Airbag and airbag assembly

Abstract

An airbag and an airbag assembly. The airbag (10) is mounted at the rear portion of a vehicle cabin, and comprises: an air bag (11) having a deployed state and a stowed state. The airbag further comprises a shape limiting member arranged on the air bag. In the deployed state, the air bag has a first panel and a second panel opposite each other, and under the action of the shape limiting member, two opposite ends of the air bag move toward each other, such that the first panel (101) and the second panel (102) bulge towards the same side.

Description

Airbag and airbag assembly TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device in a vehicle, and more particularly, to an airbag and an airbag assembly. BACKGROUND

[0002] In consideration of a situation in which a vehicle is subjected to an impact, an airbag is widely used as a safety device for protecting an occupant in a conventional vehicle. The airbag includes, for example, an airbag disposed in a steering wheel, an airbag disposed in an instrument panel, and a roof airbag disposed in a roof of a vehicle. When a vehicle collides or is subjected to an impact, a gas generator of the airbag receives a signal transmitted via a wire harness connected to the gas generator, and thus is blasted. Then, gas generated by the blast inflates a folded airbag of the airbag, and the inflated airbag is expanded to protect an occupant from an impact.

[0003] However, protection of a rear occupant has been given a relatively low priority in the design of a safety device of a vehicle. In recent years, as new requirements for the evaluation of injuries of a rear occupant, including a child, are raised, protection of a rear occupant has been gradually emphasized.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide an airbag capable of protecting a rear occupant. SUMMARY

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag capable of protecting a rear occupant, and an airbag assembly including the same.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides an airbag installed at a rear portion of a passenger compartment, and including:

[0007] an airbag having an unfolded state and a stowed state,

[0008] wherein,

[0009] the airbag further includes a shape limiter provided on the airbag, the airbag having a first panel and a second panel opposite to each other when in the unfolded state, and the opposite ends of the airbag are brought close to each other by the shape limiter, such that the first panel and the second panel are bulged toward the same side.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape limiter includes a first shape limiter provided on an outer surface of one of the first panel and the second panel located inside the bulge.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the shape restrictor includes an inner pull strap positioned inside the airbag, the inner pull strap having a plurality of outer side ends fixed to an inner surface of one of the first panel and the second panel located outside the bulge and a plurality of inner side ends fixed to an inner surface of the other, and,

[0012] A distance between adjacent outer side ends is greater than a distance between adjacent inner side ends, or, during fixing of the inner pull strap to the airbag, the outer side ends of the same inner pull strap are fixed at a position higher than the inner side ends in a height direction of the airbag.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first shape restrictor is configured as a pleat portion that folds and fixes a portion of the airbag together, and,

[0014] The pleat portion is configured to have a multi-layer structure in which a portion of the airbag is folded and fixed in a thickness direction of the airbag, or the pleat portion is configured to have a multi-layer structure in which a portion of the airbag is folded and fixed in a height direction of the airbag.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, a first gas guide structure and a second gas guide structure are further included, the first gas guide structure is configured to guide gas entering the airbag first to a side direction and then to a lower direction, and the second gas guide structure is configured to guide gas entering the airbag from an upper side of the airbag to a lower side.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, each of the first gas guide structure and the second gas guide structure includes a non-inflatable zone or a line-shaped isolation band or a combination of both.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first gas guide structure and the second gas guide structure are spaced apart along a width direction of the airbag and divide the airbag into a plurality of chambers.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present application, a guide is further included, the guide is arranged at a communication port of the airbag and a gas generator, and the guide has a plurality of guide ports facing the plurality of chambers.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present application, the guide includes a pair of guide ports facing each other in a thickness direction of the airbag, and the pair of guide ports are positioned at the second gas guide structure.

[0020] A second aspect of the present application provides a safety airbag assembly,

[0021] It includes a rear seat and the airbag described in any of the preceding items, when in the deployed state, the airbag is positioned between the rear seat and a rear window glass, and the first panel and the second panel bulge toward the rear window glass. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Features, advantages, and technical and artistic effects of exemplary embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote like elements, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 schematically shows an airbag assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG. 2 schematically shows a deployed shape of an airbag according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG. 3 schematically shows an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG. 4 schematically shows an airbag according to a second embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 5 schematically shows an airbag according to a third embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 6 schematically shows an airbag according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of an airbag and an airbag assembly according to the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description and drawings are provided to illustrate the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited to the preferred embodiments described below, and each of the embodiments described in the present application can be used alone or in any combination. The scope of the present application is defined by the claims.

