Curtain air bag device and method of producing the same

• US 7,954,844 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Plast Company Limited
• Inventors: Kamiyama, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILHELM, TIMOTHY
• Application Number:
  US12/372,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20090212540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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

An air bag comprises inside and outside base fabrics that are stitched to constitute an outer bag that is flat when receiving no gas. The outer bag is formed with a gas inlet opening through which an inflation gas is led into the outer bag to expand the same. The air bag further comprises inside and outside smaller fabrics that are stitched to constitute an inner bag that is installed in the outer bag. Given portions of the inside and outside smaller fabrics are stitched to given portions of the inside and outside base fabrics respectively to form a plurality of narrow auxiliary chambers between the inner bag and the outer bag.

Claims

1. An air bag device comprising:

a gas generator that produces a gas when operated; and

an air bag that is expanded when receiving the gas through a gas inlet opening, the air bag being adapted to be mounted on and along a side portion of a passenger room of a motor vehicle when it is flat,

wherein the air bag comprises;

inside and outside base fabrics that are stitched to constitute an outer bag that is flat when receiving no gas, the outer bag being formed with the gas inlet opening; and

inside and outside smaller fabrics that are stitched together to constitute an inner bag that defines a major expandable chamber, the inner bag being in the outer bag with a given space therebetween,

wherein the inside smaller fabric is stitched to the inside base fabric to form a plurality of first narrow auxiliary chambers defined between the inside smaller fabric and the inside base fabric,

wherein the outside smaller fabric is stitched to the outside base fabric to form a plurality of second narrow auxiliary chambers defined between the outside smaller fabric and the outside base fabric, and

wherein the major expandable chamber defines a space extending from a front end of the inner bag to a rear end of the inner bag and between said plurality of first narrow auxiliary chambers and said plurality of second narrow auxiliary chambers.

2. An air bag device as claimed in claim 1, in which the given portions of the inside and outside smaller fabrics are straight in shape and the given portions of the inside and outside base fabrics are straight in shape.

3. An air bag device as claimed in claim 2, in which the given straight portions of the inside and outside smaller fabrics and the given straight portions of the inside and outside base fabrics extend in a direction generally perpendicular to an axial direction of the inner bag.

4. An air bag device as claimed in claim 3, in which both the outer and inner bags are rectangular in shape when they are flat.

5. An air bag device as claimed in claim 2, in which the length of each of the mutually stitched straight portions is shorter than a vertical length of each of the inside and outside smaller fabrics.

6. An air bag device as claimed in claim 5, in which the inner bag is formed, at portions near opposed ends of the mutually stitched straight portions, with openings that communicate an interior of the inner bag with the given space between the inner and outer bags.

7. An air bag device as claimed in claim 1, in which the gas inlet opening is provided by stitching given portions of the inside and outside base fabrics.

8. An air bag device as claimed in claim 7, in which the outer and inner bags are arranged to form therebetween a first straight gas passage that extends from the gas inlet opening and a second straight gas passage that is spaced from the first straight gas passage by the inner bag.

9. An air bag device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front and rear ends of the inner bag open into the outer bag.

10. An air bag device as claimed in claim 9, in which the front and rear open ends of the inner bag are reduced in size by stitching given portions of the front and rear ends of the inside and outside smaller fabrics.

11. An air bag device comprising:

a gas generator that produces a gas when operated; and

an air bag that is expanded when receiving the gas through a gas inlet opening, the air bag being adapted to be mounted on and along a side portion of a passage room of a motor vehicle when it is flat,

wherein the air bag comprises;

inside and outside base fabrics that are stitched to each other to constitute a rectangular outer bag that is flat in shape when receiving gas, the outer bag being formed with the gas inlet opening;

inside and outside smaller fabrics that are stitched together to constitute a rectangular inner bag that defines a major expandable chamber, the inner bag being in the outer bag, the inner bag having front and rear open ends exposed to an interior of the outer bag;

wherein the inside smaller fabric is stitched to the inside base fabric to form a plurality of first narrow auxiliary chambers defined between the inside smaller fabric and the inside base fabric,

wherein the outside smaller fabric is stitched to the outside base fabric to form a plurality of second narrow auxiliary chambers defined between the outside smaller fabric and the outside base fabric, and

wherein the major expandable chamber defines a space extending from the front open end to the rear open end of the inner bag and between said plurality of first narrow auxiliary chambers and said plurality of second narrow auxiliary chambers,

a first straight gas passage that is defined between an upper ridge of the inner bag and a ceiling part of the outer bag and extends forward from the gas inlet opening;

a second straight gas passage that is defined between a lower edge of the inner bag and a bottom part of the outer bag and spaced from the first straight gas passage by the inner bag; and

a plurality of openings formed in the inside and outside smaller fabrics of the inner bag.

12. A method of producing an air bag of an air bag device, the air bag device including a gas generator that feeds the air bag with a gas to expand the same when operated, the air bag including inside and outside base fabrics that are combined to constitute an outer bag that is flat in shape when receiving no gas, the outer bag being formed with the gas inlet opening;

and inside and outside smaller fabrics that are combined to constitute an inner bag that defines a major expandable chamber extending from a front end of the inner bag to a rear end of the inner bag, the inner bag being in the outer bag with a given space therebetween, given portions of the inside and outside smaller fabrics being stitched to given portions of the inside and outside base fabrics respectively to form a plurality of narrow auxiliary chambers between the inner bag and the outer bag,

the method comprising;

(a) stitching a first base fabric to a first smaller fabric to constitute a first flat unit;

(b) stitching a second base fabric to a second smaller fabric to constitute a second flat unit;

(c) overlapping the first and second flat units having the first and second smaller fabrics put between the first and second base fabrics;

(d) folding overlapped peripheral end portions of the first and second base fabrics back to expose overlapped peripheral end portions of the first and second smaller fabrics;

(e) stitching the overlapped peripheral end portions of the first and second smaller fabrics;

(f) folding the folded back peripheral end portions of the first and second base fabrics back to original flat positions while concealing the stitched overlapped peripheral end portions of the first and second smaller fabrics; and

(g) stitching the overlapped peripheral end portions of the first and second base fabrics thereby to constitute a bag.