Airbag arrangement

• US 7,798,520 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Inventors: Gutmann, Ralf, Feller, Jens, Getz, Robert, Heuschmid, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCCA, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US12/318,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20090184500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/729, 280/743.1, 280/742
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

An airbag arrangement for a vehicle occupant restraint system includes an airbag on a side of a backrest of a vehicle seat that when inflated first extends substantially in a direction of a vertical vehicle axis and then forward from a backrest in a direction of travel of the vehicle. The airbag includes at least one inflatable chamber extending substantially forward from the backrest in the direction of travel and that is assigned to a body region of a vehicle occupant to support the vehicle occupant in a side collision. The at least one chamber is extended by a section that extends forward in the direction of travel when the airbag is inflated so that the airbag supports the vehicle occupant if vehicle occupant moves obliquely forward in the direction of travel because the section intercepts the associated body region of the vehicle occupant.

Claims

1. An airbag arrangement for a vehicle occupant support system, the airbag arrangement comprising:

an airbag arranged on a side of a backrest of a vehicle seat in such a way that when inflated the airbag extends both in a direction of a vertical vehicle axis and forward from the backrest in a direction of travel of the vehicle, the airbag comprising;

at least two separate inflatable chambers spaced apart with respect to the vertical vehicle axis, the inflatable chambers at least partially forming an intermediate space, each inflatable chamber extending forward from the backrest in the direction of travel and assigned to a body region of a vehicle occupant to support the vehicle occupant in an event of a side collision,

wherein the chambers each comprises a section when the airbag is inflated that extends forward in the direction of travel in such a way that the airbag supports the vehicle occupant in an event that the vehicle occupant moves obliquely forward in the direction of travel, the section intercepting an associated body region of the vehicle occupant,

wherein the chambers are connected to one another in a connecting region that permits an exchange of gas between the chambers,

wherein an upper one of the chambers comprises a first section adjoining the connecting region, the first section located at a front of the upper chamber in the direction of travel and at a bottom of the upper chamber along the vertical vehicle axis,

wherein a lower one of the chambers comprises a second section adjoining the first section, the second section located at a front of the lower chamber in the direction of travel and a top of the lower chamber along the vertical vehicle axis,

wherein the upper and lower chambers are arranged one above the other along the vertical vehicle axis, a connecting element between the upper and lower chambers, the connecting element connecting the upper and lower chambers to one another and stabilizing the chambers in the event of a vehicle collision, wherein the connecting element is formed in sections by at least an inflatable chamber, and

wherein in the inflated state of the chambers, the chambers are supported against one another via the first and second sections to minimize an intermediate space between the chambers such that the chambers stabilize one another.

2. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the airbag is configured in a head-thorax module, and wherein the upper chamber is configured to support a head of the vehicle occupant and the lower chamber is configured to support a thorax of the vehicle occupant.

3. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper chamber is configured to support a head of the vehicle occupant, and wherein the first section supports the head of the vehicle occupant in an event of a vehicle collision in a direction oblique to a front of the vehicle in the direction of travel.

4. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower chamber is configured to support a thorax of the vehicle occupant, and wherein the second section supports a shoulder of the vehicle occupant in an event of a vehicle collision in a direction oblique to a front of the vehicle in the direction of travel.

5. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting element engages the first and second sections of the chambers that are configured to support a head and a thorax of the vehicle occupant.

6. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting element is formed in sections by at least a planar layer.

7. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting element is configured such that when the airbag is inflated the connecting element is braced between a shoulder of the vehicle occupant and a part of the vehicle body to stabilize the at least two chambers that are connected by the connecting element.

8. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the chambers of the airbag is configured to support a thorax of the vehicle occupant if the vehicle occupant is larger than a 50th percentile crash dummy with average body dimensions and is configured to support a head if the vehicle occupant is smaller than the 50th percentile crash dummy with average body dimensions.

9. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the airbag arrangement is configured to inflate the airbag in a first phase so that a gas pressure is greater in the first chamber than in a second chamber of the airbag during the first phase.

10. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the inflated state of the chambers, the chambers are supported against one another via the first and second sections such that the intermediate space between the chambers is closed.

11. The airbag arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the inflated state of the chambers, the first and second sections abut against one another such that the intermediate space between the chambers is minimized.

12. An airbag module configured to be located in a backrest of a vehicle seat, the module comprising:

a gas generator; and

an airbag configured to be inflated by gas supplied from the gas generator, wherein the airbag is configured to deploy both vertically upward and forward and wherein the airbag includes;

at least two separate inflatable chambers spaced apart with respect to a vertical vehicle axis, the inflatable chambers at least partially forming an intermediate space, each inflatable chamber extending forward from the backrest in a direction of travel and assigned to a body region of a vehicle occupant to support the vehicle occupant in an event of a side collision,

wherein the chambers each comprises a section when the airbag is inflated that extends forward in the direction of travel in such a way that the airbag supports the vehicle occupant in an event that the vehicle occupant moves obliquely forward in the direction of travel, the section intercepting an associated body region of the vehicle occupant,

wherein the chambers are connected to one another in a connecting region that permits an exchange of gas between the chambers,

wherein an upper one of the chambers comprises a first section adjoining the connecting region, the first section located at a front of the upper chamber in the direction of travel and at a bottom of the upper chamber along the vertical vehicle axis,

wherein a lower one of the chambers comprises a second section adjoining the first section, the second section located at a front of the lower chamber in the direction of travel and a top of the lower chamber along the vertical vehicle axis,

wherein the upper and lower chambers are arranged one above the other along the vertical vehicle axis, a connecting element between the upper and lower chambers, the connecting element connecting the upper and lower chambers to one another and stabilizing the chambers in the event of a vehicle collision, wherein the connecting element is formed in sections by at least an inflatable chamber, and

wherein in the inflated state of the chambers, the chambers are supported against one another via the first and second sections to minimize an intermediate space between the chambers such that the chambers stabilize one another.