[0030] Further, spatially relative terms, such as "upper", "lower", "left", and "right", and the like, are used to describe the relative position of one element to another element as shown in the drawings. Thus, the spatially relative terms can be applied to the orientation of the elements in use, which is different from the orientation shown in the drawings. It is apparent that, although all these spatially relative terms refer to the orientation shown in the drawings for ease of explanation, those skilled in the art can understand that the orientation can be used in a direction different from the orientation shown in the drawings.

[0031] FIG. 1 schematically shows an airbag assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 schematically shows a deployed shape of an airbag according to an embodiment of the present application. Hereinafter, an airbag and an airbag assembly including the same according to an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the present application provides an airbag assembly 1 having an airbag 10. The airbag 10 is installed at the rear of a vehicle cabin 30 for protecting the passengers in the rear seat.

[0033] In some vehicles without a trunk, such as a minivan or a sport utility vehicle, the distance between the rear passengers in the vehicle cabin and the rear of the vehicle is short due to the absence of a trunk. Thus, in a rear-end collision, the rear of the vehicle is inevitably impacted, and the impact force is directly transmitted to the vehicle cabin, causing the rear passengers to hit their heads on the rear window glass. Even in a minor accident, such a collision can easily cause great damage to the fragile heads of the rear passengers, and thus, the rear passengers are not sufficiently protected in a rear-end collision.

[0034] In the airbag assembly 1 of the present application, the airbag 10 installed at the rear of the vehicle cabin can protect the rear passengers from hitting the rear window glass, and thus, the rear passengers are sufficiently protected. The airbag 10 of the present application is described in detail below.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the airbag 10 of the present application includes an airbag 11 having an expanded state and a stowed state, and a gas generator (not shown) for inflating the airbag 11 to expand the airbag 11 into the expanded state. In an embodiment of the present application, the airbag 10 can include only one gas generator for converting the airbag 11 from the stowed state to the expanded state. For clarity of the structure of the airbag 11, the airbag 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is in the expanded state. As shown in FIG. 1, when in the expanded state, the airbag 11 is positioned between the rear seat 20 and the rear window glass to protect the rear passengers from hitting the rear window glass.

[0036] In order to cause the airbag 11 to deploy from the roof of the passenger compartment toward the floor of the passenger compartment, the airbag 10 of the present application further includes a shape limiter provided on the airbag 11, which is configured to limit the deployment path of the airbag 11 during the inflation and deployment. Specifically, the deployment path is generally such that it extends from the passenger compartment toward the rear window glass first, then toward the floor of the passenger compartment, and then toward the rear seat. In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, when in the deployed state, the airbag 11 is generally C-shaped, and bulges toward the rear window glass. The airbag 11 has a first panel 101 and a second panel 102, which can be two identical panels and are arranged one above the other in the thickness direction of the airbag 11, and then the edges of the two panels are fixed to each other to define a closed internal space of the airbag 11. Under the action of the shape limiter, the opposite ends of the airbag 11, i.e., the upper end 11A and the lower end 11B, are close to each other, so that the first panel 101 and the second panel 102 bulge toward the same side, that is, they bulge toward the rear window glass. In other words, in FIG. 2, the right side of the airbag 11 is the side where the rear window glass is located, and the left side of the airbag 11 is the side where the rear seat 20 is located, so that the first panel 101 of the airbag 11 is located on the inner side of the bulge, and at the same time, the second panel 102 of the airbag 11 is located on the outer side of the bulge.

[0037] The shape limiter in the airbag 10 according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 3-6.

[0038] FIG. 3 schematically shows an airbag according to a first embodiment of the present application. The airbag according to the first embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, the shape-restricting member includes three inner straps 111 positioned inside the airbag 11, and the three inner straps 111 are arranged independently of each other. Alternatively, the three inner straps 111 are identical and arranged parallel to each other. Further, both ends of each inner strap 111 are fixed to the first panel 101 and the second panel 102, respectively. Further, the end of the inner strap 111 fixed to the first panel 101 is defined as an inner end 111A, and the end of the inner strap 111 fixed to the second panel 102 is defined as an outer end 111B, since the first panel 101 is located on the inside of the bulge of the airbag 11 when the airbag 11 is deployed, and the second panel 102 is located on the outside of the bulge of the airbag 11 when the airbag 11 is deployed. In particular, for each inner strap 111, the end of the inner strap 111 fixed to the second panel 102 is higher than the end fixed to the first panel 101. That is, the outer end 111B of the same inner strap 111 is fixed to a position higher than the inner end 111A. When the side of the airbag 11 having the recessed space is defined as the inside of the bulge, and the side of the airbag 11 having the convex portion is defined as the outside of the bulge, the outer end of the same inner strap 111 fixed to the inner surface of the panel on the outside of the bulge of the airbag 11 is higher than the inner end fixed to the inner surface of the panel on the inside of the bulge of the airbag 11. In this way, during the deployment of the airbag 11, the portion of the second panel 102 of the airbag 11 close to the lower edge (i.e., the portion between the lower end of the lowermost inner strap 111 and the lower edge) is longer than the portion of the first panel 101 of the airbag 11 close to the lower edge (i.e., the portion between the lower end of the lowermost inner strap 111 and the lower edge), and thus, a more obvious bending around the lower end of the inner strap 111 can be generated under the action of the inner strap 111.

