Roof airbag device and occupant protection device

• US 9,493,135 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Karen
• Application Number:
  US14/314,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20140375033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A roof airbag device includes a roof airbag housed in a part that includes a front end side in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in a vehicle width direction of a roof. The roof airbag includes: a front deployed part that is deployed in front in a vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to an occupant such that a lower end side in a vehicle up-and-down direction overlaps with an instrument panel in an up-and-down direction in a rear view; a rear deployed part that is at least partially deployed between right and left seats; and a thin deployed part that is deployed in a state connected with the front deployed part and the rear deployed part and surrounded by these deployed part, and in non-inflation or in inflation at a thickness thinner than an inflation width of the inflated and deployed part in a vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. A roof airbag device comprising:

a roof airbag housed in a part that includes a front end side in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in a vehicle width direction of a roof,

wherein the roof airbag includes;

a front deployed part that is inflated upon reception of a gas supply and is deployed in front in a vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to an occupant such that a lower end side in a vehicle up-and-down direction overlaps with an instrument panel in an up-and-down direction in a rear view;

a rear deployed part that is inflated upon reception of the gas supply and is at least partially deployed between right and left seats; and

a thin deployed part that is deployed in a state connected with an inflated and deployed part that includes the front deployed part and the rear deployed part and surrounded by the inflated and deployed part, and in non-inflation or in inflation at a thickness thinner than an inflation width of the inflated and deployed part in a vehicle width direction,

wherein the thin deployed part extends between a rear surface of the front deployed part, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a front surface of the rear deployed part, in the vehicle longitudinal direction,

wherein the front deployed part is formed by including a pair of cylindrically deployed parts that are inflated and deployed on both sides of right and left with respect to the thin deployed part.

2. The roof airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

the inflated and deployed part is formed by including an upper deployed part that connects between upper ends of the pair of cylindrically deployed parts and the rear deployed part in the vehicle up-and-down direction and a lower deployed part that connects between lower ends of the pair of cylindrically deployed parts and the rear deployed part in the vehicle up-and-down direction;

and

the thin deployed part is connected to at least each of the pair of cylindrically deployed parts, the upper deployed part and the lower deployed part.

3. The roof airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the inflated and deployed part is formed by further including an intermediate deployed part that connects the upper deployed part and the lower deployed part.

4. The roof airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the rear deployed part is formed by inclining such that a front part is positioned above in the vehicle up-and-down direction, compared with a rear part in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and at least as a part of diagonal cylindrical deployed part in which an upper end in the vehicle up-and-down direction connects with upper ends of the pair of cylindrically deployed parts in the vehicle up-and-down direction.

5. The roof airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the thin deployed part is formed of a cloth-like member or a mesh-like member.

6. The roof airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the roof airbag is housed in an overhead console disposed in a front end of the roof in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in the vehicle width direction.

7. The roof airbag device according to claim 1, wherein a gas supply passage of the roof airbag has a partition structure that promotes a gas flow toward the rear deployed part than the pair of cylindrically deployed parts.

8. The roof airbag device according to claim 7, wherein the partition structure is formed of a tether.

9. An occupant protection device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat, which is disposed in front of a seat and inflates and deploys a front impact airbag by gas supply at the time of occurrence of a front impact and at the time of a front impact at a position that is offset to one side in a vehicle width direction in a vehicle front part; and

the roof airbag device according to claim 1, which inflates and deploys the roof airbag by gas supply at the time of the front impact at a position that is offset to one side in a vehicle front part in a vehicle width direction.

10. A roof airbag device comprising:

a roof airbag housed in a part that includes a front end side in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in a vehicle width direction of a roof,

wherein the roof airbag includes;

a front deployed part that is inflated upon reception of a gas supply and is deployed in front in a vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to an occupant such that a lower end side in a vehicle up-and-down direction overlaps with an instrument panel in an up-and-down direction in a rear view;

a rear deployed part that is inflated upon reception of the gas supply and is at least partially deployed between right and left seats; and

a thin deployed part that is deployed in a state connected with an inflated and deployed part that includes the front deployed part and the rear deployed part and surrounded by the inflated and deployed part, and in non-inflation or in inflation at a thickness thinner than an inflation width of the inflated and deployed part in a vehicle width direction,

wherein the rear deployed part is formed by inclining such that a front part is positioned above in the vehicle up-and-down direction, compared with a rear part in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and at least as a part of diagonal cylindrical deployed part in which an upper end in the vehicle up-and-down direction connects with an upper end of the front deployed part in the vehicle up-and-down direction.

11. The roof airbag device according to claim 10, wherein the front deployed part is formed as a single cylindrically deployed part.

12. The roof airbag device according to claim 10, wherein the thin deployed part is formed of a cloth-like member or a mesh-like member.

13. The roof airbag device according to claim 10, wherein the roof airbag is housed in an overhead console disposed in a front end of the roof in the vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in the vehicle width direction.

14. A roof airbag device comprising:

a roof airbag housed in a part that includes a front end side in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in a vehicle width direction of a roof,

wherein the roof airbag includes;

a front deployed part that is inflated upon reception of a gas supply and is deployed in front in a vehicle longitudinal direction with respect to an occupant such that a lower end side in a vehicle up-and-down direction overlaps with an instrument panel in an up-and-down direction in a rear view;

a rear deployed part that is inflated upon reception of the gas supply and is at least partially deployed between right and left seats;

a thin deployed part that is deployed in a state connected with an inflated and deployed part that includes the front deployed part and the rear deployed part and surrounded by the inflated and deployed part, and in non-inflation or in inflation at a thickness thinner than an inflation width of the inflated and deployed part in a vehicle width direction; and

a gas supply passage that includes has a partition structure that promotes a gas flow toward the rear deployed part than the front deployed part, the partition structure is formed of a tether.

15. The roof airbag device according to claim 14, wherein the front deployed part is formed as a single cylindrically deployed part.

16. The roof airbag device according to claim 14, wherein the thin deployed part is formed of a cloth-like member or a mesh-like member.

17. The roof airbag device according to claim 14, wherein the inflated and deployed part is formed by including an upper deployed part that connects between upper ends of the front deployed part and the rear deployed part in the vehicle up-and-down direction and a lower deployed part that connects between lower ends of the front deployed part and the rear deployed part in the vehicle up-and-down direction,

wherein the thin deployed part is connected to at least each of the front deployed part, the upper deployed part and the lower deployed part,

wherein the inflated and deployed part is formed by further including an intermediate deployed part that connects the upper deployed part and the lower deployed part.

18. The roof airbag device according to claim 14, wherein the roof airbag is housed in an overhead console disposed in a front end of the roof in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a center part in the vehicle width direction.

19. The roof airbag device according to claim 14, wherein a front end of the thin deployed part, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, is connected to the rear surface of the front deployed part and a rear end of the thin deployed part, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, is connected to the front surface of the rear deployed part.