Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2001-09-11
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C493S405000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286866
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of folding an air-bag, and more particularly relates to a method of folding an air-bag for use in a motor vehicle.
It has been proposed to provide an air-bag in a motor vehicle adapted to be inflated in the event that an accident should occur. The air-bag, when inflated, is located in front of an occupant of the vehicle in order to protect the occupant of the vehicle.
It is necessary to inflate the air-bag extremely swiftly once an accident situation occurs. In many prior proposed air-bags, as a consequence of this rapid inflation, the fabric forming the air-bag is given a very high acceleration, and the fabric can impinge upon the occupant of the vehicle, injuring the occupant of the vehicle.
It has been proposed to fold an air-bag by providing the air-bag with linear folds in one direction, in a concertina-fashion, and subsequently providing the bags with linear folds in a perpendicular direction. This can cause a very high internal pressure which can give part of the fabric of the bag a very high initial acceleration.
It has also been proposed to provide an air-bag with concentric circular folds, as in GBA-2,279.046. Such an arrangement may provide very easy unfolding of the bag, but nevertheless, the inflation characteristic is still less than totally desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,551 discloses an arrangement in which an air-bag initially has peripheral side portions rolled or folded inwardly, to form two parallel rolls, and subsequently is rolled perpendicularly to the initial rolls or folds to provide two further inwardly directed rolls. The two further inwardly directed rolls may be positioned in front of the rest of the air-bag. Part of the air-bag adjacent the gas generator is untensioned in one direction, but is tensioned in the other direction. The rolled portions of the bag have to be ejected from the housing as the first stage in the inflation process.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide an improved method of folding an air-bag, so that the air-bag, when inflated, provides a desirable inflation characteristic.
According to this invention there is provided a method of folding an air-bag, the method comprising locating the bag in a substantially flat condition, the bag presenting a first layer of fabric, which is the layer of fabric adapted to contact the occupant of a vehicle on inflation of the air-bag, and a second layer of fabric, the second layer of fabric defining an aperture which is connected to, or which is adapted to be connected to, a gas generator, rolling or successively folding two side portions of the air-bag, back toward the aperture, the air-bag being rolled or folded away from the first layer of fabric and towards the second layer of fabric, the folded air-bag extending to two opposed sides of the said aperture in a direction parallel to the direction of the first folds, and then moving the rolled or folded side portions inwardly towards each other against the direction of rolling or folding, and subsequently rolling or folding the extending portions of the air-bag with folds perpendicular to said first rolls or folds, and then rolling or folding the portion of the air-bag to one side of the aperture away from the first layer of fabric, and rolling or folding the portion of the air-bag extending to the other side of the aperture, away from the first layer of fabric, and finally moving the thus-created rolls or folded portions inwardly towards each other against the direction of rolling or folding.
The invention also relates to an air-bag when folded by the method, and particularly relates to such an air-bag in combination with a gas generator.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5398968 (1995-03-01), Emambakhsh et al.
patent: 5425551 (1995-06-01), Hawthorn
patent: 5492367 (1996-02-01), Albright et al.
patent: 5498023 (1996-03-01), Adams et al.
patent: 5823567 (1998-10-01), Behr et al.
patent: 5839755 (1998-11-01), Turnbull
patent: 5899495 (1999-05-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5931498 (1999-08-01), Kashavaraj
patent: 4301906A1 (1993-08-01), None
patent: 0712716A1 (1996-05-01), None
patent: 0734911A1 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 2271966A (1994-05-01), None
Baillivet Remi
Cruet Jean-Marie
Satge Laurent
Autoliv Development AB
Kinberg Robert
Mai Lanna
To Toan C
Venable
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