Side impact protection device

Abstract

The invention relates to a side impact protection device comprising a side curtain airbag (22), wherein the side curtain airbag (22) includes a cushion area (24) extending along the side window (90) and at least partially covering the latter in the inflated state, comprising an upper securing edge (28) by which the cushion area (24) is secured to the lateral roof rail (18), and comprising a holding area (26) in the inflated state extending away from the side window (90) and from the cushion area (24) which constitutes the inner end of the side curtain airbag (22) and which is secured by its upper edge (29) to the vehicle roof (40) spaced apart from the lateral roof rail (18).

Claims

1. A side impact protection device for a vehicle, comprising a side curtain airbag (22), wherein the side curtain airbag (22) includes a cushion area (24) extending along a side window (90) and at least partially covering the side window in an inflated state, wherein the side curtain airbag (22) comprises an upper securing edge (28) by which the cushion area (24) is secured to a lateral roof rail (18).sub.1 and wherein the side curtain airbag (22) comprises a holding area (26) in the inflated state extending away from the side window (90) and from the cushion area (24) which holding area (26) constitutes an inner end of the side curtain airbag (22) and is secured by its upper edge (29) to a vehicle roof (40) spaced apart from the lateral roof rail (18), and wherein the side curtain airbag (22) in a folded state extends along the lateral roof rail (18) and downwards along an A pillar (20) of the vehicle and the holding area (26) then extends upwards from the A pillar (20) again and finally inwards along the vehicle roof (41) up to a securing point (41).

2. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein in the inflated state the side curtain airbag (22), which is formed by the cushion area (24) and the holding area (26), takes a shape tapering toward the A pillar (20).

3. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the side curtain airbag (22) includes an intermediate portion (52, 52′) joining the cushion area (24) and the holding area (26) which in the inflated state covers the A pillar (20) at least in portions.

4. The side impact protection device according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate portion (52) is formed by a kink of the side curtain airbag (22).

5. The side impact protection device according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate portion (52′) is formed by a tube-shaped gas-conveying intermediate part which is defined by at least one separate pre-cut part associated with the intermediate part only.

6. The side impact protection device according to claim 5, wherein the intermediate part in the inflated state has a smaller vertical height than directly adjacent portions of the cushion area (24) and of the holding area (26).

7. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the side curtain airbag (22) includes an outer wall and an inner wall (36, 60), at least the inner wall (36, 60) being formed by one single pre-cut part.

8. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the cushion area (24) and the holding area (26) are formed by separate pre-cut parts and are joined in an area of the A pillar (20) where they optionally form an overflow area.

9. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the holding area (26) is secured to the vehicle roof (40) at a distance of at least 200 mm, measured horizontally and perpendicularly to a longitudinal vehicle axis, from an upper dedicated cover (50) of a windscreen (14).

10. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the holding area (26) is secured to the vehicle roof (40) in a longitudinal vehicle direction behind a folded sun visor (80).

11. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein the holding area (26) includes a vertically extending edge zone (82) which in the inflated state faces a longitudinal center axis of the vehicle, wherein the vertically extending edge zone (82) extends from the securing point (41) of the holding area (26) forwards as well as diagonally downwards to the A pillar (20).

12. The side impact protection device according to claim 1, wherein in the inflated state the holding area (26) overlies an inflated front airbag (32).

13. The side impact protection device according to any one of the preceding claims claim 1, wherein the cushion area (24) and the holding area (26) are secured to the A pillar (20).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description and from the following drawings which are referred to, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a simplified perspective top view onto a first side impact protection device according to the invention in accordance with a first variant illustrated without the roof of the vehicle,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the side impact protection device according to FIG. 1 in a top view onto the vehicle in the mounted and inflated state,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a top view onto the side impact protection device according to the invention, e.g. according to FIG. 1 with a folded side curtain airbag in a top view onto the correspondingly equipped vehicle,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the spread and non-inflated side curtain airbag which is mounted in the embodiment according to FIG. 1,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the side curtain airbag of FIG. 3 in a top view and in the inflated state without illustrating parts of the vehicle,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a top view onto the folded side curtain airbag of a second embodiment of the side impact protection device according to the invention comprising a non-folded, extended intermediate part (upper view) and comprising a folded intermediate part (lower view),

(8) FIG. 7 shows a partial cutout of the side curtain airbag of FIG. 6 in the inflated state,

(9) FIG. 8 shows a schematic top view onto the inflated side curtain airbag according to FIG. 6 in the area of the A pillar, and

(10) FIG. 9 shows a front view of the side impact protection device according to the invention including the vehicle with a dummy in the inflated state of the holding area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) FIG. 1 illustrates a side impact protection device that efficiently protects the head of the occupant 10 both in the event of side impact and in the event of diagonal impact from ahead. There are shown very schematically the instrument panel 12 and the windscreen 14 as well as the steering wheel 16 of the respective vehicle.

(12) Furthermore, a lateral roof rail 18 and an A pillar 20 are visible.

(13) The side impact protection device comprises a side curtain airbag 22 which largely or completely covers at least the side window close to and associated with the occupant. The side curtain airbag 22 comprises for covering the side window a cushion area 24 which may also include darts or tethers as well as a so-called holding area 26 being fluid-communicated with said cushion area.

(14) The cushion area 24 extends along the lateral roof rail 18 and along the side window forward in the direction of the A pillar and, at its upper securing edge 28, is arranged on the roof rail 18 via plural securing points 27. Optionally, also securing points 27 of the cushion area 24 may be provided on the A pillar 20.