[0040] As an alternative, the airbag 10 of the present application can also be configured such that the ends of the inner straps 111 fixed to the first panel 101 in FIG. 3 are gathered together, while the ends of the inner straps 111 fixed to the second panel 102 are dispersed, i.e., the inner straps 111 are arranged radially in the direction from the first panel 101 to the second panel 102. In this way, by setting the distance between adjacent outer ends 111B of the inner straps 111 to be greater than the distance between adjacent inner ends 111A, the bulge during the deployment of the airbag 11 can also be formed.

[0041] Optionally, the airbag 10 can further include a first gas guiding structure 114 and a second gas guiding structure 115 disposed inside the airbag 11, the first gas guiding structure 114 being configured to guide the gas entering the airbag 11 first to the side and then to the bottom, and the second gas guiding structure 115 being configured to guide the gas entering the airbag 11 from the top of the airbag 11 to the bottom. As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag 10 includes two first gas guiding structures 114, one of which is configured to guide the gas entering the airbag 11 first to the left and then to the bottom, and the other of which is configured to guide the gas entering the airbag 11 first to the right and then to the bottom. The gas guiding structure 114 includes a non-inflated area on the airbag 11 and a gas guiding passage defined by the non-inflated area, and it can be appreciated that the non-inflated area and the gas guiding passage defined thereby constitute a gas guiding structure capable of dispersing a large amount of gas entering the airbag in a very short time, thereby increasing the stability and uniformity of the airbag deployment. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the airbag 11 can include two square-shaped non-inflated areas spaced apart in the width direction of the airbag, and the gas guiding passages defined by the non-inflated areas can also be considered as chambers in fluid communication with each other.

[0042] Optionally, the airbag 11 can further include a guide 12 disposed at the communication port of the airbag 11 and the gas generator, and the guide 12 has a plurality of guide ports facing the plurality of chambers. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide 12 can include four gas ports, one of which is in fluid communication with the gas generator, and the other three of which are in fluid communication with the two gas guiding structures 114 and the one gas guiding structure 115, respectively.

[0043] FIG. 4 schematically shows an airbag according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 schematically shows an airbag according to a third embodiment of the present application. The airbags according to the embodiments of the present application will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shape-restricting member can be a first shape-restricting member provided on the outer surface of the first panel 101, and the first shape-restricting member is provided as a pleat 111'. Specifically, the first shape-restricting member is configured as the pleat 111' that folds and fixes a portion of the air bag 11 together, and the pleat 111' can have a multi-layer structure. As shown in FIG. 4, as one example, the pleat 111' can be configured as a multi-layer structure that folds and fixes a portion of the air bag 11 in the thickness direction of the air bag 11; as shown in FIG. 5, as another example, the pleat 111' can also be configured as a multi-layer structure that folds and fixes a portion of the air bag 11 in the height direction of the air bag 11. In this way, during the unfolding of the air bag 11, the first panel 101 is not fully unfolded due to the pleat 111', while the second panel 102 is fully unfolded, so that the air bag 11 is in a bulging state in the unfolded state.

[0045] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, each of the first gas guide structure 114 and the second gas guide structure 115 includes the non-inflated area 112 and the strip-shaped isolation belt 113, the pleat 111' is spaced apart from each of the first gas guide structure 114 and the second gas guide structure 115 in the height direction of the air bag 11, and the non-inflated area 112 and the strip-shaped isolation belt 113 are also spaced apart in the height direction of the air bag 11. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the non-inflated area in FIG. 4 has a smaller area, however, the non-inflated area 112 in combination with the strip-shaped isolation belt 113 can also limit the unfolding thickness of the air bag 11; in addition, since the gas guide channel is also defined between the non-inflated area 112 and the strip-shaped isolation belt 113, the gas entering the air bag 11 can also flow sideways after flowing downward through the first gas guide structure 114 and the second gas guide structure 115, further dispersing the gas entering the air bag 11, further increasing the stability and uniformity of the air bag unfolding.

