Center airbag

• US 8,882,138 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2014
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaohong, Makioka, Takayuki, Hicken, Paul, Tanaka, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US14/226,391
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

An airbag assembly may include an airbag cushion that can be deployed to cover a portion of the dashboard of a vehicle adjacent another portion of the dashboard that is covered by a deployed front airbag. In some embodiments, airbag cushions may be housed beneath a seating surface of an occupant and deploy inboard of the housing to cover a portion of the dashboard. Such airbags may provide increased protection to front seat occupants who move in an oblique direction, both forward and inboard, during a collision event.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing configured to be mounted at or below a seating surface of a seat of a vehicle;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that is configured to;

receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the airbag cushion from a compact state within the housing to a deployed state;

deploy from the housing and inboard of the housing when the housing is mounted at or below the seating surface of the seat;

cover a portion of a dashboard, wherein the portion of the dashboard is disposed adjacent a front airbag when the front airbag is in a fully deployed state; and

receive one or more of a head or torso of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from a vehicle occupant region in a direction that is oblique relative to the forward direction.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion is configured to contact the front airbag when both the front airbag and the airbag cushion are fully deployed.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion, when fully deployed, comprises a geometric center that is disposed inboard of, vertical of, and forward of the housing.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion, when fully deployed, is disposed such that a space directly between an inboard shoulder of a passenger and an inboard shoulder of a driver is not occupied by the airbag cushion.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion is configured to cover a portion of the dashboard that is not covered when both a front driver airbag is fully deployed and a front passenger airbag is fully deployed.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the airbag cushion is configured to deploy from the housing primarily in a direction that is both upward and forward.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted to the seat.

8. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the seat of the vehicle comprises a seat base, and wherein the seat base comprises a rigid frame and the housing is mounted to the rigid frame.

9. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing configured to be mounted adjacent to a seat base of a vehicle;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that is configured to;

receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the airbag cushion from a compact state within the housing to a deployed state;

deploy from the housing and inboard of the housing when the housing is mounted adjacent the seat base of the vehicle; and

cover a first region of a dashboard that is disposed lateral to a second region of the dashboard, wherein the second region is covered by a front airbag when the front airbag is deployed.

10. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the housing is configured to be mounted to a bucket seat.

11. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the airbag cushion is configured to receive a head of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from the vehicle occupant region in a direction that is oblique relative to the forward direction.

12. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the airbag cushion, when deployed, comprises a geometric center that is disposed inboard of, vertical of, and forward of the housing.

13. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the airbag cushion, when fully deployed, does not intersect a line segment that runs from an inboard shoulder of a crash test dummy that is seated in a driver seat in a vehicle occupant region to an inboard shoulder of a crash test dummy that is seated in a passenger seat in a vehicle occupant region.

14. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the airbag cushion, when fully deployed, does not intersect a line segment that runs from a thoracic vertebra of a crash test dummy that is seated in a driver seat in a vehicle occupant region to a thoracic vertebra of a crash test dummy that is seated in a passenger seat in a vehicle occupant region.

15. The airbag assembly of claim 9, wherein the airbag cushion is configured to deploy from the housing primarily in a direction that is both upward and forward.

16. An airbag system comprising:

a front airbag assembly to deploy to cover a first portion of a dashboard of a vehicle, the first portion of the dashboard disposed forward a front occupant of a vehicle; and

a center airbag assembly comprising;

a housing configured to be mounted at or below a seating surface of a seat of a vehicle;

an inflator; and

an airbag cushion that is configured to

receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand the airbag cushion from a compact state to a deployed state;

deploy from the housing and inboard of the housing when the housing is mounted at or below the seating surface of the seat;

cover a second portion of a dashboard, wherein the second portion of the dashboard is disposed adjacent the first portion of the dashboard; and

receive one or more of a head or torso of a vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant moves from a vehicle occupant region in a direction that is oblique relative to the forward direction.

17. The airbag assembly of claim 16, wherein the front airbag assembly deploys from a housing mounted within the dashboard.

18. The airbag assembly of claim 16, wherein the housing of the center airbag assembly is mounted to the seat of the vehicle.