Vehicle with inflatable occupant restraint

Abstract: An inflatable restraint device is provided for an automotive vehicle for operation between the upper portion of the vehicle occupant and the vehicle side. The device is an airbag assembly carried within and forming a structural part of the roof side rail (30) of the vehicle. The airbag assembly includes an inflator housing (46) positioned within the roof side rail (30) and a trim cover (66) overlies the roof side rail and defines a downward facing passage (70) so that inflation of an airbag (60) effects downward opening of the airbag (60) between the occupant seat the door and window of the vehicle.

Description: Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicles fitted inflatable occupant restraints and more particularly to such restraints deployed on the sides of the vehicles. Background of the invention The use of inflatable occupant restraints or airbags in automotive vehicles has become common in the automotive industry. Almost all inflatable occupant restraint systems presently available are configured to respond to frontal impacts. In response to changing governmental regulations and, more importantly, in order to enhance the energy absorbing capability of their products, the automotive industry has turned its attention to developing energy absorbing restraints responsive to excessive loading laterally of vehicles. One of the areas of the vehicle under consideration for possible use of inflatable occupant restraints is the area between the upper portion of an occupant and the vehicle side glass. Japanese patent application 3-276844 to Mazda Motor Corporation is exemplary of one approach to providing airbags in the space adjacent the upper portion of a vehicle occupant in the front seat of a vehicle. It disadvantageously uses two airbags, one carried adjacent the roof of the vehicle and one carried in the centre B-pillar of the vehicle, and both positioned on the outside of the adjacent body structure under a trim cover. British patent application GB-A-2 261 636, on which the preamble of claim is based, describes an air bag assembly for an automotive vehicle. The assembly is installed above the side window of the vehicle and includes an air bag that is capable of moving through an opening in an airbag container upon inflation. The airbag container has a cover for the container opening that rotates to a position along the window upon inflation of the air bag. The cover prevents the inflated bag from retraction through an open window from a position in which it can protect the head of a person sitting in the vehicle. The document JP-A-06-080057 relates to an airbag assembly for a front seat passenger sitting in a third central position between two other front seat passengers. The air bag assembly includes a folded air bag held within a container secured in a central position to the roof of the vehicle. Upon inflation, the air bag extends down from the roof to protect the central passenger. The other front seat passengers have their own individual air bag assemblies. Summary of the invention The disadvantages of the prior art devices are overcome in the present invention by the provision of an airbag assembly fixedly secured to the roof side rail of a vehicle and closing an aperture formed in the side rail to structurally complete it. Preferably, a trim cover is positioned adjacent the side rail and overlies the inflatable airbag of the airbag assembly, the trim cover defining a downwardly facing passage for directing the airbag between the occupant and the side of the vehicle. It is advantageous that a single airbag assembly carried within the roof side rail can deploy an airbag along the entire longitudinal extent of the passenger compartment, that is, the space occupied by the adjacent occupant. Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Figure 1 is an interior view of an automotive vehicle in which the inflatable restraint device of the present invention is installed. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the inflatable restraint device of the present invention in a deployed position. Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings and in particular to Figure 1, an automotive vehicle 10 includes a body 12 having a side wall 14. A door 16 with a window 17 acts as a closure panel with respect to the side wall 14 and is bounded on the forward end by an A-pillar 18 and on the rearward end by a B-pillar 20. The portion of the interior of the vehicle 10 in which a driver occupant is seated is illustrated in Figure 1 as the passenger compartment indicated generally at 22 bounded generally by a steering wheel 24 and a seat 26. The passenger compartment 22 is vertically bounded on its top by a roof 28 as is conventional in vehicle body construction. A roof side rail 30 is fixedly secured to the roof 28 and to the body side 14, as is well-known in modern unibody construction. To provide an energy absorbing cushion between the passenger compartment 22 and the body side 14 and roof 28, an inflatable restraint device 32 is carried within the roof side rail 30. Turning next to Figure 2, the roof side rail 30 is illustrated as comprising an outer panel 34 and inner panel 36 which are preferably conventionally secured together, as by welding, at flanges 38, 40. The outer panel 34 is configured to be convex outward as best seen in Figure 2, and the inner panel 36 is convex inward to define between the panels 34, 36 a chamber 42 which, in conventional construction, would define a box section. In order to implement the present invention, an elongated aperture 44 is provided through the inner panel 36 and the airbag assembly 32 overlies the aperture 44 to define a box section. The airbag assembly 32 preferably includes an inflator housing 46 having mounting flanges 48, 50 which receive fasteners, such as the typical fasteners indicated at 52, to permit fixed securement of the inflator housing 46 to the inner panel 36. The inflator housing 46 includes a propellant boss 54 housing stored gas or a gas generant as indicated diagrammatically at 56. The boss 54 advantageously projects outwardly with respect to the inner panel 36 within the box section between the panels 34, 36 of the roof side rail 30. Secured to an outer face 58 of the inflator housing 46 is a conventional airbag, indicated generally at 60, which is secured in known fashion as by fasteners 62 to the housing 46. The airbag 60 assumes a stored position in which it is folded concentrically about a discharge passage 64 from the inflator housing 46. Laterally inwardly of the airbag 60, a trim cover 66 is fixedly secured in a known manner, not shown, to a portion of the vehicle body 12 and is preferably formed of a flexible, resilient material such as a plastics material. The trim panel 66 includes a lower edge 68 arranged in laterally spaced relationship with respect to the flange 40 to define a downwardly facing passage 70. During an event in which operation of the airbag assembly 32 is effected, gases are generated or stored gases released through the discharge passage 64 into the airbag 60 to expand the airbag 60 from the stored condition shown in Figure 2 to its inflated condition as shown in Figure 3. During this inflation, the trim panel 66 flexes laterally inwardly, away from the roof side rail 30 to expand the passage 70 and permit the downward expansion of the airbag 60 substantially vertically spanning the window 17 adjacent the seat 26 and, because of the longitudinal dimensioning of the aperture 44, substantially filling the longitudinal extent of the passenger compartment 22 between the steering wheel 24 and the seat 26.

