Patent ID: 7322606
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: B60J,B60R

Abstract:
1. An occupant protection apparatus adapted to cover a window in a vehicle, comprising: a window peripheral edge including an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, the window being defined between the lower edge portion and the upper edge portion of the window peripheral edge; a cover sheet having an upper side part and a lower side part, for covering almost a whole area of the window, wherein the cover sheet is accommodated in the lower edge portion of the window peripheral edge such that the lower side part of the cover sheet as a stationary side is fixed substantially entirely along the lower edge portion of the window peripheral edge, and the upper side part of the cover sheet as a moving side to be pulled is located adjacent to the lower side part by folding the cover sheet; and a pulling unit including a pulling string having flexibility and a pulling device disposed below the window to pull the pulling string, wherein one end of the pulling string as a fixed end is fixed to a first side upper end portion of the window peripheral edge located on one of a front and rear sides of the window, another end of the pulling string as a proximal end is led to the pulling device through the lower edge portion of the window peripheral edge and a second upper end portion of the window peripheral edge located on the other of the front and rear sides of the window peripheral edge, and the pulling string is slidably guided around a support member provided at the second upper end portion of the window peripheral edge to reverse a pulling direction of the pulling string; wherein when the pulling unit is activated, the pulling string is pulled to the pulling device to be linearly led between the first upper end portion and the second upper end portion, whereby the pulling string lifts the moving side of the cover sheet from the lower edge portion of the window peripheral edge top spread the cover sheet from the lower edge portion of the window to cover the window; wherein the cover sheet includes a passageway portion through which the pulling string is slidably inserted in a vicinity of a front side and a rear side of the upper side part of the cover sheet, the passageway portion is accommodated before the pulling string is activated.