Vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function

• US 9,809,189 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shanghai Lingang Joyson Safety Systems Company Limited, Yanfeng Automotive Safety Systems Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yanfeng Kss (Shanghai) Automotive Safety Systems Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Grell, Benedikt, Hampson, David, Wang, Zhijia, Zhu, Xiaoguang, Lincoln, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US15/022,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20160229370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0032 Position of passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• 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 2021/23308 the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag
• 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 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2334 Expansion control features
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

A vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function, comprising a side airbag (1) and an auxiliary airbag (2) connected to one side surface of the side airbag (1) and arranged in a left/right transverse direction after being expanded; a dividing hole membrane (3) is disposed between the side airbag (1) and the auxiliary airbag (2); the dividing hole membrane (3) is ensured to be opened only when the internal pressure of the side airbag (1) reaches a certain value, thus realizing self-adaptive opening threshold adjustment, controlling the instant of inflation and inflation speed of the auxiliary airbag (2), and adjusting the stiffness of the auxiliary airbag (2). When a vehicle has a collision, the device protects the head and neck of a passenger in both side collision and front collision traffic accidents, thus effectively absorbing the collision impact energy of the passenger, and reducing injury to the passenger.

Claims

1. A vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function, comprising a side airbag, wherein one side face of the side airbag (1) is connected to an end face of an additional airbag (2) which is in a left-right transverse arrangement after being inflated, wherein a connecting portion between the end face of the additional airbag (2) and the side airbag (1) share a layer of fabric and a diffluence hole membrane (3) is formed on the end face of the additional airbag (2), wherein a periphery of the diffluence hole membrane (3) is surrounded by that of the end face of the additional airbag (2), and wherein the diffluence hole membrane (3) has a plurality of seam lines sewn thereon, which are parallel to each other and configured to tear in response to a predetermined pressure in the side airbag (1), an outer profile defined by the plurality of seam lines has a geometric shape, and the diffluence hole membrane (3) is stacked or folded;

and

if an impact force of a collision is less than a given value for opening the additional airbag (2), a gas generator charges gas into the side airbag (1) which expands downwards;

if an impact force of a collision reaches the given value for opening the additional airbag (2), the gas generator charges enough gas into the side airbag (1) until the seam lines on the diffluence hole membrane (3) tear, then the gas enters into the additional airbag (2) which expands transversely.

2. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional airbag (2) has no hollow through-hole or at least one hollow through-hole (5) defined therein.

3. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 2, wherein the additional airbag (2) is located in front of a seat (6).

4. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 2, wherein an outer contour of the additional airbag (2) is generally a transverse cylinder after the additional airbag (2) is inflated;

or the outer contour of the additional airbag (2) is generally a triangular body in the shape of sandwich after the additional airbag (2) is inflated;

or the outer contour of the additional airbag (2) has a generally wedge-shaped cross-section after the additional airbag (2) is inflated.

5. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 4, wherein the outer contour of the inflated additional airbag has the generally wedge-shaped cross-section, and an angle between an inflation direction of the inflated additional airbag and a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body is between 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

6. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 2, wherein a free end of the additional airbag (2) is connected to one end of a pulling strap (4), and the other end of the pulling strap (4) is fixed on a vehicle body ceiling (7).

7. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional airbag (2) is located in front of a seat (6).

8. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer contour of the additional airbag (2) is generally a transverse cylinder after the additional airbag (2) is inflated;

or the outer contour of the additional airbag (2) is generally a triangular body in the shape of sandwich after the additional airbag (2) is inflated;

or the outer contour of the additional airbag (2) has a generally wedge-shaped cross-section after the additional airbag (2) is inflated.

9. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outer contour of the inflated additional airbag has the generally wedge-shaped cross-section, and an angle between an inflation direction of the inflated additional airbag and a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body is between 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

10. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 1, wherein a free end of the additional airbag (2) is connected to one end of a pulling strap (4), and the other end of the pulling strap (4) is fixed on a vehicle body ceiling (7).

11. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having frontal protective function as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least another additional airbag (2) is connected to the side airbag (1).

12. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 1, further including a control unit electrically connected to the gas generator for controlling how much gas is charged into the side airbag (1);

the control unit including a plurality of sensors configured to detect an impact force; and

the control unit configured to charge enough gas into the side airbag (1) until the seam lines on the diffluence hole membrane (3) tear in the event that the sensors detect that the impact force of a collision reaches a given value.

13. The vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function as claimed in claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control the gas generator to charge a predetermined amount of gas into the side airbag (1) to expand the side airbag (1) to a predetermined gas pressure that does not tear the seam lines of the diffluence hole membrane (3) in the event that the sensors detect that the impact force of a collision is less than the given value.