An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (14b) includes a front panel (102b) and a rear panel (122b) that are interconnected to at least partially define an inflatable volume (54b) of the protection device. The rear panel (122b) has a conical configuration resulting from portions of the rear panel being interconnected with each other. The rear panel (122b) comprises portions interconnected along a seam (214), the seam being configured to deviate laterally from a deployment direction so that portions of the air bag that engage and move along the seam shift laterally during deployment to reduce damage due to friction with the seam.

Side airbags to provide protection to vehicle occupants are provided. The side airbags include an outer skin forming an inflatable chamber having an upper thorax portion and a lower pelvic portion for contact with the thorax region and the pelvic region, respectively, of the associated vehicle occupant. The side airbag includes a loop diffuser for placement about an inflator disposed within the inflatable chamber. The loop diffuser has opposed first and second open ends to permit communication of inflation gas to the upper thorax portion and to the lower pelvic portion, respectively, of the inflatable chamber. The loop diffuser permits significantly greater flow of inflation gas to the lower pelvic portion as compare to flow of inflation gas to the upper thorax portion of the inflatable chamber. The first open end can be significantly smaller in cross section as compared to the second open end.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a polyamide fiber from which a fabric appropriate for use in airbags is obtainable, and which exhibits weave-loosening prevention properties after weaving thereof, and excellent mechanical properties. This polyamide fiber is characterized by having; a total fiber density of 100-700 dtex; a tensile strength of 8.0-11.5 cN/dtex; a boiling-water shrinkage of 4.0-11.0%; a slack recovery rate (A) represented by formula (1) after a fixed-length heat treatment of 0-4.0%; and a tightening index (F) represented by formula (2) of 3.8 or higher. A=[(Ta−Tb)/Ta]×100 (1) (In formula (1), Ta represents the amount of slack immediately after heat treatment, and Tb represents the amount of slack at the time of stabilization after heat treatment.) F=A+0.35×B (2) (In formula (2), A represents the slack recovery rate after the fixed-length heat treatment, and B represents the boiling-water shrinkage rate.)

An occupant restraining device capable of coping with a plurality of collision directions without additional airbags is provided. An occupant restraining device (100) is adapted to restrain an occupant P sitting in a vehicle seat (110), and the device includes a seatbelt (120) fixed to left and right sides of a seat cushion (116) of the seat to restrain the occupant's hips (P2), airbags (130a) and (130b) stored inside a seat back of the seat on the left and right sides thereof and inflated and deployed on the left and right sides of the occupant. Tensile fabric (140) is connected to each of the airbags and the seat cushion and applied with tension, when the airbags are inflated and deployed, so as to be extended between the airbags inflated and deployed and both side surfaces of the seat cushion.

The present invention relates to a polyester fiber that can be applied to a fabric for an airbag, and particularly, to a polyester fiber having elongation of 0.5% or more at a stress of 1.0 g/d, elongation of 4.3% or more at a stress of 4.0 g/d, and elongation of 7.5% or more at a stress of 7.0 g/d, and an initial modulus of 40 to 100 g/d, a method of preparing the same, and a fabric for an airbag prepared therefrom. Since the polyester fiber of the present invention remarkably decreases stiffness and secures superior mechanical properties, it is possible to provide superior packing properties, dimensional stability, and gas barrier effect, and to protect occupants safely by minimizing the impact applied to the occupants, when it is used for the fabric for an airbag.

A base fabric for an airbag is formed of a polyamide fiber, wherein a CV value of a weaving density for every 20 cm in a base fabric weft direction is equal to or less than 0.5%, and original-yarn strength usage rates in the warp direction and the weft direction are equal to or more than 85%.

Provided is an airbag which further reduces the degree of injury to a vehicle occupant while also exhibiting sufficient occupant protection performance using less output from the inflator, by both preventing airbag internal pressure from rising excessively when making contact with the occupant and increasing the speed of deployment in an occupant-protection area. This hollow-weave airbag has an opening in a main chamber that inflates for the purpose of occupant protection, a structure wherein a first yarn extending separatingly from a first fabric layer of the opening to a non-inflating portion is caught on a float yarn extending on the inside of a second fabric layer and subsequently caught on a float yarn extending on the inside of the first fabric layer, this structure being repeated at least once and forming a pair with another structure wherein a second yarn extending separatingly from the second fabric layer of the opening to the non-inflating portion is caught on the float yarn extending on the inside of the first fabric layer and subsequently caught on the float yarn extending on the inside of the second fabric layer, this structure being repeated at least once.

A passenger seat airbag device includes an airbag including a front collision restraining surface, and an oblique collision restraining portion including a protruding portion in which a surface is set as an oblique collision restraining surface, and a restraining recess portion whose facing surfaces are able to restrain the head of the occupant. The rear wall main portion has the front collision restraining surface. The rear wall end edge portion has the oblique collision restraining surface. The upper edge of the rear wall end edge portion is coupled to a rear edge of the upper wall portion. The lower edge of the rear wall end edge portion is coupled to a rear edge of the lower wall portion. An entire edge of the separation edge of the rear wall end edge portion is coupled to a rear edge of the rear edge side portion.

A laminate includes a fabric; and a thermoplastic film, wherein the thermoplastic film is a multilayer film including an adhesive layer including a thermoplastic polyester elastomer and a barrier layer that is bonded to the adhesive layer, and that has a melting point that is higher than a melting point of the adhesive layer, and that includes a polymer, and wherein the fabric includes a polyester, and the fabric has a fabric weight of 190 g/m.sup.2 or less.

Provided is an airbag base fabric that has a low air permeability sufficient to ensure the safety of occupants and heat resistance sufficient to withstand high-power, high-temperature gas generated from a recent downsized inflator, and that is capable of being packaged compactly. Also provided is an airbag comprising the base fabric. An airbag base fabric comprising a synthetic fiber multifilament having a total fineness of 500 to 750 dtex, the airbag base fabric having an areal weight of 225 to 245 g/m.sup.2, air permeability at 20 kPa of 0.2 to 0.8 L/cm.sup.2/min, and edgecomb resistance according to the ASTM D 6479 method of 300 to 600 N in both warp and weft directions.