Side curtain airbag with extended shoulder portion

• US 7,618,057 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Welch, Jeffrey A., Pinsenschaum, Ryan T., Winters, Mark T., Weston, Douglas S., Abney, William III, Hassett, Dayne B., Fink, Mike F.
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US11/779,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/749, 280/729
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0058 Shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2615 for diverting the gas into a plurality of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2617 Curtain bag nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• 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
• 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 inflatable cushion for a side of a vehicle, the inflatable cushion, comprising: a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion or towards both the first end portion or the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position.

Claims

1. An inflatable cushion for a side of a vehicle, the inflatable cushion, comprising:

a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and

a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the first section being located on the primary cushion chamber at a location spaced from both the first end portion and the second end portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position;

wherein the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber are each deployed by a single inflator and the secondary cushion chamber is fully deployed into the second position prior to the primary cushion chamber being fully deployed into the first position.

2. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the primary cushion chamber has a plurality of cells and the secondary cushion chamber is integrally formed with the primary cushion chamber.

3. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the secondary cushion chamber is separate with respect to the primary cushion chamber.

4. The inflatable cushion as in claim 3, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a shoulder of an occupant of the vehicle.

5. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the secondary cushion chamber deploys without interference from a seat belt of the vehicle.

6. The inflatable cushion as in claim 5, wherein the primary cushion chamber has a plurality of cells and the secondary cushion chamber is integrally formed with the primary cushion chamber.

7. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a shoulder of an occupant of the vehicle.

8. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the secondary cushion chamber extends from the upper edge and the second portion of the secondary cushion chamber is located below the lower edge when the secondary cushion chamber is inflated to the second position.

9. The inflatable cushion as in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the secondary cushion chamber passes through a tube defined by a sheath secured to an exterior surface of the primary cushion chamber.

10. An airbag module for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflatable cushion having a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and

a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the tipper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position;

a single inflator for inflating the inflatable cushion; and

a gas diffusion means for delivering an inflation gas from the inflator to the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber, wherein the gas diffusion means has a main tube section and an auxiliary tube section, the auxiliary tube section being in fluid communication with an end portion of the first section of the secondary cushion chamber and the main tube section has at least one flow restriction to direct inflation gases from the inflator into the auxiliary tube section.

11. The airbag module of claim 10, wherein the gas diffusion means further comprises a manifold for proportioning the inflation gas into the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber and the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a pelvis of an occupant of the vehicle.

12. The airbag module of claim 10, wherein the gas diffusion means has a plurality of orifices for proportioning the inflation gas into the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber and the first section of the secondary cushion chamber is secured about at least one of the plurality of orifices.

13. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the secondary cushion chamber is deployed to the second position prior to the primary cushion chamber being deployed to the first position and the internal pressure of the secondary cushion chamber increases at a greater rate of time than the internal pressure of the primary cushion chamber.

14. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber extends toward the first end of the primary chamber and the inflator is located in any one of a roof rail, a B-pillar, an A-pillar or a rocker panel of the vehicle.

15. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber extends toward the second end of the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber is deployed to the second position prior to the primary cushion chamber being deployed to the first position and the internal pressure of the secondary cushion chamber increases at a greater rate of time than the internal pressure of the primary cushion chamber and the internal pressure of the secondary cushion chamber reaches a higher peak pressure than the primary cushion chamber.

16. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the first portion of secondary cushion chamber extends from the upper edge and the second portion of the secondary cushion chamber is located below the lower edge when the secondary cushion chamber is inflated to the second position.

17. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the first portion of secondary cushion chamber passes through a tube defined by a sheath secured to an exterior surface of the primary cushion chamber.

18. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the auxiliary tube section has a stop and the end portion of the first section of the secondary cushion chamber is slidably mounted to the auxiliary tube section and the stop defines a limit of travel of the end portion on the auxiliary tube section.

19. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the secondary cushion chamber is mounted to a pillar of the vehicle and the secondary cushion chamber is located in an un-inflated state behind a trim piece of the pillar of the vehicle and the secondary cushion chamber deploys without interference from a seat belt mounted to the pillar.

21. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is mounted proximate to a bracket for directing the second section of the secondary cushion chamber into the second position during deployment of the secondary cushion chamber and the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a shoulder of an occupant of the vehicle.

22. The airbag module as in claim 10, wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a pelvis of an occupant of the vehicle.

20. An airbag module for a vehicle, comprising:

an inflatable cushion having a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and

a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion or towards both the first end portion and the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position;

a single inflator for inflating the inflatable cushion; and

a gas diffusion means for delivering an inflation gas from the inflator to the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber;

wherein the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is mounted proximate to a bracket for directing the second section of the secondary cushion chamber into the second position during deployment of the secondary cushion chamber.

23. A method of providing side protection to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

inflating an inflatable cushion with a single inflator, the inflatable cushion having a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and

a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position and wherein the secondary cushion chamber is mounted to a pillar of the vehicle and the secondary cushion chamber is located in an un-inflated state behind a trim piece of the pillar of the vehicle and the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is mounted proximate to a bracket for directing the second section of the secondary cushion chamber into the second position during deployment.

24. The method as in claim 23, wherein the primary cushion chamber has a plurality of cells and the secondary cushion chamber is integrally formed with the primary cushion chamber.

25. The method as in claim 23, wherein the primary cushion chamber has a plurality of cells and the secondary cushion chamber is non-contiguous to the primary cushion chamber and the second section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to align with a shoulder of an occupant of the vehicle.

26. The method as in claim 23, wherein the first section of the secondary cushion chamber is configured to expand during deployment of the secondary cushion without any additional downward deployment.

27. The method as in claim 23, wherein the secondary cushion chamber is fully deployed to the second position prior to the primary cushion chamber being fully deployed to the first position.

28. A method of providing side protection to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

inflating an inflatable cushion with a single inflator, the inflatable cushion having a primary cushion chamber inflatable to a first position, the primary cushion chamber having an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, a first end portion and a second end portion; and

a secondary cushion chamber inflatable to a second position, the secondary cushion chamber having a first section and a second section, the first section extending between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion and the second section extending from the first section towards either the first end portion or the second end portion or towards both the first end portion and the second end portion and a portion of the second section being located below the lower edge portion when the secondary cushion chamber is in the second position;

wherein the single inflator provides inflation gases to the primary cushion chamber and the secondary cushion chamber via a diffuser tube and the secondary chamber is separate from the primary cushion chamber and the diffuser tube has a main tube section and an auxiliary tube section, the auxiliary tube section being in fluid communication with an end portion of the first section of the secondary cushion chamber and the main tube section has at least one flow restriction to direct inflation gases from the inflator into the auxiliary tube section.

29. The method as in claim 28, wherein the auxiliary tube section has a stop and the end portion of the first section of the secondary cushion chamber is slidably mounted to the auxiliary tube section and the stop defines a limit of travel of the end portion on the auxiliary tube section.