Side airbag

• US 8,579,324 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Kwon, Hyock In
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/601,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743.2, 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/739, 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 280/743.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• 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 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

A side airbag apparatus may include a main chamber that is provided on a side of a seat and aligned toward a door to be deployed theretoward when a vehicle collides, to protect a passenger from a side directional collision, an auxiliary chamber that is connected to a rear part of the main chamber to be fluid-communicated to each other, wherein the auxiliary chamber is provided on a side of the main chamber toward the inside of the seat to push the passenger toward the inside of the seat when the auxiliary chamber is deployed, and a volume control tether provided in the rear part of the main chamber, wherein both ends of the volume control tether are fixed to facing-inner walls of the main chamber, respectively to restrict a deployment width of the rear part of the main chamber.

Claims

1. A side airbag apparatus comprising:

a main chamber that is provided on a side of a seat and aligned toward a door to be deployed theretoward when a vehicle collides, to protect a passenger from a side directional collision;

an auxiliary chamber that is connected to a rear part of the main chamber to be fluid-communicated to each other, wherein the auxiliary chamber is provided on a side of the main chamber toward the inside of the seat to push the passenger toward the inside of the seat when the auxiliary chamber is deployed; and

a volume control tether provided in the rear part of the main chamber, wherein both ends of the volume control tether are fixed to facing-inner walls of the main chamber, respectively to restrict a deployment width of the rear part of the main chamber;

wherein a baffle is provided on the main chamber for dividing an internal part of the main chamber into an upper part and a lower part, and an opening through which a gas flows up-downward is provided through the baffle; and

wherein a rear part of the baffle is connected to the volume control tether and a front part thereof is inclined downward.

2. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the volume control tether has a trapezoid sectional shape such that a front part thereof is formed wider than a rear part thereof.

3. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the volume control tether is provided at an overlapping position of the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber while the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber are deployed fully.

4. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the volume control tether is provided with a guide face at the front thereof for guiding a gas input into a lower part of the main chamber to be flowed upward.

5. The side airbag apparatus of claim 4, wherein a vent hole through which the gas is discharged is formed to the main chamber and the guide face faces the vent hole.

6. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a front part of the volume control tether is elongated downward longer than a rear part thereof to guide a gas input into a lower part of the main chamber to rise.

7. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the volume control tether is provided with a split part at a rear part thereof for splitting a gas input into the main chamber and supplying the gas to an upper part and a lower part of the main chamber.

8. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rear part of the volume control tether has the same height as the auxiliary chamber.

9. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rear part of the volume control tether is formed at a position, corresponding to a chest of the passenger.

10. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baffle divides the internal part of the main chamber such that the upper part of the main chamber corresponds to a chest of the passenger and the lower part thereof corresponds to a pelvis of the passenger.

11. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rear part of the baffle is connected to a rear part of the volume control tether.

12. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rear part of the baffle is connected to a front part of the volume control tether.

13. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rear part of the baffle is connected to a lower part of the volume control tether so that the lower part of the main chamber is deployed fully faster than the upper part thereof.

14. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a vent hole through which a gas is discharged is formed through the main chamber at the upper part thereof, based on the baffle so that the lower part of the main chamber is deployed fully faster than the upper part thereof.

15. The side airbag apparatus of claim 1, wherein a vent hole through which the gas is discharged is formed through the main chamber and a front part of the volume control tether faces the vent hole.