Vehicular airbag device

• US 8,020,891 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu, Kuroda, Tomotaka, Akashio, Muneo
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US12/616,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20100133798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 280/739
• US Class Current: 280/739
• 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 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

A vehicular airbag device includes an airbag and an opening degree change portion. The airbag is folded and accommodated in an accommodation portion provided in front of a vehicle seat. The airbag is deployed toward an occupant seated in the vehicular seat by being supplied with a gas when a head-on collision occurs, and has a vent hole that allows the gas to be discharged in restraining the occupant. The opening degree change portion changes an opening area of the vent hole in accordance with a direction of impact of an upper body of the occupant with the airbag during deployment of the airbag.

Claims

1. A vehicular airbag device comprising:

an airbag that is folded and accommodated in an accommodation portion provided in front of a vehicular seat, wherein the airbag is deployed toward an occupant seated in the vehicular seat by being supplied with a gas when a head-on collision occurs, and includes a vent hole that allows the gas to be discharged to an outside of the airbag in restraining the occupant; and

an opening degree change portion that changes an opening area of the vent hole in accordance with a direction of impact of an upper body of the occupant with the airbag during deployment of the airbag, the opening degree change portion includes a valve body and a tether, the valve body is provided at a position on an outer face of the airbag so as to cover the vent hole, the tether has one end coupled to the valve body outside of the airbag and the other end of the tether is attached to an interior ceiling portion of the airbag;

wherein, upon deployment of the airbag, the tether is vertically stretched in a side view of the vehicle, and the tether urges the valve body so as to close the vent hole, and wherein the opening degree change portion reduces the opening area of the vent hole when the upper body of the occupant wholly moves forward to impact with the airbag, and increases the opening area of the vent hole when the upper body of the occupant rotates around a lumbar region thereof and the upper body of the occupant moves forward and downward to impact with the airbag.

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

the valve body, when closed, completely covers the vent hole.

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

the valve body, when closed, partially covers the vent hole.

4. The vehicular airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the vent hole has a circular shape, and

the valve body has a triangular shape.

5. The vehicular airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the other end of the tether couples to a central portion of the interior ceiling portion in a vehicle width direction.

6. The vehicular airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the other end of the tether couples to a region of the interior ceiling portion located to a right or left of a central portion in a vehicle width direction.

7. A vehicular airbag device comprising:

an airbag that is folded and accommodated in an accommodation portion provided in front of a vehicular seat, wherein the airbag is deployed toward an occupant seated in the vehicular seat by being supplied with a gas when a head-on collision occurs, the airbag includes a right vent hole provided in a right side portion of the airbag in a vehicle width direction and a left vent hole provided in a left side portion of the airbag in the vehicle width direction, the right vent hole and the left vent hole allow the gas to be discharged to an outside of the airbag in restraining the occupant; and

an opening degree change portion that changes an opening area of each of the right vent hole and the left vent hole in accordance with a direction of impact of an upper body of the occupant with the airbag during deployment of the airbag, the opening degree change portion includes a right valve body, a left valve body, and at least a first tether and a second tether,

the right valve body is positioned on an outer face of the airbag so as to open or close the right vent hole, and the left valve body is positioned on the outer face of the airbag so as to open or close the left vent hole;

the first tether includes one end coupled to the right valve body outside of the airbag and an other end coupled to a region of an occupant-side base fabric located to the right of a central portion of the occupant-side fabric in the vehicle width direction;

the second tether includes one end coupled to the left valve body outside of the airbag and an other end coupled to a region of the occupant-side base fabric located to the left of the central portion of the occupant-side fabric in the vehicle width direction;

wherein, upon deployment of the airbag, the first tether and the second tether are vertically stretched in a side view of the vehicle, and the first tether urges the right valve body so as to close the right vent hole, and the second tether urges the left valve body so as to close the left vent hole.

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

the other end of the first tether and the other end of the second tether are disposed symmetrically to each other with respect to the central portion of the occupant-side base fabric in the vehicle width direction.

9. A vehicular airbag device comprising:

an airbag that is folded and accommodated in an accommodation portion provided in front of a vehicular seat, wherein the airbag is deployed toward an occupant seated in the vehicular seat by being supplied with a gas when a head-on collision occurs, the airbag includes a first vent hole and a second vent hole that are provided in a right side portion of the airbag in a vehicle width direction, and a third vent hole and a fourth vent hole that are provided in a left side portion of the airbag in the vehicle width direction, the vent holes allow the gas to be discharged to an outside of the airbag in restraining the occupant; and

an opening degree change portion that changes an opening area of each of the first vent hole, the second vent hole, the third vent hole, and the fourth vent hole in accordance with a direction of impact of an upper body of the occupant with the airbag during deployment of the airbag, the opening degree change portion includes a first valve body, a second valve body, a third valve body, and a fourth valve body, and a pair of first tethers and a pair of second tethers;

the first valve body is positioned on an outer face of the airbag to close the first vent hole, the second valve body is positioned on the outer face of the airbag to close the second vent hole, the third valve body is positioned on the outer face of the airbag to close the third vent hole, and the fourth valve body is positioned on an outer face of the airbag to close the fourth vent hole;

the first tethers each includes a one end and an other end, the one end of one of the first tethers couples to the first valve body outside of the airbag, and the one end of the other of the first tethers couples to the third valve body outside of the airbag, and the other end of each of the first tethers couples to a region of an occupant-side base fabric located to the right of a central portion of the occupant-side base fabric in the vehicle width direction;

the second tethers each includes a one end and an other end, the one end of one of the second tethers couples to the second valve body outside of the airbag, and the one end of the other of the second tethers couples to the fourth valve body outside of the airbag, and the other end of each of the second tethers couples to a region of the occupant-side base fabric located to the left of the central portion of the occupant-side base fabric in the vehicle width direction;

wherein, upon deployment of the airbag, the first tethers and the second tethers are vertically stretched in a side view of the vehicle, and the one of first tethers urges the first valve body so as to close the first vent hole and the other of the first tethers urges the third valve body so as to close the third vent hole, and the one of the second tethers urge the second valve body so as to close the second vent hole and the other of the second tethers urges the fourth valve body so as to close the fourth vent hole.