Roof mounted airbag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10407018-B2
Application number	US-201715729573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2017
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a roof and an airbag supported by the roof. The airbag is inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position. The airbag includes an apex adjacent to the roof. The airbag includes a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, and a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg. The airbag includes a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position. The bottom portion extends from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a roof;
an airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position, the airbag including an apex adjacent to the roof, a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg;
a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position, the bottom portion extending from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg; and
wherein the airbag includes edges spaced from each other in a cross-vehicle direction and extending from the apex to the bottom portion, the edges in the inflated position tapering in the cross-vehicle direction from the bottom portion to the apex.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle body having two sides spaced from each other along the axis, the two sides of the vehicle body supporting the roof, and wherein the edges of the airbag in the inflated position abut the sides of the vehicle body.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion define an opening therebetween, the opening extending along the axis from one edge to the other edge of the airbag.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the airbag defines an inflation chamber extending continuously around the opening.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the airbag defines an inflation chamber extending partially around the opening.

6. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of tethers extending across the opening from the first leg to the second leg, the plurality of tethers elongated along the axis from one edge to the other edge.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the airbag includes a plurality of seams, the plurality of seams extending along each of the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion around the opening.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion define an opening therebetween, the opening extending in a cross-vehicle direction.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion are curved around the opening.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising two rows of seats spaced from each other and facing each other, and wherein the airbag in the inflated position is disposed between the two rows of seats.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first leg and the second leg extends oblique from each of the roof and the bottom portion.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first leg faces one row of seats and the second leg faces the other row of seats.

13. An airbag assembly comprising:
a base;
an airbag supported by the base and being inflatable to an inflated position;
the airbag including an apex adjacent the base, a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg, the first leg directly connected to the second leg at the apex;
a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position, the bottom portion extending from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg;
wherein the airbag includes edges spaced from each other along an axis and extending from the apex to the bottom portion, the edges tapering along the axis from the bottom portion to the apex in the inflated position;
wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion define an opening therebetween, the opening extending along the axis from one edge to the other edge of the airbag; and
wherein the airbag includes a plurality of seams, the plurality of seams extending along each of the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion around the opening.

14. The airbag assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion are curved around the opening.

15. The airbag assembly of claim 13 , wherein the airbag defines an inflation chamber extending continuously around the opening.

16. The airbag assembly of claim 13 , wherein the airbag defines an inflation chamber extending partially around the opening.

17. The airbag assembly of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of tethers extending across the opening from the first leg to the second leg, the plurality of tethers elongated along the axis from one edge to the other edge.

18. An airbag assembly comprising:
a base;
an airbag supported by the base and being inflatable to an inflated position;
the airbag including an apex adjacent the base, a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg, the first leg directly connected to the second leg at the apex;
a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position, the bottom portion extending from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg;
wherein the airbag includes edges spaced from each other along an axis and extending from the apex to the bottom portion, the edges tapering along the axis from the bottom portion to the apex in the inflated position;
wherein the first leg, the second leg, and the bottom portion define an opening therebetween, the opening extending along the axis from one edge to the other edge of the airbag; and
a plurality of tethers extending across the opening from the first leg to the second leg, the plurality of tethers elongated along the axis from one edge to the other edge.

19. A system comprising:
a roof;
an airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position, the airbag including an apex adjacent to the roof, a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg;
a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position, the bottom portion extending from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg; and
two rows of seats spaced from each other and facing each other, the airbag in the inflated position is disposed between the two rows of seats.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the first leg faces one row of seats and the second leg faces the other row of seats.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Sundararajan Srinivasan
• Wu Fubang
• Mccoy Robert William

Classifications

• B60R21/231 Primary

  characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration · CPC title

• B60R2021/23382

  Internal tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/214 Primary

  in roof panels · CPC title

• B60R21/2334

  Expansion control features · CPC title

• B60R21/2338

  Tethers · CPC title