Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-30
2004-02-24
Nguyen, Son T (Department: 3643)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S730100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06695339
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection device, more particularly, to a vehicle occupant protection device suitably used as a leg protection device for protecting vehicle occupant's legs from colliding with a vehicle member, such as an interior panel, in front of a vehicle seat in if the event of a vehicle collision.
As the vehicle occupant protection device for protecting the vehicle occupant from colliding with the interior panel in the event of the collision of the vehicle, there is a protection device having mainly an airbag installed inside the interior panel or in a space behind the interior panel, a gas generator for inflating the airbag and a cover for covering the airbag in a normal state (when the vehicle is not in a situation like the collision).
In the aforementioned vehicle occupant protection device, the airbag is folded and accommodated inside the interior panel and the cover is disposed to cover the folded airbag.
In the event of the vehicle collision, the gas generator is actuated to spout out gas. The gas is supplied into the airbag so as to rapidly inflate the airbag. Upon the inflation of the airbag, the cover is opened so as to allow the airbag to expand out of the interior panel. Therefore, the airbag is inflated and deployed between the interior panel and the vehicle occupant, thereby protecting the vehicle occupant from colliding with the interior panel.
An example of the vehicle occupant protection device of this type will be described with reference to FIG.
5
.
FIG. 5
is a sectional view showing an example of the vehicle occupant protective device for a front passenger installed in the automobile. The vehicle occupant protection device is in a state that the airbag is inflated.
A vehicle occupant protection device
100
of the automobile comprises a container-like retainer
102
having an opening formed in its front face (facing a vehicle occupant), an airbag
104
folded and accommodated in the retainer
102
, a gas generator
106
for inflating the airbag
104
and a cover door
108
for covering the opening formed in a front face of the retainer
102
and for creating an opening when the airbag
104
is inflated. The cover door
108
is pivotally supported at its lower edge by a hinge
116
. In a normal state, the cover door
108
is arranged to be substantially flush with an interior panel
112
for closing the opening
114
.
In the vehicle occupant protection device
100
, the gas generator
106
is actuated to spout out the gas in the event of the vehicle collision. The airbag
104
is inflated by the gas from the gas generator
106
to push up and open the cover door
108
so that the airbag
104
is deployed in front of the vehicle occupant, thereby receiving the upper half of the vehicle occupant.
The cover door is supported by the airbag
104
and is positioned in front of knees of the vehicle occupant, thereby preventing the lower legs of the vehicle occupant from colliding with the interior panel
112
. That is, when the airbag
104
is inflated, the cover door
108
is pushed out toward the vehicle occupant by the gas pressure during the inflation of the airbag
104
and comes in contact with the knees of the vehicle occupant. Therefore, a load locally applied by the knees of the vehicle occupant is dispersed by the cover door
108
and is then transmitted to the airbag
104
, whereby the airbag
104
effectively absorbs the load from the vehicle occupant to receive and stop the lower legs of the vehicle occupant.
An upper portion of the cover door
108
is connected to the retainer
102
by a connecting member
118
, thereby preventing the cover door
108
from excessively projecting toward the vehicle occupant or from coming off by the rapid inflation of the airbag
104
.
In the vehicle occupant protection device
100
, the connecting member
118
as pivotal movement limiting means of the cover door
108
has two rods
118
a
and
118
b
. Each end of the rods
118
a
and
118
b
is pivotally connected with each other, and the other end of the rod
118
a
is pivotally connected to the retainer
102
, and the other end of the other rod
118
b
is pivotally connected to the cover door
108
. This structure increases the number of parts and thus increases a cost. In a normal state, a pair of the rods
118
a
,
118
b
of the connecting member
118
is closed in a V-shape. During assembly, a part of the airbag may be caught between the rods
118
a
and
118
b
in a step of closing the rods
118
a
,
118
b
. Accordingly, the device does not provide a good operability.
Further, since the connecting member
118
is located near an upper edge of the cover door
108
, the airbag
104
is easily caught by the connecting member
118
while expanding from a bottom side.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the aforementioned problems and to provide a vehicle occupant protection device that has a simple structure, can be easily assembled, and allows extremely smooth inflation of the airbag.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention includes an airbag disposed inside a vehicle member in front of a seat of a vehicle; a gas generator for inflating the airbag; a door substantially flush with the vehicle member for covering the airbag and creating an opening in the vehicle member through which the airbag passes toward the vehicle occupant with its one side as a hinge member when the airbag is inflated; and limiting means for limiting an opening angle of the door. The limiting means is composed of stoppers that contact a backside of the peripheral edge of the opening when the door is opened by a predetermined angle. The stoppers are disposed on sidewalls of the door extending in a direction perpendicular to the sidewalls.
In the vehicle occupant protection device, when the door is opened by the inflated airbag, the stoppers contact the backside of the peripheral edge of the opening, thereby preventing the door from further opening.
The stoppers are disposed on the door and can be easily formed as an integrated part with the door, for example, by molding a synthetic resin.
In the present invention, each of the stoppers has a plate portion and rib portions. The plate portion projects laterally from a saidwall of the door, and comes to contact the backside of the peripheral edge of the opening. The rib portions support the plate portion. In the stopper with this structure, the strength and rigidity of the stopper can be designed with a great flexibility by selecting the shapes of the plate portion and the rib portions, and the number of the rib portions.
The vehicle occupant protection device of the present invention is extremely suitable to a leg protection device for protecting a vehicle occupant's legs by the inflated airbag, and can be used as an airbag device for protecting a front passenger or a rear passenger.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5398959 (1995-03-01), Avila
patent: 5588669 (1996-12-01), Leonard et al.
patent: 6394486 (2002-05-01), Fujimura et al.
patent: 405270339 (1993-10-01), None
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patent: 2000264159 (2000-09-01), None
patent: 2000344041 (2000-12-01), None
patent: 2001039251 (2001-02-01), None
patent: 2002002434 (2002-01-01), None
patent: 02002337653 (2002-11-01), None
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nguyen Son T
Takata Corporation
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