Airbag device for front passenger seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428139-B2
Application number	US-201514950111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

An airbag for an airbag device for a front passenger seat is housed in a housing in the shape of a folded-up body in front of a front passenger seat. The airbag includes a main bag section that includes at the rear plane as deployed a front-collision arresting plane for catching a passenger as moves forward and an auxiliary bag section that protrudes rearward out of the front-collision arresting plane. The lateral of the auxiliary bag section facing towards the front-collision arresting plane serves as an oblique-collision arresting plane for catching the passenger as moves diagonally forward, The folded-up body of the airbag includes a means for temporarily jointing the auxiliary bag section in a folded up configuration to the main bag section and preventing the auxiliary bag section from protruding out of the front-collision arresting plane in an initial stage of airbag deployment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airbag device for a front passenger seat comprising:
a housing adapted to be mounted in front of a front passenger seat of a vehicle;
an airbag that is housed in the housing in a folded-up configuration and inflatable with an inflation gas to emerge out of the housing and be deployed rearward, the airbag including:
a main bag section that includes at a rear plane thereof as deployed a front-collision arresting plane for catching a passenger that moves forward;
an auxiliary bag section that is deployable in such a manner as to protrude rearward out of either a left region or a right region of the front-collision arresting plane, the auxiliary bag section including an oblique-collision arresting plane, the oblique-collision arresting plane is disposed on a lateral of the auxiliary bag section for catching the passenger that moves diagonally forward, the oblique-collision arresting plan extends from the front-collision arresting plane and faces towards the front-collision arresting plane; and
a folded-up body that is the folded-up configuration of the airbag, the folded-up body including a holding means for preventing the auxiliary bag section from protruding out of the front-collision arresting plane in an initial stage of airbag deployment in which the airbag emerges out of the housing.

2. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 1 , wherein:
the folded-up body includes a folded-up auxiliary bag body that is a folded-up configuration of the auxiliary bag section folded up forward such that a circumferential wall of the auxiliary bag section is flush with the front-collision arresting plane; and
the holding means is a means for temporarily jointing the folded-up auxiliary bag body to the main bag section.

3. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 2 , wherein:
the auxiliary bag section includes a rear wall which forms a rear plane of the auxiliary bag section as fully deployed and a circumferential wall disposed around the rear wall;
the folded-up auxiliary bag body is formed by folding up the circumferential wall in front of the rear wall such that the rear wall is flush with the front-collision arresting plane; and
an edge of the rear wall of the auxiliary bag section is temporarily jointed to the main bag section.

4. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 2 , wherein the holding means is composed of a tearable sewing thread that temporarily joints the folded-up auxiliary bag body to the main bag section by sewing.

5. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 3 , wherein the holding means is composed of a tearable sewing thread that temporarily joints the folded-up auxiliary bag body to the main bag section by sewing.

6. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 2 , wherein:
the airbag includes an inlet port for introducing an inflation gas into the airbag and a mounting section disposed in a periphery of the inlet port for mounting on the housing;
the folded-up body of the airbag is formed through a folding process composed of:
an initial folding step of superimposing a rear plane of the airbag as fully deployed on a vicinity of the inlet port and the mounting section in a flat fashion to form such an initial folded-up body that the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed on the either left or right region of the initial folded-up body;
a left-right contraction step of folding back left and right edges of the initial folded-up body towards the inlet port to form a left-right contracted body which is sized to a width in a left and right direction of the housing; and
a front-rear contraction step of folding back front and rear edges of the left-right contracted body towards the inlet port to complete the folded-up body which is sized to a width in a front and rear direction of the housing; and

in the either left or right region of the left-right contracted body where the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed, a circumferential wall of the main bag section on a back side of the initial folded-up body wraps the folded-up auxiliary bag body on a surface of the initial folded-up body.

7. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 3 , wherein:
the airbag includes an inlet port for introducing an inflation gas into the airbag and is mounted on the housing at a periphery of the inlet port;
the folded-up body of the airbag is formed through a folding process composed of:
an initial folding step of superimposing a rear plane of the airbag as fully deployed on a vicinity of the inlet port in a flat fashion to form such an initial folded-up body that the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed on the either left or right region of the initial folded-up body;
a left-right contraction step of folding back left and right edges of the initial folded-up body towards the inlet port to form a left-right contracted body which is sized to a width in a left and right direction of the housing; and
a front-rear contraction step of folding back front and rear edges of the left-right contracted body towards the inlet port to complete the folded-up body which is sized to a width in a front and rear direction of the housing; and

in the either left or right region of the left-right contracted body where the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed, a circumferential wall of the main bag section on a back side of the initial folded-up body wraps the folded-up auxiliary bag body on a surface of the initial folded-up body.

8. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 4 , wherein:
the airbag includes an inlet port for introducing an inflation gas into the airbag and is mounted on the housing at a periphery of the inlet port;
the folded-up body of the airbag is formed through a folding process composed of:
an initial folding step of superimposing a rear plane of the airbag as fully deployed on a vicinity of the inlet port in a flat fashion to form such an initial folded-up body that the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed on the either left or right region of the initial folded-up body;
a left-right contraction step of folding back left and right edges of the initial folded-up body towards the inlet port to form a left-right contracted body which is sized to a width in a left and right direction of the housing; and
a front-rear contraction step of folding back front and rear edges of the left-right contracted body towards the inlet port to complete the folded-up body which is sized to a width in a front and rear direction of the housing; and

in the either left or right region of the left-right contracted body where the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed, a circumferential wall of the main bag section on a back side of the initial folded-up body wraps the folded-up auxiliary bag body on a surface of the initial folded-up body.

9. The airbag device for a front passenger seat of claim 5 , wherein:
the airbag includes an inlet port for introducing an inflation gas into the airbag and is mounted on the housing at a periphery of the inlet port;
the folded-up body of the airbag is formed through a folding process composed of:
an initial folding step of superimposing a rear plane of the airbag as fully deployed on a vicinity of the inlet port in a flat fashion to form such an initial folded-up body that the folded-up auxiliary bag body is disposed on the either left or right region of the initial folded-up body;
a left-right contraction step of folding back left and right edges of the initial folded-up body towards the inlet port to form a left-right contracted body which is sized to a width in a left and right direction of the housing; and
a front-rear contraction step of folding back front and rear edges of

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk

Inventors

• Yamada Ikuo
• Komatsu Takanori

Classifications

• B60R2021/0009

  Oblique collision · CPC title

• B60R21/268

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

• B60R21/205

  in dashboards · CPC title

• B60R2021/0004

  Frontal collision · 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