CURTAIN-TYPE SIDE AIRBAG AND CURTAIN-TYPE AIRBAG MODULE

Abstract

The invention describes a curtain side airbag (10), in particular for protection of a head area of a vehicle occupant (40), for a vehicle occupant restraint system (100), comprising a main cushion (12) formed by one or more chambers which, when deployed and filled, extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle (x) between the vehicle occupant (40) and a side structure of a vehicle (54) and includes an inner fabric layer (14) facing the vehicle occupant (40) as well as an outer fabric layer (16) facing the side structure of the vehicle, wherein, on the inner fabric layer (14), an additional friction-reducing impact layer (18) is arranged which covers at least part of the inner fabric layer (14) and is connected to the inner fabric layer (14) in such a way that the friction-reducing impact layer (18) is movable relative to the inner fabric layer (14) at least in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (x), and describes a curtain airbag module (70) comprising a curtain side airbag (10) according to the invention.

Claims

1. A curtain side airbag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising a main cushion formed by one or more chambers which, when deployed and filled, extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the vehicle occupant and a side structure of a vehicle and includes an inner fabric layer facing the vehicle occupant as well as an outer fabric layer facing the side structure of the vehicle, wherein on the inner fabric layer, an additional friction-reducing impact layer is arranged which covers at least part of the inner fabric layer and is connected to the inner fabric layer in such a way that the friction-reducing impact layer is movable relative to the inner fabric layer at least in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

2. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer is sewn or glued to the main cushion.

3. The curtain side airbag according to claim 2, wherein the impact layer is sewn to the main cushion in non-inflatable areas, particularly in the area of an edge seam and/or a dart.

4. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer is in the form of a non-woven fabric.

5. The curtain side airbag according to claim 4, wherein the impact layer is a multi-layer design and comprises at least one base layer in the form of a flat-woven fabric and one friction layer in the form of a non-woven fabric, the friction layer being attached to the base layer, specifically by sewing or gluing.

6. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer is in the form of a knitted fabric.

7. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer is manufactured of PA 6.6 or PA 6.

8. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer has a weakened zone.

9. The curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the impact layer is movable relative to the inner fabric layer by at least 10 cm without the impact layer being destroyed in the contact area with the head of the vehicle occupant.

10. A curtain airbag module for a vehicle occupant restraint system for installation in a vehicle in the area of a roof edge, comprising a curtain side airbag according to claim 1, wherein the curtain side airbag, when deployed and filled, covers at least the area between a vehicle occupant and a side structure of the vehicle and a friction-reducing impact layer is arranged on an inner fabric layer of the curtain side airbag so that, in a situation of restraint triggered by an angled impact, the friction between a head of a vehicle occupant and the curtain side airbag is reduced.

11. The curtain side airbag according to claim 8, wherein the weakened zone is formed by a perforation introduced into the impact layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Description of Figures

[0021] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will be evident from the following description of an embodiment that is not meant to be limiting and on the basis of the drawings, wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a curtain side airbag according to the invention;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a cutout from a second embodiment of the curtain side airbag according to the invention;

[0024] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of an impact layer for a curtain side airbag according to the invention; and

[0025] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a vehicle comprising a curtain side airbag according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a curtain side airbag 10 according to the invention for a vehicle occupant restraint system 100 (see FIG. 4) that is provided for the protection of a head area of a vehicle occupant 40.

[0027] The curtain side airbag 10 is formed by a main cushion 12 which, in the shown embodiment, is in the form of an OPW airbag that is woven in one piece in a multi-layer weaving process. In doing so, the inner fabric layer 14 and the outer fabric layer 16 are woven together at least in the area of the edge seam 22 so that connections are formed between the inner fabric layer 14 and the outer fabric layer 16 which are not inflatable and delimit the inflatable volume of the main cushion 12. In addition, in the multi-layer weaving process darts 24 can be introduced in the area of which the inner fabric layer 14 and the outer fabric layer 16 are also woven together so that the darts 24 also constitute a non-inflatable area. As a matter of course, the curtain side airbag 10 can also include darts (not shown) in the area of which the inner fabric layer 14 and the outer fabric layer 16 are connected to each other so that the main cushion is inflatable at least to a limited extent and warp and weft threads changing the fabric layer form spacers so that only the thickness of the main cushion 12 is limited.

[0028] For attachment in a vehicle 50 (see FIG. 4), the curtain side airbag 10 comprises plural attaching tabs 36. Further, in FIG. 1 the inflation mouth including the inflator mount 74 for the inflator 72 of the curtain airbag module 70 is shown.

[0029] An additional friction-reducing impact layer 18 (see sectional view A-A in FIG. 1) which covers part of the inner fabric layer 14 is arranged on the inner fabric layer 14 of the main cushion 12.

