Airbag apparatus

• US 7,530,596 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Bito, Kazuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Toan C
• Application Number:
  US11/896,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/731, 280/732, 280/738, 280/739, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/739
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/276 with means to vent the inflation fluid source, e.g. in case of overpressure B60R21/30 takes precedence; venting means on inflatable member walls B60R21/239

Abstract

The airbag apparatus includes an airbag, a tether, a vent mechanism and an actuator. When the actuator is activated, a portion of the tether is retained by a movable member of the actuator to reduce the degree of protrusion of the airbag while the vent mechanism is released from the movable member to open up a vent opening and increase emission of inflation gas. When the actuator is inactive, the portion of the tether is detached from a position where the portion would otherwise be retained by the movable member to increase the degree of protrusion of the airbag while the vent mechanism is retained by the movable member to close off the vent opening and reduce the emission of gas. Further, the actuator may be activated at a delayed timing to open up the vent opening to increase the gas emission after the tether is configured to increase the protruding degree of the airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag inflatable with inflation gas to protrude from a housing;

an actuator disposed at the housing and including a movable member for movement from an initial position to an end position;

a control device controlling a feed of inflation gas to the airbag for inflation and an activation of the actuator;

a vent mechanism for exhausting inflation gas, the mechanism including a first vent opening formed on the housing and a first valve body openably closing the vent opening for adjustment of emission of inflation gas to a low-emission mode or to a high-emission mode; and

a tether connecting part of the housing and a location on the airbag, the tether including, at an end area thereof closer to the housing, an engagement portion engageable with the movable member of the actuator for adjustment of a degree of protrusion of the airbag from the housing to an increased-protrusion mode or to a restrained-protrusion mode, wherein;

the engagement portion of the tether is retained at a location near the housing such that;

the engagement portion is detached from the location near the housing so as to preclude engagement between the engagement portion and the movable member of the actuator and thereby extending a length of the tether from the location of housing to a joint to the airbag to set the tether for the increased-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the engagement portion is engaged with the movable member of the actuator unless detached from the location near the housing thereby shortening the length of the tether from the location of housing to the joint to the airbag to set the tether for the restrained-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator activated; and

the valve body is attached at a location near the housing such that;

the valve body is engaged with the movable member to close off the vent opening and set the vent mechanism for a low-emission mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the valve body is disengaged from the movable member to open up the vent opening to set the vent mechanism for a high-emission mode upon activation of the actuator; and

the movable member of the actuator is formed into a bifurcate configuration to include a first retaining member to retain the tether and a second retaining member to retain the valve body;

the engagement portion of the tether includes an annular collar into which a leading end of the first retaining member is inserted to retain the tether when the actuator is activated to move the movable member to the end position;

the collar is retained at the location near the housing in such a manner as to detach from the location near the housing so as not to be retained by the first retaining member when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactive;

a leading end of the second retaining member is directed toward a direction opposite from the leading end of the first retaining member;

the valve body includes an annular portion receiving the leading end of the second retaining member such that the valve body is retained by the second retaining member when the actuator remains inactive to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

the leading end of the second retaining member is withdrawn from the annular portion of the valve body so as to allow the valve body to open up the vent opening when the actuator is activated to move the movable member to the end position.

2. An airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag inflatable with inflation gas to protrude from a housing;

an actuator disposed at the housing and including a movable member for movement from an initial position to an end position;

a control device controlling a feed of inflation gas to the airbag for inflation and an activation of the actuator;

a vent mechanism for exhausting inflation gas, the mechanism including a first vent opening formed on the housing and a first valve body openably closing the vent opening for adjustment of emission of inflation gas to a low-emission mode or to a high-emission mode; and

a tether connecting part of the housing and a location on the airbag, the tether including, at an end area thereof closer to the housing, an engagement portion engageable with the movable member of the actuator for adjustment of a degree of protrusion of the airbag from the housing to an increased-protrusion mode or to a restrained-protrusion mode, wherein;

the engagement portion of the tether is retained at a location near the housing such that;

the engagement portion is detached from the location near the housing so as to preclude engagement between the engagement portion and the movable member of the actuator and thereby extending a length of the tether from the location of housing to a joint to the airbag to set the tether for the increased-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the engagement portion is engaged with the movable member of the actuator unless detached from the location near the housing thereby shortening the length of the tether from the location of housing to the joint to the airbag to set the tether for the restrained-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator activated; and

the valve body is attached at a location near the housing such that;

the valve body is engaged with the movable member to close off the vent opening and set the vent mechanism for a low-emission mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the valve body is disengaged from the movable member to open up the vent opening to set the vent mechanism for a high-emission mode upon activation of the actuator; and

