Patent ID: 8181989

Claim:
A side airbag apparatus for protecting an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle, comprising: an airbag that is formed by laying a pair of fabric main portions on top of each other in the width direction of the vehicle and joining the fabric main portions to each other at peripheries; an inflator that is located inside and in a rear section of the airbag, the inflator having a gas outlet, wherein, in response to an impact from a side applied to the vehicle, the inflator jets inflation gas from the gas outlet, thereby inflating and deploying the airbag toward the front of the vehicle in a space between the occupant seated in the vehicle seat and a body side portion of the vehicle; and a reinforcing fabric sheet having a pair of reinforcing fabric portions, the reinforcing fabric portions being laid on the inner surfaces of the fabric main portions, wherein the reinforcing fabric portions extend to a position forward of a center portion of the fabric main portions in a front-rear direction from rear sections of the fabric main portions, which are located outside of the reinforcing fabric portions, front ends of the reinforcing fabric portions being joined to the fabric main portions by front joint portions, and wherein at least one of the reinforcing fabric portions has a hole at a position between the rear end of the reinforcing fabric portion and the front joint portions, wherein the airbag has an internal joining portion for connecting the fabric main portions to each other at a position forward of the center in the front-rear direction while bringing the fabric main portions close to each other, the internal joining portion having a rear end, wherein the front end of each reinforcing fabric portion is located between the fabric main portions and at a position where the internal joining portion is located, wherein the hole is located between the rear end of the internal joining portion and the rear end of the reinforcing fabric portion in which the hole is provided.