Airbag

Abstract

Provided in the present invention is an airbag. The airbag comprises a gas bag having an unfolded state and a folded state, wherein the gas bag comprises a front panel, a rear panel and a pull strap, and when the gas bag is in the unfolded state, a recess is formed in the front panel; and the pull strap comprises a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the recess of the front panel in a first direction, the second end being connected to the rear panel in a second direction, and the first direction being different from the second direction, such that when the gas bag is in the unfolded state, the pull strap applies a force, towards an inner side of the gas bag, to the front panel in a twisted manner.

Description

airbags Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device in a vehicle, and in particular to an airbag. Background Art

[0002] In actual traffic accidents, two-vehicle collisions are very common. Therefore, airbags are widely used in existing vehicles as a safety device to protect occupants. Airbags include, for example, those located in the steering wheel, those located in the instrument panel, and overhead airbags located on the roof of the vehicle. When a vehicle collides or is impacted, the airbag's gas generator receives a signal transmitted via a wiring harness connected to the gas generator, causing it to explode. The gas generated by the explosion then rapidly inflates the folded airbag, which expands to protect the occupants from the impact.

[0003] Vehicle collisions include head-on collisions and oblique collisions. Oblique collisions are more likely to occur, as the front surface of the vehicle is impacted at an angle. During an oblique collision, the occupant's head and chest may slip out of the airbag's protective zone, thereby escaping the airbag's protective zone and striking other structures within the vehicle, causing injury. Therefore, conventional airbags have limited reliability and safety due to their difficulty in ensuring that the occupant remains within the airbag's protective zone during a collision.

[0004] Therefore, an airbag having higher safety, design flexibility and lower cost is desired.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides an airbag, which comprises:

[0007] An air bag having an expanded state and a stowed state,

[0008] in,

[0009] The air bag includes a front panel, a rear panel and a drawstring, and when in an unfolded state, a recessed portion is provided on the front panel;

[0010] The drawstring includes a first end and a second end, the first end is connected to the recessed portion of the front panel along a first direction, and the second end is connected to the rear panel along a second direction, and the first direction is different from the second direction, so that when the airbag is in a deployed state, the drawstring applies a force to the front panel toward the inner side of the airbag in a twisting manner.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air bag further comprises a first side panel and a second side panel, and the first side panel and the second side panel are respectively connected to opposite sides of the front panel and the rear panel.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the front panel and the rear panel are formed of a first fabric, the first side panel is formed of a second fabric, and the second side panel is formed of a third fabric, and the second fabric and the third fabric are respectively connected at opposite edges of the first fabric and are arranged to be completely identical or mirror-symmetrical.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first fabric is configured in a long strip shape and has narrower ends and an expanded section located between the ends, and the expanded section is used to form the recessed portion.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first direction is defined as a vertical direction, and the second direction is defined as a horizontal direction, and the first end of the drawstring is twisted a quarter of a turn relative to the second end.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the airbag further includes a lower extension portion, and when in the deployed state, the lower extension portion is located at a lower side of the recessed portion.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the second fabric and the third fabric includes a main body and a first branch portion and a second branch portion connected to the main body, the first branch portion is used to define the recessed portion together with the expansion section of the first fabric, and the second branch portion is used to define the lower extension portion together with the end portion of the first fabric.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first fabric includes a first marking portion and a second marking portion, the first marking portion is positioned on the expansion section for connecting the first end of the drawstring, and the second marking portion is positioned at a certain distance from the first marking portion for connecting the second end of the drawstring.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the draw tape is formed of a fourth fabric, the first end of the draw tape is constructed to form a predetermined angle with the width direction of the draw tape, and the first marking portion and the second marking portion are respectively constructed to have sizes corresponding to the first end and the second end of the draw tape.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gas generator is further included which is arranged at the rear panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The features, advantages and technical effects of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same symbols indicate the same elements, wherein:

[0021] FIG. 1 shows an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a method for manufacturing an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following describes specific embodiments of the airbag according to the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description and accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate the principles of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described herein. The various embodiments described herein may be used individually or in any combination. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims.

[0024] In addition, spatially relative terms (such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right") are used to describe the relative positional relationship of an element shown in the drawings to another element. Therefore, the spatially relative terms can be applied to orientations different from those shown in the drawings when used. Obviously, although all of these spatially relative terms refer to the orientations shown in the drawings for ease of description, those skilled in the art will understand that orientations different from those shown in the drawings can be used.

