Vehicle airbag system

• US 9,527,469 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US14/369,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0023 Offset collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0048 Head
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A vehicle airbag system (10) includes a front passenger side airbag (40) that is stored on a front passenger seat (28) side of an instrument panel 26, and that inflates and deploys toward the front passenger seat (28) side by a first inflator (38) being activated and gas being supplied; a curtain airbag (62) that is stored between a roof side rail portion (56) and a roof head lining (58), and that is inflated and deployed to an inside of a front side door (88) by a second inflator (64) being activated and gas being supplied; and a controller (82) that is connected to the first inflator (38) and the second inflator (64), and that, when a small overlap collision occurs, activates the first inflator (38), and then after inflation and deployment of the front passenger side airbag (40) is complete, activates the second inflator (64).

Claims

1. A vehicle airbag system comprising:

a front passenger side airbag that is stored on a front passenger seat side of an instrument panel of a host vehicle, and that inflates and deploys toward the front passenger seat side by a first inflator being activated and gas being supplied;

a curtain airbag that is stored between a roof side rail portion and a roof head lining, and that is inflated and deployed inward with respect to a side door in a vehicle width direction of the host vehicle by a second inflator being activated and gas being supplied;

a side airbag that is stored in a door trim of the host vehicle or a side portion on a side door side of a seat back of the host vehicle, and that is inflated and deployed toward a seat front side of the host vehicle by a third inflator being activated and gas being supplied;

a small overlap collision detection sensor configured to;

detect that another vehicle that is different from the host vehicle has frontally collided with a narrow region that is on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle, of a front side member of the host vehicle as a small overlap collision, and

when the small overlap collision is detected, transmit a signal indicating detection of the small overlap collision; and

a controller that;

is connected to the small overlap collision detection sensor, the first inflator, the second inflator, and the third inflator, and

when the signal indicating detection of the small overlap collision is received, activates the first inflator, the second inflator, and the third inflator in this order, wherein after inflation and deployment of the front passenger side airbag is complete, the second inflator is activated, and after the second activator is activated, the third inflator is activated.

2. The vehicle airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the front passenger side airbag has an airbag structure in which an amount that an outside chamber that is inflated and deployed on an outside in the vehicle width direction protrudes toward a vehicle rear side is larger than an amount that an inside chamber that is inflated and deployed on an inside in the vehicle width direction protrudes toward the vehicle rear side.

3. The vehicle airbag system according to claim 1, wherein

the front passenger side airbag includes an outside chamber and an inside chamber,

the outside chamber is inflated and deployed on an outside in the vehicle width direction,

the inside chamber is inflated and deployed on an inside in the vehicle width direction, and

an internal pressure of the outside chamber is set higher than an internal pressure of the inside chamber.

4. The vehicle airbag system according claim 1, wherein

the curtain airbag includes a delay chamber and a main body portion of the curtain airbag,

the delay chamber is inflated and deployed later than the main body portion of the curtain airbag, and

when an inflated and deployed state of the curtain airbag and the front passenger side airbag is viewed in a side view, the delay chamber is set in an area where the curtain airbag and the front passenger side airbag overlap.

5. The vehicle airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the front passenger side airbag to inflate at a timing so as to cause a head of a seated occupant to rebound diagonally rearward to be received by the curtain airbag.

6. The vehicle airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, when the small overlap collision occurs, after a head of an occupant inertially moves diagonally forward toward a front pillar side and is received by the front passenger side airbag, control the first activator to deploy the front passenger side airbag to cause the head to rebound and move towards a rear of the vehicle.