United States Patent [19]
`Strasser et al.
`
`[11]
`[45]
`
`4,262,931
`Apr. 21, 1981
`
`[54] AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM
`[75] Inventors: Robert A. Strasser, Livonia; Richard
`B. Case, Monroe, both of Mich.
`[73] Assignee: Ford Motor Company, Dearborn,
`Mich.
`[21] Appl. No.: 76,710
`[22] Filed:
`Sep. 18, 1979
`[51] Int. Cl.’.............................................. B60R 21/02
`[52] U.S. C. .................................... 280/729; 280/730;
`-
`280/739; 280/743
`[58] Field of Search ............... 280/728, 729, 730, 732,
`280/739, 743, 742
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`3,647,073 11/1971 Landsman et al. .................. 280/728
`3,768,830 10/1973
`Hass ...................
`... 280/729
`3,784,223
`1/1974 Hass et al. .....
`... 280/730
`3,801,126 4/1974 Knight et al......
`... 280/732
`4,076,277
`2/1978 Kuwakado et al. ................. 280/738
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`2109637 9/1972 Fed. Rep. of Germany ........... 280/729
`Primary Examiner—David M. Mitchell
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—John J. Roethel; Clifford L.
`Sadler
`ABSTRACT
`[57]
`An air bag restraint system including a unitary flexible
`bag having a plurality of compartments. The air bag in
`deflated condition is confined in a vehicle passenger
`compartment in spaced relationship to one of the adja
`cent passenger seating positions. The bag is inflatable
`for passenger restraint purposes by a pressurizing de
`vice. The bag is constructed and arranged so that dur
`ing inflation it deploys towards one of the passenger
`seating positions, and also expands laterally across the
`vehicle interior in front of the adjacent passenger seat
`ing position.
`
`5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures
`
`
`
`IPR 2016-01794
`American Vehicular Sciences
`Exhibit 2032
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent Apr. 21, 1981
`US. Patent
`Apr. 21, 1981
`
`Sheet 1 of 2
`Sheet 1 of2
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`4,262,931
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`U.S. Patent Apr. 21, 1981
`US. Patent
`Apr. 21, 1981
`
`Sheet 2 of 2
`Sheet 2 of2
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`4,262,931
`4,262,931
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`

`1
`
`AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM
`
`4,262,931
`
`5
`
`10
`
`15
`
`2
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates to an integral air bag
`restraint system for restraining movement of passengers
`seated in the outboard and center passenger seating
`positions of the front seat of a motor vehicle. As used
`herein, passenger seating position refers to the seat posi
`tions other than that of the vehicle operator which is
`behind the steering wheel.
`-
`The restraint system includes a housing in the vehicle
`spaced forwardly of and substantially in alignment with
`the outboard passenger seating position. A flexible bag
`having a plurality of compartments is, when in a de
`flated condition, confined within the housing. A pres
`surizing means contained within the housing is actuat
`able to pressurize and inflate the flexible bag.
`In accordance with the present invention, the bag
`upon inflation deploys from the housing and expands
`toward the outboard passenger seating position and also
`laterally across the interior of the vehicle in front of the
`center seating position. When inflated, the several bag
`compartments provide knee restraint and torso and
`head restraints for the passengers occupying the out
`board and center passenger seating positions.
`DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`Other objects, advantages and features of the present
`invention will become more apparent as the description
`proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying
`drawings, wherein:
`-
`FIG. 1 is a side elevational view in cross-section of a
`motor vehicle passenger air bag restraint system show
`ing the air bag in deflated condition within a housing;
`and
`FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the air bag as it ap
`pears in fully deployed and inflated condition; and
`FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the various stages that the
`air bag goes through as it deploys from its stored and
`non-inflated condition to a fully deflated condition as
`viewed from the top.
`DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to
`FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 denotes a box-like reac
`tion housing mounted on a structural component 11 of a
`vehicle instrument panel or dashboard. In effect, the
