Source: http://www.freshpatents.com/Side-airbag-apparatus-dt20080403ptan20080079249.php
Timestamp: 2013-05-22 12:01:02
Document Index: 799623979

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 28', 'art 28', 'art\n28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'arts 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28']

Side Airbag Apparatus n/a views for this patent on FreshPatents.comupdated 05/17/13
Patents sorted by company.	04/03/08 | Class 280 Monitor | RSS | Browse: Prev - Next Side airbag apparatus Abstract: A side airbag apparatus includes an inflator and an airbag that is inflated and deployed by gas generated by the inflator to protect an occupant seated on a seat. The airbag includes a lumbar region protecting section, which primarily protects the lumbar region of the occupant. Prior to the inflation and deployment, the airbag is accommodated in the backrest in a state where a part including the lumbar region protecting section is folded back in a direction toward the rear of the vehicle. This configuration prevents the inflation of the airbag from being hindered and allows the airbag to properly protect the lumbar region of the occupant. ...
Agent: Posz Law Group, PLC - Reston, VA, USInventor: Daisuke YamamuraUSPTO Applicaton #: #20080079249 - Class: 2807302 (USPTO) - 04/03/08 - Class 280 The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080079249, Side airbag apparatus.
[0001]The present invention relates to a side airbag apparatus for
protecting an occupant seated on a seat in the passenger compartment of a
[0002]The type of side airbag apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open
Patent Publication No. 2005-047471 is commonly known. This type of side
airbag apparatus has an airbag that is inflated and deployed in an
emergency to protect a part of the body of an occupant seated on a seat
from the thorax to the lumbar region. Prior to inflation and deployment,
the airbag is accommodated in a backrest of the seat in a folded state.
Specifically, an upper portion of the airbag, which includes a thorax
protecting section for primarily protecting the occupant's thorax, and a
lower portion of the airbag, which includes a lumbar region protecting
section for primarily protecting the occupant's lumbar region, are each
folded on to a center portion of the airbag. Then, the airbag is further
folded along vertically extending fold lines to form an accordion-like
shape. When supplied with gas from an inflator, the airbag folded in the
above manner is first unfolded toward the front of the vehicle in the
accordion-folded portion. Then, as the accordion-folded portion is
unfolded, the folded back upper and lower portions of the airbag are
[0003]Focusing on the lower portion of the airbag, which includes the
lumbar region protecting section, the lower portion is inflated and
deployed downward. Therefore, if an obstacle such as a piece of baggage
placed on the seat exists in the way of inflation and deployment of the
airbag lower portion, the airbag press the obstacle downward. In this
case, the inflation of the airbag lower portion is hampered by the
obstacle. This can cause the airbag to insufficiently protect the lumbar
region of the occupant.
[0004]Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide
an airbag apparatus that prevents the inflation of an airbag from being
hampered, thereby properly protecting the lumbar region of an occupant by
[0005]To achieve the foregoing objective and in accordance with one aspect
of the present invention, a side airbag apparatus for a vehicle is
provided. The vehicle has in a passenger compartment a seat including a
backrest. The apparatus includes an inflator and an airbag that is
inflated and deployed by gas generated by the inflator to protect an
occupant seated on the seat. The airbag includes a lumbar region
protecting section that primarily protect the lumbar region of the
occupant. Prior to the inflation and deployment, the airbag is
accommodated in the backrest in a state where a part including the lumbar
region protecting section is folded back in a direction toward the rear
[0006]Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent
from the following description, taken in conjunction with the
[0007]The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may
[0008]FIG. 1A is a side view illustrating a side airbag apparatus
according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a state where an
airbag is inflated and deployed;
[0009]FIG. 1B is a side view illustrating the side airbag apparatus of
FIG. 1A, in a state where the airbag is accommodated in a backrest;
[0010]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1A;
[0011]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1A;
[0012]FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are perspective views for explaining a folding
procedure of the airbag of the side airbag apparatus shown in FIG. 1A;
[0013]FIGS. 7A and 7B are a bottom view and a side view illustrating a
portion of the side airbag apparatus shown in FIG. 1A at which the airbag
and an inflator are attached to the backrest;
[0014]FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an airbag in a folded
state of a side airbag apparatus according to another embodiment of the
[0015]FIGS. 9A and 9B are a side view and a bottom view illustrating a
portion of a side airbag apparatus according to another embodiment of the
present invention at which an airbag and an inflator are attached to a
[0016]A side airbag apparatus 20 according to one embodiment of the
present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 7B.
[0017]As shown in FIG. 1A, a seat 10 located in the passenger compartment
of a vehicle includes a backrest 11 supporting the back of an occupant P
and a seat cushion 12 supporting the buttocks of the occupant P. The side
airbag apparatus 20 is accommodated in a side portion of the backrest 11.
The side airbag apparatus 20 has an inflator 21 and an airbag 22. When an
impact sensor (not shown) detects that the magnitude of an impact applied
to a vehicle side portion 13 (see FIG. 2) is not less than a
predetermined value, the inflator 21 generates gas. The gas generated by
the inflator 21 inflates and deploys the airbag 22 between an occupant P
seated on the seat 10 and a side portion 14 (see FIG. 2) of inner walls
defining the passenger compartment. This prevents the occupant P from
contacting the inner wall side portion 14, so that the impact applied to
the occupant P is reduced. That is, the occupant P on the seat 10 is
protected by the airbag 22.
