Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2003-09-29
2004-10-12
Culbreth, Eric (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S730200, C280S743100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802529
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an airbag system for protecting an occupant in a vehicle such as a car in an event of a car crash. More particularly, the present invention relates to an airbag system including an airbag in which an interior thereof is partitioned into a plurality of chambers.
In an airbag system, a gas generator inflates an airbag toward an occupant, and the inflated airbag receives a body of the occupant. Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2000-177527 has disclosed a side airbag system in which a lower part of the airbag is inflated at an inner pressure higher than that of an upper part for receiving a lumbar part of the occupant.
FIG. 7
is a side view of a seat equipped with the side airbag system disclosed in the reference, and
FIG. 8
is an enlarged sectional view showing a section
8
in FIG.
7
.
An airbag
18
is partitioned into an upper chamber
20
and a lower chamber
22
with a seam
24
. A rear end of the seam
24
is located slightly away from a rear rim of the airbag
18
, and a cylindrical housing
30
is placed in a space between the rear end of the seam
24
and the rear rim of the airbag
18
. A rod-shaped gas generator
36
is placed in the cylindrical housing
30
. Upper and lower ends of the cylindrical housing
30
are formed with pipe clips
32
and
34
for fixing the gas generator
36
. The pipe clips
32
and
34
seal portions between the gas generator
36
and the cylindrical housing
30
. The pipe clips
32
and
34
are attached to mounting sections
26
of a seat back
14
.
The cylindrical housing
30
has upper-chamber discharge ports
42
for discharging gas from the gas generator
36
into the upper chamber
20
, and lower-chamber discharge ports
44
for discharging gas into the lower chamber
22
. Each of the lower-chamber discharge ports
44
has an opening larger than those of the upper-chamber discharge ports
42
. Therefore, when the gas generator
36
is activated to inflate the airbag
18
, an inner pressure of the upper chamber
20
becomes about 0.5 bar and an inner pressure of the lower chamber
22
becomes about 1.5 bar.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-177527, the side airbag system has the cylindrical housing
30
. When the lower chamber
22
of the airbag
18
receives the occupant, the gas in the lower chamber
22
flows into the upper chamber
20
through the cylindrical housing
30
. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the gas pressure in the lower chamber
22
at a high level for long time.
In view of the problem described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag system in which it is easy to maintain a gas pressure at a part of an airbag, for example, a lower part of the airbag, at a high level for sufficiently long time.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an airbag system includes an airbag having a surface facing an occupant and an opposite surface facing a car body in an inflated state, and a gas generator for generating gas to inflate the airbag. The airbag further includes an inner bag to be inflated first and a check valve for preventing the gas from flowing from the inner bag to the airbag. In the airbag system, after the inner bag is inflated, the gas is supplied only to the airbag to inflate the same.
According to the present invention, when the gas generator is activated, the inner bag is inflated first. The inner bag may be disposed at a lower part of the airbag, so that the lower part of the airbag is inflated at an early stage. In the airbag system, the check valve is provided for preventing the gas from flowing from the inner airbag to the airbag. Therefore, it is possible to maintain an inner pressure of the inner bag at a high level for a long time. The airbag system can protect an occupant not only in a case of a car crash but also roll over.
According to the present invention, the airbag system may further include connection means for connecting the inner bag and the gas generator. The connection means disconnects the inner bag from the gas generator when the gas pressure in the inner bag exceeds a predetermined value, so that the gas generator supplies the gas only to the airbag.
According to the present invention, the inner bag may be connected to the gas generator through the connection means. When the gas pressure in the inner bag exceeds a predetermined value, the connection means is released.
According to the present invention, the connection means may be an extension extending from a gas inlet port of the inner bag and having a tear seam. The tear seam is torn off to separate the extension from the inner bag when the gas pressure in the inner bag exceeds a predetermined value. With such a structure, when the gas pressure in the inner bag exceeds the predetermined value, the inner bag is securely separated from the gas generator and the gas generator quickly inflates the airbag.
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Kurimoto Takeshi
Takedomi Akifumi
Culbreth Eric
Kanesaka Manabu
Takata Corporation
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