Side airbag device for vehicle

• US 8,567,817 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): ROCCA, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US13/201,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20120043741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/740, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• 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 21/239 characterised by their venting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

A side airbag has a high-pressure chamber and a low-pressure chamber with a pressure lower than the pressure in the high-pressure chamber. An inflator is provided in the low-pressure chamber with a gas discharge section facing the high-pressure chamber. In a side collision, gas from the inflator is supplied mainly toward the high-pressure chamber and is supplied also to the low-pressure chamber. The high-pressure chamber and the low-pressure chamber are partitioned by a partition wall. A check valve mounted to the partition wall is opened by the pressure gas supplied from the inflator, which is provided in the low-pressure chamber, toward the high-pressure chamber, and thus the cheek valve permits the gas to flow from the low-pressure chamber to the high-pressure chamber. When the inflator completes the discharge of the gas, the check valve restricts such flow of the gas from the high-pressure chamber to the low-pressure chamber.

Claims

1. A side airbag device for a vehicle comprising:

a side airbag that includes a high-pressure chamber, which has a high pressure at a time of inflation and expansion, and a low-pressure chamber, which has a lower pressure than the high-pressure chamber, the high-pressure chamber and the low-pressure chamber each inflating and expanding at a time of side collision;

a partition wall that is disposed in the side airbag and partitions the high-pressure chamber from the low-pressure chamber;

an inflator that is disposed in the low-pressure chamber in a state in which a gas discharge section faces the high-pressure chamber and is disposed at the low-pressure chamber side relative to the partition wall, that supplies gas for inflation mainly toward the high-pressure chamber and that also supplies the gas for inflation to the low-pressure chamber; and

a check valve that is disposed at the partition wall, that permits the gas discharged from the gas discharge section of the inflator to flow from the low-pressure chamber to the high-pressure chamber, and that restricts a flow of the gas in the opposite direction;

wherein;

in the side airbag in an inflated and expanded state;

the inflator is disposed in the side airbag at a rear side with respect to a vehicle seat in a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle,

the partition wall is disposed at a position that corresponds with an abdomen area of an occupant sitting on the vehicle seat,

the high-pressure chamber is a lower chamber that corresponds with a waist area of the occupant, and

the low-pressure chamber is an upper chamber that corresponds with at least one of a chest area or a shoulder area of the occupant, and

the partition wall is formed by sewing together, of an upper fabric that constitutes the upper chamber, a lower edge of an outer side fabric that is disposed at an outer side with respect to the vehicle seat in a seat-width direction and a lower edge of an inner side fabric that is disposed at an inner side in a seat-width direction, and

the check valve is disposed at a rear side in the side airbag in a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and is formed by extending the upper fabric to a seat downward side.

2. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcement cloth is superposed on and sewn to the check valve.

3. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the check valve is at least partially sewn to a lower fabric that constitutes the lower chamber.

4. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a diffuser is disposed at the gas discharge section of the inflator, the diffuser comprising a first aperture portion that opens toward the lower chamber and a second aperture portion that opens toward the upper chamber are provided, the diffuser regulating flows of the gas such that the gas discharged from the gas discharge section mainly flows toward the lower chamber and is also distributed to the upper chamber.

5. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 4 wherein,

in the upper chamber, a first bag thickness regulation portion is provided extending to the seat forward side and diagonally upward from the diffuser side, at which first bag thickness regulation portion, of an upper fabric that constitutes the upper chamber, an outer side fabric that is disposed at the seat width direction outer side with respect to the vehicle seat is sewn to an inner side fabric disposed at the seat width direction inner side, the first bag thickness regulation portion partitioning the upper chamber into a middle chamber at the seat lower side thereof and an uppermost chamber at the seat upper side thereof,

the diffuser is set such that the gas discharged from the second aperture portion of the diffuser is supplied to the uppermost chamber and supplied through a predetermined constriction gap to the middle chamber, the predetermined constriction gap being provided between a seat forward side distal end portion of the first bag thickness regulation portion and a seat forward side periphery edge portion of the upper chamber, and

an inner pressure of the middle chamber at the time of inflation and expansion of the side airbag is set to a lower pressure than an inner pressure of the uppermost chamber.

6. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a second bag thickness regulation portion is provided in the upper chamber, extending to the seat forward side and diagonally upward from the diffuser side, at the seat upper side of the first bag thickness regulation portion with a predetermined spacing from the first bag thickness regulation portion, at which second bag thickness regulation portion the outer side fabric is sewn to the inner side fabric.

7. The side airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a vent hole is formed in a portion of the upper fabric that constitutes the middle chamber.