Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2001-06-12
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 2167)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S741000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244619
ABSTRACT:
THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety arrangement, and more particularly to a safety arrangemnent adapted for use in a motor vehicle.
It has been proposed previously to provide an inflatable element initially provided within the roof of a motor vehicle, with the inflatable element initially extending, in the uninflated state, across the top of a door or window opening in the vehicle. In the event that an accident occurs, the inflatable element, which is typically made of fabric, is inflated, and part of the inflatable element extends adjacent the window or door opening as an inflated curtain. Such an inflatable element may protect the driver or occupant of a vehicle in a side impact or roll-over situation.
Typically the palt of the inflatable element that extends adjacent the window or door opening has a plurality of cells, and the cells have to be filled with gas in a very short period of time, typically less than 20 ms. Gas must therefore be injected into the cells very rapidly, meaning that the gas has a high velocity and may thus damage the fabric forming the inflatable element.
GB 2,319,751A discloses an inflatable element of this general type in which a rigid gas duct is provided mounted within the inflatable element. The gas duct is adapted to provide gas to each of the plurality of cells. Because the gas duct is rigid, different models of inflatable element have to be manufactured for different models of motor vehicles, since typically the roof line of each model of motor vehicle is unique. The gas duct must be manufactured to close tolerances to ensure that the inflatable element can be mounted in position satisfactorily. A further difficulty that can sometimes arise with a rigid gas duct is that should the gas duct be damaged during the initial phases of the side impact, part of the duct could be crushed, preventing the subsequent flow of gas along the duct. The presence of the rigid gas duct may make it difficult to transport the inflatable elements from their place of manufacture to the vehicle assembly plant.
GB-A-2,3 14,300 discloses another inflatable element of the type under consideration. In this arrangement the gas duct is formed of a part of the gas flow duct which initially extends away from the inflatable element which has been folded back inside itself to form an inner tubular wall within the gas duct. The double thickness of fabric present where the gas duct is folded back inside itself minimises the risk of the fabric being damaged by the rapidly flowing gas. However, it has been found relatively expensive to manufacture inflatable elements of this type, and the gas has to force away through the inner folded back part of the flow passage, which may be flat at the beginning of the inflation process, thus substantially retarding the inflation process.
The invention seeks to provide an improved safety arrangement.
According to this invention there is provided a safety arrangement comprising an inflatable element adapted to be mounted in a motor vehicle, the inflatable element being associated with a gas generator adapted to generate gas in an accident situation, the inflatable element defining a gas flow duct leading from the gas generator to a region defining one or more cells adapted to be inflated by gas from the gas generator, the gas flow duct containing an elongate element having a plurality of adjacent substantially helical turns defining a longitudinal axis, the axis of the elongate element being substantially coincident with the axis of the gas flow duct, gas from the gas generator flowing through a flow passage defined within the turns of the said elongate element.
Preferably the said region of the inflatable element defines a plurality of generally parallel cells.
Advantageously the gas flow duct extends adjacent a plurality of said cells to supply gas to the cells, the elongate element being positioned to extend through that part of the gas flow duct.
Preferably the elongate element has a degree of flexibility.
Conveniently the elongate element is provided with a plurality of turns of constant diameter.
In an alternative embodiment the elongate element is provided with a plurality of turns of successively reducing diameter, the turns of least diameter being spaced furthest from the gas generator.
In one embodiment the end of the elongate element remote from the gas generator has an end cap.
In one embodiment of the invention the elongate element initially has adjacent turns very close to each other, the arrangement being such that the length of the elongate element increases in response to an axial flow of gas therethrough.
Conveniently the element is formed of a wire of circular cross-section.
Alternatively the element is formed of a wire of square cross-section.
In one embodiment the elongate element initially extends over the whole length of the gas flow duct.
In an alternative embodiment the elongate element initially extends over only part of the length of the gas flow duct.
Preferably on inflation of the inflatable element the elongate element extends over the full length of the gas flow duct.
Conveniently when inflated, the turns of the elongate element adjacent the entrances to the cells are further apart than other turns of the elongate element.
Preferably the upper edge of the inflatable element is non-linear, and is provided with means to connect the non-linear upper edge thereof to a non-linear part of a motor vehicle.
Conveniently the lower part of the inflatable region of the inflatable element is provided with at least one strap adapted to extend from the inflatable element to an anchoring point.
In one embodiment the gas generator is connected to the inflatable element by a separate tube.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5755457 (1998-05-01), Specht
patent: 5884937 (1999-03-01), Yamada
patent: 5921575 (1999-07-01), Kretschmer et al.
patent: 6103984 (2000-08-01), Bowers et al.
patent: 6106006 (2000-08-01), Bowers et al.
patent: 2 314 300 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 2 319 751 (1998-06-01), None
Autoliv Development AB
Kinberg Robert
Rice Kenneth R.
Venable
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