Side pillar assemblies with retention structures for side airbags

• US 9,248,800 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• 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: Moore, Jaime N., Gillay, Daniel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US14/497,738
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars

Abstract

A vehicle includes a B-pillar garnish mounted at a side pillar assembly of the vehicle. The B-pillar garnish includes an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a hook-shaped engaging portion extending upwardly beyond an end of an outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket. The hook-shaped engaging portion includes a stem portion and an enlarged head portion that overhangs the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during an airbag deployment event. The stem portion is located adjacent the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket. The stem portion is arranged to engage the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket to limit movement of an upper end portion of the B-pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

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

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

an airbag jump bracket fixedly located between the B-pillar garnish 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 B-pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a hook-shaped engaging portion extending upwardly beyond the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket, the hook-shaped engaging portion including a stem portion and an enlarged head portion that overhangs the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during an airbag deployment event;

wherein the stem portion is located adjacent the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket, the stem portion 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 B-pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle;

wherein the enlarged head portion overhangs a gap between the stem portion and the end of the outwardly turned flange portion and the stem portion prevents passage of the end of the outwardly turned flange through the stem portion.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the B pillar garnish includes a cover 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 stem portion extending integrally from the base portion.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including a hook-shaped 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 stem 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 enlarged head portion is spaced from the end of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm.

9. A vehicle comprising:

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

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

an airbag jump bracket fixedly located between the B-pillar garnish 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 B-pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a hook-shaped engaging portion extending upwardly beyond the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket, the hook-shaped engaging portion including a stem portion spaced from the end of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm and an enlarged head portion that overhangs the end of the outwardly turned flange portion and is spaced from the end of the outwardly turned flange portion no more than about 3 cm;

wherein the stem portion prevents passage of the end of the outwardly turned flange through the stem portion.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the stem 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 B-pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the enlarged head 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 B-pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the B pillar garnish includes a cover 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 stem portion extending integrally from the base portion.

14. The vehicle of claim 9 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including a hook-shaped 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 a vehicle compartment, a roof side rail and a B-pillar assembly, wherein the airbag body is inflatable along the roof side rail and across the B pillar assembly, the mounting structure comprising:

a B-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 an 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 terminating at an end located beneath the second portion of the airbag jump bracket;

the B-pillar garnish including an airbag jump bracket engaging feature including a hook-shaped engaging portion extending upwardly beyond the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket, the hook-shaped engaging portion including a stem portion and an enlarged head portion configured to overhang the end of the outwardly turned flange portion of the airbag jump bracket that engages the outwardly turned flange portion during an airbag deployment event;

wherein the stem portion is configured 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 B-pillar garnish into the occupant compartment of the vehicle;

wherein the enlarged head portion overhangs a gap between the stem portion and the end of the outwardly turned flange portion and the stem portion prevents passage of the end of the outwardly turned flange through the stem portion.

18. The mounting structure of claim 17, wherein the B pillar garnish includes a cover 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 stem portion extending integrally from the base portion.

20. The mounting structure of claim 17 comprising at least two airbag jump bracket engaging features including a hook-shaped engaging portion.