Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-10-02
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S743100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296272
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a gas bag, with several walls of fabric material which delimit the interior of the gas bag, with at least one separating cross-piece which is formed by interweaving opposite wall regions and divides the interior of the gas bag into several chambers.
In particular during the unfolding of the gas bag, the fabric becomes extremely stressed, the stresses being able to become particularly high in the region of the separating cross-pieces and the peripheral edges where the fabric layers are sewn or interwoven with each other. The ends of the separating cross-pieces are likewise places at which the fabric material is exposed to high stresses, because the gas bag is inflated around the end and only the end holds the fabric layers together. In this region, the tearing of warp and weft threads can occur very easily, in particular, however, leaks can occur.
The invention provides a gas bag in which in the region of the free end of the separating cross-piece the stresses onto the fabric material and leaks are reduced. This is achieved in a gas bag of the type initially mentioned in that the separating cross-piece has at least one free end at which it widens and runs out in a drop shape or in a rounding. In this connection, “free end” means that the separating cross-piece does not continue for instance into the peripheral edge of the walls, but rather that the separating cross-piece terminates at a distance in front of the peripheral edge. As has been found, the stress onto the fabric material at the free end of the separating cross-piece with interwoven walls is distinctly reduced through this development.
The rounding is preferably closed peripherally. The separating cross-piece, in addition, runs as an elongated, linear but preferably curved line. According to a further development, the separating cross-piece extends transversely to the warp and the weft threads of the fabric material, so that the stress is distributed onto both and one of the two is not overstressed. Furthermore, warp and weft threads are held together, so that a displacement of the threads with respect to each other is reduced. This increases the tightness of the fabric material.
According to another development, the walls in the region of the end are interwoven with each other over the full surface within the rounding or the drop shape. Alternatively, however, also a peripheral line formed by interweaving can define the drop shape or the rounding, which is somewhat more favorably priced than the interweaving over the full surface.
With the preferred embodiment, the gas bag is a side gas bag having a large area, e.g. a so-called ABC gas bag, which protects the head of the occupant from contact with the lateral region of the vehicle. The gas bag consists of two opposite walls. At least one overflow channel connects the individual chambers with each other in terms of flow and provides for a pressure equalization. This overflow channel preferably runs along the lower edge of the unfolded, mounted gas bag. This has the advantage that individual chambers can firstly unfold in order to accelerate the unfolding process, and only in the second step does a pressure equalization take place. The overflow channels have the task, moreover, of acting like an overload valve, i.e. when the vehicle occupant plunges into a chamber, the gas can flow therefrom in a throttled manner into other chambers. Thereby, the hardness of the gas bag on impact is reduced.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the following drawing, to which reference is made.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5378019 (1995-01-01), Smith et al.
patent: 6010149 (2000-01-01), Riedel et al.
patent: 6062594 (2000-05-01), Asano et al.
patent: 6073961 (2000-06-01), Bailey et al.
patent: 6170860 (2001-01-01), Denz et al.
patent: 6199898 (2001-03-01), Masuda et al.
Dickson Paul N.
Fleming Faye M.
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co. KG
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