Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-07
2001-05-29
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S730100, C280S728200, C280S743200, C280S749000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237943
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to occupant restraints for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to curtain-type restraints deployed adjacent the side windows of the vehicles to protect occupants during rollover and/or side impact events.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to use deployable side curtains in automotive vehicles to protect vehicle occupants during side impact and/or rollover events. Such side curtains, also commonly known as rollover curtains, may take the form of a flexible curtain (usually made of a mesh material) covering the side windows to protect against the occupants being ejected through the doors or windows, or an inflatable airbag which protects against ejection and also provides a degree of cushioning.
Prior to deployment, a side curtain is typically folded or rolled into a compact, elongated shape that is secured to the vehicle adjacent the roof rail above a window opening or door opening. Interior trim panels cover the stowed curtain to hide it from view. In the deployed condition, the side curtain extends downwardly from the roof rail to at least partially cover the window/door openings and/or the pillars adjacent the openings. One or more curtains may be disposed along the length of the passenger compartment as necessary to provide protection to occupants in any or all of the rows of seats in the passenger compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,715 teaches a non-inflatable side curtain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,459 teaches inflatable an inflatable side curtain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,270 teaches a side curtain comprising both inflatable and non-inflatable sections.
During a vehicle rollover or other type of side impact event, the side curtain should move from its stowed condition to its deployed condition rapidly and the lower edge of the curtain should be held close to the side of the vehicle during deployment in order to ensure that the curtain passes between the occupant and the side wall of the vehicle before any part of the occupant's body moves outboard of the curtain. It is known to attempt to keep the curtain close to the vehicle side wall by means of tethers, cords, or similar members connecting the forward and/or the rear lower corners of the curtain to the vehicle structure when in the deployed condition.
For some curtain configurations, however, it may be desirable to connect the curtain to the vehicle structure at some point on the lower edge of curtain lying between the forward and rear corners. For example, when a restraint curtain extends along two or more rows of occupant seating, connecting the midpoint of the curtain to the adjacent B-pillar or other structure may improve the deployment dynamics and post-deployment stability of the curtain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,270 teaches a curtain having a tab at the midpoint of its lower edge, the tab engaging a channel extending generally vertically along the B-pillar of the vehicle. The tab is urged downward along the channel as the curtain deploys, with the engagement between the tab and the channel holding the lower edge of the curtain closely adjacent the B-pillar throughout its deployment. This configuration requires that the curtain be folded such that, when in the stowed condition, its lower edge is exposed on the outside of the folded curtain and immediately adjacent to the channel so that the tab may be connected with the channel.
To ensure proper deployment, however, a curtain is often folded or rolled inwardly on itself so that the lower edge is buried in the interior of the stowed curtain. For example, in some circumstances optimum curtain deployment is achieved by placing the curtain in the stowed condition using a “roll fold” in which the curtain, starting at the lower edge, is rolled upwardly in a spiral fashion toward the upper edge. When a curtain is folded in this manner, the lower edge of the curtain cannot be connected directly to the vehicle structure as taught by the '270 patent. While it is possible to attach a tether to the curtain at a midpoint of the lower edge and simply roll the tether up into the curtain, this requires the tether to be longer than the vertical dimension of the curtain. A tether this long would have to tightened by some mechanical actuator during deployment of the curtain, with resulting increases in the complexity, cost, and deployment time of the restraint system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle occupant restraint system wherein a restraint curtain is stowed adjacent a roof rail of the vehicle and deploys downwardly adjacent the side wall of the vehicle in a manner to provide superior stability and positioning of the curtain during and after deployment. In general, this is achieved by ensuring that a midpoint of the lower edge of the curtain is retained close to the side wall of the vehicle throughout deployment of the curtain.
In general, this is achieved by providing a tether attaching a midpoint of the lower edge of the curtain to the vehicle structure and ensuring that the tether is kept as short as possible.
According to a first embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, the curtain is formed with a slit extending from a lower edge of the curtain upwardly toward the upper edge to divide the curtain into first and second sections. A short, rod-like connecting member is attached to the curtain adjacent the lower edge and spans the slit, tying the first and second sections together. A ring encircles the connecting member and a flexible tether is attached to the ring. The end of the tether opposite the ring is slidingly engaged with a guide track disposed on a pillar extending downwardly from the vehicle roof.
The curtain is placed in the stowed condition by rolling it in a spiral fashion, starting at the lower edge and rolling toward the upper edge. The direction of the roll is parallel to the slit so that the connecting members remain accessible through the slit even in the stowed condition. The connecting member is free to rotate within the ring so that the curtain may roll and unroll freely without the tether becoming wound up in or otherwise entangled with the curtain. When the curtain is in the stowed condition, the tether is slid to the upper end of the guide track.
As the curtain unrolls to the deployed condition the tether travels downwardly along the guide track, holding the lower edge of the curtain close to the pillar. The slit, connecting member, and ring combine to allow the tether to be kept to a minimum length so that it effectively restrains the lower edge of the curtain 36 and stabilizes the curtain in the desired position covering the window and/or door openings of the passenger compartment, providing protection against ejection and preventing the curtain from being pushed out of the side opening during a crash or rollover event.
In a second embodiment of the invention, a method of folding the curtain is disclosed which eliminates the need for the slit, connecting member and ring. In this embodiment, a tether is sewn or otherwise fixed to the lower edge of the curtain. In the first step of the method, the lower edge of the curtain is brought up to meet the upper edge, folding the curtain generally in half. This forms a crease at the new lower end of the curtain and places the tether adjacent the curtain's upper edge. The curtain is then rolled upwardly in a spiral fashion, starting at the crease edge. This results in the curtain being in a quick-deploying “roll fold” configuration while leaves the tether exposed on the outside of curtain when in the stowed condition so that the tether may be attached to a guide rail similar to that disclosed in the first embodiment of the invention. As in the first embodiment, the tether is kept quite short so that it holds the lower edge of the curtain close to the side wall of the vehicle during and after deployment, without the need for any tightening mechanism.
According to another feature of the invention, the restraint system includes two guide tracks extending generally vertically along the pil
Balavich Karen M.
Brown Joseph Robert
Zychowicz Julie Ann
Dickson Paul N.
Fleming Faye M.
Ford Global Technologies Inc.
Smith Gary A.
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