Check valve for airbag and airbag device

• US 8,668,224 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Masayuki, Hasebe, Masahiro, Okamoto, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US13/154,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/736, 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 137/852, 137/855, 137/858
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7891 Flap or reed

Abstract

Provided are a check valve for an airbag and an airbag device that can improve the reproducibility of the flow path blocking function while reducing the resistance upon inflation and deployment of the airbag and that can be applied to a place where a flow path is divided into a plurality of flow paths. A first embodiment of an airbag device according to the present invention has an airbag that is normally folded and that is inflated and deployed in an emergency, and an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag. The airbag has a plurality of inflation chambers, a duct portion disposed so as to connect the plurality of inflation chambers, and a check valve for an airbag having a tubular portion sewn to the duct portion, and tongue-shaped portions formed at the tip of the tubular portion.

Claims

1. A check valve for an airbag disposed in an airbag device having an airbag that is normally folded and that is inflated and deployed in an emergency, and an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, the airbag having first, second and third inflation chambers, and further having a duct portion including a first duct portion connecting with the first inflation chamber, a second duct portion connecting with the second inflation chamber and a third duct portion connecting with the third inflation chamber, the check valve for an airbag comprising:

a tubular portion fixed to the first duct portion; and

a pair of tongue-shaped portions connected to and extending in different directions from the tubular portion with one tongue-shaped portion located in the second duct portion and the other tongue-shaped portion located in the third duct portion, wherein the tubular portion and the duct portion have a gap therebetween, and the tubular portion has an end opposite to the tongue-shaped portions and a first sealing portion where the end of the tubular portion opposite to the tongue-shaped portions and the duct portion are sewn together, and a second sealing portion where an intermediate portion between the plurality of tongue-shaped portions and the duct portion are sewn together, and the gap between the tubular portion and the duct portion is sealed.

2. The check valve for an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the length of at least one of the pair of tongue-shaped portions is equal to or greater than 30% of the length of half of the circumference of the corresponding one of the second and third duct portions.

3. The check valve for an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the duct portion and the tubular portion are each formed of a pair of base cloths, and the tubular portion is fixed to the duct portion by sewing together the pair of base cloths forming the duct portion and the pair of base cloths forming the tubular portion.

4. The check valve for an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the tongue-shaped portions each include a tip, and each of the tips of the pair of tongue-shaped portions has an annular shape.

5. The check valve for an airbag according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of tongue-shaped portions is formed in such a length that when the airbag is folded along a folding line perpendicular to the direction in which the second or third duct portion extends to form a folded part of the airbag, the folded part of the airbag does not overlap the tongue-shaped portion.

6. An airbag device comprising:

an airbag that is normally folded and that is inflated and deployed in an emergency; and

an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag,

wherein the airbag has the check valve for an airbag according to claim 1.