[0025] Fig. 1 shows an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention. The airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 .

[0026] As shown in FIG1 , an airbag 1 of the present invention includes an airbag 10 and a gas generator (not shown). The airbag 10 has a deployed state and a stowed state. The gas generator is used to inflate the airbag 10 to expand the airbag 10 into the deployed state. To clearly illustrate the structure of the airbag 10, FIG1 shows the airbag 10 in the deployed state. The right side of the airbag 10 shown in FIG1 is intended to face the occupant during use.

[0027] Continuing with FIG1 , it can be clearly seen that the airbag 10 includes a front panel 11, a rear panel 12, and a drawstring 15. When the airbag 10 is deployed, the front panel 11 is provided with a recessed portion 111 for accommodating the passenger's head. In one example, an inflator can be provided in the rear panel 12. Specifically, the inflator can inflate the airbag 10 through vents in the rear panel 12.

[0028] The drawstring 15 includes a first end 151 and a second end 152. In the airbag 1 of the present invention, the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 is connected to the recessed portion 111 of the front panel 11 along a first direction, and the second end 152 is connected to the rear panel 12 along a second direction. In the embodiment shown in FIG1 , the first direction is defined as the vertical direction, and the second direction is defined as the horizontal direction. In this case, the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 is twisted a quarter turn relative to the second end 152. Of course, this is merely an example, and the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 may be twisted more turns relative to the second end 152. More specifically, as clearly shown in FIG1 , the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 is vertically connected to a section of the front panel 11 approximately midway along the width of the section. This allows the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 to exert a force toward the interior of the front panel 11 when the airbag 10 is inflated and deployed, thereby forming the recessed portion 111 in the front panel 11. The recessed portion 111 forms a fold along the height direction of the airbag 10 via the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 (at the position indicated by the vertical line in FIG1 ). This fold divides the recessed portion 111 into two substantially symmetrical portions along the width direction of the airbag 10. It will be appreciated that because the recessed portion 111 is recessed relative to the other two portions at the fold, when a passenger's head is accommodated in the recessed portion, the passenger's head is prevented from moving along the width direction of the airbag 10 and sliding off the airbag 10, for example, in the event of an oblique collision.

[0029] It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely illustrative, and the first direction is not limited to the horizontal direction, and the second direction is not limited to the vertical direction. In the airbag of the present invention, the first and second ends of the drawstring are defined so that the first direction is different from the second direction. This ensures that, when the airbag is deployed, the drawstring can exert a twisted force on the front panel toward the inside of the airbag. It should be understood that at least a portion of the drawstring in the twisted state is in, or approximately in, a vertical orientation. When the airbag deploys, since a portion of the drawstring is vertically oriented, the drawstring has greater freedom of movement in the width direction of the vehicle when a passenger contacts the airbag. Thus, in an oblique collision, since the vehicle itself rotates in the width direction, an airbag with a drawstring portion vertically oriented tends to rotate synchronously with the vehicle, preventing the passenger's head from dislodging from the airbag and potentially coming into hard contact with components within the vehicle.

[0030] Furthermore, when the aforementioned airbag is installed, for example, in the dashboard to protect the front passenger, the occupant's head moves largely in sync with the vehicle before a collision. During a collision, the vehicle's direction and speed may change dramatically and suddenly. When such a collision triggers the airbag to deploy, the bag accelerates in a specific direction of the vehicle, namely, from the dashboard to the rear. Because the collision itself changes the vehicle's direction of travel, the occupant may no longer move in sync with the vehicle, even with the restraints of a modern three-point seatbelt. Furthermore, the occupant may suffer some degree of injury when impacting the airbag's airbag. For example, the occupant's head may undergo rotational acceleration relative to the spine due to the impact with the airbag's airbag. This rotational acceleration or deceleration may cause injury to the occupant. In other words, when the occupant impacts the airbag's airbag, the occupant's head may experience significant rotation or twisting, potentially causing injury. For example, when a front passenger moves forward during a collision and strikes the airbag's airbag, the occupant's head may rotate about its longitudinal axis with considerable force. Therefore, it is necessary for the airbag to have the function of reducing the rotation speed of the occupant's head during a collision event to reduce the risk of traumatic head / brain injury caused by the occupant's rapid head rotation. The airbag of the present invention has the above function, which will be described in detail below.

