Curtain airbag device and occupant protecting device

• US 9,108,588 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu, Taguchi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US14/138,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0006 Lateral collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• 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 21/232 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

Abstract

A curtain airbag device comprising: a main deploying portion that, at a time when at least one of a small overlap impact or an oblique impact arises, receives a supply of gas and expands, and is deployed in a shape of a curtain; an auxiliary deploying portion that is provided at a front side of the main deploying portion, and that, at a time when at least one of a small overlap impact or an oblique impact arises, receives a supply of gas and is expanded and deployed; and a connecting portion that has an expanding portion that receives a supply of gas from the main deploying portion and is expanded at an outer side in a vehicle width direction of the auxiliary deploying portion, and the connecting portion connects a front end side portion of a front pillar, and a front end side portion of the main deploying portion.

Claims

1. A curtain airbag device comprising:

a main deploying portion that, at a time when a side impact arises, and at a time when at least one of a small overlap impact or an oblique impact arises, receives a supply of gas and expands, and is deployed in a shape of a curtain along a side window glass;

an auxiliary deploying portion that is provided at a front side in a vehicle front-rear direction of the main deploying portion, and that, at a time when at least one of a small overlap impact or an oblique impact arises, receives a supply of gas and is expanded and deployed; and

a connecting portion that has an expanding portion that receives a supply of gas from the main deploying portion, the expanding portion is expanded at an outer side in a vehicle width direction of the auxiliary deploying portion, and the connecting portion is positioned between the side window glass and the auxiliary deploying portion, and the connecting portion connects a front end side portion, in the vehicle front-rear direction, of a front pillar, and a front end side portion, in the vehicle front-rear direction, of the main deploying portion.

2. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein

the connecting portion has a tether whose one end is connected to the front end side portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the front pillar, and whose other end is connected to the expanding portion, and

the expanding portion is formed integrally of a base cloth that is common to the main deploying portion and the auxiliary deploying portion, and is structured such that, due to the tether being connected to the front end side portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of the front pillar, an expanded position of the expanding portion is maintained at a position that is overlapped with the auxiliary deploying portion at a vehicle width direction outer side.

3. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 2 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

4. The curtain airbag device of claim 2, wherein the front and rear end portions of the expanding portion are structured so as to project-out forward and rearward with respect to the auxiliary deploying portion in the expanded and deployed state.

5. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 4 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

6. The curtain airbag device of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary deploying portion is structured so as to be expanded and deployed such that the lower end of the auxiliary deploying portion projects-out further downward than the lower end of the main deploying portion and the door belt line.

7. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 6 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

8. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the expanding portion is formed of a base cloth that is separate from the main deploying portion, and is connected to the main deploying portion in a state of being overlapped with the auxiliary deploying portion.

9. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 3 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

10. The curtain airbag device of claim 8, wherein a front end portion and a rear end portion of the expanding portion are structured so as to project-out forward and rearward with respect to the auxiliary deploying portion in the expanded and deployed state.

11. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 5 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

12. The curtain airbag device of claim 10, wherein the auxiliary deploying portion is structured so as to be expanded and deployed such that the lower end of the auxiliary deploying portion projects-out further downward than the lower end of the main deploying portion and the door belt line.

13. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 7 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

14. An occupant protecting device comprising:

an airbag device for a front seat that, at a time when a frontal impact arises, and at a time when, among a small overlap impact and an oblique impact, an impact of a form in which the main deploying portion is deployed arises, causes an airbag for a frontal impact to expand and deploy by a supply of gas; and

the curtain airbag device of claim 1 which is structured such that the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed at a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the airbag for a frontal impact as seen in side view.

15. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein an upper rear end portion of the auxiliary portion is a communication portion that communicates the auxiliary deploying portion with the main deploying portion such that the auxiliary deploying portion receives the supply of gas from the main deploying portion through the communication portion, and

wherein the auxiliary deploying portion and the main deploying portion define a vertical slit that extends from below the communication portion to a lower end of the curtain airbag device.

16. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an elongated axis in a vertical direction.

17. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion connects a lower front end side portion, in the vehicle front-rear direction, of the front pillar, and a lower front end side portion, in the vehicle front-rear direction, of the main deploying portion.

18. The curtain airbag of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary deploying portion is expanded and deployed so as to cover an interior side, in the vehicle width direction, of the front pillar.

19. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the expanding portion is expanded and deployed overlappingly at the outer side in a vehicle width direction of the auxiliary deploying portion.

20. The curtain airbag device of claim 1, wherein the main deploying portion and the auxiliary deploying portion are separated by a vertical slit, and

wherein a rear end of the connecting portion is connected at the front end portion of the main deploying portion.