Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-10
2001-07-24
Culbreth, Eric (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264237
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an airbag to protect an occupant in case of a vehicle collision, and an airbag device using the same, especially, a driver's airbag device attached to a steering wheel. More particularly, the present invention relates to an airbag and an airbag device, wherein the airbag deploys to enter into a space between a lower portion of the steering wheel and the driver.
In an airbag device disposed at a fixed portion in front of a seat in a vehicle, in case of emergency, such as a vehicle collision, an airbag is rapidly inflated or deployed by a pressure of a gas spouted from a gas generator called an inflator, to thereby protect an occupant.
FIG. 11
shows an example of a conventional driver's airbag device. In an opening or inflator attachment opening
12
formed at a center of a main plate surface
10
a
of a retainer
10
, a front side of an inflator
14
is fixed.
An airbag
16
includes a receiving hole
18
for receiving the front side of the inflator
14
, and the receiving hole
18
is disposed at a rim portion of the attachment opening
12
. The rim portion of the receiving hole
18
of the airbag is held between a holding ring or back plate
20
and the rim portion of the attachment opening
12
.
Stud bolts
38
fixed to the holding ring
20
are inserted through bolt insertion holes of the airbag
16
, bolt insertion holes of the retainer
10
, and bolt insertion holes formed in a flange portion of the inflator
14
, and then the stud bolts
38
are tightened by nuts
40
. Accordingly, the airbag
16
and the inflator
14
are fixed to the retainer
10
.
The airbag
16
is folded to be deployable, and covered by a module cover
22
. The module cover
22
is torn and broken by an inflating pressure of the airbag
16
in case the airbag
16
is deployed by the generated or spouted gas from the inflator
14
.
In general, in the airbag device for the driver's seat, it is preferable that the airbag
16
is rapidly inflated and deployed to a downward direction with respect to the driver when the inflator
14
is actuated. Conventionally, in order to achieve the above, the pressure of the generated gas from the inflator is increased, or a cloth for guiding the gas is disposed inside the airbag. However, these structures increase the manufacturing cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag, which is folded such that the airbag deploys rapidly to a downward direction of the driver in case the inflator is actuated, to be located or interposed between the steering wheel and the driver, and an airbag device provided with such an airbag.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the airbag and the airbag device as stated above, wherein the pressure of the generated gas of the inflator need not be increased, and also a cloth for guiding the gas inside the airbag is eliminated.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides an airbag which has an opening for receiving an inflator at a center of a rear surface thereof, wherein the airbag has a lower portion located at a lower side when an airbag device is attached to a steering wheel and folded in a form of a roll, and an upper portion located at an upper side when the airbag device is attached to the steering wheel and folded in a form of bellows.
It is preferable that the airbag in a flat form is folded into an elongated rectangular shape in the lateral direction, and a left half and a right half of the airbag in the elongated rectangular shape are respectively folded in a form of a roll or bellows.
An airbag device of the invention attached to a steering wheel of a vehicle is formed of: a retainer having an opening at a center of a main plate; an inflator having a front side inserted into the opening of the retainer to be attached to the retainer; an airbag, which has a hole for receiving the inflator at a rear side thereof and is attached to the retainer by attaching a rim portion of the hole to the retainer, the airbag being folded to deploy by a gas spouted from the inflator; and a module cover, which covers the airbag and is connected to the retainer. The airbag used in the above airbag device is attached to the steering wheel such that a half portion of the airbag is located at the lower side and the other half portion of the airbag is located at the upper side.
When the airbag is inflated by introducing the gas from the inflator into the airbag, since the lower side of the folded airbag is folded into the roll form, the lower side of the airbag is expanded while rolling downwardly, and the lower side of the airbag is inflated and interposed between the steering wheel and a driver.
The upper side of the airbag folded in the form of bellows is inflated faster than the roll form at the lower side thereof. In this case, on the way of inflating the airbag, the upper side of the airbag is inflated first so that the airbag has a shape tapering downwardly. Thus, the lower side of the airbag can smoothly enter into a narrow space between the steering wheel and the driver.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5865466 (1999-02-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5873598 (1999-02-01), Yoshioka et al.
patent: 5979937 (1999-11-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 2536933 (1976-03-01), None
patent: 0 957 007 (1999-05-01), None
patent: 0 945 309 (1999-09-01), None
patent: 0 949 123 (1999-10-01), None
patent: 0 997 352 (2000-05-01), None
patent: 6-255437 (1994-09-01), None
Culbreth Eric
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Takata Corporation
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