[0031] As shown in FIG1 , in the airbag 10 of the present invention, a low fabric tension region is created within the recessed portion 111 and a high fabric tension region is created in the surrounding area. Specifically, the low fabric tension region is located at the connection point of the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 of the airbag 10, and the high fabric tension region is located on both sides of the recessed portion 11 of the front panel 11. The low fabric tension region can reduce the possibility of the airbag 10 causing the occupant's head to rotate. The high fabric tension region provides support to prevent or limit the occupant from rushing out of the airbag 10. Therefore, in the airbag of the present invention, the airbag provided with the recessed portion can accommodate the occupant's head and provide support to the side of the head to offset forces on the head that may cause the head to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the head's longitudinal axis, thereby reliably protecting the occupant.

[0032] 1 , the airbag 10 further includes a lower extension portion 112. When deployed, the lower extension portion 112 is located below the recessed portion 111. It is understood that the lower extension portion 111 of the airbag 10 can be used to protect the passenger's abdomen.

[0033] In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the air bag 10 further includes a first side panel 13 and a second side panel 14, and the first side panel 13 and the second side panel 14 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12. The front panel 11, the rear panel 12, the first side panel 13 and the second side panel 14 jointly define the air bag 10, and the first side panel 13 is connected (for example, via a stitch) at one side edge of the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12, and the second side panel 14 is connected (for example, via a stitch) at the other side edge of the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12 are formed from a first fabric 100, the first side panel 13 is formed from a second fabric 200, and the second side panel 14 is formed from a third fabric 300. The second fabric 200 and the third fabric 300 are respectively connected to opposite edges of the first fabric 100. The second fabric 200 and the third fabric 300 can be arranged to be completely identical. Of course, the second fabric 200 and the third fabric 300 can also be arranged to be mirror-symmetrical, which is not limited to the airbag of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the airbag of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0034] FIG2 shows a method for manufacturing an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method for manufacturing an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG2 .

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2 , first, four fabrics are provided, namely, a first fabric 100 , a second fabric 200 , a third fabric 300 , and a fourth fabric 400 .

[0036] The first fabric 100 is configured as an elongated strip and has narrower ends and an expanded section 101 located between the ends. The expanded section 101 is used to form the aforementioned recessed portion 111. The first fabric 100 includes a first marking portion 102 and a second marking portion 103. The first marking portion 102 is located on the expanded section 101 and is used to connect to the first end 151 of the draw strap 15. The second marking portion 103 is located a certain distance from the first marking portion 102 and is used to connect to the second end 152 of the draw strap 15. The first marking portion 102 and the first end 151 of the draw strap 15 are of the same size, and the second marking portion 103 and the second end 152 of the draw strap 15 are of the same size.

[0037] The second fabric 200 and the third fabric 300 are constructed as two identical pieces of fabric. Taking the second fabric 200 as an example, it includes a main body 201 and a first branch portion 202 and a second branch portion 203 connected to the main body 201. As shown in Figure 1, the first branch portion 202 is used to jointly define the above-mentioned recessed portion 111 with the expansion section 101 of the first fabric 100, and the second branch portion 203 is used to jointly define the lower extension portion 112 with the end portion of the first fabric 100.

[0038] Furthermore, the fourth fabric 400 is used to form the drawstring 15. The fourth fabric 400 has a left end 401 and a right end 402. The left end 401 corresponds to the first end 151 of the drawstring 15, and the right end 402 corresponds to the second end 152 of the drawstring 15. It can be clearly seen that the left end 401 of the fourth fabric 400 is arranged at an angle relative to its width, and the right end 402 of the fourth fabric 400 is arranged substantially along its width. Thus, the first end 151 of the drawstring 15 is configured to form a predetermined angle with the width of the drawstring 15. It can be understood that by adjusting the predetermined angle formed by the first end of the drawstring relative to the width of the drawstring, the depth of the recessed portion 111 in the height direction of the airbag 10 can be adjusted, further enhancing the design flexibility of the airbag of the present invention.

