Abstract
In a method for folding a side airbag a first material layer and a second material layer are connected along a first edge portion by a first seam and connected along second edge portions by a second seam perpendicular to the first seam to bound a chamber. The two material layers are placed flat upon one another and a region of the second seam is slipped in a first direction inwards while forming a tip. A tip-distal end of the first and second material layers is folded several times in the first direction and the tip is folded, with the folded-over portion being slipped in the first direction inwardly. A gas generator is inserted in the first direction into the two material layers; and roll folding is carried out from an end in opposition to the gas generator in a second direction in transverse relation to the first direction.
Claims
1.-9. (canceled)
10. A method for folding a side airbag, comprising: connecting a first material layer and a second material layer along a first edge portion by a first seam such as to bound at least in part a chamber; connecting the first and second material layers along second edge portions by a second seam in perpendicular relation to the first seam to bound the chamber in addition to the first seam; placing the two material layers flat upon one another; slipping a region of the second seam in a first direction inwards while forming a tip; folding an end of the first and second material layers in opposition to the tip several times in the first direction; folding over the tip thereby creating a folded-over portion, and slipping the folded-over portion in the first direction inwardly; inserting a gas generator in the first direction into the two material layers; and roll folding from an end in opposition to the gas generator in a second direction in transverse relation to the first direction.
Description
[0026] The invention is described hereinafter in greater detail with respect to an exemplary embodiment of a side airbag according to the invention and a method of folding the gas bag according to the invention with reference to the attached figures.
[0027] It is shown in:
[0028] FIG. 1 a perspective illustration of a side airbag tethered to a vehicle seat and having an inflated gas bag according to the invention,
[0029] FIG. 2 another perspective illustration of the side airbag of FIG. 1,
[0030] FIG. 3 a planar projection of the gas bag according to the FIGS. 1 and 2,
[0031] FIG. 4 a schematic illustration of the side airbag of FIG. 1 in the non-inflated state of the gas bag with a view onto the back of the vehicle seat,
[0032] FIG. 5 a perspective illustration of the gas bag of the side airbag of FIG. 1 in the non-inflated state and placed upon a base,
[0033] FIG. 6 another perspective illustration of the gas bag of the side airbags of FIG. 1 in the non-inflated state,
[0034] FIG. 7 an illustration of the gas bag of the side airbag of FIG. 1 with flatly placed material layers,
[0035] FIG. 8 an illustration of the gas bag of the side airbag of FIG. 7 in the state of a first folding step,
[0036] FIG. 9 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 8 in the state of a further folding step,
[0037] FIG. 10 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 9 in the state of a further folding step,
[0038] FIG. 11 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 10 in the state of a further folding step,
[0039] FIG. 12 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 11 by way of another perspective,
[0040] FIG. 13 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 11 with a gas generator,
[0041] FIG. 14 an illustration of the gas bag of FIG. 13 in the state of a further folding step,
[0042] FIG. 15 an illustration of a gas bag fully folded in the form of a gas bag package.
[0043] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a vehicle seat 20 of a vehicle (not shown) with a backrest 21 and a seat cushion 22, with a side airbag 1 being arranged in the backrest 21 and including a gas bag 10 and a gas generator. This gas bag 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in an inflated state and extends, starting from an outer side region of the backrest 21 in vehicle longitudinal direction (x-direction) between a sidewall of the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a vehicle occupant seated on the vehicle seat 20, so that shoulder and hip regions are covered.
[0044] This gas bag 10 includes first and second material layers 11.1 and 11.2, which are produced according to FIG. 3 in the form of a single-piece gas bag material layer 11. As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the first material layer 11.1 extends on the side facing away from the vehicle seat 20 in vehicle longitudinal direction (x-direction), while the second material layer 11.2 in opposition to the first material layer 11.1 extends on the side of the vehicle seat. Further provided according to FIG. 2 is an outflow opening 18 in the first material layer 11.1 of the gas bag 10.
[0045] The single-piece gas bag material layer 11 according to FIG. 3 includes in its planar projection the first and second material layers 11.1 and 11.2 arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to a fold line 15. The two material layers 11.1 and 11.2 are connected in the region of this fold line 15; moreover, fastening means 16 in the form of openings are provided in this region for securing a gas generator. When being folded along the fold line 15 upon one another, these two material layers 11.1 and 11.2 lie upon one another congruently, so that their edges can be connected with a seam for formation of a chamber 12 of the gas bag 10, which chamber is filled by gas using the gas generator.
[0046] Each of the two material layers 11.1 and 11.2 has a first edge portion 11:11 and 11:21, which, when sewn together, form a first seam 13 which extends in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 substantially in vehicle vertical direction (z-direction) on the front side of the gas bag 10 in relation to the vehicle. This first seam 13 would bound gas-filled chamber 12 of the gas bag 10 in such a way as to establish an open-ended tubular shape. An open end of the tubular shape ends with further first edge portions 11.111 and 11.112 of the first material layer and 11.1 and with further first edge portions 11.211 and 11.212 of the second material layer 11.2. The further first edge portions 11.111 and 11.211 and the further first edge portions 11.112 and 11.212 are placed upon one another and connected corresponding to the first edge portions 11.11 and 11.21 for formation of further first seams 13.1 and 13.2. In this state, these further first edge portions 11.111 and 11.112 as well as 11.211 and 11.212 form the upper region of the gas bag 10 in vehicle vertical direction. The further first seam 13.1 extends hereby substantially in the plane spanned by the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle transverse direction, whereas the further first seam 13.2 extends substantially in vehicle vertical direction at the backside of the gas bag 10 in relation to the vehicle.
