SIDE-CURTAIN AIRBAG

Abstract

A side-curtain airbag for motor vehicles has cushion that, when inflated, is positioned in spaced alignment with a side window. At least one spacer is located at a distal end of the cushion and is in fluid communication therewith. The spacer contacts a portion of the vehicle structure adjacent to the window and positions the cushion in the desired spaced relationship with the side window. The disclosed airbag provides greater resistance to impact and thereby reduces the distance of travel of the head of a motor vehicle occupant beyond the side window glass during a side impact collision.

Claims

1. A side-curtain airbag for a motor vehicle, comprising: a first inflatable portion deployable downwardly from a roof of the vehicle and configured when inflated to cover at least a portion of a side window; and an additional inflatable portion in fluid communication with the first inflatable portion and configured, when inflated, to contact a door below the window and position at least a portion of the first inflatable portion in spaced relationship with the side window.

2. The side-curtain airbag of claim 1, wherein the additional inflatable portion comprises at least one horizontal bar.

3. The side-curtain airbag of claim 2, wherein the at least one horizontal bar is in fluid communication with the first inflatable portion by a plurality of channels.

4. The side-curtain airbag of claim 3, wherein the at least one horizontal bar when inflated is rotated about an axis defined by the plurality of channels to lie against an exterior surface of the first inflatable portion.

5. The side-curtain airbag of claim 4, wherein an edge of the at least one horizontal bar distal from the plurality of channels is secured to the first inflatable portion by stitching.

6. The side-curtain airbag of claim 1, wherein the additional inflatable portion comprises a plurality of fingers arranged along a substantially horizontal line adjacent a lower end of the additional inflatable portion.

7. A side-curtain airbag for a motor vehicle, comprising: a first inflatable portion deployable from a first vehicle structure adjacent to a first edge of a side window and configured when inflated to cover at least a portion of the side window; and at least one additional inflatable portion in fluid communication with an end of the first inflatable portion distal from the first vehicle structure and configured, when inflated, to contact a second vehicle structure adjacent to a second edge of the side window opposite from the first edge of the side window and position at least a portion of the first inflatable portion in spaced relationship with the side window.

8. The side-curtain airbag of claim 7, wherein the first vehicle structure is a roof of the vehicle and the second vehicle structure is a sill of a door below the side window.

9. The side-curtain airbag of claim 7, wherein the additional inflatable portion comprises at least one horizontal bar.

10. The side-curtain airbag of claim 9, wherein the at least one horizontal bar is in fluid communication with the first inflatable portion by a plurality of channels.

11. The side-curtain airbag of claim 10, wherein the at least one horizontal bar when inflated is rotated about an axis defined by the plurality of channels to lie against an exterior surface of the first inflatable portion.

12. The side-curtain airbag of claim 11, wherein an edge of the at least one horizontal bar distal from the plurality of channels is secured to the first inflatable portion by stitching.

13. The side-curtain airbag of claim 7, wherein the additional inflatable portion comprises a plurality of fingers arranged along a substantially horizontal line.

14. A side-curtain airbag for a motor vehicle, comprising: an inflatable cushion deployable downwardly from a roof of the vehicle and configured when inflated to cover at least a portion of a side window; and an inflatable spacer in fluid communication with an end of the cushion distal from the roof and configured, when inflated, to contact a door below the window and position the cushion in spaced relationship with the side window.

15. The side-curtain airbag of claim 14, wherein the spacer comprises at least one horizontal bar.

16. The side-curtain airbag of claim 15, wherein the at least one horizontal bar is in fluid communication with the cushion by a plurality of channels.

17. The side-curtain airbag of claim 16, wherein the at least one horizontal bar when inflated is rotated about an axis defined by the plurality of channels to lie against an exterior surface of the cushion.

18. The side-curtain airbag of claim 17, wherein an edge of the at least one horizontal bar distal from the plurality of channels is secured to the cushion by stitching.

19. The side-curtain airbag of claim 14, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of fingers arranged along a substantially horizontal line adjacent a lower end of the cushion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C which illustrate a first embodiment of a side curtain airbag;

[0038] FIGS. 2A and 2B which illustrate a second embodiment of a side curtain airbag;

[0039] FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C which illustrate a third embodiment of a side curtain airbag; and

[0040] FIGS. 4A and 4B which illustrate a fourth embodiment of a side curtain airbag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The manufacture of airbags is known to the skilled person. Airbags are manufactured from a flexible but airtight fabric such as nylon or polyester, and operate with a sensor which triggers a gas inflator to inflate the airbag under collision conditions. All airbags have vents which allow the gas to escape after deployment.