`reaction housing 10 substitutes for the storage compart
`ment, more popularly known as the glovebox, that con
`ventionally is located at the right end of the instrument
`panel of a left-hand drive vehicle. By left-hand drive, it
`is meant the vehicle has its steering wheel at the left side
`of the front passenger compartment, or to the left of the
`vehicle center line, as viewed in FIG. 2. Housing 10 is
`shown at the right side of the vehicle center line and is
`positioned so that it lies substantially in alignment with
`the right-hand passenger outboard seating position.
`With reference to passenger seating positions, a vehi
`cle passenger compartment having bucket or individual
`seats has one seating position, the left one in a left-hand
`drive vehicle, behind the steering wheel; and another,
`or right one, contiguous to the right side of the vehicle.
`There is no center seating position between the two. In
`a vehicle passenger compartment having a bench seat
`extending laterally across the full width of the compart
`ment, the seating positions are a left outboard seating
`position contiguous to the left side body panel and be
`hind the steering wheel, a right outboard seating posi
`tion contiguous to the right side body panel, and a cen
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates to the field of air bag
`restraint systems for protecting vehicle occupants
`against severe injuries when the vehicle is involved in
`an impact type accident.
`In an air bag system installation for a conventional
`left-hand drive vehicle, the vehicle occupant sitting in
`the right front seating position may be protected by an
`air bag that is deployable from a housing in the dash
`board or instrument panel. The vehicle operator or
`driver sitting in the left front seating position, the posi
`tion behind the steering wheel, may be protected by a
`mini-air bag system integrated in the steering wheel
`Structure.
`The placement of the air bag module for the protec
`tion of the occupant in the right-hand seating position is
`20
`preferably at the right outboard end of the instrument
`panel, in the area that in a non-air bag vehicle is occu
`pied by a storage compartment, more popularly called a
`glove box. This is because the instrument panel from the
`25
`driver's end to a point well past the center is occupied
`by the vehicle instrumentation such as the speedometer,
`odometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge and the like,
`the radio, the heating and ventilation controls, and the
`ashtray. This presents no problem in a vehicle having
`only two front seating positions such as a vehicle having
`bucket seats. In a vehicle in which the front seat is a
`bench type seat able to accommodate a person between
`the vehicle operator and the right front passenger, the
`occupant of the center seating position may not be af
`35
`forded any protection since the center seating position
`would be located between the driver's air bag and the
`right front seating position air bag.
`U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,073 issued Nov. 2, 1971 to Lands
`man et al for an “Automobile Safety System”, discloses
`an air bag system in which the air bags are deployed
`from receivers located on the side post alongside the
`windshield, and also in receptacles along the interior of
`the doors across the body of the driver and the passen
`45
`gers.
`In this proposed construction and arrangement, the
`center seating position is substantially aligned with the
`ends of the bags and provides minimal resistance to
`forward movement of the center seating position occu
`50
`pant. The bags that are ejected or deployed from the
`receivers in the vehicle door are not backed up after
`inflation by the vehicle instrument panel or dashboard
`Structure.
`U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,223 issued to D. P. Hass on Jan. 8,
`1974 for a “Safety Apparatus”, discloses an elongate air
`bag that appears to be able to span the center and right
`hand seating positions to restrain the occupants against
`forward movement during an accident. It appears, how
`ever, that the air bags are stored in a chamber which
`60
`extends across the full width of the vehicle and thus
`would not be adaptable to a system in which the col
`lapsed air bag would be stored in a housing located in
`the instrument panel area usually occupied by the glove
`box. With the current trend toward the downsizing of 65
`vehicles that is now in vogue, the packaging of the
`necessary air bag system components for a system as
`proposed by this patent would present great difficulty.
`
`30
`
`55
`
`