[0047] After the first seam 13 and the further first seams 13.1 and 13.2 have been made, the gas bag 10, still open in the region of the second edge portions 11.12 and 11.22, is everted so that the seam hems of these seams 13, 13.1 and 13.2 are situated inside the gas bag 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0048] The remaining second edge portions 11.12 and 11.22 are each folded onto themselves after the gas bag 10 has been everted, so that according to FIG. 3, the corners El and E2 of the first material layer 11.1 and the second material layer 11.2, as connected by the first seam 13, lie on the point P lying on the fold line 15 so as to subsequently sew the second edge portions for formation of a second seam 14. The seam hem of this second seam 14 thus remains on the outside and is visible (cf. FIGS. 5 and 6). In the inflated state of the gas bag 10, the thus established second seam 14 extends transversely to the first seam 13 and to the further first seams 13.1 and 13.2, as can be seen from the FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0049] The non-inflated gas bag 10 produced in this way is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with FIG. 4 illustrating the gas bag 10 in the state installed in the backrest 21 in direction of this backrest 21, whereas the non-inflated gas bag 10 according to FIG. 5 lies on a flat base U, so that the first seam 13 and the other first seams 13.1 and 13.2 lie in the plane of the base U, with the second seam 14, however, extending substantially perpendicular on the base U and thus also perpendicular to the plane defined by the first seam 13 and the further first seams 13.1 and 13.2.
[0050] The provision of such a second seam 14, extending transversely to the first seam 13, it is apparent from FIG. 2 that the second seam 14 forms in this region a chamber 12 of this gas bag 10 with a substantially greater gas bag thickness in vehicle transverse direction (y-direction) as is the case at the opposite end of the gas bag 10 with the further seams 13.1 and 13.2 extending in the same plane as the first seam 13. Since the lower region of the gas bag 10, formed by the second seam 14, is located in the hip area of a vehicle occupant, a particularly high level of protection is achieved in the event of a side impact, because in particular a sufficient force coupling or sufficient support is realized on the sidewall of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
[0051] In the following, the folding of the gas bag 10 into a gas bag package, illustrated in FIG. 15 and installed in the backrest 21 of the vehicle seat 20 according to the FIGS. 1 and 2, will be explained.
[0052] After the first seam 13 and the further first seams 13.1 and 13.2 have been produced and the second seam 14 has subsequently been everted and produced, the two material layers 11.1 and 11.2 are initially placed upon one another along the fold line 15 before commencing the folding of the gas bag 10, wherein the region of the second fold 14 with formation of a tip S is folded inwards in accordance with FIG. 6 and then the two tips S are placed flatly upon one another according to FIG. 7.
[0053] The folding begins at the end E of the flat gas bag 10 in opposition to the tip S, which end is closed by the further second fold 13.1. According to FIG. 8, this end E is folded over in a first direction R1 up to a fold line F1 to form a folded edge K1 and then folded a second time according to FIG. 9 to form a further folding edge K2.
[0054] Subsequently, the tip S is folded downwards in accordance with FIG. 10 to form a fold edge K3 and this region with the fold edge K3 is then slipped into the interior of the gas bag 10 up to a fold line F2, while forming a fold edge K4 such that the fold edge K3 aligns with the fold edge K4, as can be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12.
[0055] In this state of the folded gas bag 10, a gas generator 17 is inserted in the area of the fold edge 15 (cf. FIG. 13). Thereafter, this folded gas bag 10 is rolled up according to FIG. 14 in a direction R2 perpendicular to the first direction R1 by means of a flat bar W starting from the end, which is opposite to the fold line 15, up to the gas generator 17. FIG. 15 shows this state of the gas bag 10 as a gas bag package, which is installed in the backrest 21 of the vehicle seat 20 according to FIGS. 1 and 2.
REFERENCE SIGNS
[0056] 1 side airbag [0057] 2 [0058] 10 gas bag of the side air bag 1 [0059] 11.1 first material layer of the gas bag 10 [0060] 11.11 first edge portion of the first material layer 11.1 [0061] 11.111 further first edge portion of the first material layer 11.1 [0062] 11.112 further first edge portion of the first material layer 11.1 [0063] 11.12 second edge portion of the first material layer 11.1 [0064] 11.2 second material layer of the gas bag 10 [0065] 11.21 first edge portion of the first material layer 11.2 [0066] 11.211 further first edge portion of the first material layer 11.2 [0067] 11.112 further first edge portion of the first material layer 11.2 [0068] 11.22 second edge portion of the second material layer 11.2 [0069] 11 single-piece gas bag material layer of the gas bag 10 [0070] 12 chamber of the gas bag [0071] 13 first seam of the gas bag 10 [0072] 14 second first seam of the gas bag 10 [0073] 15 fold line [0074] 16 fastening means [0075] 17 gas generator of the side airbag 1 [0076] 18 outflow opening of the gas bag 10 [0077] 20 vehicle seat [0078] 21 backrest of the vehicle seat 20 [0079] E1 corner of the first material layer 11.1 [0080] E2 corner of the second material layer 11.2 [0081] F1 fold line [0082] F2 fold line [0083] K1 fold edge [0084] K2 fold edge [0085] K3 fold edge [0086] K4 fold edge [0087] P point [0088] R1 first direction [0089] R2 second direction [0090] W flat bar [0091] U base
