Patent ID: 6341797
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An air bag system including an air bag to be deployed upon a lateral collision of an automobile, comprising:a seatback of a seat in an automobile, the seatback having, in a transverse direction of the automobile, an outer end portion thereof comprising: a seatback frame; a front pad in front of the seatback frame, the front pad having a front transverse portion and a lateral portion rearwardly projecting from a transversely outer end of the front transverse portion; and an outer cover covering an outside of the front pad, the outer cover having a sewn portion at a front end of a lateral portion thereof covering the lateral portion of the front pad; an air bag having a breast protecting portion and a head protecting portion connected to each other to be sequentially deployed; an inflator for inflating the air bag; and a resin-make tubular housing member installed between the seatback frame and the front pad for accommodating therein a combination of the air bag and the inflator, the tubular housing member having in the transverse direction of the automobile an outer lateral side interconnecting outer ends of front and rear transverse sides thereof, the tubular housing member comprising: a fixed portion fixed to the seatback frame; a front side portion including the front transverse side and a front part of the outer lateral side facing the lateral portion of the front pad; a rear side portion including the rear transverse side; and a splitting-opening portion formed in a rear part of the outer lateral side, the splitting-opening portion comprising mating end portions of the front side portion and the rear side portion of the tubular housing member configured, when the combination of the air bag and the inflator is accommodated in the tubular housing member, to engage with each other in an opposing manner and when the air bag is inflated, to separate from each other so that the tubular housing member opens and the front side portion thereof extends toward the sewn portion of the outer cover, breaking the front pad, and guides the air bag to deploy along the extending front side portion and through the sewn portion of the outer cover.