Airbag device for pedestrian projection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10682978-B2
Application number	US-201815928173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

An airbag device for pedestrian protection to mount on a vicinity of the rear end of a vehicle hood. The airbag includes a transverse inflatable portion that covers a cowl of the vehicle generally entirely in the vehicle width direction when deployed, and an inlet port in a front end region of the transverse inflatable portion to couple with an inflator. The airbag is stored folded-up in a housing. The airbag is folded up through a front-rear contracting step that provides a front-rear contracted bag, i.e. the airbag which has gone through the front-rear contracting step, and a transversely contracting step which folds the front-rear contracted bag with a crease at a vicinity of an outer end in a left and right direction of the inlet port. A transversely-contracted fold portion formed in the transversely contracting step and the inlet port are arranged in a stratified fashion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airbag device for pedestrian protection adapted to be mounted on a vehicle which includes a hood and a cowl disposed below a rear edge of the hood, the airbag device comprising:
a housing that is adapted to be mounted on a vicinity of a rear end of the hood;
an inflator which discharges an inflation gas; and
an airbag that is stored in the housing in a folded-up configuration and is inflatable with the inflation gas fed by the inflator and protrudes from the housing at deployment, the airbag comprising:
a transverse inflatable portion that is designed to be deployed generally along a width direction of the vehicle in order to cover the cowl; and
an inlet port section that is disposed in a vicinity of a front end of the transverse inflatable portion to be coupled with the inflator in order to take in the inflation gas, the inlet port section being formed into a tube deployable generally along the vehicle width direction,
wherein at least the transverse inflatable portion is composed of a vehicle-side wall deployable on a lower side and a pedestrian-side wall deployable on an upper side, the vehicle-side wall and pedestrian-side wall being generally identical in outer contour and sewn together by circumferential edges thereof to form the transverse inflatable portion;
wherein the airbag has been folded up through a front-rear contracting folding step that reduces the airbag in size in a front and rear direction and provides a front-rear contracted bag, which is a form of the airbag which has gone through the front-rear contracting folding step; and a transversely contracting folding step which folds the front-rear contracted bag with a crease at a vicinity of an outer end in a left and right direction of the inlet port section in order to reduce the front-rear contracted bag in size in a left and right direction;
wherein the inlet port section and a transversely-contracted fold portion, which is a portion of the airbag folded up in the transversely contracting folding step, are arranged in a stratified fashion;
wherein the transversely-contracted fold portion is disposed at the rear of the inlet port section; and
wherein the front-rear contracted bag includes a concertina-fold portion and a great-width fold portion, the concertina-fold portion is provided by folding the transverse inflatable portion into concertinas, the great-width fold portion is provided by folding the inlet port section, the great-width fold portion is greater in width than the concertina-fold portion, and the great-width fold portion covers a front side and lower side of the concertina-fold portion.

2. The airbag device for pedestrian protection of claim 1 , wherein:
the inlet port section is disposed at two positions spaced-apart in the vehicle width direction; and
the inflator is disposed at two positions spaced-apart in the vehicle width direction to be coupled with the respective inlet port section.

3. The airbag device for pedestrian protection of claim 2 , wherein:
each of the inflators is cylindrical in outer contour and includes a gas releasing region for discharging the inflation gas at an end region in an axial direction thereof;
the two inflators are stored inside the housing such that the inflators extend generally along the vehicle width direction and the gas releasing regions face away from each other when mounted on the vehicle; and
a central folded-up portion, which is disposed generally at the center in the vehicle width direction of the airbag as folded up, is disposed on the inflators in the housing.

4. The airbag device for pedestrian protection of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the transversely-contracted fold portion overlaps with the inlet port section.

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk

Inventors

• Ozeki Makoto
• Sasaki Takashi

Classifications

• B60R21/38

  using means for lifting bonnets · CPC title

• B60R2021/23382

  Internal tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/217

  Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together · CPC title

• B60R2021/23386

  External tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/36 Primary

  using airbags · CPC title