Airbag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975518-B2
Application number	US-201615279822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An airbag assembly for a vehicle is provided. The airbag assembly comprises an airbag and an inflator to inflate the airbag when deployed. The airbag comprises one or more tethers. The one or more tethers are coupled to an outer wall of the airbag at a first end of the tethers. The tethers are configured to form one or more pleats in the outer wall of the airbag when the airbag is fully inflated. The one or more tethers are coupled to the outer wall at a location such that the one or more pleats at least partially unfold during an impact between an occupant of the vehicle and the airbag and reduce a tension in a portion of the outer wall of the airbag when inflated and during an initial period of an impact between an occupant of the vehicle and the airbag.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airbag assembly for a vehicle comprising:
an airbag including a tether and an inflator to inflate the airbag when deployed;
wherein the tether is coupled to an outer wall of the airbag at a bifurcated first end of the tether, the tether being configured to form a pleat in the outer wall of the airbag when the airbag is fully inflated;
wherein the tether is coupled to the outer wall at a location such that the pleat at least partially unfolds during an impact between an occupant of the vehicle and the airbag; and
wherein, via unfolding the pleat, tension in a portion of the outer wall of the airbag is reduced when inflated and during an initial period of an impact between an occupant of the vehicle and the airbag.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pleat is formed on the airbag above a location where a head of the occupant of the vehicle impacts the airbag.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pleat forms a trough at the location where the first end of the tether is coupled to the outer wall of the airbag.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 2 , wherein the tether is configured to reduce the tension in the portion of the outer wall of the airbag at the location at which the head of the occupant of the vehicle impacts the airbag.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is coupled to the airbag assembly at a second end of the tether.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is coupled to the inflator at a second end of the tether.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether defines a length configured such that the outer wall of the airbag at the first end of the tether is pulled inwards toward a second end of the tether to form the pleat.

8. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether includes two or more first ends coupled to the outer wall of the airbag at two or more positions.

9. The airbag assembly of claim 8 , wherein one of the positions is lower than another of the positions when the airbag is inflated.

10. The airbag assembly of claim 8 , wherein one of the positions is laterally offset from another of the positions when the airbag is inflated.

11. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tether is formed from substantially the same material as the outer wall of the airbag.

12. The airbag assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a peak tension of a surface of the airbag during an impact is substantially unaffected by the pleat by unfolding of the pleat.

13. The airbag assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the pleat is configured to cause, via unfolding of the pleat, a head of the occupant of the vehicle impacting the airbag to rotate forwards.

14. The airbag assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the pleat is configured to reduce, via unfolding, extension of a neck of the occupant during an impact.

15. The airbag assembly of claim 1 , wherein the airbag comprises a single chamber airbag.

16. A vehicle comprising:
an airbag assembly including an inflator and an airbag having an outer wall; and
a tether including a bifurcated first end coupled to the outer wall at two locations on the outer wall such that the tether defines a trough at the locations to form a pleat, wherein the pleat is configured to unfold at the trough in response to an impact with the airbag.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the bifurcated first end of the tether defines a substantial Y-shape to define the trough on the outer wall of the airbag.

18. An airbag comprising:
an airbag chamber defining an outer wall and being configured to inflate via an inflator;
a tether disposed with the airbag chamber and attached to the outer wall at a bifurcated first end and the inflator at a second end such that the outer wall defines a trough at a location defined by attachment at the first end; and
a pleat formed on the outer wall at the trough such that, during impact with the airbag chamber, the pleat is configured to unfold at the trough.

19. The airbag of claim 18 , wherein the first end of the tether is bifurcated such that the first end couples the outer wall and the inflator at a plurality of positions on the outer wall.

20. The airbag assembly of claim 9 , wherein one of the positions is lower than another of the positions when the airbag is inflated.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Marable Paul Mark
• Bosio Allen Charles
• SLEATH Robert William

Classifications

• B60R2021/23382

  Internal tether means · CPC title

• B60R2021/0048

  Head · CPC title

• B60R21/2338 Primary

  Tethers · CPC title

• B60R2021/23384

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