Side airbag for vehicle

• US 7,762,575 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Choi, Kyun-soon, Lee, Dong-jun, Oh, Eun-hwan, Jang, Myung-ryun, Kim, Tae-woo, Yoo, Byoung-sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth; Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spisich; George D.
• Application Number:
  US11/789,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

Provided is a side airbag installed at a roof rail over a driver seat and a rear seat, which includes: a driver seat side airbag having a plurality of division chambers divided by chamber walls projecting therebetween, the chamber walls being curved in a direction opposite to a flow direction of a gas injected from an inflator, and a rear seat side airbag having a plurality of division chambers divided by chamber walls projecting therebetween, the chamber walls of the rear seat side airbag being curved in a direction opposite to the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag.

Therefore, it is possible to protect a driver and a passenger on the rear seat, when the side airbag is deployed, by aligning an inlet of the driver seat side airbag disposed at the driver seat to a flow direction of the gas to rapidly deploy the side airbag. In addition, it is possible to safely protect the head of a driver or a passenger by first deploying a portion of the side airbag at which the driver or the passenger is positioned.

Claims

1. A side airbag for a vehicle, comprising:

a driver seat side airbag portion having a plurality of chambers defined by a plurality of chamber walls; and

a rear seat side airbag portion having a plurality of chambers defined by a plurality of chamber walls, the chamber walls of the rear seat side airbag portion being curved in a first direction toward the driver seat side airbag portion and the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag portion being curved in a second direction toward the rear seat side airbag portion, the first direction being opposite to the second direction,

wherein a gas is injected from the rear seat side airbag portion toward the driver seat side airbag portion by an inflator disposed at an upper end of the rear seat side airbag portion, and

wherein the plurality of chamber walls in the driver seat side airbag portion and the rear seat side airbag portion are arranged such that a height of each chamber wall in the plurality of chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag portion and the rear seat side airbag portion increases with increasing distance away from the inflator, and the height of an additional chamber wall in the driver seat side airbag portion farthest away from the inflator does not further increase as do the other respective plurality of chamber walls in the driver seat side airbag portion and the rear seat side airbag portion.

2. The side airbag according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is located between the driver seat side airbag portion and the rear seat side airbag portion, and the partition wall has a larger width than the chamber walls and a triangular shape.

3. The side airbag according to claim 1, wherein each of the chamber walls is formed by attaching two panels of the side airbag face-to-face along predetermined lines and have a curved pocket shape at each top part of the chamber walls.

4. The side airbag according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is located between the driver seat side airbag portion and the rear seat side airbag portion, and all of the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag portion extend above a top of the partition wall.

5. The side airbag according to claim 4, wherein a fluid passage is disposed between the top of the partition wall and an upper edge of the side airbag.

6. The side airbag according to claim 4, wherein a fluid passage is disposed between a top of all of the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag portion and the upper edge of the side airbag, wherein the fluid passage disposed between the top of all of the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag portion and the upper edge of the side airbag is smaller than the fluid passage disposed between the top of the partition wall and the upper edge of the side airbag.

7. The side airbag according to claim 6, wherein a fluid passage is disposed between a top of at least one of the chamber walls of the rear seat side airbag portion and the upper edge of the side airbag, wherein the fluid passage disposed between the top of the at least one of the chamber walls of the rear seat side airbag portion and the upper edge of the side airbag is smaller than the fluid passage disposed between the top of the partition wall and the upper edge of the side airbag.