Patent ID: 7905513
Filing Date: 2011-03-15
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A side impact airbag apparatus for a vehicle having seats for seating occupants thereon, the side impact apparatus comprising: an inflator that discharges inflation gas in response to an impact applied to the vehicle; an airbag incorporating the inflator in a rear portion, the airbag being folded to form a storage state; and a storage portion located in the vicinity of an outer side of an occupant when seated on a vehicle seat, in which the storage portion stores the inflator and the airbag when the airbag is in the storage state, wherein the side impact airbag apparatus uses the inflation gas discharged from the inflator to inflate and deploy the airbag into a space between a body side portion of the vehicle and the vehicle seat while unfolding the airbag, and wherein the airbag in the storage state is formed by bringing a front portion of the airbag in a deployed state that is forward of the inflator into a transitional form elongated substantially in an up-down direction by folding the airbag from front toward rear, and folding in a bellows-like manner a lower portion of the airbag in the transitional form that is below the inflator from bottom toward top such that folded sections are substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction and are stacked in the storage state in the up-down direction.