Occupant restraint device

• US 8,297,648 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Heuschmid, Rainer, Grube, Mathias, Komoll, Olav
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US13/182,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20110266780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.1, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0072 Convertible cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

An occupant restraint device for a motor vehicle is provided. The occupant restraint device includes a first airbag which is inflatable with gas to protect an occupant who occupies a seat in the form of a driver'"'"'s seat or a front passenger seat of the motor vehicle as intended, wherein the first airbag is designed to be arranged in a steering wheel or an instrument panel of the motor vehicle in a non-inflated state, and a second airbag, which can be inflated with gas to protect the occupant. The second airbag is designed such that an edge area thereof facing the vehicle front extends along the A-pillar of the motor vehicle in an inflated state.

Claims

1. An occupant restraint device for a motor vehicle comprising:

a first airbag, which is inflatable with gas to protect an occupant who occupies a driver'"'"'s seat or a front passenger seat of the motor vehicle, wherein the first airbag is designed to be arranged in a steering wheel or an instrument panel of the motor vehicle in its non-inflated state, and

a second airbag, which is inflatable to protect the occupant, wherein the second airbag is designed such that said second airbag extends with an edge area thereof facing a vehicle front in an inflated state along an extending angularly A-pillar of the motor vehicle,

wherein the second airbag in the inflated state extends along a lateral vehicle body,

wherein the second airbag comprises in the inflated state said edge area continuing along the A-pillar,

wherein said edge area nestles tightly against the A-pillar so that the occupant can slide along the second airbag so that said occupant strikes the first airbag and not the A-pillar extending angularly behind thereof, and

wherein the second airbag is arranged and adapted to rest with its edge area in the inflated state against an edge area of the inflated first airbag extending along a vertical vehicle axis and facing the lateral motor vehicle body.

2. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the second airbag is designed such that said edge area of the second airbag rests against the A-pillar in the inflated state.

3. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the second airbag is designed such that said second airbag rests with the edge area thereof against the edge area of the inflated first airbag extending along the vertical vehicle axis in the inflated state such that the first airbag and the second airbag cover together at least sectionally the A-pillar for protecting the occupant.

4. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, further comprising control electronics designed to trigger a first gas generator assigned to the first airbag for inflating the first airbag and a second gas generator assigned to the second airbag for inflating the second airbag.

5. The occupant restraint device according to claim 4, further comprising a sensor means for recording a force acting on the vehicle front of the motor vehicle along a force direction due to a collision, wherein the sensor means is designed to record an inclination of said force direction relative to a vehicle longitudinal axis.

6. The occupant restraint device according to claim 5, wherein the control electronics are arranged and provided to trigger the first and second gas generators for inflating the first and second airbags, when the sensor means records a collision, in which the inclination of the force direction relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis is smaller than or equal to 30°

.

7. The occupant restraint device according to claim 6, wherein the control electronics are designed to trigger the first gas generator and the second gas generator at the same time.

8. The occupant restraint device according to claim 6, wherein the control electronics are designed to trigger a third gas generator assigned to a third airbag for inflating the third airbag, when the sensor means record a collision, in which the inclination of the force direction relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis is smaller than or equal to 30°

.

9. The occupant restraint device according to claim 6, wherein the control electronics are designed to trigger the first gas generator and the second gas generator with a time shift.

10. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, wherein the second airbag is designed to be arranged in a non-inflated state in a lateral motor vehicle door assigned to the seat below a window parapet of said motor vehicle door.

11. The occupant restraint device according to claim 1, further comprising a third airbag, which is designed to be arranged in the seat in a non-inflated state, wherein the third airbag is designed to extend along a motor vehicle door in an inflated state.

12. An occupant restraint device for a motor vehicle comprising:

a first airbag, which is inflatable with gas to protect an occupant who occupies a driver'"'"'s seat or a front passenger seat of the motor vehicle, wherein the first airbag is designed to be arranged in a steering wheel or an instrument panel of the motor vehicle in its non-inflated state,

a second airbag, which is inflatable to protect the occupant, wherein the second airbag is designed such that said second airbag extends with an edge area thereof facing a vehicle front in an inflated state along an A-pillar of the motor vehicle, wherein the second airbag in the inflated state extends along a lateral vehicle body,

control electronics designed to trigger a first gas generator assigned to the first airbag for inflating the first airbag and a second gas generator assigned to the second airbag for inflating the second airbag, and

a sensor means for recording a force acting on the vehicle front of the motor vehicle along a force direction due to a collision, wherein the sensor means is designed to record an inclination of said force direction relative to a vehicle longitudinal axis,

wherein the control electronics are arranged and provided to trigger the first and second gas generators for inflating the first and second airbags, when the sensor means records a collision, in which the inclination of the force direction relative to the vehicle longitudinal axis is smaller than or equal to 30°

.

13. A method for triggering an occupant restraint device containing control electronics, comprising:

recording an inclination of a force direction of a force acting on a vehicle front of a motor vehicle due to a collision relative to a vehicle longitudinal axis, wherein the occupant restraint device further comprises;

a first airbag, which is inflatable with gas to protect an occupant who occupies a driver'"'"'s seat or a front passenger seat of the motor vehicle, wherein the first airbag is designed to be arranged in a steering wheel or an instrument panel of the motor vehicle in its non-inflated state, and a second airbag, which is inflatable to protect the occupant, wherein the second airbag is designed such that said second airbag extends with an edge area thereof facing the vehicle front in an inflated state along an extending angularly A-pillar of the motor vehicle, wherein the second airbag in the inflated state extends along a lateral vehicle body, wherein the second airbag comprises in the inflated state said edge area continuing along the A-pillar, wherein said edge area nestles tightly against the A-pillar so that the occupant can slide along the second airbag so that said occupant strikes the first airbag and not the A-pillar extending angularly behind thereof, wherein the second airbag is arranged and adapted to rest with its edge area in the inflated state against an edge area of the inflated first airbag extending along a vertical vehicle axis and facing the lateral motor vehicle body,

in case of an inclination smaller than or equal to 30°

, inflating the first and the second airbags based on a trigger from the control electronics of the occupant restraint device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein in case of an inclination smaller than or equal to 30°

, a third airbag is inflated, which is arranged in the seat in a non-inflated state, wherein the third airbag extends along a motor vehicle door in an inflated state.