Airbag device and passenger protecting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179685-B2
Application number	US-202318378715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Oct 14, 2022
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

An airbag device has an airbag. The airbag has a front-rear chamber and an airbag main body. The front-rear chamber has a left and right pair of front-rear extending portions that pass by respective left and right sides of a head of a passenger seated in a vehicle seat and inflate and deploy toward the seat front side, and a connecting portion connecting front end portions of the pair of front-rear extending portions in a seat left-right direction. The airbag main body inflates and deploys toward a side of the passenger at a seat rear side of the connecting portion, later than the front-rear chamber. At a time when the passenger is restrained, the airbag main body is compressed in a seat front-rear direction while stretching the front-rear chamber in the seat front-rear direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airbag device, comprising:
an inflator configured to generate gas at a time of a collision of a vehicle; and
an airbag to which the gas is supplied, and that is configured to inflate and deploy from a seat rear side of an upper portion of a vehicle seat toward a seat front side,
wherein the airbag has:
a front-rear chamber having a pair of left and right front-rear extending portions formed in elongated tube shapes that are configured to pass by respective left and right sides of a head of a passenger seated in the vehicle seat and inflate and deploy toward the seat front side and diagonally downward, and a connecting portion connecting front end portions of the pair of front-rear extending portions in a seat left-right direction; and
an airbag main body that inflates and deploys toward a side of the passenger at a seat rear side of the connecting portion later than the front-rear chamber, and that, at a time when the passenger is restrained, is compressed in a seat front-rear direction while stretching the front-rear chamber in the seat front-rear direction,
wherein gas from the inflator is supplied to the airbag main body via a communication hole positioned at seat rear side of a seat left-right direction central portion of the connecting portion in an inflated and deployed state of the front-rear chamber, and
wherein the connecting portion is sewn to the airbag main body at a sewn portion provided at the central portion of the connecting portion, and the communication hole that connects the connecting portion and the airbag main body is formed at an inner side of the sewn portion.

2. The airbag device of claim 1 , wherein a base fabric that structures the front-rear chamber includes a base fabric that is harder to stretch than a base fabric that structures the airbag main body.

3. The airbag device of claim 2 , wherein the front-rear chamber is a structure in which a plurality of base fabrics are superposed and sewn together, and one or more of the plurality of base fabrics are the base fabric that is harder to stretch.

4. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 3 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

5. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 2 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

6. The airbag device of claim 1 , wherein a shape of the airbag main body is configured such that the airbag main body is sandwiched between thighs and chest of the passenger at a time of restraining.

7. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 6 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

8. The airbag device of claim 1 , comprising a left and right pair of rear tethers having respective one end portions that are attached to the pair of front-rear extending portions, and having respective other end portions that are attached to a seatback of the vehicle seat or to a vehicle body further toward a seat rear side than the passenger, and that, at a time of restraining, pull the pair of front-rear extending portions in toward seat obliquely rearward and downward sides.

9. The airbag device of claim 8 , wherein lower surfaces of the pair of front-rear extending portions are structured so as to abut left and right shoulders of the passenger at a time of restraining.

10. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 9 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

11. The airbag device of claim 8 , wherein:
the vehicle seat is a bench seat,
a left and right pair of slits, which extend in a seat vertical direction at respective seat left-right direction sides of the passenger, are formed in a seatback of the bench seat, and
in a state before inflation and deployment of the airbag, portions of the respective rear tethers are inserted through the respective slits.

12. The airbag device of claim 8 , wherein:
the vehicle seat is a bench seat,
a left and right pair of slits, which extend in a seat vertical direction at respective seat left-right direction sides of the passenger, are formed in a seatback of the bench seat,
upper end portions of the respective slits are broad portions at which width dimensions of the slits widen toward a seat upper side, and
at a time of inflation and deployment of the airbag, portions of the respective rear tethers pass through the respective broad portions and are inserted within the respective slits.

13. The airbag device of claim 8 , wherein:
the vehicle seat is a bench seat,
a left and right pair of slits, which extend in a seat vertical direction at respective seat left-right direction sides of the passenger, are formed in a seatback of the bench seat, and
respective other end portions of the rear tethers are fixed to a frame of the seatback within the respective slits.

14. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 8 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

15. The airbag device of claim 1 , comprising a left and right pair of front upper tethers respectively connecting the pair of front-rear extending portions of the front-rear chamber and upper portions, which inflate and deploy further toward a seat upper side than the front-rear chamber, of the airbag main body.

16. The airbag device of claim 1 , comprising a left and right pair of front lower tethers respectively connecting the pair of front-rear extending portions of the front-rear chamber and lower portions, which inflate and deploy further toward a seat lower side than the front-rear chamber, of the airbag main body.

17. The airbag device of claim 1 , wherein a cleft, into which a head of the passenger can enter at a time of restraining, is formed along a seat vertical direction in a seat left-right direction central portion of a seat rear side surface of the airbag main body that is in an inflated and deployed state.

18. A passenger protection device, comprising:
a vehicle seat in which a passenger sits; and
the airbag device of claim 1 , which is installed at a seat rear side of an upper portion of the vehicle seat.

19. The airbag device of claim 1 , wherein the front-rear chamber is a structure in which two base fabrics are superposed, and peripheral edge portions thereof are sewn together, and a base fabric that is harder to stretch than a base fabric of the airbag main body is disposed between the two base fabrics.

20. An airbag device, comprising:
an inflator configured to generate gas at a time of a collision of a vehicle; and
an airbag to which the gas is supplied, and that is configured to inflate and deploy from a seat rear side of an upper portion of a vehicle seat toward a seat front side,
wherein the airbag has:
a front-rear chamber having a left and right pair of front-rear extending portions that are configured to pass by respective left and right sides of a head of a passenger seated in the vehicle seat and inflate and deploy toward the seat front side, and a connecting portion connecting front end portions of the pair of front-rear extending portions in a seat left-right direction; and
an airbag main

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohno Mitsuyoshi
• Yamamoto Takeshi
• Iwama Toshiki
• Kusuhara Yoshito
• Ishii Tsutomu

Classifications

• B60R2021/23542

  Weaving · CPC title

• B60R2021/23509

  Fabric · CPC title

• B60R2021/23388

  having ends which are movable or detachable during deployment · CPC title

• B60R2021/23308

  the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag · CPC title

• B60R2021/2078

  in rear seats · CPC title