The present invention relates to an apparatus for helping to protect a vehicle occupant in a vehicle collision, and particularly relates to an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as an air bag.
A conventional air bag in a vehicle expands into the space between an instrument panel and a vehicle occupant when a vehicle collision occurs. Known air bags have functioned to protect adults and children in a vehicle collision.
An apparatus in accordance with the present invention helps protect an adult or child in a vehicle collision. The apparatus includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and an inflation fluid source. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device has a stored, deflated position and an inflated position. The inflation fluid source provides inflation fluid to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device has a first panel portion for, when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated, engaging and protecting an adult vehicle occupant. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device has a second panel portion for, when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated, defining a downwardly open pocket for receiving a child vehicle occupant.
Also, an apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and an inflation fluid source. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device has a stored, deflated position and an inflated position. The inflation fluid source provides inflation fluid to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device to the inflated position. The inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, when inflated, has a back panel portion for engaging the vehicle occupant, a front panel portion adjacent the inflation fluid source, a first side panel portion adjacent an outboard side of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, and a second side panel portion adjacent an inboard side of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The back panel portion has an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion includes a first lower surface extending downward from the upper portion adjacent the outboard side of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and a second lower surface extending downward from the upper portion adjacent the inboard side of the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The first and second lower surfaces define an opening of a downwardly open pocket. The downwardly open pocket extends from the upper portion of the back panel portion to a bottom of the back panel portion. The downwardly open pocket receives a head of a child in a rearwardly facing child seat to help protect the child when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated.
A method for making an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: removing a rectangular portion of material from a first panel to define a rectangular opening having a length, a width, and a perimeter; folding the first panel so that opposite ends of the first panel overlap; attaching a second panel to the first panel along a first edge of the first panel to form a first side portion; attaching a third panel to the first panel along a second edge of the first panel to form a second side portion; and attaching a fourth panel to the first panel along the perimeter of the rectangular opening, the fourth panel having a perimeter related to the perimeter of the rectangular opening such that, when the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated, a downwardly open pocket is formed for receiving a child.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon consideration of the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
An apparatus in accordance with the present invention relates to an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as a vehicle air bag. As one example of the apparatus,
The air bag module 12 also includes an inflator that contains an inflation fluid source for providing inflation fluid to inflate the air bag 10. The inflation fluid source may be a stored quantity of pressurized inflation fluid and an ignitable material for heating the inflation fluid. The inflation fluid source alternatively could be gas-generating material which, when ignited, generates inflation fluid in the form of gas to inflate the air bag 10, or could be a stored quantity of pressurized inflation fluid for inflating the air bag.
As the description of the present invention proceeds, reference will be made to directions. As shown in
In
The vehicle 17 includes a front passenger seat 18 for an occupant 15 or 16 of the vehicle. The vehicle windshield 20 extends upward and rearward from the instrument panel 14, and merges with the vehicle roof 22.
The air bag 10 (
The front panel portion 52 is, preferably, a single piece of material. The front panel portion 52 may, alternatively, be constructed of a plurality of pieces of fabric material that are sewn together to form the front panel portion. The front panel portion 52 has a generally rectangular configuration, with rounded corners, when the air bag 10 is inflated.
The air bag 10 further includes a first, outboard side panel portion 70, which connects the back panel portion 50 and the front panel portion 52 (
The air bag 10 further includes a second, inboard side panel portion 80, which connects the back panel portion 50 and the front panel portion 52 (
Each of the first and second side panel portions 70, 80 has a general configuration of an oval when the air bag 10 is inflated, as viewed as in
The first and second side panel portions 70, 80 are sewn to the back panel portion 50 and front panel portion 52 with first and second continuous, and generally oval, seams 92, 90, respectively (
The back panel portion 50 (
The first and second lower surfaces 511, 512 partly define an opening of a downwardly open pocket 520 extending from the upper portion 501 of the back panel portion 50 to the bottom edge 56 of the back panel portion (
The downwardly open pocket 520 extends rearward from the back panel portion 50 to the front panel portion 52 to form a channel that is centered along the lateral middle portion of the vehicle seat 18 when the air bag 10 is inflated. Thus, as long as the head of the child size vehicle occupant 16 is in the middle area of the vehicle seat 18 (such as when occupying a child seat 19), the air bag 10 will avoid contacting the head of the child size vehicle occupant 16 as the lower surfaces 511, 512 of the lower portion 502 of the back panel portion 50 of the air bag inflate around the head of the child size vehicle occupant. Thus, the child will not directly engage the inflated air bag 10, but still be protected by the inflated air bag.
As shown in
To prevent the lower surfaces 511, 512 from expanding outward laterally in the vehicle 17 away from each other during inflation of the air bag 10, an internal tether 530 (
The width of the downwardly open pocket 520 and corresponding tether 530 may be, for example, sized for 120 mm (i.e., a twelve month year old average infant's head width) such that the air bag 10, when inflated, surrounds the head from above and 180 degrees around the sides of the head. A flap 522 (
The air bag 10 may also include pleats 147, 148 (
When the air bag 10 is inflated, the material around the pleats 147, 148 is tensioned. The pleats 147, 148, which are folds of excess material located along the upper corners of the downwardly open pocket 520, allow the upper portion of the downwardly open pocket to expand to a full uniform internal width W throughout the height H of the pocket and further ensure that the head of the child size vehicle occupant 16 is not contacted.
A method of making the air bag 10 begins with providing a one-piece single sheet 100 (
The first end 111 is positioned such that the first end overlaps the second end 112 and the openings 121, 122 align to receive inflation fluid from the inflation fluid source. The first and second ends 111, 112 are then attached in a suitable manner to form an open sided generally oval configuration. The open sided generally oval configuration has a first generally oval edge and a second generally oval edge opposite the first generally oval edge (
A first, generally oval side panel 70 is attached to the first generally oval edge at seam 90 to form a first side portion of the air bag 10. A second, generally oval side panel 80 is attached to the second generally oval edge at seam 92 to form a second side portion of the air bag 10. A pocket panel 141, having a length D, a width E, and a perimeter F, which is slightly larger than the perimeter C of the rectangular opening 131, is attached at the perimeter of the rectangular opening in a suitable manner, such as by sewing.
As seen in
When the air bag 10 is inflated, a downwardly open pocket 520 is formed for helping to protect an undersized or child size vehicle occupant 16 of the vehicle 17. When the air bag 10 is inflated, the pocket panel 141 forms the interior of the downwardly open pocket 520. The pocket panel 141 becomes U-shaped with ends (i.e., Qc, Qd) of the pocket panel 141 partly defining the lower end of the downwardly open pocket 520 of the inflated air bag 10 and the middle portion (i.e., Qa, Qb) defining the upper interior surface 521 of the downwardly open pocket 520 of the inflated air bag 10.
A portion 142 of the pocket panel 141 (
The length A of the rectangular opening 131 (
The surfaces 521, 523, 524 become arcuate and convex when the air bag 10 is inflated because the inflation fluid expands the interior of the air bag 10 and forces the panels 70, 80, 100, 141 outward, thereby tensioning the seams 90, 92, 145. Thus, the surfaces 521, 523, 524, as well as the top 54, the bottom 56, the inboard side 58, and the outboard side 60, tend to bulge outward when the air bag 10 is inflated (
From the above description of the invention, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes and modifications in the invention. As a result, such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the appended claims.