Safety device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10017147-B2
Application number	US-201415029488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A safety device for use in a vehicle includes an air-bag inflatable by a gas source. At least part of the air-bag is woven and includes a plurality of generally parallel woven yarns. An elongate tether is attached to the air-bag by an attachment arrangement including a first portion in which part of the tether passes between two adjacent yarns of the air-bag from one side to another side of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns on one side of the air-bag. The arrangement incorporates a second portion in which the tether is interwoven with a pre-determined number of single adjacent yarns of the air-bag. The arrangement incorporates a third portion in which the tether passes between two adjacent yarns of the air-bag from one side to another side of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns on one side of the air-bag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A safety device for use in a vehicle, the safety device comprising:
an air-bag configured to be inflated by a source of gas, at least part of the air-bag being woven and including a plurality of generally parallel woven yarns; and
an elongate tether, the tether being connected to a layer of the air-bag by a connection arrangement, the connection arrangement including:
a first portion in which part of the tether passes between two adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag from a first side of the air-bag to a second side of the layer of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag;
a second portion in which part of the tether is interwoven with a predetermined number of single adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag; and
a third portion in which part of the tether passes between two adjacent yarns of the air-bag from the first side of the air-bag to the second side of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag on the second side of the air-bag,
wherein the first, second and third parts are all woven into a common fabric layer of the air-bag; and
wherein the tether is formed of a plurality of woven tether yarns and at least one of the tether yarns is interwoven with the plurality of generally parallel woven yarns.

2. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein in the first portion of the connection arrangement, the tether passes partly around at least three adjacent yarns of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag.

3. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein in the second portion of the connection arrangement, the tether is interwoven with at least seven adjacent single yarns of the layer of the air-bag, the at least seven single adjacent yarns all in a common fabric layer.

4. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein in the second portion of the connection arrangement, the tether is interwoven with at least thirteen adjacent single yarns of the layer of the air-bag.

5. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein in the third portion of the connection arrangement, the tether passes partly around at least three adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag.

6. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion is between and immediately adjacent the first portion and the third portion.

7. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the tether is greater in length than the first portion and greater in length than the third portion.

8. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the tether is interwoven between at least six single adjacent yarns and the first and third portions of the tether pass around a lesser number of adjacent yarns on the second side, the at least six single adjacent yarns all in a common fabric layer.

9. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the tether is a flexible elongate tether.

10. The safety device of claim 1 , wherein the tether is only woven into the layer of the air-bag at the first, second and third portions.

11. A method of manufacturing a safety device for use in a vehicle, the method comprising:
weaving part of an air-bag to include a plurality of generally parallel woven yarns;
providing an elongate tether; and
connecting the tether to a layer of the air-bag by a connection arrangement; and
forming the connection arrangement by:
passing a first part of the tether between two adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag from a first side of the layer of the air-bag to a second side of the layer of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag;
interweaving a second part of the tether with a predetermined number of single adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag; and
passing a third part of the tether between two adjacent yarns of the air-bag from the first side of the layer of the air-bag to the second side of the layer of the air-bag and partly around at least two adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag on the second side of the air-bag,

wherein the first, second and third portions are all woven into a common fabric layer of the air-bag, and
wherein the tether is formed of a plurality of woven tether yarns and at least one of the tether yarns is interwoven with the plurality of generally parallel woven yarns.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
passing the first part of the tether partly around at least three adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
interweaving the second part of the tether with at least seven single adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag, the at least seven single adjacent yarns all in a common fabric layer.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
interweaving the second part of the tether with at least thirteen single adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag; and
passing the third part of the tether partly around at least three adjacent yarns of the layer of the air-bag on the second side of the layer of the air-bag.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second part of the tether is greater in length than the first part and greater in length than the third part.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second part of the tether is interwoven between at least six single adjacent yarns and the first and third parts of the tether pass around a lesser number of adjacent yarns on the second side, the at least six single adjacent yarns all in a common fabric layer.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tether is a flexible elongate tether.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tether is only woven into the layer of the air-bag at the first, second and third portions.

Assignees

• Autoliv Dev

Inventors

• Wootton Gary
• Finn Hugh

Classifications

• B60R2021/23509

  Fabric · CPC title

• D03D11/02

  Fabrics formed with pockets, tubes, loops, folds, tucks or flaps (fabrics consisting of a single tube D03D3/02) · CPC title

• B60R2021/23382

  Internal tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/235 Primary

  characterised by their material · CPC title

• B60R2021/23542

  Weaving · CPC title