Wrap around side impact airbag systems and methods
First Claim
1. An airbag assembly for disposition proximate a roof of a vehicle to shield a vehicle occupant from impacting at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the airbag assembly comprising:
- an inflatable curtain airbag having a stowed configuration proximate the roof of the vehicle and a deployed configuration into which the inflatable curtain airbag deploys downward between the vehicle occupant and the at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising an inboard fabric layer and an outboard fabric layer that are secured together at a peripheral juncture to define, interior to the peripheral juncture, the peripheral juncture having a top portion and a bottom portion, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising;
a first chamber;
a second chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber; and
a non-inflating region extending from the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture towards the top portion of the peripheral juncture to at least partially separate the first chamber from the second chamber, the non-inflating region having a width selected to permit in-plane bending of the inflatable curtain airbag at the non-inflating region such that the second chamber tilts downward relative to the first chamber and the width of the non-inflating region is reduced at the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture in the deployed configuration.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag assembly may include an inflatable curtain airbag with a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration. The inflatable curtain may have a first chamber and a second chamber that inflates forward of the first chamber. The second chamber may be separated from the first chamber by a non-inflating region. The non-inflating region may have a width selected such that in-plane bending of the inflatable curtain occurs during deployment. The in-plane bending may position the second chamber lower than the first chamber such that the second chamber overlaps a significant portion of a door adjacent to the inflatable curtain. Forward and rearward portions of the non-inflating region may be attached together to form a fold that decreases the width of the non-inflating region, thereby enhancing the in-plane bending. The second chamber may also bend out-of-plane relative to the first chamber to help provide protection in small overlap collision situations.
19 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An airbag assembly for disposition proximate a roof of a vehicle to shield a vehicle occupant from impacting at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the airbag assembly comprising:
an inflatable curtain airbag having a stowed configuration proximate the roof of the vehicle and a deployed configuration into which the inflatable curtain airbag deploys downward between the vehicle occupant and the at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising an inboard fabric layer and an outboard fabric layer that are secured together at a peripheral juncture to define, interior to the peripheral juncture, the peripheral juncture having a top portion and a bottom portion, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising; a first chamber; a second chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber; and a non-inflating region extending from the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture towards the top portion of the peripheral juncture to at least partially separate the first chamber from the second chamber, the non-inflating region having a width selected to permit in-plane bending of the inflatable curtain airbag at the non-inflating region such that the second chamber tilts downward relative to the first chamber and the width of the non-inflating region is reduced at the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture in the deployed configuration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An airbag assembly for disposition proximate a roof of a vehicle to shield a vehicle occupant from impacting at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the airbag assembly comprising:
an inflatable curtain airbag having a stowed configuration proximate the roof of the vehicle and a deployed configuration into which the inflatable curtain airbag deploys downward between the vehicle occupant and the at least one lateral surface of the vehicle, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising an inboard fabric layer and an outboard fabric layer that are secured together at a peripheral juncture to define, interior to the peripheral juncture, the peripheral juncture having a top portion and a bottom portion, the inflatable curtain airbag comprising; a first chamber; a second chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber, the second chamber comprising a single unbranching passageway comprising; an upper segment through which inflation gas enters the second chamber from the first chamber; and a lower segment below the upper segment and adjacent to the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture, wherein the lower segment directs the inflation gas back toward the first chamber; and a non-inflating region extending from the bottom portion of the peripheral juncture towards the top portion of the peripheral juncture to at least partially separate the first chamber from the second chamber, the non-inflating region having a width selected to permit in-plane bending of the inflatable curtain airbag at the non-inflating region such that the lower segment of the second chamber tilts downward at an angle relative to the first chamber in the deployed configuration. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
Specification