403 results about "Lateral airbag" patented technology

A side air bag device includes an inflator arranged in a backrest of a seat for discharge gas, an air bag having an upper chamber and a lower chamber which are each inflated by discharging gas, and an impact reducing means reducing means ror reducing impact that is applied to a passenger when the air bag contacts the passenger during inflation of the air bag.

A vehicle side airbag apparatus includes a resin seat frame that includes a recess that is elongated in a vehicle top-bottom direction, and that opens to a vehicle front side; a module casing that is disposed inside the recess and includes an outer side wall and an inner side wall that are arranged in parallel with each other, and extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, the outer side wall being disposed outside the inner side wall in a vehicle width direction, in a horizontal sectional view; and a side airbag stored in a folded manner within the module casing. In at least one of the outer side wall and the inner side wall, a low rigidity portion is provided in an area including an entirety of, or a portion of a region that overlaps with an iliac crest of a seated occupant in a side view.

A seat 10 with a side airbag has front and side reinforcement fabrics 21a and 21b covering a front and a side of an airbag unit 22, respectively. These reinforcement fabrics are joined to each other so as to be deployed at an inflating position of an airbag 20 by virtue of an inflating force. The front reinforcement fabric 21a and a front skin 13a are joined to each other so as not to be broken at the inflating position P by virtue of the inflating force. A side skin 13b is provided on an outside of a shape retaining member 23 that is provided on an outside of the side reinforcement fabric 21b, and the side reinforcement fabric 21a and the side skin 13b are joined to each other so as not to be broken at the inflating position P by virtue of the inflating force.

A vehicle seatback assembly includes a seatback side support that has a frame member that extends. A suspension component extends forward from the side support to define a peripheral gap. An airbag module is operably coupled to the frame member. A first trim piece conceals a rear area of the frame member and extends forward over the airbag module. A second trim piece is coupled to a forward portion of the frame member and is detachably coupled with the first trim piece along a seam. The airbag module is deployable forward through the seam to move the second trim piece into the peripheral gap.

A vehicle seat and integrated side impact protection system includes a seat bottom, a seat back movably attached to the seat bottom, and a fold-flat mechanism within a lower portion of the seat back for permitting movement of the seat back between a seating configuration and a fold-flat configuration. An airbag module is located within an upper portion of the seat back adjacent the outboard side thereof and includes a side airbag and an inflator supplying inflation gasses. A lap belt extends between inboard and outboard sides of the seat and has an inflatable portion adjacent the outboard side of the seat. A gas conduit extends between the airbag module and the lap belt for conducting gasses released by the inflator to the inflatable portion of the lap belt. The gas conduit has a flexible portion permitting folding movement of the seat back.

A rear seat side airbag device includes a cover, a case that is attached to a back side of the cover and a comb teeth-like holding member and is formed by assembling these constituent components together. A breakable portion is formed at a position on the cover which corresponds to the case. In this breakable portion, a first thin portion, which constitutes a breakage initiating position, is formed so as to extend in a vertical direction along a corner portion on a side of the cover which faces a rear seat. In addition, to correspond to the position of the first thin portion, the case is provided such that a first side wall on which a plurality of fragile portions are formed is positioned on a side thereof which faces the rear seat and a second side wall on which a rigid portion is provided is positioned on a side thereof which faces a door trim.

A seat mounted side impact airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle has an airbag with a first inflation chamber for engaging the pelvic region of the vehicle occupant and a second inflation chamber for engaging the thoracic region of the vehicle occupant. The inflation chambers are separated by a chamber separator. An inflator provides inflation gas to fill the airbag housed in a tubular housing manifold having a first aperture and a second aperture. The housing manifold is shaped to retain the inflator and create two discrete flows of inflation gas. A first flow of inflation gas goes into the first inflation chamber via the first aperture and a second flow of inflation gas goes into the second inflation chamber via the second aperture. The chamber separator is tightly sealed around the housing manifold to prevent the first flow and second flow to pass into the other inflation chamber. The chamber separator may be rubber coated with the housing manifold having a recess adapted to accept and hold the chamber separator sealed in a gas tight manner around the exterior of the housing manifold.

A child seat includes a seat body having a seat portion, a rear portion, and left and right side panels; airbags to be inflated at sides of a head of a child; and hollow cushions disposed along inner surfaces of the side panels. When an automobile equipped with the child seat collides, the airbags are inflated at the sides of the head of the child, so that an impact applied to the head is absorbed. Furthermore, the cushions absorb a large impact from sides in a side collision and the like. The cushions are preferably disposed below regions where the airbags are inflated. The cushions receive a part of the child other than the head to absorb the impact.

