SIDE AIRBAG FOR VEHICLES

Abstract

A side airbag for protection for vehicle occupants includes an interior wall separating the airbag into upstream and downstream chambers and defining an opening between two chambers adjacent a lower end of the airbag. A flow deflector between the opening and an exterior vent combines with the wall to define a channel therebetween. The channel directs inflation gasses exiting the opening into an upper end of the airbag, after which the gasses must flow around an upper end of the deflector (adjacent an outlet end of the channel) before reaching the exterior vent. The resulting S-shaped flow path serves to maintain the airbag in the inflated state for a longer time and urges an outboard arm of an occupant in a forward an upward direction to reduce the likelihood that that arm may be trapped between the inflating airbag and the occupant's thorax.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A side airbag comprising: a wall defining upstream and downstream chambers and an opening therebetween adjacent a lower airbag end; and a deflector and between an exterior vent and the wall, defining a channel therebetween and disposed between the downstream chamber and the vent, wherein, when deployed, the airbag is arranged to extend from a hip region to beyond an upper arm region, the wall and the deflector cooperatively defining an S-shaped gas flow path.

22. The side airbag of claim 21, wherein the vent is disposed in an inboard panel of the airbag.

23. The side airbag of claim 21, wherein the vent is disposed in a third chamber defined on one side by the deflector and on another side by an edge of the airbag and connected on an open end to the downstream chamber.

24. The side airbag of claim 21, wherein the deflector is sealingly connected at one end to an edge of the airbag.

25. The side airbag of claim 24, wherein a vent side of the deflector is at an angle of less than ninety degrees to the edge of the airbag.

26. The side airbag of claim 21, wherein the airbag is defined in part by a plurality of regions, with a lower region being below an armrest level, and an upper region being above the deflector, and a central region between the lower region and the upper region and the exterior vent being disposed in the central region.

27. The side airbag of claim 26, wherein the airbag comprises part of an airbag assembly, the airbag assembly further including an airbag inflator connected to the airbag in the center region at the upstream chamber.

28. The side airbag of claim 27, wherein the vent is disposed in a third chamber defined on one side by the deflector and on another side by an edge of the airbag and connected on an open end to the downstream chamber.

29. The side airbag of claim 28, wherein the vent is disposed in an inboard panel of the airbag.

30. The side airbag of claim 28, wherein the deflector is sealingly connected at one end to an edge of the airbag.

31. A side airbag for vehicles comprising: an inboard panel and an outboard panel sealingly joined at a seam edge at a common circumference and arranged to extend vertically in an operating position from an occupant hip region beyond an occupant upper arm region; a wall disposed between the inboard panel and the outboard panel forming an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber and defining an opening therebetween adjacent a lower airbag end in the operating position; and a deflector between a downstream side of the opening and an exterior vent, the deflector and a downstream surface of the wall defining a channel therebetween, whereby in the operating position inflation gasses exiting the opening are directed toward an upper airbag end and around an end of the deflector adjacent an outlet end of the channel before reaching the exterior vent, wherein the wall and the deflector cooperatively define an S-shaped gas flow path.

32. The side airbag of claim 31, wherein the vent is disposed in the inboard panel of the airbag.

33. The side airbag of claim 31, wherein the vent is disposed in a third chamber defined on one side by the deflector and on another side by the seal and connected on an open end to the downstream chamber.

34. The side airbag of claim 31, wherein the deflector is sealingly connected at one end to the edge of the airbag.

35. The side airbag of claim 34, wherein a vent side of the deflector is at an angle of less than ninety degrees to the edge of the airbag.

36. The side airbag of claim 31, wherein the airbag is defined in part by a plurality of regions, with a lower region being below an armrest level, and an upper region being above the deflector, and a central region between the lower region and the upper region and the exterior vent being disposed in the central region.

37. The side airbag of claim 36, wherein the airbag comprises part of an airbag assembly, the airbag assembly further including an airbag inflator connected to the airbag in the center region at the upstream chamber.

