Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to inflatable occupant restraints for automotive vehicles and, more particularly, to such restraints deployed on the sides of the vehicles. 
     2. Background Art 
     The use of inflatable occupant restraints, or air bags, in automotive vehicles has become common in the automotive industry. Most new vehicles are configured with inflatable occupant restraint systems which respond to frontal impacts. 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 a vehicle. 
     One of the areas of the vehicle under consideration for use of inflatable occupant restraints to decrease lateral loading is the interior side of the vehicle, for example, the area between the upper portion of an occupant and the vehicle side glass. A roof side rail mounted side inflatable restraint system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,459 (Daniel), assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which is adequate for that portion of the interior vehicle side between the A and B pillars. It has also been proposed to extend the side air bag system across pillars to form a curtain along a substantial portion of the vehicle side interior to provide a restraint for occupants in the first and second row of vehicle seats of passenger vehicles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. 6,152,482 (Patel et al), assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, merely extending the curtain air bag, in order to provide rollover protection in minivans and sport utility vehicle with a third row of seats, presents several problems including interference with air conditioning ducts located in the roof rail and in meeting time deployment criteria. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, an inflatable occupant restraint is provided for protecting occupants seated in the third row of an automotive vehicle. The proposed restraint does not deploy through the vehicle trim and is deployed within the time requirement necessary to protect occupants in the third row seats. The proposed restraint is provided in addition to the current curtain design protecting front and second row seat passengers. The proposed restraint can also be used in a rear lift gate with fixed glass for rear impact protection. The inflatable occupant restraint of the present invention includes a plurality of approximately vertically disposed inflatable restraint devices which are connected together and in a preferred embodiment are attached to the side of the vehicle between the C pillar and the D pillar. One or more horizontal tethers secured to the inflatable restraint devices and to the C and D pillars hold the devices in position prior to and after inflation of the devices. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an interior view of an automotive vehicle in which the inflatable restraint of the present invention is installed between the C and D pillars of the vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1 showing the inflatable restraint in a stowed position; 
     FIG. 3 is an interior view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the inflatable restraint in a deployed position; 
     FIG. 4 is a second embodiment wherein the inflator for the inflatable restraint is located above the window between the C and D pillars and behind the interior trim panel; and 
     FIG. 5 is a third embodiment in which the inflatable restraint of the present invention is located in the rear of the vehicle on the lift gate. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, an automotive vehicle  10 , such as a minivan or sport utility vehicle (SUV) is illustrated as having a passenger compartment, generally indicated at  12 , partially bounded on the top by a roof  14 , as is conventional in vehicle body construction. A roof rail  1   6  is fixedly secured to the roof  14  and to vertically extending pillars, including a forward-most A-pillar  18 , a B-pillar  20  generally adjacent the front seats (shown at  22 ), a C-pillar  24  rearward of the B-pillar  20 , and a D-pillar  26  which serves to support the roof in the compartment area rearward of the second row seating. Windows  28 ,  30 , and  32  either movable or fixed, are positioned between the pillars in a known manner. The roof support. pillars  18 ,  20 ,  24 , and  26 , the windows  28 ,  30 , and  32  and other body panels, including the vehicle doors  34 , 36  collectively comprise the vehicle body side. To provide an energy absorbing cushion between the passenger compartment  12 , forward of the C-pillar  24 , an inflatable restraint device (not shown) is carried within the roof rail  16 . A detailed description of a suitable device for protecting passengers in the first and second row of seats is described in my aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,482. 
     An inflatable restraint device generally designated  38  is provided in accordance with the present invention, to protect the passengers occupying the third row of seats in the vehicle from head injury or ejection during a collision. The device  38  comprises a plurality of device elements generally indicated at  40 ,  42  and  44  individually inflatable from an inflator  48  and gas duct  46  which are shown mounted behind the trim panel  47  beneath the window  32 . Alternatively, the inflator  48  and gas duct  46  may be mounted in the roof rail  16  behind trim paneling  47  as shown in FIG.  4 . Each element  40 , 42 , 44  is positioned approximately vertically within the passenger compartment adjacent the window  32  extending between the C-pillar  24  and the D-pillar  26 . One or more horizontally positioned tethers  50  and  52  are suitably secured to the pillar  24  at  54  and  56  respectively and to the pillar  26  at  58  and  60  respectively by, for example, weld nuts or any other suitable fastening device so that the elements are held against or in close proximity to the window  32  when in a stowed position and are maintained in proper position during inflation. 
     As used herein, the term “approximately vertical” refers to an orientation in which elements  40 , 42 , 44  have first ends located adjacent roof rail  16  and second ends located adjacent the lower extent of window  32 , so that the elements extend across the vertical dimension of the window. The elements  40 ,  42 , and  44  each include a plastic or cloth cover  62  encompassing an inflatable restraint or air bag  64  as shown in FIG.  2 . The inflator  48  is operatively connected with each air bag  64  by gas duct  46  to supply inflator gas and inflate each air bag concurrently. Inflator  48  may comprise a pyrotechnic gas generating device, a cold gas storage bottle, or any other appropriate gas source. During inflation, the air bags move from a stowed position shown in FIG. 1 to an inflated position shown in FIG.  3 . The tethers  50  and  52  may be formed of the same material as the,bags and are suitably attached to the rear of the bags and may be bonded to the glass window  32 . The tethers may also be constructed to inflate along with the elements  40 - 44 . 
     As shown in FIG. 5, a third embodiment of the invention is shown wherein like element are designated with the same numbers used in FIG.  1 . In this embodiment, the inflatable restraint device is positioned to provide rear impact protection. The device is located on the rear lift gate  66  against or in close proximity to the fixed window  68  and maintained in position by the tethers  50  and  52 . The device elements  40 - 44  substantially cover an area defined by the lift gate window when the elements are inflated. 
     While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.

Technology Category: b