Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-06
2001-05-15
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S743100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231070
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a folding structure and a folding method for an airbag.
BACKGROUND ART
As an airbag for vehicles, there is an airbag for lateral collision adapted, upon a lateral collision of a vehicle, to spread forwards from a side of the backrest to protect a passenger. (A similar art is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-136598.)
When spread, such a type of airbag has a generally L-shape external configuration partitioned by an internal partition cloth into a head protecting upper portion and a chest protecting lower portion. The airbag has a proximal end provided with an inflator. Discharged gas from a discharge port at a side of the inflator first enters the chest protecting portion, spreading this forwards, and then rushes through a communication hole across the partition cloth inside the head protecting portion, spreading this upwards.
Such an airbag for lateral collision needs to have a chest protecting portion quickly spread into a relatively narrow spacing between a passenger and a side wall of a vehicle body, as well as an implementation to avoid, when spreading, interferences such as with the vehicle body's side wall, for example.
The action and speed of the spreading of an airbag depends on how the airbag is folded.
To this point, it is desirable to propose a folding structure and a folding method for an airbag, allowing an improved spreading speed, as well as for the action of spread to be smooth without failure due to an interference with a vehicle body side wall.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view, to provide a folding structure and a folding method for an airbag, permitting an improved spreading speed and a smooth spread action.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a folding structure for an airbag with a generally L-shape spread external configuration having a chest protecting portion and a head protecting portion provided with protection surfaces for a chest protection and a head protection when spread, in which the head protecting portion is rolled a plurality of times with the protection surface thereof inside, and the head protecting portion is pushed inside the chest protecting portion.
In another aspect, the invention provides a folding method for an airbag with a generally L-shape spread external configuration having a chest protecting portion and a head protecting portion provided with protection surfaces for a chest protection and a head protection when spread, comprising rolling the head protecting portion a plurality of times with the protection surface thereof inside, and pushing the head protecting portion inside the chest protecting portion.
According to the aspects of the invention, an airbag with a generally L-shape spread external configuration has a chest protecting portion and a head protecting portion provided with a “protection surface for a head protection or for a chest protection when spread” (hereinafter sometimes called “passenger side surface” or simply “passenger side”), and when folding, the head protecting portion is rolled a plurality of times with the passenger side inside. The head protecting portion, which has been neatly folded into a rolled form, is pushed inside the chest protecting portion.
When the airbag spreads, from the chest protecting portion to be spreading at a high speed the rolled form of the head protecting portion is sprung out at a higher speed and, like a cloth roll forcibly thrown on a floor for example, agilely unfolds straight in an extending direction along a vehicle body side wall or the like with a width of a roll diameter, and even if more or less obstacles are present at the back side, rolls to spread over them, concurrently inflating for development.
Accordingly, even in the case of development of the airbag in a relatively narrow spacing between a passenger and the vehicle body side wall, the head protecting portion is spread smooth and swiftly without being impeded by interference with interior appliances or the like on the vehicle body side wall. Further, also the chest protecting portion connected to the head protecting portion spreads swiftly, allowing for the passenger to be protected in an initial phase of a lateral collision of vehicle.
It is noted that the chest protecting portion may preferably be rolled a plurality of times with the protection surface thereof inside, whereby the chest protecting portion having a rolled form of the head protecting portion pushed therein is rolled plural times with its passenger side inside, and in addition to the effect described, a final fold size of the airbag becomes reduced, to be favorable for installation in a backrest which has a small accommodation space.
Further, a part of the chest protecting portion connected to the head protecting portion may preferably be pushed inside the chest protecting portion, whereby a portion of the chest protecting portion at the head protecting portion side is pushed, together with the head protecting portion pushed therein, inside the chest protecting portion, and a fold size of an entirety of the airbag becomes reduced, allowing for the chest protecting portion to spread with ease in a small spacing between the passenger and the vehicle body side wall and further for the head protecting portion to be sprung out with an increased initial speed, permitting the more rapid development.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5667243 (1997-09-01), Fisher et al.
patent: 5803485 (1998-09-01), Acker et al.
patent: 5868420 (1999-02-01), Higashiura et al.
patent: 5899490 (1999-05-01), Wipasuramonton et al.
patent: 6065772 (2000-05-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 6142507 (2000-11-01), Okuda et al.
patent: 798170 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 9-123864 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 9-136598 (1997-05-01), None
Sasaki Hiroshi
Seo Kasumi
Sunabashiri Yukisaka
Dickson Paul N.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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