(15) The holding area 26 is in fluid communication with the cushion area 24 and extends away from the cushion area 24 and the side window in the arrow direction A toward the longitudinal center axis of the vehicle.

(16) The holding area 26 is attached to the A pillar 20 via securing points 30 and from said securing points 30 extends, when viewed from the occupant 10, diagonally toward the latter and in the direction of the longitudinal center axis of the vehicle. The holding area 26, too, is cushion-shaped. In the inflated state the holding area 26 extends, as is evident from FIGS. 1 and 2, also in front of the steering wheel 16 and also in front of a possibly provided inflated front airbag 32 (cf. FIG. 2).

(17) The side curtain airbag is V-shaped or L-shaped having tapering legs of the “L”, when viewed in a top view.

(18) The cushion area 24 and the holding area 26 therefore take a shape which is tapering toward the A pillar 20, when viewed from the occupant 10, (cf. also FIGS. 2 and 5). Since the inner wall 36 of the holding area 26 thus extends diagonally forwardly, the occupant's head may slide along the same and will be held in the corner between the holding area 26 and the cushion area 24, if the head swings so far forward at all.

(19) As is evident from FIG. 2, the holding area 26 may also be supported by the front airbag 32 so that the airbags are abutting on each other. In any case, however, as already mentioned before, the holding area 26 is located ahead of the front airbag 32, when viewed from the occupant.

(20) The stable position of the holding area 26 is very important. For this reason, the upper edge 38 (cf. FIG. 1) of the holding area 26 is secured to the vehicle roof 40 which is not visible in FIG. 1. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the securing point 41 is located spaced apart from the lateral roof rail 18 close to the front transversely extending roof rail or roof post 42.

(21) FIG. 2 illustrates that the securing point 41 is located at a distance I of at least 200 mm, especially at least 300 mm measured horizontally and perpendicularly to the longitudinal vehicle axis distant from the upper dedicated corner 50 of the windscreen 14. The offset in the longitudinal vehicle direction is not taken into consideration in this measurement.

(22) FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the side airbag 22 in the non-inflated state, with FIG. 4 representing the flatly spread airbag quite schematically. In this embodiment, the side curtain airbag 22 is extra long in the spread state as compared to a previous side curtain airbag, i.e. lengthened by the holding area 26.

(23) In the mounted state, the airbag 22 is reverted, or in other words, bent or folded in an intermediate portion 52 joining the cushion area 24 and the holding area 26. Consequently, the airbag extends along the lateral roof rail 18, starting from the C pillar 56 to the A pillar 20 (cf. FIG. 3) and downwards along the latter so as to have the intermediate portion 52 at the deepest point. After that, the holding area 26 extends upwards along the A pillar 20 and then in a bent or slightly folded shape inwards (i.e. toward the longitudinal center axis of the vehicle), for example along the front roof post 42 up to the securing point 41 where its inner end 70 is located.

(24) The intermediate portion 52 shown in FIG. 5 connects the cushion area 24 with the holding area 26 also in terms of fluid.

(25) Optionally, which is neither limiting nor limited to any of the embodiments, the inner wall 60 of the cushion area 24 and the inner wall 36 of the holding area 26 may consist, just as the opposite outer wall, of a joint one-piece pre-cut part, which facilitates manufacture. As an alternative, the inner wall and/or the outer wall of the airbag may as well be composed of plural parts.

(26) In FIG. 5, the V shape of the inflated airbag in the area of the A pillar, which is not shown for the purpose of simplification, is clearly evident.

(27) The embodiment according to FIGS. 6 to 8 functionally corresponds largely to the afore-described embodiment so that in the following only the differences shall be discussed.

(28) As is visible at the top of FIG. 6, there is an intermediate portion 52′ between the cushion area 24 and the holding area 26 which acts as a tube-shaped connection between the two areas and which may be made from a separate pre-cut part. Via said tube-shaped intermediate portion 52′ then the gas flows to the holding area 26, if compressed gas flows directly into the cushion area 24 only.

(29) In the area of its front ends, the cushion area 24 and the holding area 26 may be either closed and separated from each other, as shown at the top of FIG. 6, or else may be additionally mechanically connected, possibly also fluid-communicated.

(30) In the shown exemplary embodiment, the intermediate portion 52′ between the cushion area 24 and the holding area 26 is folded, and the inner end 70 of the airbag is formed by bending or kinking the holding area 26, just as in the first embodiment. The front ends of the cushion area 24 and the holding area 26 then may be secured to each other in the portion 72 constituting the foremost end of the mounted airbag 22, as is shown by seams 74 by way of FIG. 8.

(31) In the case of restraint, gas flows, as symbolically depicted in FIG. 7, from the cushion area 24 via the intermediate portion 52′ into the equally cushion-shaped holding area 26. As is evident from the Figures, the intermediate portion 52′ in the inflated state has a lower vertical height than the directly adjacent portions of the cushion area 24 and of the holding area 26, i.e. it constitutes a bottleneck.

(32) It is true for all embodiments that the securing point 41 optionally may be located behind the folded sun visor 80 (cf. FIG. 6), thus the holding area 26 extends along the roof inwardly behind the sun visor mounting.

(33) In FIG. 9, the holding area 26 is symbolically visible from the front, said configuration being optional. In the embodiment according to FIG. 9, the inside vertical edge zone 82 which in the inflated state faces the opposite side window (not shown) extends forwards as well as diagonally downwards to the dedicated A pillar 20 from the upper inner end 70, in this case starting from the securing point 41.

(34) As is also evident from FIG. 9, the securing point 41 for the holding area 26 is located in the area of the middle of the seat of the associated occupant.