A vehicle seat apparatus for absorbing different types of forces, shocks, and vibrations commonly encountered in different types of vehicle accidents and sudden hard braking of a vehicle. The vehicle seat apparatus includes a seat cushion, a seat back cushion, a bottom support structure, a top plate, a ball bearing housing containing a plurality of ball bearings, a plurality of shock absorbers, a plurality of linkage rods, and a pulley system. The top plate is adapted for sliding over the ball bearings in a lateral, forward, and / or rearward direction in response to a vehicle accident or to a sudden hard braking of the vehicle. The vehicle seat apparatus may further include at least one seat restraint and at least two lateral side air bags.

A vehicle seat includes a seatback having a support structure with a rigid frame member that extends within a side of the support structure. A side airbag assembly includes an airbag coupled with the frame member. First and second trim pieces engaged along a seam to conceal the airbag. A flange protrudes along an edge of the first trim piece and a cavity extends along the second trim piece to matably engage the flange. A retention slot is disposed on a wall of the cavity and an attachment element protrudes adjacent to the flange to frictionally engaging the retention slot. The attachment element is configured to disengage from the retention slot upon deployment of the airbag forward through the seam.

A side airbag device having a plurality of chambers. The side airbag 100 includes: an inflator 110; a rear chamber 114 which deploys at a side part 108 of a seat back 106 and a middle restraining part 122 that protrudes toward the front of a vehicle and a main part 120 at a rear side. A sectioning wall 124 which constitutes a front edge and an upper edge of the rear chamber 114. A front chamber 116 inflates into areas toward the front of the vehicle and the upper part of the vehicle from the sectioning wall 124. An upper opening 126 is formed on the sectioning wall 124 in a rear part of the upper edge of the rear chamber 114. A lower opening 128 is formed on the sectioning wall 124 in a lower part of the front edge of the rear chamber 114.

A pyrotechnic side impact inflator is provided for inflating a side airbag in an automobile. The inflator has a few number of physical components and has a tubular shape. The inflator has an igniter that directly ignites the main gas generant in the inflator. The burning of the gas generant produces combustion products or inflation gas that is utilized to inflate a folded airbag. The inflation gas travels in a tortuous path in the inflator, which reduces the kinetic energy associated with the gas molecules thereby cooling the inflation gas.

In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides a side airbag for protection of a vehicle occupant. The side airbag is adapted to be inflated by gas from an inflator. The side airbag comprises a side panel which forms an exterior of the side airbag. The side panel defines a vent hole for venting the gas to outside the side airbag. A closing panel is disposed about the vent hole. The closing panel is configured such that the vent hole is unobstructed to vent the gas during inflation of the side airbag until the side airbag is substantially inflated. The side and closing panels cooperate to obstruct the vent hole with the closing panel such that the gas is substantially not vented. When the side airbag is obstructed from substantially inflating, for example due to the proximity of an out-of-position occupant, the vent hole remains unobstructed to vent the gas.

In a side airbag system (10), a tether portion (22), which serves as a partition between an upper bag portion (16) and a lower bag portion (18), is formed of upper regions (34U) of a piece of lower base fabric (34), and is formed by sewing the upper regions (34U) of the lower base fabric (34), folded toward a vehicle front side along a fold axis, together. In addition, a tube (24) that distributes inflation gas between the upper bag portion (16) and the lower bag portion (18) extends through the tether portion (22) to the lower bag portion (18) and to the upper bag portion (16). The tube (24) is formed into a cylindrical shape in such a manner that a piece of tube base fabric (36) is sewed to the upper regions (34U) of the lower base fabric (34) and folded toward a vehicle front side along the fold axis and then front ends (36F) of the folded tube base fabric are sewed together in a tube longitudinal direction.

A side airbag system (12) for a vehicle is provided. The side airbag system (12) includes a seatback frame (16) having a front side (20), a rear side (22), and an outboard side (24). The outboard side (24) of the seatback frame (16) has an airbag module (26) coupled thereto and extending substantially outboard from the seatback frame (16). The airbag module (26) is positioned for deploying an airbag (30) substantially forward. The rear side (22) of the seatback frame (10) has a rear cover panel (40) attached thereon. This rear cover panel (40) is a one-piece element for covering the airbag module (26) and both the rear side (22) and the outboard side (24) of the seatback frame (16). The system (12) also includes foam cushion padding (34), which is deformed by the airbag (30) upon its deployment.

An airbag module for deploying an inflatable cushion along an interior side of a vehicle, the airbag module comprising: a first inflatable cushion providing a first inflatable portion when inflated; an inflator for providing an inflation force to the first inflatable cushion in accordance with a predetermined activation event; and a fluid dispersing conduit for providing the inflation force to the first inflatable cushion, the fluid dispersing conduit being in fluid communication with the first inflatable cushion and the inflator wherein the fluid dispersing conduit comprises a portion disposed between the inflator and the first inflatable cushion, wherein the portion provides a means for increasing an inflatable coverage of the airbag module by providing an area disposed between the first inflatable cushion and the inflator, wherein the area is capable of being converted into a diffuser opening for a second inflatable cushion, wherein the second inflatable cushion is inflated by the inflation force and the second inflatable cushion provides a second inflatable portion when inflated, the second inflatable portion being smaller than the first inflatable portion.

