Airbag apparatus

• US 7,481,454 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sunabashiri, Yukisada
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/566,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/740, 280/742
• US Class Current: 280/740
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2612 Gas guiding means, e.g. ducts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23184 Tubular air bags connected to the vehicle at their two extremities

Abstract

An air bag apparatus is installed along the front-to-rear axis of the interior-facing side roof rail of a vehicle. The air bag has an air bag body, an inflator and a fluid body supply device. The air bag body has a plurality of inflatable chambers with at least one specific chamber and at least one general chamber. When in the deployed state, the specific chamber is positioned adjacent a structural pillar member of a vehicle side portion of the vehicle body. When in the deployed state the general chamber is located adjacent the vehicle side portion. In use, the inflator supplies a high-pressure fluid to the air bag body thereby inflating each of the chambers and the fluid supply delay device selectively delays the high-pressure fluid to the specific chamber relative to the general chamber.

Claims

1. An air bag apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an air bag body including a first inflatable chamber and a second inflatable chamber, each of the first and second inflatable chambers being arranged to be positioned along a roof side rail of the vehicle in a front to rear direction of the vehicle so that the first inflatable chamber overlies a pillar member of the vehicle and the second inflatable chamber overlies a side window of the vehicle; and

a fluid supply delay device attached to the airbag body, the fluid supply delay device including a duct having a first outlet port communicating with a first inlet port of the first inflatable chamber and a second outlet port communicating with a second inlet port of the second inflatable chamber, the first outlet port having an opening area smaller than that of the second outlet port so as to reduce a flow rate of a high-pressure fluid supplied to the first inflatable chamber as compared to that of the high-pressure fluid supplied to the second inflatable chamber so that the second inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the side window of the vehicle before the first inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the pillar of the vehicle.

2. The air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air bag body is folded in an upward direction in a normal state, each of the first inflatable chamber and the second inflatable chamber being inflated with the high-pressure fluid supplied to the airbag body in an emergency state so that each of the first inflatable chamber and the inflatable second chamber deploys in a downward direction along a side wall of the vehicle.

4. The air bag apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises an inflator in fluid communication with the air bag body.

5. The air bag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the duct includes a flexible duct member with the first and second outlet ports.

6. The air bag apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the air bag body is stowed in an upward direction when in an undeployed state, upon deployment, the inflator is configured to supply the high-pressure fluid to the air bag body thereby inflating each of the first and second inflatable chambers in a downward direction along the side portion of the vehicle body.

7. The air bag apparatus of according to claim 6, wherein

the air bag body comprises an elongate passage, the elongate passage being in fluid communication with first and second inflatable chambers, and the elongate passage being adapted to receive the fluid supply delay device.

8. The air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air bag body is made from a fabric material.

9. The air bag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the air bag body is made from canvas.

10. The air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure fluid is a gas.

11. A motor vehicle comprising an air bag apparatus according to claim 1.

3. An air bag apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an air bag body including

a first inflatable chamber having a first inlet port and a first closed end opposite the first inlet port;

and a second inflatable chamber having a second inlet port and a second closed end opposite the second inlet port, and

a passage communicating with the first inlet port of the first inflatable chamber and the second inlet port of the second inflatable chamber,

each of the first and second inflatable chambers being arranged to be positioned along a roof side rail of the vehicle in a front to rear direction of the vehicle so that the first inflatable chamber overlies a pillar member of the vehicle and the second inflatable chamber overlies a side window of the vehicle; and

a fluid supply delay device attached to the airbag body, the fluid supply delay device includes a passage, and a duct inserted onto the passage, and the duct having an outlet port communicating directly with the second inlet port, the duct being free of an outlet port that directly communicates a high-pressure fluid supplied to the duct so that the high-pressure fluid is supplied indirectly to the first inflatable chamber only through the passage to reduce a flow rate of the high-pressure supplied to the first inflatable chamber as compared to that of the high-pressure fluid supplied to the second inflatable chamber so that the second inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the side window of the vehicle before the first inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the pillar of the vehicle.

12. An air bag apparatus comprising:

a vehicle body including at least an interior roof side rail, a pillar and a side window;

an air bag body located along the interior roof side rail, the air bag body including a first inflatable chamber and a second inflatable chamber, each of the first and second inflatable chambers being arranged to be positioned along a roof side rail of the vehicle in a front to rear direction of the vehicle so that the first inflatable chamber overlies the pillar member and the second inflatable chamber overlies the side window;

an inflator being in fluid communication with the air bag body; and

a fluid supply delay device located between the inflator and the air bag body, the fluid supply delay device including a duct having a first outlet port communicating with a first inlet port of the first inflatable chamber and a second outlet port communicating with a second inlet port to the second inflatable chamber, the first outlet port having an opening area smaller than that of the second outlet port so as to reduce a flow rate of a high-pressure fluid supplied to the first inflatable chamber as compared to that of the high-pressure fluid supplied to the second inflatable chamber so that the second inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the side window before the first inflatable chamber is fully inflated to overlie the pillar.

13. The air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the air bag body comprises an elongate passage in fluid communication with the first and second inflatable chambers, and the elongate passage is adapted to receive the fluid supply delay device.

14. The air bag apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the fluid delay device comprises a flexible duct member, the duct member comprising a plurality of fluid outlet ports, which fluid outlet ports communicate with the fluid inlet port on of each of the plurality of inflatable chambers.

15. The air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the air bag body is made from a fabric material.

16. The air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the air bag body is made from canvas.

17. The air bag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the high-pressure fluid is a gas.