Airbag and airbag apparatus

• US 7,726,685 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kumagai, Masayoshi, Abe, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US12/227,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743.1, 280/736, 280/739, 280/740
• US Class Current: 280/736
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

An airbag and airbag apparatus in which a venthole is closed or opened by a small amount until an occupant hits the airbag, and the venthole is opened or opened by a large amount when the occupant hits the airbag. Inner panels 22A and 22B are provided inside of an airbag 10. Ventholes 18 and 18A allowing an inside and an outside of the airbag 10 to communicate with each other are provided in a rear panel 14. A lid member 60 for covering the venthole is provided on an outer surface side of the rear panel 14. The venthole 18A is a constantly-open type venthole that is not covered by means of the lid member 60. A tether 70 couples the lid member 60 with the inner panels 22A and 22B through the constantly-open type venthole 18A.

Claims

1. An airbag comprising:

an occupant-facing surface, a rear surface opposite to the occupant-facing surface, and a side surface in an expanded state,

a first venthole provided on the rear surface or the side surface,

a lid member having at least one end side coupled with the airbag and the other end side not coupled therewith,

a constantly-open second venthole provided in an area in the airbag on the other end side of the lid member, which is not covered by the lid member, and

a connecting member for connecting the other end side of the lid member and the occupant-facing surface, said connecting member passing through the constantly-open second venthole and an inside of the airbag,

wherein when the airbag is expanded, the lid member is under strain along an outer surface of the airbag and is made to overlap the first venthole by being pulled in a direction where the other end side of the lid member becomes separated from the one end side via the connecting member, and thereby the first venthole is closed or opened by a small amount, and

wherein the lid member becomes separated from the first venthole by an occupant coming to contact with the expanded airbag and causes the occupant-facing surface to retreat, and thereby the first venthole is opened or opened by a large amount.

2. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the lid member is integrally constructed with a panel constituting the outer surface of the airbag.

3. The airbag according to claim 2, wherein the airbag includes a front panel constituting the occupant-facing surface, and a rear panel constituting the rear surface on the opposite side, and wherein the lid member is constructed with an extending piece that integrally extends from at least one of the front panel or the rear panel.

4. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an inner panel for partitioning an inside of the airbag into a first chamber in a center of the airbag and a second chamber surrounding the first chamber, wherein in the inner panel, a communicating portion for allowing the first chamber and the second chamber to communicate with each other is provided, and the airbag is constructed in such a way that the first chamber is expanded first by a gas being introduced into the first chamber, and then the second chamber is expanded by the gas flowing into the second chamber from the first chamber via the communicating portion, and wherein the first venthole is a venthole that allows the second chamber and an outside of the airbag to communicate with each other.

5. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary lid member for covering the first venthole from an inside of the airbag is provided, and wherein when the lid member is in a state of closing the first venthole, the auxiliary lid member covers the first venthole from the inside of the airbag, and when a closing operation for the first venthole by the lid member is stopped, the auxiliary lid member is pushed outside the airbag from the first venthole by gas-pressure in the airbag and opens the first venthole.

6. The airbag according to claim 5, wherein at least one end side of the auxiliary lid member is connected to a peripheral edge portion of the first venthole, and the other end side is not connected to the peripheral edge portion of the first venthole.

7. The airbag according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the auxiliary lid members is provided in such a way that positions thereof vary in a peripheral direction of the first venthole.

8. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein an end of a tubular nozzle is coupled with the first venthole, and when the lid member is in a state of closing the first venthole, the nozzle is disposed inside of the airbag, and when the closing operation for the first venthole by the lid member is stopped, the nozzle is projected to outside of the airbag from the first venthole by being pressed by means of gas-pressure in the airbag.

9. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the lid member is made to overlap the first venthole from a starting time of an expanding operation of the airbag.

10. The airbag according to claim 9, wherein the airbag is in a folded back state before the airbag is expanded, and when the airbag is folded back, the lid member and the airbag are integrally folded back along a folding line extending so as to traverse the first venthole, in a state where the lid member is made to overlap the first venthole.

11. The airbag according to claim 9, wherein before the airbag is expanded, the lid member is held in a state of being overlapped with the first venthole.

12. The airbag according to claim 11, wherein an overhanging portion that is overhanging sideward from a side edge of the connecting member is provided, and wherein the overhanging portion is in contact with a peripheral edge portion of the constantly-open second venthole from the inside of the airbag, in a state that the lid member is made to overlap the first venthole, and the connecting member is drawn inside the airbag to an extent that the connecting member is made to extend along the outer surface of the airbag between the lid member and the constantly-open second venthole without substantially loosening.

13. The airbag according to claim 9, wherein in a state that the lid member is made to overlap the first venthole, the other end side of the lid member is disconnectably connected to a venthole-peripheral edge portion of the airbag, and wherein a connection of the lid member and the venthole-peripheral edge portion is released when an internal pressure of the airbag is brought to a predetermined pressure or more.

14. The airbag according to claim 13, wherein the other end side of the lid member is coupled with the venthole-peripheral edge portion by means of a tear seam that is torn when a predetermined tensile force or more is applied.

15. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein a width of the connecting member in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the constantly-open second venthole is greater than a width of the constantly-open second venthole.

16. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein an opening area of the first venthole is greater than an opening area of the constantly-open second venthole.

17. The airbag according to claim 16, wherein the opening area of the first venthole is four times or more greater than the opening area of the constantly-open second venthole.

18. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein coupling of the lid member and the occupant-facing surface of the airbag by means of the connecting member is released when an internal pressure of the airbag is brought to a predetermined pressure or more.

19. The airbag according to claim 18, wherein the connecting member is provided with a fragile portion and the coupling of the lid member and the occupant-facing surface of the airbag is released by the connecting member being torn at the fragile portion when the internal pressure of the airbag is brought to the predetermined pressure or more.

20. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is blocked from returning to an inside of the airbag after the connecting member is pulled to outside of the airbag upon passing through the constantly-open second venthole along with the lid member becoming separated from the first venthole.

21. The airbag according to claim 20, wherein an overhanging portion overhanging sideward from a side edge of the connecting member is provided at a halfway portion in a longitudinal direction of the connecting member, and wherein the connecting member is blocked from returning to the inside of the airbag by the overhanging portion coming into contact with a peripheral edge portion of the constantly-open second venthole from outside of the airbag, after the connecting member is pulled to outside of the airbag upon passing through the constantly-open second venthole along with the lid member becoming separated from the first venthole.

22. The airbag according to claim 21, wherein the overhanging portion is in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the constantly-open second venthole from inside of the airbag, in a state that the lid member is made to overlap with the first venthole, and the connecting member is drawn inside of the airbag to an extent that the connecting member is made to extend along the outer surface of the airbag between the lid member and the constantly-open second venthole without substantially loosening.

23. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein an insertion portion of the connecting member is provided in an airbag-inside surface of the occupant-facing surface, and one end of the connecting member is coupled with the lid member and a halfway portion in a longitudinal direction of the connecting member is inserted into the insertion portion.

24. The airbag according to claim 23, wherein a coupling body for releasably coupling the other end side of the connecting member with an opposite side that is opposite to the occupant-facing surface, and a coupling-releasing device for releasing the coupling of the coupling body are provided.

25. An airbag apparatus provided with the airbag according to claim 1 and a gas-generator for supplying a gas into the airbag.

26. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary lid member covering the first venthole, said auxiliary lid member covering the first venthole when the lid member covers the first venthole, and when closing of the first venthole by the lid member is released, the auxiliary lid member opens the first venthole.