Patent Application
20050275201
The invention relates to an occupant restraint arrangement on the driver's side of a vehicle.
An occupant restraint arrangement comprising an inflatable gas bag which is uncoupled from the steering wheel of the vehicle in the direction of the steering wheel rotation is known from the DE 297 02 441 U. In the inflated state the gas bag has an asymmetrical shape with respect to the steering wheel axis.
In general, gas bags which are uncoupled from the steering wheel basically offer a greater design freedom as regards size and shape than standard gas bags which are entrained by the steering wheel rotation. Standard driver gas bags are generally shaped so as to be rotationally symmetrical, so that they have the same unfolding behaviour in every steering wheel position. However, it is to be noted that the filling capacity of gas generators on the driver's side is limited.
To protect the driver from contact with the A-column of the vehicle, separate side gas bags are used which unfold downwards from the roof area of the vehicle (so-called “curtain bags”), or special gas bags which unfold out from the A-column. Curtain bags, however, are not necessarily part of the standard equipment of a vehicle. Moreover, in particular types of vehicles, in particular in convertibles, curtain bags can not be installed at all. However, especially for convertibles a corresponding protection for the driver would be desirable, owing to the very oblique A-column and windscreen. Gas bags which are integrated into the A-column do not represent a sufficiently satisfactory solution, due to the difficulty in accommodating a gas bag in the structural space of the A-column and due to the high costs.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide for the driver a protective measure against an impact onto the A-column, which is able to be realized at a favourable cost and irrespective of the type of vehicle.
This is achieved by an occupant restraint arrangement on the driver's side of a vehicle, comprising a gas bag, which on activation emerges from a steering wheel of the vehicle. The gas bag is uncoupled from the steering wheel in a direction of steering wheel rotation about a steering wheel axis. The gas bag in an inflated state has an asymmetrical shape with respect to the steering wheel axis. The gas bag in the inflated state has a protrusion which covers at least a portion of an A-column of the vehicle on the driver's side. According to the invention, the driver is protected from an impact onto the A-column by a gas bag emerging from the steering wheel of the vehicle, which in the meantime is provided as a standard restraint arrangement in every type of vehicle. The uncoupling of the gas bag from the steering wheel permits a non rotationally symmetrical shape of the gas bag with respect to the steering wheel axis. According to the invention, the gas bag has a special protrusion which in the inflated state, i.a., offers a dedicated protection from an impact onto the A-column. The protrusion can assume various shapes and is to be adapted to the respective vehicle. Otherwise, the gas bag of the occupant restraint arrangement according to the invention can be constructed as a standard gas bag, so that a reliable restraint behaviour for the standard impact conditions is achieved.
For a dedicated covering of the A-column it is recommendable that the protrusion extends with respect to the steering wheel axis substantially within an angle range of 270° to 360° (in left-hand vehicles, i.e. vehicles in which the steering wheel is arranged on the left side of the vehicle) or within an angle range of 0° to 90° (in right-hand vehicles).
The restraint arrangement according to the invention can also be provided advantageously in a variant in which the gas bag is coupled to the steering wheel of the vehicle in the direction of the steering wheel rotation about a steering wheel axis.
Advantageous and expedient developments of the occupant restraint arrangement according to the invention, in particular with respect to the gas bag, are indicated in the sub-claims.
In
The shape of the gas bag 10 corresponds largely to that of a proven standard gas bag on the driver's side used in steering wheels without a fixed central part. The gas bag 10 of the occupant restraint arrangement according to the invention is substantially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the steering wheel axis A. However, the gas bag 10 has a highly distinct protrusion 12, so that in the end an asymmetrical gas bag shape is produced with respect to the steering wheel axis A. As can be seen in
In vehicles in which the steering wheel is arranged on the right side of the vehicle (right-hand vehicles), the protrusion 12 extends in relation to the steering wheel axis A in an angle range of 0° to 90°.
In addition to the protrusion 12 for the covering of the A-column 14, the gas bag 10 can have a further protrusion which covers a portion of the windscreen 18 of the vehicle. This further protrusion extends with respect to the steering wheel axis A preferably substantially within an angle range of 0° to 90° (left-hand vehicle) or from 270° to 360° (right-hand vehicle).
Furthermore, the gas bag 10 can have an expansion to protect the abdominal area of the driver 16. The expansion extends with respect to the steering wheel axis A substantially within an angle range of 150° to 210°.
The gas bag 10 is produced from two blanks lying one over the other, which are sewn together on the edge or connected with each other in another manner.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2004 009 451.7 | Jun 2004 | DE | national |
