wherein said curtain portion includes a tip side portion that is located at a tip of a side portion thereof and a tension portion that is located at the side portion thereof away from the tip side portion, said curtain portion in the folded state is accommodated in such a manner that the tip side portion is positioned near a support portion that is provided at a window edge and the tension portion is positioned near said window side to which the curtain portion is fixed, and said curtain portion is configured such that when the curtain portion is inflated with the inflation of the inflatable portion, the tip side portion is moved in an inflation direction and the tension portion is moved to the support portion so as to engage with the support portion,

wherein said curtain portion is configured so as to be fixed to a first window side at a portion thereof and accommodated at the first window side, a second window side and a third window side, the second and third window sides being located at both sides of the first window side, said curtain portion includes a second-window-side tip side portion that is located at a tip of a side portion thereof located at a side of the second window side and a third-window-side tip side portion that is located at a tip of a side portion thereof located at a side of the third window side, and a second-window-side tension portion that is located at the side portion thereof at the side of the second window side away from the second-window-side tip side portion and a third-window-side tension portion that is located at the side portion thereof at the side of the third window side away from the third-window-side tip side portion, said curtain portion in the folded state is accommodated in such a manner that the second-window-side tip side portion is positioned near a second-window-side support portion that is provided at the second window side and the third-window-side tip side portion is positioned near a third-window-side support portion that is provided at the third window side, and the second-window-side tension portion and the third-window-side tension portion are positioned near the first window side, and said curtain portion is configured such that when the curtain portion is inflated with the inflation of the inflatable portion, the second-window-side and third-window-side tip side portions are moved in the inflation direction, respectively, and the second-window-side and third-window-side tension portions are moved to the second-window-side and third-window-side support portions so as to engage with the second-window-side and third-window-side support portions, respectively.

2. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein an angle formed between said window side to which the curtain portion is fixed and an adjacent window side is configured to be obtuse.

3. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said tip side portion and said tension portion are interconnected by a band, and the band is provided so as to become away from said window side to which the curtain portion is fixed.

4. The curtain airbag device of claim 3, wherein said band is provided at an outer side of said curtain portion in the folded state.

5. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said curtain portion has a lobe portion at which a slot is formed, and said tip side portion and said tension portion are connected by said lobe portion and said support portion engages with the slot.

6. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said window is a vehicle window, and said specified condition includes at least a vehicle-crash detection, a vehicle-crash prediction, or a vehicle-rollover detection.

7. The curtain airbag device of claim 6, wherein said support portion forms a tension line at the curtain portion when the curtain portion is inflated, and the tension line is formed at a location in which a center of an occupant'"'"'s head is located at a side of said window side to which the curtain portion is fixed relative to the tension line.

8. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said inflatable portion is formed near said tension portion.

9. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said inflatable portion is formed on a tension line of the curtain portion that is formed by said tension portion.

10. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein said inflatable portion has a tip portion, and when the curtain portion is inflated, the tip portion of the inflatable portion extends beyond a window side other than said first, second and third window sides.

11. The curtain airbag device of claim 10, wherein an angle formed between said window side to which the curtain portion is fixed and an adjacent window side is configured to be obtuse.

12. The curtain airbag device of claim 10, wherein said inflatable portion is configured so as to be inflated in a substantially pole shape, extending beyond said window side.

13. The curtain airbag device of claim 12, wherein said inflatable portion is inflated in the substantially pole shape so as to be located close to either one of said second and third window sides.

14. The curtain airbag device of claim 10, wherein said window is a side window provided at a vehicle side, said specified condition includes at least a vehicle-crash detection, a vehicle-crash prediction, or a vehicle-rollover detection, and said inflatable portion is configured so as to be inflated, extending from the first window side located at an upper side of the vehicle beyond a belt line of a lower window side of the side window, in such a manner that the inflatable portion in the inflated state overlaps with a vertically-extending window pillar of the vehicle.