Claims: An automotive vehicle (10) having a body (12) including a passenger compartment (22) extending longitudinally of the vehicle with an upper end bounded by a roof (28) and a side bounded by a body side panel (14), the body further including a longitudinally extending roof side rail (30) fixedly secured to the roof (28) and the body side panel (14) and having walls (34,36) defining a box section (42), and an inflatable restraint device comprising an airbag assembly (32) secured to the roof side rail (30); characterised in that an elongate aperture (44) is provided in portions of said side rail walls (36) facing the passenger compartment (22) and in that the airbag assembly (32) includes a rigid housing (46) fixedly secured to said roof side rail (30) so as to close said aperture (44) formed in the side rail to structurally complete it, the housing (46) comprising an inflator portion (56) received through said aperture (44) and carried within said box section (42). An automotive vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated aperture (44) is longitudinally co-extensive with said passenger compartment (22). An automotive vehicle as defined in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a trim panel (26) positioned between said roof side rail (30) and said passenger compartment (22) and having a lower edge. An automotive vehicle as defined in claim 3, further comprising means defining a downwardly facing elongated passage (70) between said trim panel (26) lower edge and said passenger compartment. An automotive vehicle as defined in claim 4, and further comprising an airbag (60) folded in place in a stored position between said trim panel (26) and said roof side rail (30) adjacent said passage and expandable downwardly through said passage (70) to an inflated position. An automotive vehicle as defined in claim 5, wherein said trim panel (26) is formed as a resilient member operative to deflect away from said roof side rail (30) as said airbag expands to said inflated position. An automotive vehicle as defined in any preceding claim, wherein said airbag (30), when in said inflated position, covers the longitudinal extent of said passenger compartment.

Inventors: DANIEL ROGER P, DANIEL, ROGER P.
Applicants: FORD FRANCE, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD WERKE AG, FORD FRANCE S. A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B60R21
IPC codes: B60R21