Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-18
2003-11-18
Culbreth, Eric (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S739000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648369
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to air belts that include a bag-like portion. The bag-like portion maintains a band-like shape under normal conditions, and which inflates in an emergency, for example when a vehicle collides upon receiving a gas supplied from gas generating means. The present invention also relates to inflatable seat belt apparatuses using the air belts. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air belt in which the length of a bag can be increased and to an inflatable seat belt using the air belt.
Conventionally, seats in vehicles such as automobiles, etc., are usually provided with seat belts. In an emergency, for example when a vehicle collides, the webbings of the seat belts restrain occupants and prevent them from, for example colliding with the vehicle body and being injured. However, in typical seat belts the belts for restraining the occupants are constructed of webbings having a relatively small width, so that the occupants receive a relatively large load when being restrained by the webbings.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-135293 (incorporated by reference) discloses an inflatable seat belt apparatus including an air belt. The air belt has a webbing which is formed like a bag, and maintains a band-like shape under normal conditions so that the webbing functions similar to a typical seat belt. In an emergency, the webbing inflates upon receiving a gas supplied from gas generating means so that the occupant can be received by the inflated webbing. In such an air belt included in an inflatable seat belt apparatus, the area of the webbing which receives the kinetic energy of the occupant is increased, so that the load can be dispersed. Accordingly, the load applied to the occupant is reduced and the occupant is more effectively protected.
In addition, when the webbing inflates, the length thereof is reduced and the thickness thereof is increased, so that the body of the occupant is pushed against the seat by an amount corresponding to the increase in thickness of the webbing. More specifically, since the length of the webbing is reduced and the thickness thereof is increased, the same effect that occurs in the case in which the webbing is retracted can be obtained. Thus, according to the above-described inflatable seat belt, an initial restraining force as in conventional pretensioners can be obtained.
Typically air belts used in inflatable seat belts (including the air belt disclosed in the above-referenced publication) are constructed as shown in FIGS.
9
(
a
) and
9
(
b
). As shown in the figures, an air belt
1
includes a webbing
2
in which at least the part that comes into contact with an occupant is formed as a bag-like portion, a bag
3
which is inserted in the webbing
2
, and a cover
4
which has a tubular shape and which covers the webbing
2
. The bag
3
is constructed of an elastic material such as urethane, silicone, etc., which can be formed into a relatively thin sheet, and which has heat resistance and a relatively high strength. The cover
4
is formed of a resin such as polyester, etc.
As shown in FIG.
10
(
a
), the bag
3
is formed in the shape of a thin, long band, and a gas inlet
3
a
is provided at the lower end thereof. As shown in FIGS.
10
(
c
) and
10
(
d
), the right side portion of the bag
3
is folded in the direction shown in FIG.
10
(
b
) along the folding line &agr; shown in FIG.
10
(
a
), which extends in the longitudinal direction of the bag
3
, at approximately one-third of the width from the right end. In addition, the left side portion of the bag
3
is folded in the direction shown in FIG.
10
(
d
) along the folding line &bgr; shown in FIG.
10
(
c
), which extends in the longitudinal direction of the bag
3
at the center in the width direction thereof in a state shown in FIG.
10
(
c
). Then, as shown in FIG.
9
(
a
), the bag
3
is stored in the webbing
2
in such a manner that the longitudinal direction of the bag
3
is along the longitudinal direction of the webbing
2
.
Under normal conditions, the flat, band-like shape of the webbing
2
and the bag
3
is maintained by the cover
4
. Part of the webbing
2
which is not the bag-like portion is wound by a seat belt retractor fixed at the bottom of the vehicle body and extends therefrom in a manner similar to, for example, the seat belt apparatus disclosed in the above-referenced publication. In addition, the bag-like portion of the webbing
2
which is extracted from the seat belt retractor is guided toward the occupant by a belt guide which is fixed to, for example, a center pillar, and extends to a tongue connected the webbing
2
.
In the air belt
1
having the above-described construction, when a gas supplied from an inflator is injected into the bag
3
via the gas inlet
3
a
, the bag
3
starts to inflate. Then, the webbing
2
also starts to inflate along with the bag
3
, and a sewing thread
5
a
in a sewn portion
5
of the cover
4
breaks as shown in FIG.
9
(
c
) due to the inflation force of the webbing
2
and the bag
3
. Thus, the cover
4
opens so that the webbing
2
and the bag
3
can further inflate.
However, in the above-described folding method of the bag
3
, since the bag
3
is folded along only the folding lines &agr; and &bgr; which extend in the longitudinal direction of the bag
3
, the length of the folded bag
3
is long. Accordingly, the bag
3
stored in the bag-like portion of the webbing
2
along the longitudinal direction of the webbing
2
extends over a relatively long area. In order to more effectively inflate the bag-like portion of the webbing
2
, the length of the bag
3
must be increased.
When the length of the bag
3
is increased, a part of the bag
3
slides inside the belt guide along with the webbing
2
, so that the belt cannot be smoothly extracted and retracted under normal conditions. In addition, since the bag
3
extends to the tongue, the webbing, which is slidably connected to the tongue, the tongue cannot be slid smoothly. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the belt and tongue cannot be easily operated.
In addition, in the bag contained in the conventional air belt, the volume to which the bag inflates is constant irrespective of the deceleration of the vehicle, (i.e., the inertia of the occupant), so that energy absorption effect (EA effect) cannot be obtained. Thus, in order to obtain EA effect, the bag
3
is provided with a vent hole through which the gas is expelled when inflation is completed. However, when the vent hole is provided in the bag
3
, the gas inside the bag
3
is expelled in a relatively short time. Thus, in the case in which, for example, a roll-over of the vehicle occurs and the occupant must be restrained for a relatively long time although the deceleration of the vehicle is less than that generated in a vehicle collision, there is a problem with conventional air belts in that there is a reduction in the restraining force applied to the occupant by the air belt.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above-described situation, an object of the present invention is to provide an air belt, in which the length of an inflating portion of a webbing can be increased and a belt and a tongue can be easily operated, and to an inflatable seat belt apparatus using the air belt.
In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air belt, in which reduction of the restraining force can be prevented when, for example, a roll-over of an vehicle occurs and the occupant is restrained for a relatively long time, and an inflatable seat belt apparatus using the air belt.
In order to solve the above-described problems, an air belt according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a webbing of which at least a part that comes into contact with an occupant is formed as a bag-like portion, and of which a band-like shape is maintained under normal conditions; a bag which is stored in the bag-like portion of the webbing in such a manner that the longitudinal directions of the ba
Kokeguchi Akira
Mishima Masaru
Culbreth Eric
Foley & Lardner
Takata Corporation
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