Airbag apparatus

• US 7,648,157 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nakazawa, Wataru, Miwa, Kazuya, Kokeguchi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US11/635,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20070138768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743.2, 280/743.1, 280/728.1, 280/728.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns

Abstract

An airbag apparatus mounted on a motor vehicle is constructed such that a folded shape of an airbag is held by an airbag-holding member disposed in a manner to wrap an external surface of the folded airbag, which is housed in a retainer. The airbag-holding member is constructed such that a film sheet, in which a plurality of resin layers is laminated together, is configured to have a bag-shape that wraps around an entire external surface of the folded airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag apparatus mounted on a vehicle comprising:

an airbag;

an airbag housing portion for housing the airbag folded in a predetermined configuration, said airbag housing portion having an airbag opening for allowing the airbag to be developed and expanded;

an airbag cover for covering the airbag opening;

a gas-supplying portion for supplying gas to the airbag to expand the airbag in a developing and expanding area when a motor vehicle accident occurs; and

an airbag-holding member for holding a folded shape of the airbag while covering an external surface of a folded airbag housed in the airbag housing portion in a partitioned area partitioned by the airbag housing portion and the airbag cover, said airbag-holding member comprising a film sheet formed of a plurality of resin layers laminated together to have a bag shape wrapping around an entire external surface of the folded airbag,

wherein the film sheet includes a heat-welding resin layer with a heat-welding characteristic, two pieces of the film sheets being arranged to face each other in a manner that each side provided with the resin layer with the heat-welding characteristic is disposed inside so that each of outer edge portions of the film sheets is joined by heat-welding at the resin layers with the heat-welding characteristic to form into the bag shape, and

wherein one of the resin layers forming the film sheet disposed immediately under the airbag cover includes reduced-thickness portions forming tear lines, said reduced thickness portions having a depth within a limit of a wall thickness of said one of the resin layers without penetrating into a next layer.

2. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film sheet includes at least one of a resin layer having translucency, a resin layer having high strength, and a resin layer having an environmental deterioration resistance.

3. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag-holding member has a construction in which a volume of the airbag is reduced by compressing the folded airbag from outside of the airbag through the film sheet having the bag shape.

4. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag-holding member completely encloses the airbag to seal the same.

5. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of resin layers comprises two translucent resin layers having high strength and environmental deterioration resistance.

6. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of resin layers comprises an inner layer as the heat-welding resin layer, and an outer layer integrally laminated with the inner layer.

7. An airbag apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the outer layer has tear lines only partly penetrating therethrough.

8. An airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reduced-thickness portions extend continuously in said one of the resin layers.