The present invention relates generally to air bags of the type utilized in vehicle occupant restraint systems.
Motor vehicles in service today are commonly equipped with air bag systems to supplement the protection provided by seatbelts. These air bag systems utilize at least one folded air bag in fluid communication with a source of inflation gas. A sensor is provided to detect a collision between the vehicle and another object. When such a collision is detected, the sensor actuates the source of inflation gas. As a result, the air bag is rapidly expanded to absorb at least a portion of the collision force that would otherwise have been imparted to the vehicle occupant.
Traditionally, a folded air bag is housed in the steering wheel and expanded when a collision is detected so as to protect the driver. A second air bag has been housed in the dash to protect an occupant located in the front passenger seat. In either of these cases, it is important to design the air bag such that it will quickly deflate after it is inflated by the inflation gas. As a result, the air bag will collapse in a controlled manner as it is impacted by the vehicle occupant. Adequate support will thereby be provided to the vehicle occupant without excessive rebounding.
Due to various considerations, driver side air bags and passenger side air bags have often been constructed of different materials. For example, passenger side air bags have often been constructed of uncoated fabric. Driver side air bags, in contrast, have frequently been constructed of a base fabric woven from either nylon or polyester yarns, which has been coated with an appropriate elastomeric material to reduce permeability. Both passenger side and driver side air bags are often equipped with relatively large vent holes through which the inflation gas is expelled.
In addition to driver side and passenger side air bags, many vehicles are now being equipped with air bags known as side cushions (or “side bags”), side curtains, or both. Side cushions are typically mounted in the outboard side of the seat, whereas side curtains are typically mounted along the roof rail of the vehicle. The side cushions are useful in protecting the middle and lower abdomen region of the occupant's body. Side curtains shield against breaking window glass and offer a degree of protection to the occupant's head.
In contrast to driver side and passenger side air bags, both side cushions and side curtains must remain inflated for relatively lengthy periods of time for continuous protection of the vehicle occupants. This is because the side of the vehicle is vulnerable upon impact to penetration of another vehicle or object. Thus, it is not unusual for vehicle manufacturers to require devices designed for side impact protection to remain inflated for several seconds.
The art has provided three primary techniques for the production of side curtains. The first such technique is to produce a one-piece side curtain using a jacquard loom. The one-piece curtain is coated with a suitable silicone or urethane material to increase its air holding capability. A layer of nonwoven material may be provided on the outside of the curtain nearest the door window to inhibit glass penetration. While these cushions have worked well for their intended purpose, the use of jacquard looms is not without disadvantages.
For example, jacquard looms are generally much more expensive than standard flat weaving equipment. In addition, due to the nature of the jacquard weaving process, a fabric defect often results in loss of the entire bag. There is also difficulty in keeping the bag at the correct dimensions because the dimensions are produced in the weaving process itself. Moreover, it is relatively difficult to coat a one-piece bag.
The second technique used to produce side curtains is the traditional “cut and sew” method. According to this technique, pieces of precoated fabric are cut and sewn together to yield a bag of the desired shape. Because seams are stitched through the coated fabric, however, the traditional cut and sew technique produces holes in the coated fabric that can give rise to air leakage. To alleviate this problem, the seams are often treated with a silicone spray or adhesive to plug the sew holes. In addition, the cut and sew technique is relatively labor intensive, and can produce undesirable variations from bag-to-bag when complex sewing patterns are required.
A third technique involves the production of side curtains using flat fabric coated with urethane. One advantage of urethane-coated fabric is that it can be welded to itself using RF or ultrasonic technology, thus eliminating the need to puncture the coated fabric with a needle as it is seamed. The pieces are still cut as in the cut and sew technique, however, and seamed together using a seaming machine that is operated in a manner similar to a traditional sewing machine.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others, of prior art constructions and methods.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing an air bag for use in a motor vehicle.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing a coated air bag.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing an air bag for use in a side impact protection system.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a plurality of air bags.
Some of these objects are achieved by a method of manufacturing a plurality of air bags for use in a motor vehicle. One step of the method involves juxtaposing a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer, with each of the fabric layers being of a type of fabric suitable for use in a vehicle air bag. The first and second fabric layers are then seamed together according to a predetermined seaming pattern so as to produce a composite textile structure defining a plurality of individual air bags (such as side curtain air bags) to be cut therefrom. A further step of the method involves cutting the plurality of individual air bags from the composite textile structure.
It will often be desirable to accomplish the seaming step by stitching. Both sides of the composite textile structure can then be coated with a suitable coating material, such as a silicone coating material. In other cases, the first and second fabric layers may comprise a base fabric precoated with a coating material, such as a urethane coating material. Particularly where a urethane coating material is utilized, the seaming step may be accomplished by RF or ultrasonic welding.
In accordance with preferred methodology, the step of juxtaposing the first and second fabric layers may comprise drawing a predetermined quantity of fabric from both a first fabric roll and a second fabric roll. The first fabric layer (drawn from the first fabric roll) is positioned directly above the second fabric layer (drawn from the second fabric roll) so as to overlie same.
