Side airbag apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475446-B2
Application number	US-201514642926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

An airbag is stored in a storage portion provided in a side of the seat back of a car seat and fixed to a side frame portion. The airbag is deployed and inflated by inflation gas that is supplied in response to an impact from a side of the seat back. The airbag displaces a cover main body of a cover sideways from the seat back with a hinge portion function as a pivot, so that the storage portion is opened. The airbag includes an upstream inflation portion, which forms a rear part and receives inflation gas, and a downstream inflation portion, which is located forward of the upstream inflation portion. The downstream inflation portion receives inflation gas via the upstream inflation portion. The upstream inflation portion has a front end that is located forward of a front end of the cover when the upstream inflation portion is inflated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A side airbag apparatus comprising an airbag, the apparatus being adapted for installation in a vehicle seat, wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat back, which has a seat frame forming a framework of the seat back and an elastic seat pad provided about the seat frame, and a case provided on a side portion of the seat back,
the case includes a housing, an interior space of which forms a storage portion for storing the airbag, and a cover for covering the storage portion,
the housing and the cover are harder than the seat pad,
the housing includes a front wall, a rear wall, and a side wall portion, which form the storage portion,
the cover includes a cover main body, which has a front end and is located on an outer side of the housing, a front wall portion fixed to the front wall of the housing, a rear wall portion fixed to the rear wall of the housing, and a hinge portion provided at a boundary between the cover main body and the rear wall portion of the cover,
the airbag is stored in the storage portion and fixed to the vehicle seat,
in response to an impact from a side of the vehicle seat, inflation gas is supplied to deploy and inflate the airbag,
the apparatus is configured such that at least a part that is forward of the hinge portion is displaced sideways from the vehicle seat with the hinge portion of the cover functioning as a pivot, so that the storage portion is opened to allow the airbag to be deployed and inflated forward,
the airbag includes at least
an upstream inflation portion that forms at least a rear part of the airbag and receives inflation gas, and
a downstream inflation portion, at least a part of which is located forward of the upstream inflation portion, wherein the downstream inflation portion receives inflation gas that has flowed through the upstream inflation portion,
an outline of the airbag is formed by an airbag main body,
the upstream inflation portion and the downstream inflation portion are formed by dividing an inside of the airbag main body by a vertical partition, which has a gas flow restricting portion, and
the upstream inflation portion has a front end that is located forward of the front end of the cover main body when the upstream inflation portion is inflated.

2. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the upstream inflation portion is inflated such that its front end is located forward of a front end of the side portion of the seat back.

3. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas flow restricting portion is formed by a communication portion, which connects the upstream inflation portion and the downstream inflation portion to each other, and a pressure regulator valve, which controls flow of inflation gas through the communication portion to adjust internal pressures of the upstream inflation portion and the downstream inflation portion, and
the communication portion and the pressure regulator valve are configured to remain closed or substantially closed until a condition is met that the communication portion and the pressure regulator valve receive an external force due to restraint of an occupant by the upstream inflation portion and to be opened when the condition is met.

4. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas flow restricting portion is formed by an opening that connects the upstream inflation portion and the downstream inflation portion to each other.

5. The side airbag apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing is shaped like a box with an opening facing toward an outside of the vehicle,
the side wall portion of the housing is shaped like a plate that extends in a front-rear direction and a vertical direction,
the cover main body is shaped like a plate that extends in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction,
the rear wall portion of the cover is shaped like a plate that extends inward from a rear end of the cover main body,
the front wall portion of the cover is shaped like a plate that extends inward from between the front end and the rear end of the cover main body, and
the cover further includes a breakable portion, which is provided at a boundary between the cover main body and the front wall portion of the cover and has a lower strength than the other parts of the cover to be broken by the airbag being deployed and inflated.

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk

Inventors

• Hotta Masashi
• Sato Yuji
• Sato Eiji
• Kino Masao

Classifications

• B60R21/239

  characterised by their venting means · CPC title

• B60R21/215

  characterised by the covers for the inflatable member {(B60R21/2176 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60R21/207 Primary

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60R21/231

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

• B60R21/233

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