Air bag device

• US 5,944,344 A
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TOYO Tire & Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Ozaki, Toru, Bito, Kazuaki, Mihara, Yoshinori, Yoshioka, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US09/152,655
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 280/740, 280/729, 280/742, 280/738, 280/736, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/740
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

In an air bag device, a diffuser 5 is provided with a partition wall 51 partitioning a space on a case opening side of the diffuser 5 into a passenger side and a side further from the passenger; a gas guiding passage 7 for guiding gas produced by an inflator 4 to a case opening 21 is formed on the side of this partition wall 51 further from the passenger, a folded air bag 3 is packed on the passenger side of the partition wall 51, and a case-side end portion 32a of an air bag upper part 32 to constitute the upper part of the deployed air bag is disposed so as to cover the exit of the gas guiding passage 7. As a result, the end portion 32a of the air bag upper part 32 is expanded first and the air bag subsequently deploys progressively and smoothly from this air bag upper part 32 side in a controlled manner.

Claims

1. An air bag device, comprising:

a case;

a substantially cylindrical inflator, an air bag inflated by gas generated by the inflator, and a diffuser received within the case, said diffuser being disposed in a position covering the inflator for regulating flow of the gas;

said diffuser being provided with gas delivery openings for guiding gas generated by the inflator into the air bag; and

said gas delivery openings being disposed such that an opening area defined by a portion of said gas delivery openings on a side on which an air bag upper part for constituting an upper part of the deployed air bag is fitted is greater than an opening area defined by another portion of said gas delivery openings on a side on which an air bag lower part for constituting a lower part of the deployed air bag is fitted such that gas is guided into the air bag upper part more than into the air bag lower part, said gas delivery openings being arranged in the diffuser left-right symmetrically, an opening area defined by a portion of said gas delivery openings at left and right ends of the diffuser being greater than an opening area of another portion of said gas delivery openings in a middle of the diffuser.

2. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein the opening area of said portion of said gas delivery openings on the side on which the air bag upper part is fitted is set to at least 80% of the total opening area of an aggregate of said gas delivery openings of the diffuser.

3. An air bag device according to claim 1, wherein said gas delivery openings are a set of substantially circular small holes.

4. An air bag device, comprising:

a case mountable in an upwardly disposed opening in a vehicle;

a substantially cylindrical inflator, an air bag inflated to a passenger side by gas generated by the inflator for protection of a passenger seated a distance therefrom, and a diffuser for regulating the flow of the gas;

said inflator being disposed at a bottom of the case, an axial direction thereof extending in the width direction of the vehicle;

the diffuser being a plate member, a length direction thereof codirectional with the axial direction of the inflator, said diffuser being disposed in a position covering the inflator and including gas delivery openings for guiding gas generated by the inflator into the air bag formed in the diffuser; and

said gas delivery openings being disposed such that an opening area defined by a portion of said gas delivery openings on a side of a longitudinal centerline of the diffuser distant from the passenger is greater than an opening area defined by another portion of said gas delivery openings on an opposite side of the longitudinal centerline of the diffuser closer to the passenger, said gas delivery openings being arranged in the diffuser left-right symmetrically, an opening area of a portion of said gas delivery openings at left and right ends of the diffuser being greater than an opening area of another portion of said gas delivery openings in a middle of the diffuser.

5. An air bag device according to claim 4, wherein the opening area of the portion of the gas delivery openings on the side of the longitudinal centerline of the diffuser distant from the passenger is set to at least 80% of the total opening area of an aggregate of said gas delivery openings of the diffuser.