Side airbag apparatus

• US 9,180,836 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hotta, Masashi, Sato, Yuji, Honda, Kensaku, Kawabe, Hitoshi, Kato, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): English, James
• Application Number:
  US14/088,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20140151985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/730.2, 280/736, 280/742
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23146 seat mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2395 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/207 in vehicle seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2334 Expansion control features
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

An airbag of a side airbag apparatus includes an upstream inflation portion, which inflates by inflation gas, and deploys frontward at a side of a vehicle seat. An opening is provided at a wall portion of the upstream inflation portion. A pressure regulator valve closes before an occupant is restrained by the upstream inflation portion, thereby restricting the inflation gas in the upstream inflation portion from flowing through the opening. Upon the occupant restraint, the pressure regulator valve cancels the restriction in response to a change in a tensed state of the dividing portion by an external force applied due to the restraint. A tear seam that connects valve body portions of the pressure regulator valve delays the opening time of the pressure regulator valve upon the occupant restraint by the upstream inflation portion relative to the opening time set only by the pressure regulator valve.

Claims

1. A side airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag that includes an inflation portion that inflates by inflation gas supplied in response to an impact applied from a side to a vehicle seat, and that deploys toward a front of the vehicle seat at a side of the vehicle seat, wherein an opening is provided in a wall portion forming the inflation portion;

a pressure regulator valve that closes before an inflated part of the inflation portion restrains an occupant to restrict the inflation gas from flowing out from the inflated part of the inflation portion through the opening, wherein, when the inflated part of the inflation portion restrains the occupant, the pressure regulator valve opens in response to a change in a tensed state of the wall portion by an external force applied due to the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion, thereby cancelling the restriction; and

a time changing apparatus that changes an opening time of the pressure regulator valve upon the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion to a time that is different from an opening time set only by the pressure regulator valve,

wherein a part of the wall portion includes a pair of overlap portions overlapped with each other in a band shape in the inflation portion,

the overlap portions are connected by a joining portion at a boundary portion with a non-overlap portion that is not overlapped,

the opening is formed in the wall portion when the connection of the overlap portions by the joining portion is cancelled,

sections in the overlap portions corresponding to the opening configure the pressure regulator valve,

the time changing apparatus is configured by a retaining portion that retains the pressure regulator valve in the closed state until a midpoint of the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion, and

the retaining portion cancels the retaining from the midpoint of the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion, and

wherein the retaining portion extends in a direction intersecting a direction in which the joining portion extends.

2. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pressure regulator valve includes a pair of valve body portions provided around the opening,

the pressure regulator valve closes by the valve body portions being pressed by the inflation gas and making contact or being close to each other before the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion, and

upon the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion, the pressure regulator valve opens by the valve body portions being bent and separating from each other through the wall portion by the external force applied due to the restraint of the occupant.

3. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the retaining portion connects the valve body portions to each other in a state of being caused to contact each other or be close to each other.

4. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the retaining portion is one of an adhesive layer and a sticky layer formed between the valve body portions in the state of being close to each other.

5. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the retaining portion is configured by a hook-side fastener attached to one of the valve body portions and a loop-side fastener attached to the other of the valve body portions and that detachably connects with the hook-side fastener.

6. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the retaining portion is configured by a first frictional portion, which is formed at least at a part of one of the valve body portions and a second frictional portion, which is formed at least at a part of the other of the valve body portions and generates a frictional force by contacting the first frictional portion upon closing of the pressure regulator valve.

7. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a part of the wall portion includes a pair of overlap portions overlapped with each other in a band shape in the inflation portion,

the overlap portions are connected by a second joining portion at a boundary portion with a non-overlap portion that is not overlapped,

the opening is formed in the wall portion when the connection of the overlap portions by the second joining portion is cancelled,

sections in the overlap portions corresponding to the opening configure the valve body portions,

each overlap portion has a stress relaxation portion, and

each stress relaxation portion relaxes stress applied to a section of the second joining portion that adjoins the opening due to the opening of the pressure regulator valve.

8. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the section of the second joining portion that adjoins the opening configures the stress relaxation portion by being formed in a curved shape at the overlap portions.

9. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the wall portion is configured by a dividing portion that is arranged in the inflation portion and divides at least a part of the inflation portion into an upstream inflation portion, to which the inflation gas is supplied, and a downstream inflation portion, which is adjacent to the upstream inflation portion,

the opening is configured by a slit extending in a widthwise direction of the vehicle seat when the dividing portion comes to be in a tensed state,

at least a main portion of a peripheral portion of the dividing portion is connected to the airbag by a first joining portion, and

the time changing apparatus is configured by an auxiliary first joining portion that connects a part of the dividing portion to the airbag on an inner side in a widthwise direction of the vehicle seat of the first joining portion when the dividing portion comes to be in the tensed state.

10. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a part of the wall portion is configured by a pair of fabric portions aligned in a vertical direction,

parts of the fabric portions include a pair of overlap portions that is formed by overlapping ends of the fabric portions in a band shape to extend in a widthwise direction of the vehicle seat,

the overlap portions are connected to each other by a second joining portion at a boundary portion with a non-overlap portion that is not overlapped, and are folded either upward or downward with the second joining portion as a fulcrum,

the opening is formed in the wall portion when the connection of the overlap portions by the second joining portion is cancelled,

sections in the overlap portions that correspond to the opening configure the valve body portions,

the valve body portions are formed to be capable of being displaced to outside the inflated part of the inflation portion through the opening upon the opening of the pressure regulator valve, and

the time changing apparatus is configured by a restricting portion that restricts one of the valve body portions that is positioned on an upper stream side from being displaced to the outside of the inflated part of the inflation portion until a midpoint of the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion.

11. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

a part of the wall portion is configured by a pair of fabric portions aligned to form one surface,

the opening is formed between the fabric portions,

the pressure regulator valve configures a peripheral portion of the opening of each of the fabric portions as the valve body portion, and

the time changing apparatus is configured by a restricting portion that restricts one of the fabric portions from being displaced to outside of the inflated part of the inflation portion from a midpoint of the restraint of the occupant by the inflated part of the inflation portion.

12. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the wall portion is configured by a dividing portion that divides a part of the inflation portion into an upstream inflation portion, to which the inflation gas is supplied, and a downstream inflation portion, which is adjacent to the upstream inflation portion and to which the inflation gas is supplied through the opening and the pressure regulator valve, and

rest of the inflation portion is communicated with the upstream inflation portion in a state of being isolated from the downstream inflation portion.

13. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the joining portion extends in a vehicle widthwise direction.