[0039] The method for manufacturing an airbag of an airbag according to an embodiment of the present invention further comprises the following steps:

[0040] Six characteristic points, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6, are marked on the side of the first fabric 100;

[0041] Mark three characteristic points, C1, C2, and C3, on the side of the second fabric 200, and mark three characteristic points, B1, B2, and B3, on the side of the third fabric 300;

[0042] Mark four feature points D1, D2, D3, and D4 on the side of the fourth fabric 400;

[0043] Make points A1, A2, A3 coincide with points B1, B2, B3, and then connect (e.g., sew or glue) edge lines A1A2A3 and B1B2B3 together; and make points A4, A5, A6 coincide with points C1, C2, C3, and then connect (e.g., sew or glue) edge lines A4A5A6 and C1C2C3 together.

[0044] Make points D1 and D2 coincide with points A7 and A8, respectively, and connect (e.g., sew or glue) edge lines D1D2 and edge lines A7A8 together; and make points D3 and D4 coincide with points A9 and A10, respectively, and connect (e.g., sew or glue) edge lines D3D4 and edge lines A9A10 together.

[0045] It should be noted that the above-described method for manufacturing the airbag of the present invention is merely an example, and those skilled in the art may adjust or even delete the order of the steps of the above method according to actual conditions.

[0046] Therefore, in the airbag according to the present invention, the number of fabric pieces used in the airbag is relatively small, and the overall shape of the airbag can be changed by individually designing each fabric, thereby improving the design flexibility of the airbag and enabling the airbag of the present invention to adapt to different usage environments and dashboards of different vehicles.

[0047] As mentioned above, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An airbag (1), comprising: An airbag (10) having a deployed state and a stored state. Characterized in that: The airbag (10) includes a front panel (11), a rear panel (12), and a pull strap (15). When in the deployed state, a recess (111) is provided at the front panel (11). The pull strap (15) includes a first end (151) and a second end (152). The first end (151) is connected to the recess (111) of the front panel (11) along a first direction, and the second end (152) is connected to the rear panel (12) along a second direction. Moreover, the first direction is different from the second direction, such that when the airbag (10) is in the deployed state, the pull strap (15) applies a force towards the inner side of the airbag (10) to the front panel (11) in a twisted manner.

2. The airbag (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The airbag (10) further includes a first side panel (13) and a second side panel (14), and the first side panel (13) and the second side panel (14) are respectively connected to opposite sides of each of the front panel (11) and the rear panel (12).

3. The airbag (1) according to claim 2, wherein, The front panel (11) and the rear panel (12) are formed of a first fabric (100), the first side panel (13) is formed of a second fabric (200), and the second side panel (14) is formed of a third fabric (300). Moreover, the second fabric (200) and the third fabric (300) are respectively connected to opposite edges of the first fabric (100) and are set to be exactly the same or mirror-symmetrical.

4. The airbag (1) according to claim 3, wherein, The first fabric (100) is configured in a long strip shape and has a narrow end portion and an inflated section (101) located between the end portions, and the inflated section (101) is used to form the recess (111).

5. The airbag (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The first direction is defined as the vertical direction, and the second direction is defined as the horizontal direction, and the first end (151) of the pull strap (15) is twisted by a quarter turn relative to the second end (152).

6. The airbag (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The airbag (10) further includes a downward extension portion (112). When in the deployed state, the downward extension portion (112) is located below the recess (111).

7. The airbag (1) according to claim 6, wherein, Each of the second fabric (200) and the third fabric (300) includes a main body portion, a first branch portion, and a second branch portion connected to the main body portion. The first branch portion is used to jointly define the recess (111) with the inflated section (101) of the first fabric (100), and the second branch portion is used to jointly define the downward extension portion (112) with the end portion of the first fabric (100).

8. The airbag (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The first fabric (100) includes a first marking portion (102) and a second marking portion (103). The first marking portion (102) is positioned on the expansion section (101) for connecting the first end (151) of the drawstring (15). And the second marking portion (103) is positioned at a certain distance from the first marking portion (102) for connecting the second end (152) of the drawstring (15).

9. The airbag (1) according to claim 8, wherein, The drawstring (15) is formed of a fourth fabric (400). The first end (151) of the drawstring (15) is configured to form a predetermined angle with the width direction of the drawstring (15). And the first marking portion (102) and the second marking portion (103) are respectively configured to have dimensions corresponding to the first end (151) and the second end (152) of the drawstring (15).

10. The airbag (1) according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes a gas generator provided at the rear panel (12).

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