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Airbag device for a driver's seat

  • US 9,650,012 B2
  • Filed: 03/04/2016
  • Issued: 05/16/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An airbag device for a driver'"'"'s seat adapted to be mounted on a boss section of a steering wheel of a vehicle disposed at a generally center of a rim of the steering wheel, the airbag device comprising an airbag stored in the boss section in a folded-up configuration and inflatable with an inflation gas,wherein the airbag includes a vehicle-side wall deployable towards the rim of the steering wheel, a driver-side wall deployable towards the driver'"'"'s seat and a plurality of tethers that connect the vehicle-side wall and driver-side wall for regulating a clearance between the vehicle-side wall and driver-side wall at airbag deployment;

  • wherein the vehicle-side wall includes;

    an inlet opening disposed generally at the center of the vehicle-side wall for introducing an inflation gas;

    a vent hole disposed in a vicinity of the inlet opening for releasing the inflation gas;

    an outer face region that forms an outer shell of the vehicle-side wall at the location of the vent hole; and

    an inner face region that is disposed on an inner side of the outer face region;

    wherein the vent hole includes an outer opening formed on the outer face region and an inner opening formed on the inner face region in such a manner as to overlap with the outer opening;

    wherein a pair of tethers out of said tethers serves as an exhaust strap including;

    a cover section that is held between the outer face region and inner face region in such a manner as to be joined to the vehicle-side wall and closes off the outer opening at airbag deployment in an openable fashion; and

    a pair of connecting bands extending from opposite sides of the cover section and joined to the driver-side wall, the connecting bands extending from the cover section in a symmetrical fashion with respect to a straight line connecting the inlet opening and vent hole as viewed from a part of the driver-side wall at full inflation of the airbag;

    wherein the cover section includes a proximate edge disposed on a part close to the inlet opening and a distant edge disposed on a part distant from the inlet opening, and the cover section is joined to the vehicle-side wall by the proximate edge;

    wherein the outer face region and inner face region of the vehicle-side wall are joined together by inner edges thereof disposed on a part close to the inlet opening and outer edges thereof disposed on a part away from the inlet opening so as to hold the cover section of the exhaust strap between the outer face region and inner face region;

    wherein the exhaust strap closes off the vent hole at airbag deployment with the cover section and is so configured, when the driver-side wall cushions a driver at airbag deployment and moves toward the vehicle-side wall, that the connecting bands loosen and allow a region of the cover section towards the distant edge to loosen and pass through the outer opening such that the outer opening and inner opening communicate to open the vent hole;

    wherein the connecting bands of the exhaust strap are joined to the driver-side wall at a position closer to a center of the driver-side wall compared with a position of the vent hole and in a symmetrical fashion about a center region of the driver-side wall, as viewed from the part of the driver-side wall at full deployment of the airbag; and

    wherein the exhaust strap includes a proximate edge disposed on a part close to the inlet opening and a distant edge disposed on a part distant from the inlet opening, and a length of the distant edge of the exhaust strap is shorter than a length of the proximate edge of the exhaust strap.

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