Airbag with deployment controlling tether

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020282945-A1
Application number	US-201916296288-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 8, 2019
Priority date	Mar 8, 2019
Publication date	Sep 10, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. The curtain airbag comprises a mounting tab for mounting the curtain airbag to a support structure of the vehicle. A tether has first and second tether end portions. The first tether end portion is connected to an inboard side of the curtain airbag at and/or adjacent to the mounting tab. The second tether end portion is connected to an outboard side of the curtain airbag. In the deployed condition of the curtain airbag, the tether is tensioned and holds a portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion folded in an inboard direction away from the side structure.

First claim

Having described the invention, the following is claimed:

1 . An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, comprising:
a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant, the curtain airbag comprising a mounting tab for mounting the curtain airbag to a support structure of the vehicle; and a tether having first and second tether end portions, the first tether end portion being connected to an inboard side of the curtain airbag at and/or adjacent to the mounting tab, the second tether end portion being connected to an outboard side of the curtain airbag; wherein in the deployed condition of the curtain airbag, the tether is tensioned and holds a portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion folded in an inboard direction away from the side structure.

2 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein as a result of tether being connected to both the inboard side of the curtain airbag and the outboard side of the curtain airbag, the portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end is substantially held inboard of the vehicle and restricted and/or prevented from pivoting outboard of the vehicle.

3 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein the second tether end portion is stitched or otherwise connected to the outboard side of the curtain airbag at a lower end portion of the curtain airbag, a portion of the lower end portion being held folded in the inboard direction away from the side structure by the tether when the curtain airbag is in the deployed condition.

4 . The apparatus recited in claim 3 , wherein a first portion of the second tether end portion is folded over onto a second portion of the second tether end portion, the folded second tether end portion being stitched or otherwise connected to the outboard side of the curtain airbag at the lower end portion of the curtain airbag.

5 . The apparatus recited in claim 3 , wherein the tether is tensioned as the curtain airbag inflates and deploys to restrict and/or prevent the lower end portion of the curtain airbag from deploying outboard of the vehicle.

6 . The apparatus recited in claim 3 , wherein in the deployed condition, the tether extends in both a rearward direction and a roofward direction from the second tether end portion to the first tether end portion, the extension of the tether in both the rearward and the roofward directions causing the lower end portion to be further held folded in the roofward and the rearward directions.

7 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein the tension in the tether is configured to increase when the occupant, moving in an outboard direction, impacts the curtain airbag, the increase of tension in the tether counteracting the outboard directed impact forces proximate to the second tether end to substantially prevent the portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end from moving in the outboard direction.

8 . The apparatus recited in claim 7 , wherein the second tether end portion is stitched or otherwise connected to the outboard side of the curtain airbag at a lower end portion of the curtain airbag, and wherein as a result of the increased tension in the tether, the lower end portion of the curtain airbag is substantially prevented from moving outboard of the vehicle.

9 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein as a result of the tether being connected to the outboard side of the curtain airbag and the inboard side of the curtain airbag at and/or adjacent to the mounting tab, the portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion is held folded over onto an adjacent portion of the curtain airbag to produce a fold in the curtain airbag, the formation of the fold in the curtain airbag causing the inboard side of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion to be folded over onto an adjacent inboard side portion of the curtain airbag so that the outboard side of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion faces in the inboard direction.

10 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein a vertical height of the tether is less than a vertical height of the curtain airbag, and wherein as a result of the vertical height of the tether being less than the vertical height of the curtain airbag, the portion of the curtain airbag proximate to the second tether end portion is held folded toward the first tether end portion when the curtain airbag is in the deployed condition.

11 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein the mounting tab comprises overlying layers of airbag material with mounting tab apertures extending therethrough, and wherein the first tether end portion includes a tether aperture extending therethrough, the first tether end portion being positioned between the overlying layers of the mounting tab with the tether aperture aligned with the mounting tab apertures.

12 . The apparatus recited in claim 11 , wherein the overlying layers of the mounting tab comprises a first portion that is folded over onto a second portion.

13 . The apparatus recited in claim 11 , further comprising a fastener having a portion extending though the mounting tab apertures and the tether aperture, and wherein a portion of the fastener is configured to extend into the support structure of the vehicle to mount the apparatus to the support structure.

14 . The apparatus recited in claim 11 , further including first and second brackets configured to be interlocked with one another, each of the first and the second brackets having a bracket aperture extending therethrough, the first bracket being positioned on an inboard side of the mounting tab, the second bracket being positioned on the outboard side of the mounting tab and interlocked with the first bracket, the first and the second bracket apertures being aligned with the mounting tab apertures and the tether aperture.

15 . The apparatus recited in claim 11 , wherein a first portion of the first tether end portion is folded over onto a second portion of the first tether end portion, each of the first and the second portions of the first tether end portion having the tether aperture extending therethrough, the folded first tether end portion being positioned between the overlying layers of the mounting tab with the tether apertures aligned with the mounting tab apertures.

16 . The apparatus recited in claim 15 , further including a fastener having a portion extending though the mounting tab apertures and the tether apertures, and wherein a portion of the fastener is configured to extend into a support structure of the vehicle to mount the apparatus to the support structure.

17 . The apparatus recited in claim 16 , wherein a portion of the first tether end portion is stitched or otherwise connected to the inboard side of the curtain airbag.

18 . The apparatus recited in claim 17 , wherein a first portion of the second tether end portion is folded over onto a second portion of the second tether end portion, the folded second tether end portion being stitched or otherwise connected to the outboard side of the curtain airbag.

19 . The apparatus recited in claim 1 , wherein the curtain airbag comprises a plurality of mounting tabs spaced along the length of an upper portion of the curtain airbag, and wherein the first tether end portion is connected to the inboard side of the curtain airbag at and/or adjacent to one of the mounting tab

Assignees

• Trw Vehicle Safety Systems

Inventors

• Mckeon Courtney L

Classifications

• B60R21/231 Primary

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

• B60R21/237

  characterised by the way they are folded · CPC title

• B60R2021/23192

  Roof bags, i.e. protecting the occupant in a roll-over situation · CPC title

• B60R21/232 Primary

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

• B60R21/213

  in vehicle roof frames or pillars · CPC title