Curtain airbag device for vehicle

• US 8,876,155 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nakashima, Atsushi, Matsushita, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US14/111,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

A vehicle curtain airbag device capable of improving an occupant ejection preventing performance at an end of a vehicle in the longitudinal direction and providing an excellent impact absorbing function when receiving an occupant in a vehicle interior. A front strap is provided between a seam portion that divides a front chamber positioned at an end of a vehicle longitudinal direction from an adjacent main chamber, and a front pillar positioned at the end of the vehicle longitudinal direction so as to connect the seam portion to the front pillar, on an outer surface of the front chamber. A height position of a first connecting portion (P) between the front pillar and the front strap is set to be higher than a height position of a second connecting portion (Q) between the seam portion and the front strap. The front strap is set to be shorter than a length between the first connecting portion and a position to which the second connecting portion tries to move according to the inflation and deployment if the front strap is not present, and is stretched substantially linearly between the first and second connecting portions by the inflated and deployed front chamber.

Claims

1. A vehicle curtain airbag device for a vehicle having a vehicle interior defined by an end pillar at one end of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction and an upper portion extending along a side surface of the vehicle interior, the vehicle curtain airbag device comprising:

an airbag having an upper end portion attached to the upper portion and extending along the side surface of the vehicle interior, and which is inflated and deployed from the upper portion toward a lower side in a curtain form along the side surface of the vehicle interior in response to introduction of inflation and deployment gas into the airbag in order to protect an occupant in the vehicle interior, the airbag having a central chamber adjacent to an end chamber that is positioned at one end of the vehicle, a non-inflation region dividing the end chamber from the central chamber,

a strap being provided between the non-inflation region and the end pillar so as to connect the non-inflation region to the end pillar, the strap being located along an outer surface of the end chamber,

in a deployed state of the airbag, a first connecting portion connecting one end of the strap to the end pillar at a first height position that is higher than a second height position of a second connecting portion connecting another end of the strap to the non-inflation region, and

in the deployed state of the airbag, the strap being stretched substantially linearly between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, the strap having a length between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion that restricts and stops movement of the second connecting portion in a direction toward a rear end of the vehicle at a restricted position, the restricted position being located closer to the first connecting portion than an unrestricted position of the second connecting portion achieved in the deployed state absent the strap.

2. The vehicle curtain airbag device according to claim 1, wherein, in the deployed state of the airbag, the strap has an inclined orientation between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, the second connecting portion having the second height position that is lower than the first height position of the first connecting portion.

3. The vehicle curtain airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting portion of the strap is configured to move from the second height position to a third height position when the end chamber is moved toward an exterior side of the vehicle, the third height position being generally the same as the first height position of the first connecting portion.

4. A vehicle curtain airbag device in a vehicle having a vehicle interior defined by an end pillar at one end of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction and an upper portion extending along a side surface of the vehicle interior, the vehicle curtain airbag device comprising:

an airbag having an upper end portion attached to an upper position of the side surface of the vehicle interior, when inflated the airbag being deployed from an upper side toward a lower side of the vehicle interior in a curtain form along the side surface and in response to introduction of inflation and deployment gas in order to protect an occupant in the vehicle interior, the airbag having a non-inflation region dividing an end chamber from a central chamber, the end chamber being positioned toward the one end of the vehicle,

a strap extending between the non-inflation region and the end pillar positioned at the one end of the vehicle interior, the strap extending between the end pillar and the non-inflation region and extending along an outer surface of the end chamber,

a first connecting portion connecting one end of the strap to the end pillar at a first height, a second connecting portion connecting the other end of the strap to the non-inflation region at a second height, the first height being greater than the second height relative to the vehicle, and

the strap having a length such that the strap is stretched approximately linearly and in an inclined orientation between the first and second connecting portions when the end chamber is inflated and deployed.

5. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein the end chamber is biased inwardly toward the vehicle interior by the strap when the airbag is in the deployed and inflated state.

6. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein end chamber is biased by the strap out of alignment with the central chamber and the end pillar and inwardly toward the vehicle interior.

7. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein the strap extends toward a front end of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein the strap extends toward a rear end of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, comprising two of the straps, one of the straps extending toward a front end of the vehicle and the other of the straps extending toward a rear end of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein the strap is attached to an exterior surface of the end chamber.