Side air bag

• US 6,056,316 A
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TOYO Tire & Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Ozaki, Toru, Yamaji, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mar, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): JASMIN, LYNDA C
• Application Number:
  US08/939,527
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/729, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23547 one piece weaving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A side air bag expands near a window at a time of collision of a vehicle to restrain an occupant from moving in a lateral direction. The air bag has an expansion duration protracted to constrain the occupant during overturning of the vehicle. Stowability for stowing the air bag in a folded state in a side structure of the vehicle, such as a pillar and a roof side rail portion, is enhanced in that two woven fabrics are connected along an outer peripheral portion to form a bag portion a textile structure woven using a common yarn include in both fabrics. A whole of the bag portion is coated and sealed by an air non-permeable coating material to improve air tightness. A mounting portion for mounting the air bag in the side structure, such as a pillar or a roof side rail, is integrally formed by extending the woven fabrics or the common-yarn textile structure portion outward from the outer peripheral connection portion, thereby improving stowability.

Claims

1. A side air bag for inflation by an inflator mechanism for expanding the side air bag alongside a window of a vehicle, comprising:

a bag portion formed by two woven fabric panels connected along an outer peripheral portion by a peripheral connecting portion;

said peripheral connecting portion for connecting said two woven fabric panels being formed by weaving a textile structure having a common yarn included in both said two woven fabric panels;

said bag portion sealed over a whole area thereof by an air non-permeable coating material;

a linear connecting portion for partitioning in parallel with a flow direction of an inflator gas formed on a center region of said bag portion by stitching connecting said two woven fabric panels; and

an inflator-side teal portion of the stitching being formed having one of a U-shape or a circular shape.

2. The side air bag as recited in claim 1, wherein an opening for introducing an inflator gas is formed in a part of said peripheral connecting portion.

3. The side air bag according to claim 1 wherein said peripheral connecting portion is non-continuous having a gap to form an opening for introducing an inflator gas, said opening being defined by said peripheral connecting portion and said two woven fabric panels.

4. The side air bag as recited in claim 3, wherein said opening extends to form a cylindrical duct.

5. The side air bag as recited in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said opening is disposed at a front end part of the bag portion which is for positioning at a front side of the vehicle.

6. The side air bag as recited in claim 3 or claim 1, wherein one of said two woven fabric panels or said textile structure is extended outwardly from said peripheral connecting portion to form a mounting portion for mounting to a side structure of the vehicle.