Airbag device and airbag fabrication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017136981-A1
Application number	US-201615351848-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 15, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	May 18, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An airbag device, comprising: a gas generation device that is operable to generate gas; and an airbag that includes: a first chamber portion that is disposed at a vehicle front side of a vehicle seat on which a vehicle occupant sits, the first chamber portion being inflated due to gas generated by the gas generation device being supplied into the first chamber portion, a second chamber portion that is inflated due to gas generated by the gas generation device being supplied into the second chamber portion and that is disposed adjacent to the first chamber portion in a vehicle width direction, and a connection portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An airbag device, comprising:
a gas generation device that is operable to generate gas; and an airbag that includes:
a first chamber portion that is disposed at a vehicle front side of a vehicle seat on which a vehicle occupant sits, the first chamber portion being inflated due to gas generated by the gas generation device being supplied into the first chamber portion,
a second chamber portion that is inflated due to gas generated by the gas generation device being supplied into the second chamber portion and that is disposed adjacent to the first chamber portion in a vehicle width direction, a boundary between the inflated first chamber portion and the second chamber portion being disposed so as to be offset in the vehicle width direction relative to a halfway line that divides the vehicle seat into equal halves in the vehicle width direction in plan view, and
a connection portion that links regions at a vehicle upper side of a plurality of the inflated chamber portions together in the vehicle width direction.

2 . The airbag device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the airbag includes a pair of the second chamber portions, the pair of the second chamber portions respectively being disposed at one side and another side of the first chamber portion in the vehicle width direction; and the connection portion links together the first chamber portion and the pair of the second chamber portions or links together one of the pair of the second chamber portions and the other of the pair of the second chamber portions.

3 . The airbag device according to claim 1 , wherein, in an inflated state of the airbag, an end portion at a vehicle rear side of the first chamber portion is disposed at a vehicle front side relative to an end portion at a vehicle rear side of the second chamber portion.

4 . An airbag fabrication method to fabricate the airbag of the airbag device according to claim 1 , the method employing a first sheet member and a second sheet member,
wherein the first sheet member is formed in a sheet shape and includes a front side first extension portion and a front side second extension portion that structure regions at one side and another side in the vehicle width direction of a region at a vehicle front side of the inflated airbag, a gas generation device insertion hole at which a portion of the gas generation device is inserted being formed at a boundary between the front side first extension portion and the front side second extension portion, and wherein the second sheet member is formed in a sheet shape and includes a rear side first extension portion and a rear side second extension portion that structure regions at one side and another side in the vehicle width direction of a region at a vehicle rear side of the inflated airbag, the method comprising: forming the first chamber portion by joining an outer periphery portion of the front side first extension portion to an outer periphery portion of the rear side first extension portion; forming the second chamber portion by joining an outer periphery portion of the front side second extension portion to an outer periphery portion of the rear side second extension portion; and joining one or more of the connection portion to a plurality of the chamber portions.

5 . An airbag fabrication method to fabricate the airbag of the airbag device according to claim 2 , the method employing a first sheet member, a second sheet member and a third sheet member,
wherein the first sheet member is formed in a sheet shape and includes a front side first extension portion and a front side second extension portion that structure regions at one side and another side in the vehicle width direction of a region at a vehicle front side of the inflated airbag, a gas generation device insertion hole at which a portion of the gas generation device is inserted being formed at a boundary between the front side first extension portion and the front side second extension portion, wherein the second sheet member is formed in a sheet shape and includes a rear-left side first extension portion and a rear-left side second extension portion that structure a region at a vehicle rear side, and at one side in the vehicle width direction, of the inflated airbag, and wherein the third sheet member is formed in a sheet shape and includes a rear-right side first extension portion and a rear-right side second extension portion that structure a region at a vehicle rear side, and at another side in the vehicle width direction, of the inflated airbag, the method comprising: forming the second chamber portion at the one side of the first chamber portion by joining an outer periphery portion of the front side first extension portion to an outer periphery portion of the rear-left side first extension portion; forming the second chamber portion at the another side of the first chamber portion by joining an outer periphery portion of the front side second extension portion to an outer periphery portion of the rear-right side first extension portion; forming the first chamber portion by joining an outer periphery portion of the rear-left side second extension portion to an outer periphery portion of the rear-right side second extension portion; and joining one or more of the connection portions to a plurality of the chamber portions.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukawatase Osamu
• Nakashima Atsushi

Classifications

• B60R2021/23386

  External tether means · CPC title

• B60R21/203

  in steering wheels or steering columns · CPC title

• B60R21/235

  characterised by their material · CPC title

• B60R21/233 Primary

  comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other (B60R21/232 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R21/2338

  Tethers · CPC title