Patent ID: 7651123
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. An airbag for being deployed toward a vehicle occupant, the airbag comprising: a first lateral airbag section for being deployed in a forward longitudinal direction toward one side of the vehicle occupant, the first lateral airbag section having an upper edge and a lower edge vertically spaced from each other; a second lateral airbag section for being deployed in a forward longitudinal direction toward the other side of the vehicle occupant, the second lateral airbag section having an upper edge and a lower edge vertically spaced from each other; a connector for interconnecting middle portions of the first and second lateral airbag sections spaced from the respective upper and lower edges thereof; a first elongated body formed by folding of the first lateral airbag section about a plurality of fold lines in a predetermined fold sequence; an upper roll folded portion of the first elongated body generally above the connector that is sequentially roll folded from the top edge down toward the connector starting the roll fold about an uppermost one of the fold lines and progressing downwardly about equally spaced ones of the fold lines toward the connector so that the upper roll folded portion has a predetermined vertical width; a lower accordion folded portion of the first elongated body generally below the connector that is accordion folded about unequally spaced ones of the fold lines in both upward and downward directions so that the lower accordion folded portion has a predetermined vertical width; a second elongated body formed by folding of the second lateral airbag section about a plurality of fold lines in a predetermined fold sequence; an upper roll folded portion of the second elongated body generally above the connector that is sequentially roll folded from the top edge down toward the connector starting the roll folding about an uppermost one of the fold lines and progressing downwardly about equally spaced ones of the fold lines toward the connector so that the upper roll folded portion has a predetermined vertical width; a lower accordion folded portion of the second elongated body generally below the connector that is accordion folded about unequally spaced ones of the fold lines in both upward and downward directions so that the lower accordion folded portion has a predetermined vertical width; a predetermined first one of the unequally spaced fold lines of each of the lateral airbag sections generally extending in the longitudinal direction between a rearward position and the connector with the lateral airbag sections being folded initially about the predetermined first ones of the fold lines for forming the lower accordion folded portions of the first and second elongated bodies; and a predetermined second one of the unequally spaced fold lines of each of the lateral airbag sections generally extending in the longitudinal direction with the lateral airbag sections being folded next after the initial fold about the predetermined second ones of the fold lines for forming the lower accordion folded portions and having a vertical spacing from the corresponding predetermined first one of the unequally spaced fold lines that is substantially equal to a vertical spacing between adjacent ones of the equally spaced fold lines of the lateral airbag sections so that the predetermined vertical widths of the upper and lower folded portions of the first and second elongated bodies are substantially the same.