[0018]The airbag 22 is formed, for example, by sewing a pair of fire-proof
flexible woven fabric sheets 22a, 22b with sewing threads 23 (see FIG.
2). The airbag 22 has a lower portion 24, which includes a lumbar region
protecting section for primarily protecting the lumbar region of the
occupant P, an upper portion 26, which includes a shoulder protecting
section for primarily protecting a shoulder of the occupant P, and a
center portion 25, which includes an abdomen protecting section for
primarily protecting the abdomen of the occupant P. The airbag 22 is
attached to the backrest 11 at an attachment portion 22c (see FIG. 4),
which is a part of the periphery of the airbag 22. Prior to inflation and
deployment, the airbag 22 is accommodated in the backrest 11 in a folded
state. A method for folding the airbag 22 will be described later.
[0019]As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an inflation limiting seam 27 is formed
in the center portion 25 of the airbag 22. When the airbag 22 is inflated
and deployed, the inflation limiting seam 27 limits the flow of gas to a
part of the center portion 25 that contacts a door trim 15 protruding
into the passenger compartment from the inner wall side portion 14.
Specifically, the inflation limiting seam 27 limits the flow of gas from
the inflator 21 so that the gas flows to the lower portion 24 of the
airbag 22. Accordingly, the center portion 25 of the airbag 22 is
prevented from being excessively expanded, so that the center portion 25
is not strongly pressed against the abdomen of the occupant P and the
door trim 15.
[0020]As shown in FIGS. 1A and 3, the inflator 21 is located in the airbag
22 such that its longitudinal axis is substantially agrees with the
vertical direction. Bolts extending from the inflator 21 are inserted
through and fastened to a seat frame 16 of the backrest 11, so that the
inflator 21, together with the airbag 22, is fixed to the backrest 11.
When the inflator 21 generates and ejects gas, the airbag 22 starts being
inflated and deployed. In the present embodiment, a gas outlet 21a (see
FIG. 1A) of the inflator 21 is oriented toward the lower portion 24 of
the airbag 22. Thus, the gas ejected from the inflator 21 first flows
into the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22, and to the center portion 25
and the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22 via the lower portion 24.
[0021]A method for folding the airbag 22 will now be described with
reference to FIGS. 4 to 7B.
[0022]First, the airbag 22 is folded along valley fold lines L1 and
mountain fold lines L2, which are alternately arranged at equal
intervals, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, so that an accordion-folded portion
28 is formed. In FIG. 4, the valley fold lines L1 are shown by dashed
lines, and the mountain fold lines L2 are shown by solid lines. The fold
lines L1 and L2 intersect a deployment direction C of the airbag 22 shown
by an arrow in FIG. 5. The deployment direction C of the airbag 22 is a
direction from the side portion of the backrest 11 toward the front of
the vehicle, and substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction.
[0023]As shown in FIG. 6, a first part 28a of the accordion-folded portion
28 that corresponds to the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22 is folded
back by 180 degrees in the deployment direction C, that is, toward the
front of the vehicle. On the other hand, a second part 28b of the
accordion-folded portion 28 that corresponds to the lower portion 24 of
the airbag 22 is folded back by 180 degrees in a direction opposite to
the deployment direction C, that is, toward the rear of the vehicle. The
airbag 22, which has been folded in this manner, is bound by a holding
member (not shown), so that the airbag 22 is not unintentionally
deployed. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the inflator 21,
together with the airbag 22, is fixed to the seat frame 16, so that the
airbag 22 is accommodated in the backrest 11.
[0024]The above described side airbag apparatus 20 operates in the
following manner. When the impact sensor detects that an impact equal to
or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the vehicle side
portion 13, an activation signal is sent to the inflator 21 through a
control circuit (not shown). Based on the activation signal, the inflator
21 generates and ejects gas to the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22. The
airbag 22 is inflated and deployed by the gas from the inflator 21.
[0025]More specifically, since the gas outlet 21a of the inflator 21 is
oriented toward the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22, the second part
28b of the accordion-folded portion 28 that corresponds to the lower
portion 24 of the airbag 22 is first inflated and deployed. During this
process, the folding back of the second part 28b toward the rear of the
vehicle is unfolded as a matter of course. The unfolding of the folding
back of the second part 28b occurs while the lower portion 24 of the
airbag 22 is still in the backrest 11. Thereafter, the lower portion 24
of the airbag 22 is inflated and deployed toward the front of the
vehicle. Therefore, even if an obstacle exists in a direction of
inflation and deployment of the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22, for
example, on the seat cushion 12, the airbag 22 is inflated and deployed
to push away the obstacle forward to an open space instead of pressing
the obstacle downward against the seat cushion 12. Even if the folding
back of the second part 28b is unfolded after the lower portion 24 of the
airbag 22 is moved to the outside of the backrest 11, the airbag 22 is
inflated and deployed forward or upward to push away the obstacle toward
an open space. The center portion 25 and the upper portion 26 of the
airbag 22 are inflated and deployed by gas that has flowed through the
lower portion 24 of the airbag 22. In the process, the folding back of
the first part 28a of the accordion-folded portion 28 toward the front of
the vehicle, which corresponds to the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22,
is unfolded. The main unfolding of the accordion-folded portion 28, that
is, the main deployment of the airbag 22 toward the front of the vehicle,
occurs after the folding backs of the first and second parts 28a, 28b of
the accordion-folded portion 28 are unfolded.