An occupant restraint system includes an airbag having at least one vent hole and an inflator. The airbag is inflated by a gas generated by the inflator when there is a vehicle collision, and deploys into a curtain shape along an inner side face of an occupant compartment. Since the vent holes, through which gas is discharged from an inflatable part of the airbag, are made to open downward at the lower edge of the airbag, not only is it possible to reliably prevent the inflatable part from being excessively inflated, and thereby from becoming hard resulting in a failure to gently restrain an occupant, but also it is possible to prevent the vent holes from being blocked by the vehicle body or an occupant, thus reliably exhibiting a gas discharge function and preventing the gas discharged though the vent holes from directly impinging on the occupant.

Aside airbag has a lower chamber corresponding to the chest of the occupant and an upper chamber corresponding to the head of the occupant. A strap is provided at the boundary between the lower and upper chambers. The attachment position of a door-side attachment portion of the strap is higher than the attachment position of a seat-side attachment portion of the strap and lower than the upper end of a door trim or at the same height as the upper end of the door trim. Thus, the peripheral length from the upper end of a door-side base cloth of the side airbag to the door-side attachment portion of the strap is shorter than the peripheral length from the upper end of a seat-side base cloth of the side airbag to the seat-side attachment portion of the strap. As such, upon deployment of the side airbag, the upper chamber can be raised up toward a door window glass.

The seat back of a vehicle seat includes a lateral airbag in a casing which is integrated into the seat back and which has a front face with an exit opening for the airbag. The cover of the seat back includes a slot in corresponding relationship to the exit opening and the edges of the slot are fixed to the casing on respective opposite sides of the exit opening.

An improved side airbag (10) is provided for enhancing protection of a vehicle occupant's thorax and simultaneously displacing the vehicle occupant (14) away from door intrusion. This improved side airbag (12) is an inflatable bag having a thorax-cushioning portion (16) and a pelvis-pushing portion (18) adjacent to the thorax-cushioning portion (16). The thorax-cushioning portion (16) has a first predetermined stiffness for cushioning a thorax region of the vehicle occupant (14) while the pelvis-pushing portion (18) has a second predetermined stiffness for displacing the vehicle occupant (14) away from the door intrusion. The second predetermined stiffness of the pelvis-pushing portion (18) is greater than the first predetermined stiffness of thorax-cushioning portion (16).

Provided is an automobile side airbag guide plate including support brackets disposed at both sides of a center pillar, fixed to an inner panel between a roof panel and a head liner, and supporting a lower part of an airbag module, wherein each of the support brackets includes a vertical part fixed to the inner panel between the roof panel and the head liner, and a horizontal support part extending from the vertical part to support the lower part of the airbag module fixed to the inner panel.

A seat with a side airbag for vehicles is disclosed, which is constructed such that an airbag cushion is deployed through a connection portion formed between a front seat cover and a side seat cover. A guide tape may be attached on the side seat cover. The guide tape extends a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle towards the connection portion between the front seat cover and the side seat cover.

A seat mounting structure is disclosed for reducing injury to vehicle occupants in side impact collisions. The seat mounting structure may include an inflation module, a linkage system, a sensor system, and a side airbag. The inflation module may include an inflatable structure and inflator or a piston device. The linkage system attaches the seat mounting structure to a seat and may help guide the movement of the seat. The sensor system may include a radar sensor and an optical sensor to help the sensor system anticipate an impending side impact. The seat mounting structure mitigates injury to the occupant by moving the occupant vertically up and laterally toward a centerline of the vehicle, thus increasing the space between the sidewall of the vehicle and the occupant. Additionally, the inflation module may comprise an inflatable structure that stiffens a floor structure of the vehicle upon inflation.

A structure for guiding deploy of an airbag on a seat of a vehicle includes a sewing pattern at a side of a seat back that corresponds to a deploy direction of the airbag; a cover sewn together with the sewing pattern, an end of the cover extending toward an airbag module; and a secondary cover attached to the cover and mounted to the airbag module. The cover may have a greater tensile strength than a tensile strength of the seat cover. The connector may include a female part with a hooked end and a blocking protrusion, and a male part with a blocking protrusion configured to be inserted into the blocking protrusion of the female part.

An occupant restraint system includes an airbag having at least one vent hole and an inflator. The airbag is inflated by a gas generated by the inflator when there is a vehicle collision, and deploys into a curtain shape along an inner side face of an occupant compartment. Since the vent holes, through which gas is discharged from an inflatable part of the airbag, are made to open downward at the lower edge of the airbag, not only is it possible to reliably prevent the inflatable part from being excessively inflated, and thereby from becoming hard resulting in a failure to gently restrain an occupant, but also it is possible to prevent the vent holes from being blocked by the vehicle body or an occupant, thus reliably exhibiting a gas discharge function and preventing the gas discharged though the vent holes from directly impinging on the occupant.