Front passenger seat air bag apparatus

• US 9,033,362 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US13/597,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20130049336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/732, 280/729, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23384 having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

In a front passenger seat air bag apparatus, an inflator for supplying gas to an air bag is formed in a cylindrical shape and arranged with a vehicle width direction being an axial direction. Also, the inflator is attached to a bottom wall portion formed on a case, with an axial portion of the inflator being offset farther toward a vehicle front side than a center portion, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, of the bottom wall portion. Meanwhile, an actuator for opening and closing a vent hole provided in the air bag is attached to the bottom wall portion farther toward a vehicle rear side than the inflator.

Claims

1. A front passenger seat air bag apparatus comprising:

a case that is a box that is arranged on an underside of an air bag door provided in a portion of an instrument panel in front of a front passenger seat, and that has a bottom wall portion that opposes the air bag door, and that is open on an air bag door side;

an air bag that is housed folded in the case;

a tubular tube vent that is provided on a side wall portion of the air bag when the air bag is in a deployed state, the tube vent forms a vent hole for communicating inside of the air bag with outside of the air bag;

a tether, one end side of which passes through the inside of the air bag and is connected to a tip end portion of the tube vent;

an inflator that is formed in a cylindrical shape and is arranged with a vehicle width direction being an axial direction of the inflator, and that is attached to the bottom wall portion, with an axial center offset to a vehicle front side with respect to a center, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, of the bottom wall portion, and that supplies gas to the air bag; and

an actuator includes an actuator main body and a holding portion, the actuator main body is fixed to the bottom wall portion of the case with the vehicle width direction being an axial direction of the actuator, the actuator main body is fixed to the bottom wall portion of the case rearward, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, of the inflator, the holding portion is provided on an end portion, from among end portions on both sides in the axial direction of the actuator main body, on a side corresponding to the tube vent, and that holds the other end side of the tether,

wherein the actuator is selectively placed in one of a first operating state that holds the other end side of the tether and closes the vent hole by pulling the tip end portion of the tube vent into the air bag by the tether when the air bag deploys, and a second operating state that releases the other end side of the tether and opens the vent hole by making the tube vent protrude outside of the air bag when the air bag deploys.

2. The front passenger seat air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided below, with respect to a vertical direction of the vehicle, the bottom wall portion, the actuator includes at least one axial end portion of which abuts against a lower surface of the bottom wall portion, the holding portion is provided on one axial end portion of the actuator main body, and a bracket that fixes the other axial end portion of the actuator main body to the bottom wall portion;

and the other end side of the tether passes through the bottom wall portion from above the holding portion, with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and is held by the holding portion.

3. The front passenger seat air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a connector that is fixed, with the vehicle width direction being an inserting/removing direction, to an end portion on one side in the vehicle width direction of the actuator main body.

4. The front passenger seat air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube vent is provided on the side wall portion of the air bag on an inside in the vehicle width direction when the air bag is in the deployed state.

5. The front passenger seat air bag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided with a cutter on the actuator main body, and the cutter cuts the other end side of the tether by moving from a retracted position to a cutting position.