the vent mechanism further includes a second vent opening formed on the housing and a second valve body openably closing the second vent opening;

the engagement portion of the tether further includes a stopping member for keeping the second valve body closing the second vent opening;

the stopping member is moved by the movable member of the actuator to a position to retain the second valve body such that the second valve body keeps closing the second vent opening when the actuator is activated during the restrained-protrusion mode of the tether whereas the stopping member is detached from the position to retain the second valve body when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactive;

the second valve body is helped to close off the second vent opening by the first valve body closing off the first vent opening and supporting the second valve body in addition to by being retained by the stopping member upon the activation of the actuator; and

the second valve body opens up the second vent opening when the stopping member is detached from the position to retain the second valve body after the airbag started to inflate with the actuator inactive and then the actuator is activated to allow the first valve body to open up the first vent opening and stop supporting the second valve body.

3. The airbag apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the movable member of the actuator is formed into a bifurcate configuration to include a first retaining member to retain the tether and a second retaining member to retain the first valve body;

the first retaining member and the second retaining member are oriented toward opposite directions from each other at leading ends thereof;

the first valve body includes an annular portion receiving the leading end of the second retaining member such that the first valve body is retained by the second retaining member when the actuator remains inactive to keep the movable member at the initial position;

the leading end of the second retaining member is removed from the annular portion of the first valve body so as to allow the first valve body to open up the first vent opening when the actuator is activated to move the movable member to the end position;

the engagement portion of the tether includes an annular collar for receiving the leading end of the first retaining member so as to be retained by the first retaining member, the collar having the stopping member fitted inside thereof in a detachable manner before activation of the actuator;

the collar is retained at the location near the housing in such a manner as to detach from the location near the housing together with the stopping member so as not to be retained by the first retaining member when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactive;

the stopping member is pushed out of the collar by the leading end of the first retaining member moved to be inserted through the collar to retain the tether when the actuator is activated to move the movable member to the end position;

the first vent opening and the second vent opening are arranged to form a single communicated opening;

the first valve body is disposed rotatably about a pivot portion formed on a periphery of the first vent opening and the second valve body is disposed rotatably about a pivot portion formed on a periphery of the second vent opening;

the second valve body is supported at a leading end area thereof by a region of the first valve body between the pivot portion and a leading end of the first valve body and thereby closing off the second vent opening; and

the second valve body includes;

a holding member holding the collar toward the airbag housing in a detachable manner; and

an annular portion adapted to be retained by the stopping member pushed out of the collar by the leading end of the first retaining member when the actuator is activated to move the movable member to the end position such that the second vent opening is kept closed.

4. An airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag inflatable with inflation gas to protrude from a housing;

an actuator disposed at the housing and including a movable member for movement from an initial position to an end position;

a control device controlling a feed of inflation gas to the airbag for inflation and an activation of the actuator;

a vent mechanism for exhausting inflation gas, the mechanism including a first vent opening formed on the housing and a first valve body openably closing the vent opening for adjustment of emission of inflation gas to a low-emission mode or to a high-emission mode; and

a tether connecting part of the housing and a location on the airbag, the tether including, at an end area thereof closer to the housing, an engagement portion engageable with the movable member of the actuator for adjustment of a degree of protrusion of the airbag from the housing to an increased-protrusion mode or to a restrained-protrusion mode, wherein;

the engagement portion of the tether is retained at a location near the housing such that;

the engagement portion is detached from the location near the housing so as to preclude engagement between the engagement portion and the movable member of the actuator and thereby extending a length of the tether from the location of housing to a joint to the airbag to set the tether for the increased-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the engagement portion is engaged with the movable member of the actuator unless detached from the location near the housing thereby shortening the length of the tether from the location of housing to the joint to the airbag to set the tether for the restrained-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator activated; and

the valve body is attached at a location near the housing such that;

the valve body is engaged with the movable member to close off the vent opening and set the vent mechanism for a low-emission mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and

such that

the valve body is disengaged from the movable member to open up the vent opening to set the vent mechanism for a high-emission mode upon activation of the actuator; and

the airbag includes an occupant side wall at a rear end area thereof protruding rearward upon deployment for restraint of an occupant;

an end area of the tether joined to the airbag is joined to a laterally central area of the occupant side wall such that the tether makes the laterally central area of the occupant side wall recessed forward upon airbag deployment; and

the occupant side wall is designed to be recessed at the laterally central area even when the airbag is deployed in the increased-protrusion mode of the tether.