Curtain airbag

• US 9,283,918 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Tetsuya, Nakashima, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): GOODEN JR, BARRY J
• Application Number:
  US13/194,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20120025502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 280/743.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/08 automatically movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge

Abstract

A curtain airbag capable for preventing occupant ejection from a vehicle, particularly in the vicinity of a rearmost seat, while reducing the output required of an inflator associated with the airbag. The curtain airbag is stored at an upper position on a side surface portion of the occupant compartment of the vehicle, so as to be inflated and deployed along the side surface portion. The curtain airbag includes an inflation region and a wide portion in the form of non-inflatable cloth. The wide portion is attached to a rear edge portion of the inflation region and also attached to at least one point of the vehicle rearward of a front-side pillar, the front-side pillar being located forward of rearmost side window. The wide portion has a shape that allows it to be strained, by the inflated and deployed inflation region, into a generally planar configuration over an assumed strike area of the rearmost side window.

Claims

1. A curtain airbag stored at an upper position on a side surface portion in an occupant compartment of a vehicle and configured to be inflated and deployed along the side surface portion, the curtain airbag comprising:

an inflation region having an upper edge and a rearmost inflation chamber that has a rear edge portion protruding inward of a rearmost side window of the vehicle, a portion of the upper edge is located along the rearmost inflation chamber and is attached to the vehicle by a tab immediately above a front-side pillar forming a rearmost attachment of the rearmost inflation chamber close to the rear edge portion, the rearmost inflation chamber being configured to receive a gas for inflation and deployment so as to be inflated over and forward of the front-side pillar which is located forward and inward of the rearmost side window that is lateral to a rearmost seat; and

a wide portion in the form of cloth which is not inflated, the wide portion is connected to the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber and is attached to the vehicle by a rear side attachment toward a rearward side of the rearmost side window, the rear side attachment defines a rearmost point of attachment of the curtain airbag to the vehicle, the rear side attachment is located at a position protruded inward of the rearmost side window of the vehicle, the rear side attachment is provided along an upper edge of the wide portion, the rear edge portion and the wide portion are provided at a location between the rear side attachment and the tab, the wide portion is unattached to the vehicle between the rear side attachment and the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber over the rearmost side window, wherein

the wide portion has a dimension and a shape as to allow it to be strained, by the inflated and deployed inflation region, into a generally planar configuration over an assumed strike area of the rearmost side window which is assumed to be struck by an occupant, the dimension of the wide portion in a non-inflated state of the curtain airbag is smaller than a dimension from the rear side attachment to a location where the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber would move absent the wide portion.

2. The curtain airbag according to claim 1 wherein the wide portion is generally triangular in shape.

3. In a vehicle having an upper position on a side surface portion of an occupant compartment of the vehicle, the vehicle having a rearmost seat and a rearmost side window located laterally from the rearmost seat, the vehicle also having a front-side pillar located forward of the rearmost side window and a rear-side pillar located rearward of the rearmost side window, a curtain airbag configured to be inflated and deployed along the side surface portion, the curtain airbag comprising:

an inflation region configured to receive a gas for inflation and deployment so as to be inflated over and forward of the front-side pillar and inward of the rearmost side window toward the occupant compartment of the vehicle, the inflation region having a rearmost inflation chamber being attached to the vehicle along an upper edge of the rearmost inflation chamber by a first tab located immediately above the front-side pillar and protruding inwardly of the rearmost side window the first tab forming a rearmost attachment of the rearmost inflation chamber; and

a wide portion in the form of non-inflatable cloth, the wide portion being connected to a rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber, the wide portion being attached to the vehicle toward a rearward side of the rearmost side window by a rear side attachment that is in the form of a second tab defining a rearmost point of attachment for the curtain airbag to the vehicle, the rear side attachment being provided along an upper edge of the wide portion, the rear side attachment being located at a position protruded inward of the rearmost side window of the vehicle, the rear edge portion and the wide portion being provided at a location between the rear side attachment and the first tab, the upper edge of the wide portion being unattached to the vehicle between the rear side attachment and the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber over the rearmost side window, wherein the wide portion has a dimension and a shape restricting forward movement of the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber when inflated and deployed, the dimension of the wide portion in a non-inflation state of the curtain airbag being smaller than a dimension from the rear side attachment to a location where the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber would move absent the wide portion such that the wide portion is strained into a generally planar configuration over a presumed strike area of the rearmost side window which is presumed to be struck by an occupant during a rollover of the vehicle.

4. The curtain airbag according to claim 3, wherein the wide portion is generally triangular in shape.

5. A curtain airbag comprising:

an inflation region configured to receive a gas for inflation and deployment so as to be inflated in an occupant compartment of a vehicle over a side window thereof, the inflation region having a plurality of inflatable chambers including a rearmost inflation chamber defining a rear edge portion, the rear edge portion being located perpendicularly to an attachment portion provided along an upper edge of the rearmost inflation chamber close to the rear edge portion and for attaching the curtain airbag immediately above a front-side pillar of the vehicle, the attachment portion forming a rearmost attachment of the rearmost inflation chamber immediately above the front-side pillar, the attachment portion including a tab extending therefrom; and

a non-inflatable wide portion, the wide portion being in the form of a panel and being connected to the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber, the wide portion also having along an upper edge thereof a rear side attachment configured to be an only point of attachment of the wide portion to the vehicle and being generally provided on an end of the wide portion opposite of the rear edge portion and located inward of the rearmost side window, the curtain airbag configured to be unattached to the vehicle between the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber and the rear side attachment over the rearmost side window; and

whereby when the rearmost inflation chamber is inflated and deployed, absent the wide portion the rear edge portion is configured to be deployed in the forward direction by a dimension that is greater than a dimension of the wide portion in a non-inflated state of the curtain airbag from the rear side attachment to the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber, and the rear edge portion, wherein the wide portion is strained into a generally planar configuration over a presumed strike area of the rearmost side window which is presumed to be struck by an occupant during a rollover of the vehicle.

6. The curtain airbag according to claim 5, wherein the attachment portion is located generally adjacent to the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber.

7. The curtain airbag according to claim 5, wherein the wide portion is generally triangular in shape.

8. The curtain airbag according to claim 5 wherein the rearmost inflation chamber is configured to inflate over and forward of the front-side pillar protruding inward of the rearmost side window toward the interior of the vehicle, after inflation and deployment of the curtain airbag, the wide portion being strained between a rear side pillar protruding inward from the rearmost side window on the interior side and the rear edge portion of the rearmost inflation chamber.