[0030] The impact layer 18 is attached, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, to the main cushion via the seams 20 in the area of the edge seam 22 and two of the darts 24. An arrangement of the seams 20 for attaching the impact layer 18 in the non-inflatable areas 22, 24 offers the advantage that the characteristics of the curtain side airbag 12 such as e.g. the tightness are not impaired in this way.

[0031] As an alternative, the impact layer 18 can be attached to the inner fabric layer 14 by gluing or by welding.

[0032] The impact layer 18 can be attached to the inner fabric layer 14 also outside the non-inflatable areas 22, 24, of course, in particular when the impact layer 18 is attached to the inner fabric layer 14 by gluing.

[0033] Preferably, the impact layer 18 is a textile that allows the impact layer 18 to be movable relative to the inner fabric layer 14 at least in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle x in the event of an angled impact or a laterally offset frontal impact. For example, the impact layer 18 can also be designed as a highly flexible textile for this purpose.

[0034] It is achieved in this way that the impact layer is not destroyed at least in the head contact area when it contacts the head 42 and/or neck 44 of the vehicle occupant 40 (hereinafter referred to as head contact area) in the event of an angled impact or a laterally offset frontal impact, but can expand until the further restraint systems of the vehicle occupant restraint system 100 can develop the full protective effect.

[0035] The further restraint systems can be, for example, a seatbelt system 68 or a front airbag module 62 arranged in the instrument panel 60 or in the steering wheel 62 and including a front airbag. Moreover, the vehicle occupant restraint system 100 can comprise further restraint systems such as seat-integrated side airbag modules 66, for example.

[0036] The textile of the impact layer 18 can be a textile in the form of a knitted fabric or a tubular fabric or of a non-woven fabric such as a spunbonded fabric.

[0037] The impact layer 18 can be manufactured of a polyamide, specifically of PA 6.6 or PA 6.

[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates a cutout from the main cushion 12 of a second embodiment of the curtain side airbag 10. In this embodiment, the impact layer 18 is a non-woven fabric and is also attached to the main cushion 12 in the area of the edge seam 22 via a seam 20. In contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the impact layer 18 in this case includes a respective weakened zone 32 that is close to the attachment formed by the seam 20.

[0039] The weakened zone 32 in the shown embodiment is in the form of a perforation 34 introduced into the impact layer 18. The arrangement of the weakened zone 32 close to the attachment formed by the seam 20 can help achieve a targeted breaking of the impact layer 18 in the area of the weakened zone 32 when the head 42 of the vehicle occupant 40 hits the latter and, thus, helps prevent the impact layer 18 from breaking in the head contact area. As a matter of course, also an impact layer 18 in the form of a knitted fabric or another textile may include those weakened zones.

[0040] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of an impact layer 18 for the curtain side airbag 10. In contrast to the single-layer impact layers of the preceding Figures, the impact layer 18 shown in FIG. 3 has a multi-layer design and consists of a base layer 26 and a friction layer 28. The base layer 26 is designed as an uncoated flat woven fabric, for example, and the friction layer 28 is designed as a highly flexible textile. The friction layer 28 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is attached to the base layer via seams 30. Preferably, such an impact layer 18 is attached to the main cushion 12 of the curtain side airbag 10 as a prefabricated preassembly group.

[0041] A multi-layer embodiment of the impact layer 18 offers the advantage that the friction layer 28 can be attached to the base layer 26 independently of the arrangement of the non-inflatable areas 22 and 24 in the main cushion 12 and the later attachment of the impact layer 18 to the main cushion 12 within the non-inflatable areas 22 and 24 of the main cushion 12.

[0042] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a vehicle 50 comprising a vehicle occupant restraint system 100 that comprises a curtain airbag module 70 with a curtain side airbag 10 which is installed in the vehicle in the area of a roof edge 52.

[0043] As can be seen from FIG. 4, the curtain side airbag 10 is arranged, when deployed and filled, between a vehicle occupant 40 and a side structure 54 of the vehicle 50 and covers at least the area between the head 42 and the neck 44 of the vehicle occupant 40 and the side windows 55.

[0044] The impact layer 18 is arranged on the inner fabric layer 14 facing the vehicle occupant 40 so that, in the event of a situation of restraint triggered by an angled impact or a laterally offset frontal impact, the friction between a head 42 of the vehicle occupant 40 and the curtain side airbag 10 is reduced so that, when the impact layer contacts the head 42 and/or the neck 44, the impact layer is not destroyed in the head contact area but can expand until the further restraint systems of the vehicle occupant restraint system 100 can develop the full protective effect.