Further objects of the present invention are achieved by a method of manufacturing a plurality of air bags for use in a motor vehicle. One step of the method involves drawing a predetermined quantity of fabric from a first fabric roll and a second fabric roll to respectively yield a first fabric layer juxtaposed to a second fabric layer. The first and second fabric layers are seamed together according to a predetermined seaming pattern so as to produce a composite textile structure defining a plurality of individual air bags to be cut therefrom. The composite textile structure is then rolled onto a take-up roll for storage and transportation.
Still further objects of the present invention are achieved by a vehicle air bag for use with an on-board inflator mechanism. The air bag comprises a first fabric panel and a second fabric panel cut into a predetermined shape of the air bag. In addition, the first and second panels are stitched together about respective peripheries thereof. Outer surfaces of the panels are coated with a layer of coating material so as to be substantially impermeable to passage of air. In addition, the layer of coating material advantageously covers the stitching.
Other objects of the present invention are achieved by an apparatus for producing a composite textile structure defining a plurality of individual air bags to be cut therefrom. The apparatus comprises first and second feed rolls of air bag fabric. A guide mechanism is provided to guide a first fabric layer from the first feed roll and a second fabric layer from the second feed roll into a seaming station, one layer over another. A seaming device, located at the seaming station, is operative to seam the first and second fabric layers together according to a predetermined seaming pattern so as to produce a composite textile structure defining a plurality of individual air bags to be cut therefrom. A take-up roll is also provided on which the composite textile structure is taken up.
In some exemplary embodiments, the seaming device is a sewing machine that seams by stitching. In other cases, the seaming device may be a device that seams by RF or ultrasonic welding. In addition, a drive mechanism may be provided for drawing the fabric layers into the seaming station.
Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are provided by various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed elements, which are discussed in greater detail below.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention.
It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary constructions.
Before it is needed for protection of vehicle occupants, side curtain 10 is folded and stored in the vehicle's “roof rail” 24. Side curtain 10 is constructed of a first fabric panel 26 and a second fabric panel 28 attached along a seam 30. When an impact is detected, side curtain 10 is rapidly inflated by a source 32 of inflation gas with which it is in fluid communication. Specific details regarding the operation of a side impact protection system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,270, incorporated herein by reference.
A variation of this methodology for use where the fabric has been precoated with a suitable coating material is shown in
Referring now also to
As can be seen most clearly in
While a relatively simple stitching pattern is shown in
Referring again to
In this example, it can be seen that the coating material is applied after the stitching instead of before as has often been the case in the past. In other words, the present invention eliminates the need to puncture the coating material with needle holes in order to stitch two panels of the air bag together. Furthermore, this desirable result is achieved without the use of expensive jacquard looms and their attendant disadvantages.
Typically after coating, the individual air bags may then be cut out of the composite textile structure. A variety of devices or techniques may be utilized for cutting the air bags, such as suitable dies and the like. Often, however, it will be preferable to utilize laser cutting equipment, such as that available from Lacent Technologies in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada or Lectra Systems in Bordeaux-Cestas, France.
Referring now to
A bead 93 of silicone or other material may be applied at the seam to prevent air leakage at this location if the seam stretches during use. Toward this end, the sewing apparatus may be equipped with a small pipe that injects the silicone directly behind the sewing needle. Typically, the pipe will extend from a source of silicone to a location between the two layers ahead of the stitch. The pipe curves around the sewing head and terminates behind the needle so that the bead can be applied at the correct location. The pipe travels with the sewing needle to continuously apply the bead of silicone as the stitch is made.
In addition to a sewing machine, other suitable means of seaming the textile layers into the desired pattern may also be utilized. For example,
Referring now also to
Where ultrasonic welding has been utilized in the past to seam together two pieces of fabric material, the welding head has often been opposed to a small disc having a knurled or patterned surface. The fabric layers have been fed through the machine similar to the manner in which an operator feeds two layers of fabric through a traditional sewing machine. Rapid reciprocation of the ultrasonic horn causes the material to weld together according to the pattern on the disc.
While a small disc could be opposed to welding head 96 in a manner similar to presser foot 68 of sewing machine 64, the present invention may simply utilize a large backing plate 110 for this purpose. Located at the seaming station, backing plate 110 defines a knurled pattern on its upper surface similar to the knurled pattern defined on the opposing disc of the prior art. Because of the size of backing plate 110, however, there is no need for it move along with welding head 96. Preferably, backing plate 110 would be formed from a suitable noncorrosive material such as stainless steel.
It can thus be seen that the invention provides an improved apparatus and method for producing vehicle air bags. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention and presently preferred methods of practicing the same have been shown and described, it should be understood that various modifications and variations may be made thereto by those of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only and it is not intended to be limitative of the spirit and scope of the invention so further set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of application Ser. No. 60/331,880, filed Nov. 21, 2001, which is relied on herein and incorporated herein by reference.
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