38. The side airbag of claim 37, wherein the vent is disposed in a third chamber defined on one side by the deflector and on another side by the edge of the airbag and connected on an open end to the downstream chamber.

39. The side airbag of claim 38, wherein the vent is disposed in an inboard panel of the airbag.

40. The side airbag of claim 38, wherein the deflector is sealingly connected at one end to the edge of the airbag.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of a side airbag;

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a second embodiment of a side airbag;

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a third embodiment of a side airbag;

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a highly abstracted side view of the third embodiment of the side airbag of FIG. 3 with a dummy representing an average adult in a seated position adjacent to the side airbag;

[0034] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a fourth embodiment of the side airbag;

[0035] FIG. 6 shows a side view of a fifth embodiment of the side airbag; and

[0036] FIG. 7 shows a perspective side view of the inner walls of the fifth embodiment of the side airbag according to FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0038] FIGS. 1 shows a first embodiment of a side airbag assembly 1 for vehicles comprising an airbag 3 which filled with gas by means of an inflator 2. The inflation gas is guided in a flow direction from the inflator 2, through the airbag 3, and to an exterior vent 4 where it is vented out of the airbag 3.

[0039] The airbag 3 comprises an inboard panel 10.1 (visible in FIGS. 1-6) and an outboard panel 10.2 (which is congruent with the inboard panel 10.1 as viewed in the drawings and therefore hidden from view on the opposite side of the inboard panel 10.1 in FIGS. 1-6), wherein the two panels 10.1, 10.2 are connected together around their common circumference in a gas-tight manner by seams 10.3 (in a manner well known in the art).

[0040] The terms inboard and outboard used herein refer to directions relative to the vehicle in which the airbag system 1 is installed. When inflated, the airbag 3 is (as is well known in the art) positioned between a vehicle occupant and an interior portion of the vehicle (side wall or door, for example), with the inboard airbag panel facing or adjacent to the occupant and the outboard airbag panel facing or adjacent to the side wall or door. The vent 4 may advantageously be formed in the inboard panel 10.1.

[0041] In the figures, the airbag 3 is shown substantially completely filled with inflation gas. The direction of gas flow is altered during the passage of the gas through the airbag 3. The airbag 3 has a first chamber 5.1 (the lower left portion of the airbag as viewed in the figures) and a second chamber 5.2 (the upper right portion as viewed in the figures), an inner wall 10.4 separating the chambers. The first chamber 5.1 is in fluid communication with the second chamber 5.2 via a opening 6.1 defined by the inner wall 10 and adjacent a lower airbag end. The second chamber 5.2 is arranged downstream (relative to the flow direction of gas during inflation of the airbag) from the first chamber 5.1, so that the first and second chambers are hereinafter appropriately referred to as the upstream and downstream chambers respectively.

[0042] A deflector 7 is provided to deflect the flow of gas in the inflating airbag 3 initially away from the vent 4 and to thereby delay discharge of the gas from the airbag 3. The deflector 7 extends between the vent 4 and the first gas opening 6.1 so that gasses exiting the opening 6.1 are blocked from flowing along a straight-line path to reach the vent 4. The deflector 7 extends at a first angle 1, in the illustrated embodiment less than 60, away from the edge of the airbag 3 to the inside.

[0043] The alignment of the airbag 3 in the figures corresponds generally to that of its operating position (after deployment from its storage position in a housing, typically in the backrest of the associated seat) in the vehicle and as viewed laterally from inside the passenger compartment (not shown). The vertical position or height of an approximately horizontal armrest provided in the vehicle outboard of the associated seat is indicated symbolically by means of a dashed line A; moreover the x-direction and z-direction of the vehicle are indicated.

[0044] The deflector 7 is attached to the edge of the airbag 3 in a flow-tight manner, at a connecting region 8 of the airbag 3, and extends therefrom downstream in the flow direction. It extends with a directional component in the flow direction away from the connecting region 8. The connecting region 8 is arranged downstream from the upstream chamber 5.1 (FIGS. 1, 2), adjacent thereto (FIGS. 3-5) and/or spaced apart from the wall 10.4 (FIG. 1, 2).

