Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-29
2001-01-16
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S732000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173988
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an airbag device for protecting an occupant which is installed in a vehicle and, more particularly, to an airbag device preferably used for a passenger's seat. In detail, the present invention relates to an airbag device which has an improved structure for fixing an airbag and an inflator to reduce the required strength of a container, thereby lightening the container.
As well known in the art, an airbag device is designed for protecting an occupant by inflating an airbag with gas from an inflator. In case of an airbag device for a front passenger's seat, the airbag is folded and accommodated in a container.
Japanese patent publications 6-72272A and 6-72266A disclose an airbag device for a passenger which has a container of synthetic resin to reduce weight of the device.
In the passenger airbag device as described in these publications, since the airbag is connected to the inlet side of the container, the container is required to have high strength as a whole. When the airbag is inflated, large tensile force is exerted to the container from the airbag, so that the container is required to have enough strength for withstanding this tensile force. A mesh member is inserted in the synthetic resin to reinforce thereof whereby increasing weight of the container.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device which allows a container to have lower strength and lower weight than conventional containers.
An airbag device of the present invention comprises a container having bottom and side walls; an airbag disposed inside the container; a lid covering the container; and an inflator which spouts gas for inflating the airbag. The airbag has an opening formed in a portion confronting the bottom of the container. A holding plate for mounting the inflator and the airbag to the container is disposed inside the airbag. A mounting bracket for securing the airbag device to a structural member of a vehicle is disposed on an outer surface of the bottom of the container. A peripheral portion of the opening of the airbag and the container are clamped between the holding plate and the mounting bracket.
The bottom of the container and the peripheral portion of the opening of the airbag are clamped between the mounting bracket and the holding plate, whereby the airbag can be securely connected to the mounting bracket even when the container itself has lower strength. When the mounting bracket and the holding plates are made of high-strength material including metal (e.g. steel), the airbag can be securely held when inflated even though the container is made of light material such as a relatively thin steel plate or synthetic resin.
The inflator is supported by the holding plate, thereby eliminating a special member for mounting the inflator.
In one aspect of the present invention, the container is provided with an opening formed in the bottom thereof and the mounting bracket and the inflator are in contact with each other through the opening of the container and the opening of the airbag.
In another aspect of the present invention, the bottom of the container lies between the inflator and the mounting bracket.
The holding plate may comprise a housing portion covering the inflator and a flange portion projecting from the entire periphery of the housing portion and being superposed on a peripheral portion of the opening of the airbag, and the housing portion may be provided with gas holes for allowing gas spouted from the inflator to pass therethrough.
The flange portion may have stud bolts fixed thereto, end portions of the stud bolts protrude outside through the airbag and the container, and nuts are screwed onto the end portions of the stud bolts outside the container, whereby the holding plate, the peripheral portion of the opening of the airbag, the inflator, the container, and the mounting bracket are integrated together. The container may be made of synthetic resin and the holding plate and the mounting bracket may be made of metal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3907330 (1975-09-01), Kondo et al.
patent: 3945665 (1976-03-01), Tsutsumi et al.
patent: 5176400 (1993-01-01), McGuire et al.
patent: 5346248 (1994-09-01), Rhein et al.
patent: 5511818 (1996-04-01), Jarboe et al.
patent: 5556127 (1996-09-01), Hurford et al.
patent: 6-72272 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 6-72266 (1994-03-01), None
Dickson Paul N.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Takata Corporation
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