Head-protecting airbag device

• US 9,211,863 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kashio, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US14/578,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• 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 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10

Abstract

A head-protecting airbag device has an airbag deployable downward from a housing area. The airbag includes front and rear window cover portions for covering front and rear windows and a pillar cover portion for covering a middle pillar located between the windows. The pillar cover portion includes in the upper region an inlet port for taking in an inflation gas from one of the window cover portions. The pillar cover portion further includes an upper portion extending in a front and rear direction from the inlet port, and a lower portion which communicates with the upper portion at an end of the upper portion facing away from the inlet port and turns around downward from the upper portion and extends in a front and rear direction beneath the upper portion. The leading end of the lower portion located generally beneath the inlet port is closed.

Claims

1. A head-protecting airbag device having an airbag in a folded-up configuration that is adapted to be stored in a housing area disposed at upper peripheries of a plurality of windows arranged one behind another in a front and rear direction of a vehicle, the airbag being deployable downward at an inboard side of the windows and a middle pillar located between the windows when fed with an inflation gas, the airbag comprising:

a gas admissive region that is inflatable with an inflation gas in such a fashion as to separate an inboard side wall from an outboard side wall and comprises window cover portions for covering the windows respectively and a pillar cover portion for covering the middle pillar, the pillar cover portion comprising;

an inlet port that is located in an upper region of the pillar cover portion and is in gas communication with one of the window cover portions located in front of and at the rear of the pillar cover portion for taking in an inflation gas from the window cover portion such that the pillar cover portion inflates and completes inflation with an inflation gas taken in from the inlet port, wherein the pillar cover portion includes only one inlet port;

an upper inflatable portion that extends in a front and rear direction from the inlet port; and

a lower inflatable portion that is in gas communication with the upper inflatable portion at an end of the upper inflatable portion facing away from the inlet port and extends in such a fashion as to turn around downward from the upper inflatable portion and extends in a front and rear direction beneath the upper inflatable portion, the lower inflatable portion comprising generally beneath the inlet port a closed leading end.

2. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the airbag further comprises a non-admissive region that admits no inflation gas and where the inboard side wall and the outboard side wall stay attached together, the non-admissive region comprising;

a peripheral portion defining an outer peripheral edge of the gas admissive region;

an upper edge partitioning portion that partitions the upper inflatable portion of the pillar cover portion from an inflatable portion located above the upper inflatable portion;

a front edge partitioning portion and a rear edge partitioning portion that are located at front and rear edges of the pillar cover portion and partitions the pillar cover portion from the window cover portions; and

a horizontal partitioning portion extending in a front and rear direction from a region of either the front edge partitioning portion or the rear edge partitioning portion where the inlet port is provided, the horizontal partitioning portion partitioning the upper inflatable portion from the lower inflatable portion; and

the pillar cover portion is surrounded by the upper edge partitioning portion, a region of the peripheral portion disposed at a lower edge of the lower inflatable portion, the front edge partitioning portion and the rear edge partitioning portion.

3. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 2, wherein:

the upper edge partitioning portion includes at an end thereof facing toward the inlet port a leading-end bulged portion which is widened generally in a round shape for preventing stress concentration upon airbag inflation and protrudes toward the upper inflatable portion; and

the horizontal partitioning portion includes at an end thereof facing away from the inlet port a leading-end bulged portion which is widened generally in a round shape for preventing stress concentration and protrudes toward the upper inflatable portion.

4. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the pillar cover portion is surrounded entirely, except at the inlet port, by the upper edge partitioning portion, the peripheral portion, the front edge partitioning portion and the rear edge partitioning portion.

5. The head-protecting airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the inflatable portion located above the upper edge partitioning portion is a gas feed path that provides gas communication between the window cover portions.