[0045] The gas generated by the inflator 2 is first guided generally downwardly (relative to a designated operating position of the side airbag) within the upstream chamber 5.1. The upstream chamber 5.1 is configured to widen downwardly. The opening 6.1 is arranged (when the airbag assembly 1 is in the operating position) in a lower region 9.1 of the airbag so as to be below the armrest level A. The lower region 9.1 with the opening 6.1 in the operating position is approximately level with a pelvic region Be of an occupant. (This may be seen in FIG. 4, which shows a substantially abstracted side view of the embodiment of the side airbag 1 according to FIG. 3 with a purely schematically shown Dummy D for an average adult occupant in a seated position adjacent to the side airbag 1). Thus in the case of a side impact the airbag is rapidly filled with gas by the inflator 2, the inflation initially progressing from top to bottom into the upstream chamber 5.1. The side airbag assembly 1 is, as is well known in the art, arranged in a storage position (not shown), in a housing of the backrest of an associated seat and is covered by fabric. With the rapid filling of the upstream chamber 5.1, the airbag 3 expands forward out of the housing, tearing the fabric, and displaced between the occupant and the vehicle bodywork.

[0046] The flow of the gas exits the opening 6.1 into the downstream chamber 5.2 from below. The flow within the upstream chamber 5.1 was in downward direction, and subsequently the flow direction in the downstream chamber 5.2 is in an upward direction, so that a first flow reversal (indicated by counter-clockwise curved arrow s1) takes place, in which the gas is deflected or redirected upwardly with a component in the z-direction, simultaneously creating a back-pressure. Thus the filling of the downstream chamber takes place from bottom to top. The opening 6.1 is arranged (when the airbag 3 is installed in a vehicle in its operating position) below the armrest level A and approximately in the region of the hips H of the dummy D (see FIG. 4). Thus the arm M of the dummy D, when the downstream chamber is filled, is pivoted upwardly approximately in the xz-plane (image plane) and thus away from the chest/abdominal region B of the dummy D so as not to be trapped at the side against the chest/abdominal region B (FIG. 4) causing injury. In the downstream chamber 5.2, the pressure is already lower than in the upstream chamber.

[0047] The deflector 7 and a downstream surface of the wall 10.4 define therebetween a channel 11 for forced guidance of the gas by altering the direction and/or creating back-pressure of the flow of the gas. As the deflector 7 is connected in a gas-tight manner to the inboard panel 10.1 and outboard panel 10.2, as is also able to be derived directly from the figures, the gas is forcibly guided in its entirety through the channel 11.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the deflector 7 is oriented approximately parallel to the wall 10.4. A third chamber 5.3 is defined between the deflector 7 and the adjacent inner surface of the airbag 3 in the immediate vicinity of vent 4, the vent 4 receiving inflation gas directly from the third chamber 5.3. The deflector 7 deflects or blocks the flow of gas exiting the opening 6.1 away from the vent 4 and instead into an upper region 9.2 of the airbag 3. Upon reaching the upper region 9.2, the gasses undergo a second flow reversal (indicated by clockwise curved arrow s2) in a direction from the top toward the bottom of the airbag 3 and towards the third chamber 5.3 and the vent 4. As a result, a serpentine, generally S- or Z-shaped flow path of the gas results here, with a continuous pressure drop through the airbag 3. The third chamber 5.2 tapers or narrows in the flow direction (downwardly) so that in this case a further back-pressure is created by reducing a dynamic pressure in the gas. Thus in the third chamber 5.3, the flow of the gas is decelerated so that the emptying of the airbag 3 is advantageously delayed but is still able to take place fully.

