Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1991-11-05
1994-05-17
Focarino, Margaret A.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
139291C, 139291R, 139 1R, 428 349, 428 357, 428 66, B60R 2120
Patent
active
053121325
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention comprises a gas cushion, in particular for the safety system of vehicles, as well as a method for its manufacture and an apparatus for accomplishing the method.
From the German Patent DE-OS 21 21 793 a gas cushion is already known as well as a method and device for its manufacture. The gas cushion so manufactured is relatively flat and insofar as a safety system of a vehicle is concerned it is not adequate.
On the other hand it is known to manufacture gas cushions for safety systems of vehicles, so-called air bags, which however result in relatively complicated blanks and stitching work in order to achieve the convex shape necessary for such air bags.
It is an object of the present invention to form a gas cushion that can be manufactured in a simple manner without complicated blanks and stitching and to specify as well a corresponding method and a device for its manufacture.
The object according to the present invention is achieved: joined with one another along their periphery by a stitch seam; strips are positioned in overlying relationship and are joined together along a predetermined stitch seam to form a cushion-shaped section by shrinking the fabric strips in selected regions; and with shrinking of the strips in selected regions.
Advantageous embodiments of the gas cushion are described in further detail below.
Therefore, in a gas cushion whose fabric blanks are joined together along its periphery through a mutual interweaving of seams with one another and having shrunken side regions which lie at least in the warp thread direction, a convex, voluminous form is obtained without the required additional stitch work. Although the shrinkage in the warp thread direction is preferred, it is also possible to have shrinkage exclusively or additionally in the weft direction. The weaving together of the fabric strips and the shrinkage of the side regions can be produced in a continuous process whereby not only a convex gas cushion is produced that is suitable as an air bag for a safety system of a vehicle, but also a gas cushion that is manufactured simply, fast and economically in few work steps with almost no additional processing. The gas cushion can consist of a shape that is rectangular or circular in form, or any other desired shape.
It is particularly appropriate if the gas cushion is configured such that the transition from the side regions to the center region is continuous. Another embodiment is also appropriate whereby in the middle region of the gas cushion an indentation is produced which is especially desirable even for air bags in order to give a person to be saved in a vehicle improved lateral support in case of need. One such profiling of a gas cushion constitutes an improvement by utilizing a reinforcing thread to impart shape to the cushion. In another embodiment the addition of pleats makes possible a further profiling of the gas cushion if the shrunken side regions should not be adequate for this purpose.
In another embodiment of the gas cushion, the shrinkage in stages at the interwoven seams, particularly if they are loosely woven there, yields on the one hand a great firmness and on the other hand high density of the seam.
In still a further embodiment the upper, more dense fabric blank holds a person to be secured more safely in case of need; however the looser weaving of the lower fabric blank permits a certain release of the gases so that particularly with a sudden inflation of the gas cushion the accompanying impact is halted and the holding effect of the gas cushion is reduced gradually through escape of gases through the lower fabric blank. This is desirable since the maximum holding force of the gas cushion in a safety system of a vehicle is only necessary for the moment of the accident of the vehicle following which, however, the holding force should again be reduced in order to be able to set free the protected person or to set him free.
In still a further embodiment not only the cutting of a gas cushion from a fabric strip is facilitated but also at the same time
REFERENCES:
patent: 4825912 (1989-05-01), Fleury et al.
patent: 4844957 (1989-07-01), Hoffman
patent: 4894265 (1990-01-01), Chang et al.
patent: 4921735 (1990-05-01), Bloch
patent: 5052447 (1991-10-01), Speich
"System Breitenbach-Finishing Machine HA84-400-60" Brochure.
Dickson Paul
Focarino Margaret A.
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