[0026]The present embodiment has the following advantages.
[0027]The lower portion 24 of the airbag 22, which includes the lumbar
region protecting section, is accommodated in the backrest 11 in a state
folded back toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, even if an
obstacle exists in a direction of inflation and deployment of the lower
portion 24 of the airbag 22, the airbag 22 is inflated and deployed to
push away the obstacle forward or upward to an open space, instead of
pressing the obstacle downward. Thus, the load-applied to the obstacle by
the airbag 22 and the load applied to the airbag 22 by the obstacle are
reduced. If the obstacle is successfully pushed away and removed, the
lumbar region of the occupant P is properly protected by the airbag 22.
[0028]The folding back of the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22 toward the
rear of the vehicle is achieved by folding back the part 28b, which is a
part of the accordion-folded portion 28 formed by accordion folding the
airbag 22 and corresponds to the lower portion 24 of the airbag 22,
toward the rear of the vehicle. The accordion-folding structure allows
the airbag 22 to be rapidly inflated and deployed toward the front of the
[0029]The upper portion 26 of the airbag 22, which includes the shoulder
protecting section, is accommodated in the backrest 11 in a state folded
back toward the front of the vehicle. Therefore, even if an obstacle
exists in a direction of inflation and deployment of the upper portion 26
of the airbag 22, the airbag 22 is inflated and deployed to push away the
obstacle forward or upward to an open space, instead of pressing the
obstacle downward. Thus, the load applied to the obstacle by the airbag
22 and the load applied to the airbag 22 by the obstacle are reduced. If
the obstacle is successfully pushed away and removed, the shoulder of the
occupant P is properly protected by the airbag 22.
[0030]The preferred embodiment may be modified as follows.
[0031]In the above embodiment, the lower portion 24, the center portion
25, and the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22 communicate with one
another. However, the boundaries of the portions 24 to 26 may be sewn or
bonded so that the portions 24 to 26 of the airbag 22 do not communicate
with one another. In this case, the internal pressure of each of the
portions 24 to 26 of the airbag 22 may be independently determined as
necessary. This configuration allows inflation and deployment of the
center portion 25 and the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22 to be
appropriately controlled as well as those of the lower portion 24.
[0032]The upper portion 26 of the airbag 22 does not necessarily have to
be folded back toward the front of the vehicle. For example, the upper
portion 26 may be tucked in the center portion 25 of the airbag 22. This
type of folding is called "cactus folding." In this case, deployment of
the upper portion 26 is not started until at least the accordion-folded
lower portion 24 of the airbag 22 has been unfolded. The unfolding of the
accordion-folded lower portion 24 is started substantially at the same
time as the folding back of the lower portion 24 toward the rear of the
vehicle is unfolded. Therefore, the lower portion 24 is reliably deployed
in an earlier stage than the upper portion 26. The cactus folding
described in this specification may be achieved by valley folding edges
122a, 122b of the airbag 122 at fold lines 123a, which are perpendicular
to the edges 122a, 122b as shown in FIG. 8.
[0033]If the airbag 22 has a relatively small volume and easily
accommodated in the backrest 11, the upper portion 26 of the airbag 22
does not need to be folded back.
[0034]In the above embodiment, the inflator 21 and the airbag 22 are fixed
to a surface of the seat frame 16 that faces a side of the vehicle.
However, the inflator 21 and the airbag 22 may be fixed to a surface of
the seat frame 16 that faces forward in the vehicle. In this case, the
part 28b of the accordion-folded portion 28 that corresponds to the lower
portion 24 of the airbag 22 is preferably folded back such that the
distal end of the part 28b is located lower than the inflator 21 as shown
in FIGS. 9A and 9B. This structure prevents the folded distal end of the
part 28b from being stuck between the inflator 21 and the seat frame 16.
[0035]The airbag 22 of the above embodiment has the lower portion 24,
which includes the lumbar region protecting section, the upper portion
26, which includes the shoulder protecting section, and the center
portion 25, which includes the abdomen protecting section. However, as
long as the airbag 22 has the lumbar region protecting section, the
shoulder protecting section and the abdomen protecting section may be
[0036]In the above embodiment, the airbag 22 is first accordion-folded,
and end portions of the accordion-folded airbag 22 are folded back.
However, the folding of the airbag 22 may be carried out in the following
manner. That is, the airbag 22 may be first rolled around an axis that is
perpendicular to the deployment direction C of the airbag 22 or folded in
half repeatedly along a fold line perpendicular to the deployment
direction C of the airbag 22, and then end portions of the rolled or
folded airbag 22 may be folded back.
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