Vehicle airbag device

• US 7,922,197 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sanada, Akiyoshi, Yamada, Shuji, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Application Number:
  US12/389,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20090224519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 280/739, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/739
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle airbag device includes: an airbag which is housed in a folded state when a gas generation portion is not activated, and which inflates and deploys by receiving gas when the gas generation portion is activated, and whose two side portions are provided with gas outlet vent holes; and a tether that includes pair of left and right side portions extending along internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag, and an intermediate portion interconnecting occupant-side end portions of the pair of left and right side portions. The airbag devices closes the vent holes by moving the pair of left and right side portions relative to the internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag when the pressing force on the intermediate portion of the tether is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A vehicle airbag device comprising:

a gas generation portion that generates gas when activated;

an airbag which is housed in a folded state when the gas generation portion is not activated, and which inflates and deploys by receiving supply of a gas when the gas generation portion is activated, and whose two side portions are provided with vent holes for letting out the gas;

a tether that includes pair of left and right side portions whose base end portions are fixed to a gas generation portion-side site or a site on a side of the airbag opposite to an occupant side, and which extend along internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag, and an intermediate portion that interconnects occupant-side end portions of the pair of left and right side portions in an airbag transverse direction and that is disposed apart by a predetermined distance from and facing an occupant-side end portion of the airbag; and

a vent hole opening-closing control portion that maintains an open state of the vent holes when a pressing force that acts on the intermediate portion of the tether is less than a predetermined value, and that closes the vent holes by moving the pair of left and right side portions relative to the internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag when the pressing force on the intermediate portion of the tether is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

2. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes:

subsidiary vent holes that are formed respectively at positions in the pair of left and right side portions at which the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes;

surplus length portions which are provided at sites on the pair of left and right side portions of the tether, which are at a position between the gas generation portion and the subsidiary vent holes and which elongate the side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes are offset from the vent holes when a tear seam is ruptured by action of a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and

a guide portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes, and that guides a movement of the tether in a lengthwise direction of the tether if the tear seam is ruptured by the pressing force greater than or equal to the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion.

3. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

a height-direction dimension of portions of the pair of left and right side portions of the tether that are located above the vent holes is set larger than a radial dimension of the vent holes, and the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes a temporal stopper portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions of the tether at a position above the vent holes, and that is ruptured by the pressing force equal to or greater than the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion of the tether, and an inclined portion that is provided in the intermediate portion of the tether and is inclined forward in a side view of the airbag and that transforms a portion of a pressing force in a forward direction of the vehicle into a pressing force in a downward direction of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle airbag device comprising:

a gas generation portion that generates gas when activated;

an airbag which is housed in a folded state when the gas generation portion is not activated, and which inflates and deploys by receiving supply of a gas when the gas generation portion is activated, and whose two side portions are provided with vent holes for letting out the gas;

a tether that includes pair of left and right side portions whose base end portions are fixed to a gas generation portion-side site or a site on a side of the airbag opposite to an occupant side, and which extend along internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag, and an intermediate portion that interconnects occupant-side end portions of the pair of left and right side portions in an airbag transverse direction; and

a vent hole opening-closing control portion that maintains an open state of the vent holes when a pressing force that acts on the intermediate portion of the tether is less than a predetermined value, and that closes the vent holes by moving the pair of left and right side portions relative to the internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag when the pressing force on the intermediate portion of the tether is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

5. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 4, wherein

the intermediate portion of the tether is disposed apart by a predetermined distance from and facing an occupant-side end portion of the airbag.

6. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 4, wherein

the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes:

subsidiary vent holes that are formed respectively at positions in the pair of left and right side portions at which the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes;

surplus length portions which are provided at sites on the pair of left and right side portions of the tether, which are at a position between the gas generation portion and the subsidiary vent holes and which elongate the side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes are offset from the vent holes when a tear seam is ruptured by action of a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and

a guide portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes, and that guides a movement of the tether in a lengthwise direction of the tether if the tear seam is ruptured by the pressing force greater than or equal to the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion.

7. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 6, wherein

the guide portion includes a rear guide portion that is provided at a rear and upper site in the airbag in a side view of the airbag in a deployed state, and that retains a rear portion of the side portion.

8. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 7, wherein

the guide portion includes a front guide portion that is provided at a site anterior to the surplus length portion in the airbag in a side view of the airbag in a deployed state, and that retains a front portion of the side portion.

9. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 4, wherein

a height-direction dimension of portions of the pair of left and right side portions of the tether that are located above the vent holes is set larger than an opening dimension of the vent holes, and the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes a temporal stopper portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions of the tether at a position above the vent holes, and that is ruptured by the pressing force equal to or greater than the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion of the tether, and an inclined portion that is provided in the intermediate portion of the tether and is inclined in a side view of the airbag so that an upper edge of the intermediate portion is located in front of a lower edge of the intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and that transforms a portion of a pressing force in a forward direction of the vehicle into a pressing force in a downward direction of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 9, further comprising

a stopper that defines a downward movement amount of the tether, wherein

the stopper is set so as to move downward to a position at which the pair of left and right side portions overlap with the vent holes of the airbag when the temporal stopper portions rupture.

11. The vehicle airbag device according to claim 9, wherein

the temporal stopper portions rupturably interlink the airbag and upper edges of the pair of left and right side portions.

12. A airbag body for a vehicle airbag device comprising:

an airbag which is housed in a folded state when a airbag device is not activated, and which inflates and deploys by receiving supply of a gas when the airbag device is activated, and whose two side portions are provided with vent holes for letting out the gas;

a tether that includes pair of left and right side portions whose base end portions are fixed to a gas generation portion-side site or a site on a side of the airbag opposite to an occupant side, and which extend along internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag, and an intermediate portion that interconnects occupant-side end portions of the pair of left and right side portions in an airbag transverse direction; and

a vent hole opening-closing control portion that maintains an open state of the vent holes when a pressing force that acts on the intermediate portion of the tether is less than a predetermined value, and that closes the vent holes by moving the pair of left and right side portions relative to the internal side surfaces of the two side portions of the airbag when the pressing force on the intermediate portion of the tether is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

13. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 12, wherein

the intermediate portion of the tether is disposed apart by a predetermined distance from and facing an occupant-side end portion of the airbag.

14. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 12, wherein

the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes:

subsidiary vent holes that are formed respectively at positions in the pair of left and right side portions at which the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes;

surplus length portions which are provided at sites on the pair of left and right side portions of the tether, which are at a position between the gas generation portion and the subsidiary vent holes and which elongate the side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes are offset from the vent holes when a tear seam is ruptured by action of a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and

a guide portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions so that the subsidiary vent holes overlap with the vent holes, and that guides a movement of the tether in a lengthwise direction of the tether if the tear seam is ruptured by the pressing force greater than or equal to the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion.

15. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 14, wherein

the guide portion includes a rear guide portion that is provided at a rear and upper site in the airbag in a side view of the airbag in a deployed state, and that retains a rear portion of the side portion.

16. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 15, wherein

the guide portion includes a front guide portion that is provided at a site anterior to the surplus length portion in the airbag in a side view of the airbag in a deployed state, and that retains a front portion of the side portion.

17. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 12, wherein

a height-direction dimension of portions of the pair of left and right side portions of the tether that are located above the vent holes is set larger than an opening dimension of the vent holes, and the vent hole opening-closing control portion includes a temporal stopper portion that retains the pair of left and right side portions of the tether at a position above the vent holes, and that is ruptured by the pressing force equal to or greater than the predetermined value acting on the intermediate portion of the tether, and an inclined portion that is provided in the intermediate portion of the tether and is inclined in a side view of the airbag so that an upper edge of the intermediate portion is located in front of a lower edge of the intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and that transforms a portion of a pressing force in a forward direction of the vehicle into a pressing force in a downward direction of the vehicle.

18. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 17, further comprising

a stopper that defines a downward movement amount of the tether,

wherein the stopper is set so as to move downward to a position at which the pair of left and right side portions overlap with the vent holes of the airbag when the temporal stopper portions rupture.

19. The airbag body for the vehicle airbag device according to claim 17, wherein

the temporal stopper portions rupturably interlink the airbag and upper edges of the pair of left and right side portions.