Vehicle body structure

• US 9,333,934 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sitko, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sliteris, Joselynn Y
• Application Number:
  US14/304,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20150360637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers

Abstract

An airbag is fixed to a first location of a window in a stowed orientation and extends to a lower end of the window in a deployed orientation. A tether has an airbag end fixedly attached to the first location and an anchor end fixedly attached to a second location proximate the lower end of the window. The tether extends through a tether receiving aperture of the airbag such that during movement of the airbag from the stowed orientation to the deployed orientation the distal end moves along the tether. A one-way movement member is fixed to the tether proximate the anchor end. The one-way movement member passes through the tether receiving aperture in response to the airbag moving from to the deployed orientation and limits movement of the airbag back toward the stowed orientation.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure comprising

a first elongated body structure extending in a first direction;

a second elongated body structure extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, the first and second elongated body structures at least partially surrounding a window opening;

an airbag having a mounting structure mounted to and extending along the first elongated body structure, the airbag having a distal end positioned adjacent to the mounting structure in a stowed orientation and arranged to move in the second direction along the second elongated structure to a deployed orientation such that the distal end is spaced apart from the mounting structure and the airbag at least partially covers the window opening in the deployed orientation, the distal end of the airbag having a tether receiving aperture;

a tether having an airbag end and an anchor end, the airbag end being fixed to a first location proximate a first end of the mounting structure of the airbag adjacent to the second elongated body structure, the anchor end being fixedly attached to the second elongated body structure at a second location proximate a distal end of the airbag with the airbag in the deployed orientation, the tether extending through the tether receiving aperture such that during movement of the airbag from the stowed orientation to the deployed orientation the distal end moves along the tether; and

a one-way movement member fixed to the tether proximate the anchor end but spaced apart from the anchor end, the one-way movement member passing through the tether receiving aperture from a first side of the airbag to a second side of the airbag in response to the airbag moving from the stowed orientation to the deployed orientation, and with the airbag in the deployed orientation the one-way movement member retains the airbag in the deployed orientation and limits movement of the distal end of the airbag with respect to the second location, the one-way movement member having an extended orientation and a compressed orientation, the one-way movement member moving from the extended orientation to the compressed orientation as the one-way movement member extends into the tether receiving aperture, and the one-way movement member including at least a pair of coaxially pivoted wings, and a biasing member positioned between the wings and biasing the wings toward the extended orientation.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the tether receiving aperture is reinforced with a rigid grommet.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the one-way movement member has a fixed end fixed to the tether, and an open end that is wider than the fixed end when the one-way movement member is in the extended orientation.

4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein

the open end of the one-way movement member is positioned closer to the anchor end of the tether than the fixed end of the one-way movement member.

5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein

the open end of the one-way movement member contacts the second side of the airbag to prevent the one-way movement member from passing through the tether receiving aperture from the second side to the first side.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein

the open end of the one-way movement member is wider than the tether receiving aperture when the one-way movement member is in the extended orientation, and the open end of the one-way movement member is narrower than the tether receiving aperture when the one-way movement member is in the compressed orientation.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the one-way movement member has a tapered shape when in the extended orientation to facilitate movement to the compressed orientation as the one-way movement member passes through the tether receiving aperture.

8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the first elongated body structure is a roof rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and the second elongated body structure is a pillar extending in an upright direction.

9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 8, further comprising

a trim panel attached to the pillar covering the tether with the airbag in the stowed orientation, and

a headliner that covers the roof rail, the airbag and the mounting structure of the airbag with the airbag in the stowed orientation.

10. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein

the first elongated body structure is a pillar extending in an upright direction, and the second elongated body structure is a roof rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

11. The vehicle body structure according to claim 10, further comprising

a headliner that covers the roof rail and the tether with the airbag in the stowed orientation, and

a trim panel attached to the pillar covering the airbag and the mounting structure of the airbag with the airbag in the stowed orientation.

12. A vehicle body structure comprising

a first elongated body structure extending in a first direction;

a second elongated body structure extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, the first and second elongated body structures at least partially surrounding a window opening;

an airbag having a mounting structure mounted to and extending along the first elongated body structure, the airbag having a distal end positioned adjacent to the mounting structure in a stowed orientation and arranged to move in the second direction along the second elongated structure to a deployed orientation such that the distal end is spaced from the mounting structure and the airbag at least partially covers the window opening in the deployed orientation, the distal end of the airbag having a tether receiving aperture;

a tether having an airbag end and an anchor end, the airbag end being fixed to a first location proximate a first end of the mounting structure of the airbag adjacent to the second elongated body structure, the anchor end being fixedly attached to the second elongated body structure at a second location proximate a distal end of the airbag with the airbag in the deployed orientation, the tether extending through the tether receiving aperture such that during movement of the airbag from the stowed orientation to the deployed orientation the distal end moves along the tether; and

a one-way movement member having a fixed end fixed to the tether proximate the anchor end but spaced apart from the anchor end, and an open end that is wider than the fixed end, the one-way movement member having an extended orientation in which the open end is wider than the fixed end, and a compressed orientation such that the one-way movement member is compressed to the compressed orientation as the one-way movement member passes through the tether receiving aperture from a first side of the airbag to a second side of the airbag in response to the airbag moving from the stowed orientation to the deployed orientation, and with the airbag in the deployed orientation and the one-way movement member positioned on the second side of the airbag and in the extended orientation, the open end of the one-way movement member is wider than the tether receiving aperture and contacts the second side of the airbag to retain the airbag in the deployed orientation and limit movement of the distal end of the airbag with respect to the second location, the one-way movement member further including at least a pair of coaxially pivoted wings, and a biasing member positioned between the wings and biasing the wings toward the extended orientation.

13. The vehicle body structure according to claim 12, wherein

the first elongated body structure is a roof rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and the second elongated body structure is a pillar extending in an upright direction.

14. The vehicle body structure according to claim 12, wherein the first elongated body structure is a pillar extending in an upright direction, and the second elongated body structure is roof rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction.