Vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus

• US 8,210,566 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• 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, Shamoto, Takehisa
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US12/677,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20110278826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/728.3, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

A vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus is provided that is capable of properly deploying an airbag stowed at a vehicle rear end side of a center console. A vehicle far-side airbag apparatus (10) is provided with: a far-side airbag (20) that is stowed in a corner portion (16B) at a vehicle rear end side and upper end side of a center console (16) that is disposed between seats arranged in a vehicle lateral direction, the far-side airbag (20) receiving a gas supply and being inflated; and an airbag door (40) that causes the far-side airbag (20) that receives the gas supply and is inflated to deploy in the vehicle front direction and upward with respect to the corner portion (16B), by supporting the far-side airbag (20) from the vehicle rear direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag that is stowed in a corner portion at a vehicle rear end side and upper end side of a center console that is disposed between seats arranged in a vehicle lateral direction, the airbag receiving a gas supply and being inflated; and

a bag deployment direction-restricting structure that causes the airbag that receives the gas supply and is inflated to deploy in a vehicle front direction and upward with respect to the corner portion, the bag deployment direction-restricting structure being structured to include;

an airbag door that is provided at the center console and, by deployment pressure of the airbag, opens an aperture for the airbag to deploy out of the center console,

a reaction force support portion that is provided at the airbag door;

a door attitude retaining structure for retaining an attitude when the airbag door is opening the aperture in a predetermined opened attitude in which the reaction force supporting portion is capable of supporting the airbag from a vehicle rear direction; and

a deployment shape of the airbag itself that receives the gas supply and is deployed upward and in the vehicle rear direction after being deployed to the vehicle front direction, and the airbag including;

a lower side duct portion that is deployed to the vehicle front direction along a lower edge of the airbag;

a front side duct portion that is deployed to upward from a vehicle front end portion of the lower side duct portion;

an upper side duct portion that is deployed toward the vehicle rear direction from an upper end portion of the front side duct portion; and

a duct linking portion that restricts relative positions of the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion and the upper side duct portion by tension in a deployment complete state of the duct portions,

and being structured so as to be deployed in the order of the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion and the upper side duct portion.

2. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag further comprises a rear side duct portion that is deployed downward from the vehicle rear end side of the upper side duct portion and of which a vehicle front end side is linked to the duct linking portion, and is structured so as to be deployed in the order of the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion, the upper side duct portion and the rear side duct portion.

3. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the duct linking portion of the airbag is structured such that a pair of fabric members at different faces in the vehicle lateral direction of the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion, the upper side duct portion and the rear side duct portion are joined and a cavity is formed thereinside in the deployed state of the airbag, and a vent hole is formed in at least one of the fabric members.

4. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the airbag is structured with

the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion, the upper side duct portion and the rear side duct portion being communicated and forming a continuous ring shape,

and an inner duct being further provided, which is provided inside the lower side duct portion, a vehicle rear side end portion of which is fitted to a gas outflow port, and which is opened at a vehicle front side portion of the lower side duct portion.

5. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is formed such that a lower side airbag is deployed toward the vehicle front direction along an upper face of the center console by gas being supplied through a vehicle rear portion of the lower side airbag.

6. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the duct linking portion of the airbag is a non-inflating portion that is formed in a membrane form or a narrow width portion that is deployed more narrowly in the vehicle lateral direction than the lower side duct portion, the front side duct portion and the upper side duct portion.

7. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the airbag further comprises an upward duct portion that is deployed upward from the vehicle rear end side of the lower side duct portion and of which a vehicle front end side is linked to the duct linking portion.

8. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a tear seam, which is sewn so as to be torn when an internal pressure of the airbag is at or above a predetermined value, is provided at a boundary portion between the lower side duct portion and the upward duct portion of the airbag.

9. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag further comprises an engaging portion that is protruded downward from the vehicle front end side of the lower side duct portion and engages with the center console.

10. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inflator, which generates gas that is supplied to the airbag, is fixed to the vehicle body via a bracket so as to be separated from the vehicle body in a vehicle vertical direction.

11. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bag deployment direction-restricting structure is structured to further include a pair of left and right side walls that are provided at the airbag door and restrict deployment of the airbag in the vehicle lateral direction.

12. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the door attitude retaining structure is provided at the airbag door and is structured to include a pair of stoppers that, when the airbag door reaches the predetermined attitude, engage with a ceiling of the center console and retain the attitude of the airbag door at the predetermined attitude,

and the pair of side walls are formed integrally with the pair of stoppers.

13. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag door is structured such that the aperture opens by a substantially letter U-shaped tear portion, which is formed in a rear face side of the center console and opens to downward, being torn and being turned to the vehicle rearward side with a lower end side serving as a hinge.

14. The vehicle between-seat airbag apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the bag deployment direction-restricting structure is structured to further include a pair of left and right side walls that are provided at the airbag door and restrict deployment of the airbag in the vehicle lateral direction, and

a pair of vertical tear lines of the letter U-shaped tear portion, which are formed in parallel with one another, are formed at vehicle lateral direction outer sides relative to the pair of side walls.