[0042] FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate a first example of the invention wherein the side-curtain airbag comprises a first inflatable portion 101 and a tether 102 thereby the exterior surface of the outboard panel 105 of the first inflatable portion 101 adopts a concave profile with respect to the opposing and inboard surface of the window glass 106 when viewed (as in FIG. 1B) in a plane perpendicular to the opposing and inboard surface of the window glass. The airbag extends vertically between a roof 107 and a sill of a door 108 located immediately below the window glass 106.

[0043] FIG. 1A illustrates a side-curtain airbag when inflated. The inflated first inflatable portion 101 in FIG. 1A covers the side window glass.

[0044] FIG. 1B is a side profile of the airbag in FIG. 1A illustrating the airbag when inflated with a tether 102 comprising a first 103 and a second 104 end, wherein the first end is attached to a top end of the airbag and the second end is attached to a bottom end of the airbag, and wherein the length of the tether is less than the length from the top end to the bottom end of the airbag when untethered.

[0045] FIG. 1C illustrates operation of the airbag in a side collision impact reducing lateral head movement towards the side window glass and ejection from the motor vehicle.

[0046] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate another example of the invention wherein the side-curtain airbag comprises a first inflatable portion 201 and horizontal pleats 202 in the outboard panel 203 thereby to effectively reduce the length of the outboard panel from top to bottom measured along its surface when the airbag is inflated to less than that for the inboard panel 204 and produce a concave profile of the outboard panel 203 with respect to the opposing surface of the window glass 205 when viewed (as in FIG. 2B) in a plane perpendicular to the opposing surface of the window glass.

[0047] FIG. 2A illustrates a side-curtain airbag when inflated comprising a first inflatable portion 201 and two groups of horizontal pleats 202 in the outboard panel 203 of the airbag, each group comprising more than one pleat.

[0048] FIG. 2B is a side profile of the airbag in FIG. 2A illustrating the airbag when inflated with a horizontal pleat 202.

[0049] In a third example of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the side-curtain airbag deploys from the roof 307 of the motor vehicle and comprises a first inflatable portion or cushion 301 and an additional inflatable portion or spacer in the form of a single horizontal bar 302 at a distal end from the roof and in fluid communication with the cushion 301 and configured, when inflated, to contact the door 308 and thereby position the cushion in spaced alignment with the window glass 305.

[0050] In particular, FIG. 3A illustrates a side-curtain airbag when inflated comprising a cushion 301 and a spacer in the form of a single horizontal bar 302 in fluid communication with the cushion.

[0051] FIG. 3B is another view of the side-curtain airbag of FIG. 3A illustrating the fluid communication between the cushion 301 and the spacer 302 takes the form of several channels 303. The spacer 302 is rotated around a horizontal axis A defined by the channels 303 to lie against the exterior surface of the outboard panel 306 of the cushion 301 thereby, when the airbag is inflated, to contact the sill of the door 308 and thereby position the cushion 301 in spaced alignment with the window glass 305.

[0052] FIG. 3C is a side profile of the airbag in FIG. 3A illustrating the airbag when inflated with the spacer 302 rotated around a horizontal axis defined by the channels 303 to lie against the exterior surface of the outboard panel 306 of the cushion 301. The spacer 302 is shown secured in place by stitching 309 to the outboard panel 306. Alternative means for securing the spacer 302 against the exterior surface of the outboard panel 306 of the cushion 301 includes adhesive. FIG. 3C illustrates that the spacer 302 rests against the sill of the door 308 thereby to position the cushion 301 in spaced alignment with the window glass 305.

[0053] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a fourth example of the invention wherein the side-curtain airbag, which is deployed from the roof of the motor vehicle, comprises a cushion 401 and one or more spacers in the form, when inflated, of a plurality of fingers 402 in fluid communication with the cushion.

[0054] FIG. 4A illustrates a side-curtain airbag in the inflated state covering the side window glass, the airbag comprising a cushion 401 and one or more spacers in the form, when inflated, of a plurality of fingers 402 arranged along a substantially horizontal line towards the bottom end of the airbag. The one or more spacers protrude from the exterior surface 403 of the outboard panel of the cushion 401 thereby to position the cushion in spaced alignment with the window glass 404.

[0055] FIG. 4B is a side profile of the airbag in FIG. 4A. It can be seen that the cushion 401 is in spaced arrangement with the window glass 404 by virtue the one or more spacers 402 protruding from the exterior surface 403 of the outboard panel of the cushion 401 and impinging on the sill of the door 408 pushing the cushion inboard into the motor vehicle cabin.

[0056] It can therefore be seen that in all the aforementioned examples, the cushion, when inflated, is in spaced alignment with the window glass.

[0057] It will further be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the invention has been described by way of example with reference to several embodiments it is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and that alternative embodiments could be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.