Curtain airbag system of vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10696265-B2
Application number	US-201815953871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Oct 11, 2017
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A curtain airbag system of a vehicle is configured such that a position of an auxiliary chamber provided in a curtain airbag is changed to correspond to an occupant's seating posture or the occupant's lying posture in response to a vehicle collision, so that the occupant is safely protected in various seating postures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A curtain airbag system of a vehicle, comprising:
a curtain airbag provided to extend in forward and backward directions of a vehicle body and disposed at a side of an occupant when inflated, and provided with a main chamber to protect the occupant from side impact;
an auxiliary chamber provided in the curtain airbag, and configured to be disposed at a side of an upper body of the occupant or at a side of a head thereof when inflated according to a seating mode angle or a resting mode angle of a seatback angle; and
a chamber moving mechanism provide in the vehicle body, provided with a connection tether connected to the auxiliary chamber to determine an inflation position of the auxiliary chamber, and configured to cut or uncut the connection tether according to the seatback angle such that the auxiliary chamber is disposed to correspond to a posture of the occupant,
wherein the auxiliary chamber is inflated upward to be disposed at the side of the head of the occupant at the resting mode angle of the seatback, and
wherein the connection tether is configured such that a first end thereof is connected to the vehicle body or an upper portion of the curtain airbag and a second end thereof extends from a side opposite to a side at which the auxiliary chamber is provided based on the curtain airbag and then is connected to the auxiliary chamber while extending in an oblique direction toward a front lower portion of the curtain airbag, whereby the auxiliary chamber is pulled in a front lower direction by the connection tether to be disposed at the side of the upper body of the occupant in an occupant's seating posture.

2. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the chamber moving mechanism includes:
the connection tether configured such that a first end thereof is connected to the vehicle body or the curtain airbag and a second end thereof is connected to the auxiliary chamber; and
a cutter provided at a vehicle body side to cut the connection tether.

3. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the connection tether is configured such that the first end thereof is connected to the upper portion of the curtain airbag behind the auxiliary chamber, and the second end thereof is connected to the auxiliary chamber by passing from a lower portion of the curtain airbag to a front of the auxiliary chamber.

4. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the curtain airbag is provided at a lower end thereof with a through-hole with the connection tether passing therethrough.

5. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the curtain airbag is provided at a lower end thereof with a planar extension chamber by extending therefrom, and
the extension chamber is provided with a through-hole at a point on a surface thereof.

6. The curtain airbag system of claim 5 , wherein the extension chamber is configured to be inflatable and to be communicable with the main chamber, thereby being inflated along with the main chamber when the main chamber is inflated.

7. The curtain airbag system of claim 5 , wherein the extension chamber is configured to be disposed at the side of the upper body of the occupant at the seating mode angle of the seatback, and to be disposed closer to the occupant than the auxiliary chamber when inflated.

8. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the curtain airbag is provided with a stopper tether configured such that a first end thereof is connected to the auxiliary chamber and a second end thereof is connected to the curtain airbag while being spaced apart from the auxiliary chamber,
whereby the auxiliary chamber is remained to be disposed at the side of the head of the occupant at the resting mode angle of the seatback when inflated in a state where the connection tether is cut by the chamber moving mechanism.

9. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the main chamber is inflated by being supplied with gas from an inflator, and
the auxiliary chamber communicates with the main chamber to be inflated by being supplied with the gas from the main chamber.

10. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber are inflated by being supplied with gas from respective inflators,
the respective inflators and the chamber moving mechanism are operated by control of a controller, and
the controller receives information on the seatback angle and receives a signal in response to a vehicle collision, and is configured to operate the inflators of the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber when the signal in response to the vehicle collision is input and to control the chamber moving mechanism to cut or uncut the connection tether according to the seatback angle.

11. The curtain airbag system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the inflators of the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber and to control the chamber moving mechanism to cut the connection tether when the signal in response to the vehicle collision is input at the resting mode angle of the seatback.

12. The curtain airbag system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the inflators of the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber and to control the chamber moving mechanism to uncut the connection tether when the signal in response to the vehicle collision is input at the seating mode angle of the seatback.

13. The curtain airbag system of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary chamber is inflated downward to be disposed at the side of the head of the occupant at the resting mode angle of the seatback, and
the connection tether is configured such that a first end thereof is connected to a front of the curtain airbag and a second end thereof is connected to the auxiliary chamber, whereby the auxiliary chamber is pulled in a forward direction by the connection tether to be disposed at the side of the upper body of the occupant at the seating mode angle of the seatback.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Shin Hyo Shub
• Kwon Hyock In

Classifications

• B60R2021/21652

  the tearing being done or assisted by cutters · CPC title

• B60R2021/0048

  Head · CPC title

• B60R21/268

  using instantaneous release of stored pressurised gas {(B60R21/26005 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60R21/2338

  Tethers · CPC title

• B60R21/232 Primary

  Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge · CPC title