Side pillar assemblies with multi-surface retention structures for side airbags

• US 9,174,602 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Gillay, Daniel F., Moore, Jaime N.
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, TOAN C
• Application Number:
  US14/538,875
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23192 Roof bags, i.e. protecting the occupant in a roll-over situation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• 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: B62D 25/04 Door pillars ; windshield pillars

Abstract

A vehicle includes a pillar garnish mounted at a side pillar assembly of the vehicle. The pillar garnish has an upper end portion, a roof head lining with an outer portion that extends along the upper end portion of the pillar garnish, and an airbag jump bracket fixedly located between a pillar body and the roof head lining. The airbag jump bracket includes a first portion extending in a vehicle height direction and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion in a vehicle width direction. The second portion supports an airbag body that guides the airbag body toward an occupant compartment of the vehicle during an airbag deployment event. The airbag jump bracket further includes an outwardly turned flange portion that extends outwardly in the vehicle width direction to underhang the second portion of the airbag jump bracket. The outwardly turned flange portion has an underside and terminates at an end located beneath the second portion of the airbag jump bracket. The pillar garnish includes an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a tower engaging portion and a ledge engaging portion. The ledge engaging portion includes a ledge engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during an airbag deployment event in the vehicle height direction and the tower engaging portion includes a tower engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during an airbag deployment event in a vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a pillar garnish mounted at a side pillar assembly of the vehicle, the pillar garnish having an upper end portion;

a roof head lining having an outer portion that extends along the upper end portion of the pillar garnish; and

an airbag jump bracket fixedly located between a pillar body and the roof head lining, the airbag jump bracket including a first portion extending in a vehicle height direction and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion in a vehicle width direction, the second portion supporting an airbag body that guides the airbag body toward an occupant compartment of the vehicle during an airbag deployment event, the airbag jump bracket further comprising an outwardly turned flange portion extending outwardly in the vehicle width direction to underhang the second portion of the airbag jump bracket, the outwardly turned flange portion and terminating at an end located beneath the second portion of the airbag jump bracket;

the pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a tower engaging portion and a ledge engaging portion;

wherein the ledge engaging portion comprises a ledge engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion with movement of the airbag jump bracket engaging feature in the vehicle height direction and the tower engaging portion comprises a tower engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion with movement of the airbag jump bracket engaging feature in the vehicle width direction.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pillar garnish includes a covering portion and the airbag jump bracket engaging feature is integrally molded with the covering portion.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the airbag jump bracket engaging feature includes a base portion extending outwardly from the covering portion, the tower engaging portion and the ledge engaging portion extending integrally from the base portion.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including the tower engaging portion extending upwardly beyond the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the airbag jump bracket is formed of plastic.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the airbag body is a curtain shield airbag body.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the tower engaging portion is spaced from the end of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the outwardly turned flange portion comprises an underside and the ledge engaging portion is spaced from the underside of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a pillar garnish mounted at a side pillar assembly of the vehicle, the pillar garnish having an upper end portion;

a roof head lining having an outer portion that extends along the upper end portion of the pillar garnish; and

an airbag jump bracket fixedly located between a pillar body and the roof head lining, the airbag jump bracket including a first portion extending in a vehicle height direction and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion in a vehicle width direction, the second portion supporting an airbag body that guides the airbag body toward an occupant compartment of the vehicle during an airbag deployment event, the airbag jump bracket further comprising an outwardly turned flange portion extending outwardly in the vehicle width direction to underhang the second portion of the airbag jump bracket, the outwardly turned flange portion terminating at an end located beneath the second portion of the airbag jump bracket;

the pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature having a tower engaging portion spaced from the end of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm and a ledge engaging portion spaced from the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the tower engaging portion is arranged to engage the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket to limit movement of the upper end portion of the pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the ledge engaging portion is arranged to engage an underside of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket to limit movement of the airbag jump bracket in the vehicle height direction.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the pillar garnish includes a covering portion and the airbag jump bracket engaging feature is integrally molded with the covering portion.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the airbag jump bracket engaging feature includes a base portion extending outwardly from the covering portion, the tower engaging portion and the ledge engaging portion extending integrally from the base portion.

14. The vehicle of claim 9 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including the tower engaging portion extending upwardly beyond the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket.

15. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the airbag jump bracket is formed of plastic.

16. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the airbag body is a curtain shield airbag body.

17. A mounting structure for use with an airbag body in a vehicle, the vehicle including an occupant compartment, a roof side rail and a pillar assembly, wherein the airbag body is inflatable along the roof side rail and across a pillar, the mounting structure comprising:

a pillar garnish having an upper end portion; and

an airbag jump bracket including a first portion extending upwardly and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion, the second portion configured to support the airbag body and guide the airbag body toward the occupant compartment of the vehicle during an airbag deployment event, the airbag jump bracket further comprising an outwardly turned flange portion extending outwardly to underhang the second portion of the airbag jump bracket, the outwardly turned flange portion having an underside and terminating at an end located beneath the second portion of the airbag jump bracket;

the pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a tower engaging portion and a ledge engaging portion;

wherein the ledge engaging portion comprises a ledge engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during the airbag deployment event in a vehicle height direction and the tower engaging portion comprises a tower engaging surface that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during the airbag deployment event in a vehicle widthwise direction to inhibit movement of the pillar garnish during the airbag deployment event.

18. The mounting structure of claim 17, wherein the pillar garnish includes a covering portion and the airbag jump bracket engaging feature is integrally molded with the covering portion.

19. The mounting structure of claim 18, wherein the airbag jump bracket engaging feature includes a base portion extending outwardly from the covering portion, the tower engaging portion and the ledge engaging portion extending integrally from the base portion.

20. The mounting structure of claim 17 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including the tower engaging portion.