[0049] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the channel 11 is further defined by a second inner wall 10.7 which extends from the wall 10.4 at a position proximate an upper end of the deflector 7. The second wall 10.7 extends away from the wall 10.4 and with a directional component in the flow direction, and defines the channel 11 on a side facing the upstream chamber 5.1. It serves as a guide surface for deflecting the gas, primarily at least approximately in the vertical direction in the operating position, i.e. in the z-direction in the vehicle. Additionally, the angled orientation of the second wall 10.7 relative to the channel 11 results in the channel 11 tapering to a smaller cross-sectional area in the flow direction, in the general manner of a converging nozzle. As described above relative to the third chamber 5.3, this converging geometry results in a compression of the gas and thus a deceleration of the flow associated with a pressure reduction in the downstream chamber 5.2.

[0050] As indicated in FIG. 2, the vent 4 in the embodiments of the side airbag 1, shown here, is arranged in an optimized position in an arm region 13 in the central region 9.3 of the airbag 3, wherein the arm region 13 is positioned in the operating position below a first level hl in which an upper arm M (generally and schematically indicated by dashed lines) of an average occupant is positioned, and is arranged above a second level h2 in which the armrest A is provided for the arm M, i.e. below the arm M of the dummy D and above the armrest A of the vehicle.

[0051] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in contrast with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lower end of the wall 10.4 terminates above the lowermost end of the airbag 3. In this embodiment, the opening 6.1 may be defined by the area between the lower end of the wall 10.4 and the lower end of the deflector 7. The opening 6.1 may also be termed an inlet end 14.1 of the channel 11. Likewise, the space or area between the upper end of the deflector 7 and the first wall 10.4 may be termed an outlet end 14.2 of the channel 11.

[0052] Also in the FIG. 3 embodiment, deflector 7 is angled obliquely relative to (is non-parallel with) the wall 10.4 with the result that the channel 11 tapers to a smaller cross-sectional area in the flow direction, in the general manner of a converging nozzle. It may also be seen that the angle 1 between the deflector 7 and adjacent edge of the airbag 3 is larger in comparison with the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 2. The third chamber 5.3 is therefore more sharply angled or tapered in the flow direction so that the gas in the third chamber 5.3 is correspondingly more compressed. This causes a further delay in the discharge of the gas through the vent 4.

[0053] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the channel 11 comprises an upstream portion 12.1 in which the cross section converges in the flow direction, and a downstream portion 12 in which the cross section diverges in the flow direction. The deflector 7 faces on the inside of the guide channel 11 in the upstream portion 12.1 counter to the flow direction of the gas in the guide channel 11 and in the downstream portion 12.2 of the guide channel 11 in the flow direction of the gas in the guide channel 11. Thus the flow of the gas in the upstream portion 12.2 is compressed and in the downstream portion 12.1 is accelerated and deflected in the vertical direction in the operating position of the side airbag. The two portions 12.1, 12.2 enclose a second angle 2 of approximately 100 in the depicted embodiment. Moreover, in the operating position the upstream portion 12.1 is preferably arranged below the armrest level A.

[0054] According to FIG. 6, similar to as shown in FIG. 2, a second inner wall 10.7 is provided in the side airbag 1, said second wall extending from the wall 10.4 and arranged here approximately level with the downstream portion 12.2 of the deflector 7, whereby as indicated in FIG. 6 by arrows s the gas is deflected vertically (when the airbag is in the operating position within a vehicle), i.e. in the z-direction of the vehicle and thus the airbag 3 may be optimally filled.

[0055] As is apparent in FIG. 6, the guide channel 11 has an inlet end 14.1 and an outlet end 14.2 relative to the flow direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of the inlet end 14.1 is larger than or equal to the cross-sectional area of the outlet end 14.2.

[0056] In FIG. 7 a detail is shown of the wall 10.4 and an embodiment of the deflector 7 according to FIG. 6 in relative positions to one another, but separated from the inboard and outboard panels of the airbag 3. Folds 10.5 are formed along opposite edges of the wall 10.4 and the deflector 7, and the folds are secured to the inboard panel and the outboard panel in a gas-tight manner by stitches 10.3 or other known means of fastening.

[0057] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.