Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-21
2001-06-12
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S732000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244624
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 9-288738 filed on Oct. 21, 1997 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus installed in an instrument panel of a vehicle such as an automobile to protect a passenger, a method of folding an air bag of the air bag apparatus, and a method of deploying the air bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-127320 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-191362 disclose air bag apparatus for a passenger seat.
HEI 6-127320 discloses an air bag having an opening portion, a winding portion adjacent to the opening portion, and a folded portion adjacent to the winding portion and folded into a predetermined shape. The opening portion of the air bag is attached to a case. The folded portion is wound by the winding portion counterclockwise as viewed from the right side of the vehicle so as to be accommodated in the case. The thus-constructed air bag apparatus ensures that upon activation of an inflator, the air bag is first deployed upwards along a wind shield and then rearwards and downwards so as to attenuate an impact made on a passenger.
HEI 6-191362 discloses an air bag arrangement in which an inflator is disposed within a case at a location biased toward a bottom wall and a front wall of the case. The inflator has two gas ejection ports formed in an outer periphery thereof, and those gas ejection ports are opposed to each other. The gas ejected from one of the gas ejection ports moves diagonally upwards from the front wall side of the case, whereas the gas ejected from the other gas ejection port moves diagonally downwards from the rear wall side of the case. An air bag in its folded state is accommodated between the inflator and the rear wall of the case. The thus-constructed air bag apparatus, upon activation of the inflator, will deploy upper and lower portions of the air bag upwards and downwards, respectively earlier than a central portion thereof, whereby the air bag assumes its ultimate shape relatively early in the process of deployment.
However, these air bag apparatus encounter the following problems.
In the HEI 6-127320 arrangement, upon activation of the inflator, the folded portion of the air bag pops out of the case without being unfolded and deployed upwards. If the folded portion comes into contact with a passenger while the air bag is still being deployed, the folded portion rubs against the passenger in accordance with a deployment process of the folded portion.
In the HEI 6-191362 arrangement, upon activation of the inflator, the upper and lower portions of the air bag are deployed while the central portion thereof remains as it is. If a wrinkled central rear face portion of the air bag comes into contact with the passenger while the air bag is still being deployed, the air bag also rubs against the passenger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in an effort to overcome some of the problems remaining in this art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag apparatus for protecting a passenger in the front seat of a vehicle, a method of folding an air bag and a method of deploying the air bag that decreases the amount that the air bag rubs against the passenger even if the air bag comes into contact with the passenger while the air bag is being deployed.
To achieve the aforementioned object, a first aspect of the present invention provides an air bag apparatus for a front seat passenger. The air bag arrangement is disposed in an instrument panel on the passenger seat side of the vehicle in a compartment. An inflator supplies gas to the air bag, causing it to deploy. The air bag is folded such that when it deploys due to activation of the inflator, a passenger facing portion of the air bag that faces a passenger in an ultimate deployment state of the air bag is deployed earlier than other portions of the air bag.
During the initial stage of a deployment process of the air bag, only the passenger facing portion of the air bag is first deployed so that it assumes a wrinkleless tensioned state. Thus, even if the passenger facing portion of the air bag comes into contact with the passenger while the air bag is still being deployed, the amount that the air bag rubs against the passenger is decreased. This is because the passenger facing portion of the air bag has already been deployed completely.
Furthermore, the air bag apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention may be modified by folding the air bag such that the portions of the air bag other than the passenger facing portion are deployed due to application of tension forces acting substantially in such a direction as to deploy the air bag.
The other portions of the air bag are deployed due to application of tension forces acting substantially in such a direction as to deploy the air bag, after the passenger facing portion of the air bag has been deployed. Thus, those portions constituting the air bag move toward the passenger in accordance with the sequence in which they are deployed. Thus, the air bag will not pop out of its compartment without being unfolded. Even if the air bag comes into contact with the passenger, it will not rub against the passenger.
A second aspect of the present invention can be achieved by modifying a known air bag apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention as follows. An air bag includes a bag body that is deployed due to activation of the inflator, a mouth portion for introducing gas supplied from the inflator into the bag body, and a fixture portion for fixing the air bag to the case. The mouth portion is disposed in a central portion of the case. Finally, a vehicle front side portion of the bag body located on the front side of the vehicle relative to the mouth portion and a vehicle rear side portion of the bag body located on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the mouth portion are folded so as to be accommodated between the mouth portion and front and rear inner faces of the case, respectively.
Gas ejected from the inflator is introduced into the bag body while stretching out the mouth portion of the air bag toward the front and rear inner faces of the case. Then, the vehicle front side portion of the air bag and the vehicle rear side portion of the air bag, which are in their folded states, are pushed against the inner face of the case. Because of frictional resistance generated therebetween, tension forces are applied to the vehicle front and rear side portions of the air bag when those portions are pulled out. Thus, while the air bag is still being deployed, the formation of wrinkles on the bag body is prevented. In addition, the rate at which the air bag is deployed toward the passenger is suitably reduced.
Furthermore, the air bag apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention can be modified as follows. That is, as regards the vehicle front side portion of the bag body and the vehicle rear side portion of the bag body, at least the vehicle rear side portion of the bag body is roll-bent such that a front end thereof is drawn toward the mouth portion. Frictional resistance generated at the time of deployment of the bag body increases, so that the vehicle rear side portion of the bag body is slowly deployed. Even in the case where the air bag apparatus is disposed to face upwards, the air bag can be deployed toward the passenger. In this manner, it is possible to enhance the capability to restrain the movement of the passenger. In addition, it is also possible to prevent the formation of wrinkles.
Furthermore, the air bag apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention may be modified as follows. That is, the vehicle front side portion of the bag body and the vehicle rear side portion of the bag body are roll-bent such that respective front end
Dickson Paul N.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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