Head-protecting airbag

• US 8,033,568 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Motoyuki, Mizuno, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth; Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spisich; George D.
• Application Number:
  US12/320,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20090236829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/743.1
• 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 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 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

A head-protecting airbag adapted to be mounted on an upper periphery of a window of a vehicle for deployment downward to cover the window includes a primary inflatable portion that includes a protection portion for receiving an occupant'"'"'s head and a secondary inflatable portion that admits inflation gas of the primary inflatable portion and is inflatable secondarily for preventing a pressure increase of the primary inflatable portion. The primary inflatable portion and the secondary inflatable portion are communicated with a tubular conduit. The protection portion includes an inlet-side inflatable portion located proximate an inlet port of the conduit and a lower inflatable portion located below the conduit. The lower inflatable portion is communicated with part of the inlet-side inflatable portion and has an opening dimension in a vertical direction that is greater than that of the conduit over an entire area below the conduit.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag adapted to be mounted on an upper periphery of a window of a vehicle inside the vehicle for deployment downward to cover the window, the airbag comprising:

a gas admissive portion inflatable with inflation gas by separating an inner panel and an outer panel, the gas admissive portion including;

a primary inflatable portion inflatable in an early stage of airbag deployment, the primary inflatable portion including a protection portion that receives and protects a head of an occupant and a conduit that is tubular in shape and extends from the protection portion along an anteroposterior direction of the airbag, the conduit being located in an upper area of the airbag away from a lower periphery of the airbag; and

a secondary inflatable portion that is communicated with the primary inflatable portion by the conduit and admits inflation gas from the primary inflatable portion for restraining a pressure increase of the primary inflatable portion, the secondary inflatable portion being located adjacent the protection portion of the primary inflatable portion in an anteroposterior direction of the airbag at full deployment, and

a non-admissive portion that admits no inflation gas and keeps the inner panel and outer panel attached together, the non-admissive portion including;

a peripheral portion located on an outer periphery of the gas admissive portion; and

a partitioning portion that defines boundaries of the secondary inflatable portion and the conduit,

wherein the protection portion includes;

an inlet-side inflatable portion located proximate an inlet port of the conduit, the inlet-side inflatable portion including an opposing region that is communicated with and adjacent the inlet port of the conduit in an anteroposterior direction and a lower extending region that extends downward from the opposing region; and

a lower inflatable portion that is partitioned from the conduit by the partitioning portion and located below the conduit between the conduit and a bottom area of the peripheral portion, the lower inflatable portion being communicated with the lower extending region so as to be inflatable generally simultaneously with the inlet-side inflatable portion upon inflation of the primary inflatable portion and having a dimension in a vertical direction over an entire area below the conduit in a flattened and uninflated state of the airbag that is greater than a dimension in the vertical direction of the conduit,

wherein;

the partitioning portion includes an upper boundary portion that defines an upper boundary of the conduit and a lower boundary portion that defines a lower boundary of the conduit with the lower inflatable portion;

the inlet-side inflatable portion further includes an upper extending region that extends upward from the opposing region; and

the primary inflatable portion further includes an upper inflatable portion located above the conduit and partitioned from the conduit by the upper boundary portion, the upper inflatable portion being communicated with the upper extending region so as to be inflatable generally simultaneously with the inlet-side inflatable portion and lower inflatable portion upon inflation of the primary inflatable portion and having the dimension in the vertical direction in the flattened and uninflated state of the airbag that is greater than that of the conduit over an entire area above the conduit,

there being only one of the conduit included in the primary inflatable portion,

the conduit being located in front of the secondary inflatable portion,

the inlet port of the conduit being located at a front end of the conduit for admitting inflation gas from the opposing region of the inlet-side inflatable portion,

the conduit including, at a rear end thereof, an outlet port that feeds the inflation gas to the secondary inflatable portion,

the secondary inflatable portion inflates with the inflation gas fed from the conduit after the upper inflatable portion, the inlet-side inflatable portion and the lower inflatable portion complete inflation.

2. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

the conduit is located proximate an upper end of the secondary inflatable portion;

the primary inflatable portion further includes a gas feed passage that extends in an anteroposterior direction along an upper periphery of the airbag for feeding inflation gas to the protection portion; and

a leading end region of the gas feed passage acts as the upper inflatable portion.

3. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

the conduit is located at an intermediate position in a vertical direction of the secondary inflatable portion;

the primary inflatable portion further includes a gas feed passage that extends in an anteroposterior direction along an upper periphery of the airbag for feeding inflation gas to the protection portion; and

the upper inflatable portion is communicated with a leading end region of the gas feed passage.

4. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

the airbag includes two of the protection portions that are located in front and at the rear of the secondary inflatable portion; and

the conduit is formed in such a manner as to project into either one of the protection portions and is located at a vicinity of a center of the airbag in an anteroposterior direction together with the secondary inflatable portion.

5. The head-protecting airbag of claim 4, wherein:

the two protection portions are so provided as to cover two windows of the vehicle located in front and rear of a pillar of the vehicle; and

the conduit is located between the protection portions so as to be deployable on an interior of the pillar.

6. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

the airbag includes two of the protection portions that are located in front and at the rear of the secondary inflatable portion; and

the lower inflatable portion communicates the two protection portions.

7. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

a length in an anteroposterior direction of the conduit is greater than the dimension in the vertical direction of the conduit in the flattened and uninflated state of the airbag.

8. The head-protecting airbag of claim 7 wherein the length in an anteroposterior direction of the conduit is 30 to 120 mm.

9. The head-protecting airbag of claim 7 wherein the dimension in the vertical direction of the conduit in the flattened and uninflated state of the airbag is 30 to 60 mm.

10. The head-protecting airbag of claim 1, wherein:

the partitioning portion includes at a leading end at a side of the inlet port of the conduit a projecting portion that bulges inward of the conduit in a generally round shape and has a greater width than a portion immediately adjacent the leading end; and

the conduit has a reduced opening dimension at the inlet port relative to at an outlet port to the secondary inflatable portion due to the projecting portion.