[0046] Additionally optionally, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the first gas guide structure 114 and the second gas guide structure 115 includes only the non-inflated area 112 without the strip-shaped isolation belt, the pleat 111' is spaced apart from the non-inflated area 112 in the height direction of the air bag 11, and the non-inflated area 112 has a larger area to extend from the upper side area to the lower side area of the air bag 11. Therefore, the gas entering the air bag 11 is guided to the left side or the right side first through the first gas guide structure 114, and then to the lower side, and is guided to the lower side through the second gas guide structure 115.

[0047] As another alternative, the first shape restricting member can further include an outer pull strap (not shown) provided outside the first panel 101. In this case, during the unfolding of the airbag 11, the upper end and the lower end of the airbag 11 are brought close to each other by the action of the outer pull strap, and the airbag 11 forms a concave space at the first panel 101, whereby the unfolded airbag 11 is in a convex shape.

[0048] In addition, as an alternative to the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, as shown in Fig. 6, the guide 12 includes a pair of guide openings 121 opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the airbag 11, and the pair of guide openings 121 are positioned at the second air guiding structure 115. In this way, when the gas generator inflates the airbag 11, the gas first enters the middle portion of the airbag 11 via the second air guiding structure 115, so that the airbag 11 unfolds from the middle portion first, before the two sides.

[0049] Therefore, by providing the first air guiding structure and the second air guiding structure, the airbag can be stably and quickly unfolded.

[0050] As described above, although the exemplary embodiments of the present application have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the description, the present application is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, and the scope of protection of the present application should be defined by the claims and their equivalent meanings.

Claims

1. An airbag (10) installed at a rear portion of a vehicle cabin, comprising: an airbag (11) having an unfolded state and a stowed state, characterized in that the airbag (10) further comprises a shape restriction member provided on the airbag (11), the airbag (11) has a first panel (101) and a second panel (102) opposite to each other when in the unfolded state, and the opposite ends of the airbag (11) are brought close to each other by the shape restriction member, so that the first panel (101) and the second panel (102) are bulged toward the same side. the shape restriction member comprises a first shape restriction member provided on an outer surface of one of the first panel (101) and the second panel (102) inside the bulge. the shape restriction member comprises an inner strap (111) positioned inside the airbag (11), the inner strap (111) has a plurality of outer side end portions (111B) fixed on an inner surface of one of the first panel (101) and the second panel (102) outside the bulge and a plurality of inner side end portions (111A) fixed on an inner surface of the other panel, and the distance between adjacent outer side end portions (111B) is greater than the distance between adjacent inner side end portions (111A), or, during the fixing of the inner strap (111) to the airbag (11), the outer side end portions (111B) of the same inner strap (111) are fixed at a position higher than the inner side end portions (111A) in the height direction of the airbag (11).

2. The airbag (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first shape restriction member is configured as a pleat portion (111') in which a portion of the airbag (11) is folded and fixed together, and 3. The airbag (10) according to claim 1, wherein the pleat portion (111') is configured as a multi-layer structure in which a portion of the airbag (11) is folded and fixed in the thickness direction of the airbag (11), or the pleat portion (111') is configured as a multi-layer structure in which a portion of the airbag (11) is folded and fixed in the height direction of the airbag (11). a first gas guide structure (114) and a second gas guide structure (115) provided inside the airbag (11) are further included, the first gas guide structure (114) is configured to guide the gas entering the airbag (11) first to the side and then to the lower side, and the second gas guide structure (115) is configured to guide the gas entering the airbag (11) from the upper side of the airbag (11) to the lower side.

4. The airbag (10) according to claim 2, wherein each of the first gas guide structure (114) and the second gas guide structure (115) comprises a non-inflatable area (112) or a line-shaped partition (113) or a combination of both. the first gas guide structure (114) and the second gas guide structure (115) are spaced apart along the width direction of the airbag (11) and divide the airbag (11) into a plurality of chambers.

5. The airbag (10) according to claim 4, wherein ​ 6. The airbag (10) according to claim 5, wherein ​ 7. The airbag (10) according to claim 6, wherein ​ 8. The airbag (10) according to claim 7, wherein Further included is a guide (12) arranged at a communication port of the gas pocket (11) and a gas generator, and the guide (12) has a plurality of guide ports (121) facing the plurality of chambers.

9. The airbag (10) according to claim 8, wherein The guide (12) includes a pair of guide ports (121) opposite to each other in a thickness direction of the gas pocket (11), and the pair of guide ports (121) are positioned at the second gas guide structure (115).

10. An airbag assembly (1), characterized in that including a rear seat and the airbag (10) according to any one of claims 1-9, when in a deployed state, the gas pocket (11) is located between the rear seat (20) and a rear window glass, and the first panel (101) and the second panel (102) are bulged towards the rear window glass.

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