`

`-
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`10
`
`25
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`vehicle.
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`4,262,931
`3
`4
`ter seating position substantially at the center line of the
`As the pressure differential between the two compart
`ments increases, the flap valve 25 opens to permit gas
`FIG. 1 schematically depicts the air bag module,
`flow from the larger compartment 22 to the smaller
`generally designated 12, embodied in the present inven
`compartment 23 to maintain the pressure in the two
`compartments substantially equalized.
`tion as it appears when the air bag is in a stored or 5
`deflated condition. The air bag module 12 comprises a
`Actually, upon initial inflation of the air bag, inflating
`cylindrical diffuser assembly 13 housing a bag pressuriz
`gas is received by the smaller compartment 23 from the
`ing mechanism or inflator (not shown). The inflator is a
`knee bag 15 through the aperture 29 and also from the
`unit containing the firing mechanism and the gas gener
`large compartment 22 through the flap valve 25. After
`ating chemicals for inflating the bag, none of the specif
`full inflation of the air bag is achieved, the flap valve 25
`ics of which form a part of the present invention. The
`functions as described to maintain the pressure in the
`cylindrical diffuser assembly 13 preferably is covered
`two compartments 22 and 23 equalized.
`on its exterior surface 14 with a suitable heat shield.
`Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown in plan view
`The diffuser assembly 13 is located in the lower half
`the various stages that the air bag goes through as it is
`of the housing 10 and is encased in a nylon knee bag 15
`inflated from its deflated condition in the housing to its
`portion 15, the latter being protected by the heat shield
`fully deployed and inflated condition.
`on the surface 14 of the cylinder of the diffuser assem
`Starting at the top of FIG. 3, at 10 milliseconds after
`bly. The knee bag portion 15 in turn is encased or inte
`the gas generating mechanism is actuated, the expand
`grated within the lower longitudinally extending base
`ing air bag 17 will have forced its way through the
`portion 16 of the air bag 17. The main body portion 18
`frangible cover 19 on the housing and have started to
`20
`of the air bag 17 is folded into the upper half of the
`expand from the housing 10 toward the outboard seat
`ing position.
`housing 10. The air bag module is sealed within the
`housing by a frangible cover 19 that is exposed to the
`At 20 milliseconds, the bag will have extended about
`interior of the vehicle compartment and faces the front
`half-way toward the outboard seating position and will
`show signs of lateral expansion toward the center line of
`Seat.
`Upon actuation of the inflator within the diffuser
`the vehicle. This is because the knee bag portion 15 will
`assembly 13, as occurs when impact sensors mounted on
`have begun to move laterally after having cleared the
`the vehicle register a high rate of deceleration as results
`housing 10 and gas will be flowing through the aperture
`from a collision, the air bag 17 is inflated and achieves
`29 in the upper surface of the knee bag compartment 23,
`the configuration shown in FIG. 2. The air bag when 30
`as well as through the apertures 27 and 28 through
`fully inflated extends from the right or outboard end of
`which gas has already been flowing into the bag com
`the housing 10 to a point beyond the center line of the
`partment 22.
`vehicle. The air bag has three compartments, 21, 22 and
`At 40 milliseconds, the bag compartment 22 will be
`23, that form the passenger restraints or impact cushion
`approaching full volume and the compartment 23 will
`ing means. Compartment 21 extends the full lateral 35
`have been pulled by the laterally expanding kneed bag
`length of the air bag and is the result of the inflation of
`compartment 21 a substantial distance across the vehi
`the knee bag portion 15. Compartments 22 and 23 are
`cle center line.
`-
`the result of the inflation of the main body portion 18 of
`At 60 milliseconds, all bag compartments will have
`the air bag. This main body portion preferably is later
`reached full volume and design configuration. Refer
`ally divided into the two compartments 22 and 23 by a 40
`ence may be made to the lower view in FIG. 3 for the
`common wall or baffle 24. The wall has an aperture 25
`final configuration of the compartments 22 and 23; ref
`therein covered by a flap 26 that functions as a valve
`erence may also be made to FIG. 2 for the final configu
`permitting flow from the compartment 22 to the com
`ration of the knee bag compartment 21.
`partment 23, but not in the reverse direction. The com
`It will be understood, however, that at 60 millisec
`partment 22 is positioned to be in substantial alignment 45
`onds, the vehicle occupants will have begun to impact
`with the outboard, right side passenger seating position.
`the bag causing deformation of the compartments and
`The compartment 23 substantially straddles the center
`the desired impact cushioning effect which provides the
`line of the vehicle and is aligned with the center seating
`knee restraint and the upper torso and head restraints to
`position.
`protect the seat occupants against injury.
`It will be noted that the knee bag compartment 21,
`It is to be understood this invention is not limited to
`50
`which is in direct communication with the diffuser as
`the exact construction illustrated and described above,
`sembly 13, is in communication with the compartments
`but that various changes and modifications may be
`22 and 23 through apertures 27, 28 and 29 in its upper
`made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
`surface.
`invention as defined in the appended claims.
`No relief valves are shown in the air bag to permit
`We claim:
`55
`controlled deflation of the same after the bag has served
`1. An air bag restraint system for restraining move
`its purpose in decelerating the forward movement of
`ment of passengers seated in front seating positions,
`the seat occupants. This is because air bag materials
`except the seating position behind the steering wheel, of
`now available have sufficient permeability so that the
`a motor vehicle,
`inflating gas can permeate at a rate sufficient to attain
`the restraint system including:
`the desired rate of collapse.
`a flexible bag confined within the vehicle in a nor
`Because of the permeability of the air bag material,
`mally deflated condition,
`the internal flap valve 25 has an important function. It
`the bag being spaced forwardly of the passenger
`seating positions,
`will be noted that the compartment 23 is somewhat
`smaller than the compartment 22. Therefore, as the 65
`a pressurizing means contained within the vehicle in
`inflating gas flows outwardly through the bag walls, the
`communication with the flexible bag,
`pressure in the smaller compartment 23 tends to fall
`the pressurizing means being actuatable to force pres
`faster than that in the larger volume compartment 22.
`surized gas into the bag to urge the latter from
`
`60
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`

`

`4,262,931
`6
`5
`deflated to inflated condition for passenger re-
`the plurality of compartments in the air bag compris
`ing a first compartment constructed and arranged
`straint purposes,
`the bag having a plurality of compartments therein
`to form a first impact cushioning means extending
`and being constructed and arranged so that during
`the full lateral length across the forward bottom of
`inflation it deploys toward the passenger seating 5
`the bag and adapted when fully inflated to provide
`position farthest away from the excepted seating
`knee impacting restraint for passengers in the out
`position and also expands laterally across the inte-
`board and center seating positions,
`rior of the vehicle in front of the seating position
`and laterally side-by-side second and third compart
`between the seating position farthest from the ex-
`ments constructed and arranged so that when fully
`cepted position and the latter,
`inflated they form second and third impact cush
`when inflated, the plurality of compartments in the
`ioning means above the first compartment means to
`air bag forming a first cushioning means extending
`provide upper torso and head restraints for passen
`the full lateral length across the bottom of the bag
`gers in the outboard and center passenger seating
`to provide knee restraint and second and third
`positions, respectively,
`cushioning means across the top of the bag to pro- 15
`upon inflation, the compartment forming the impact
`vide upper torso restraints for passengers in the
`cushioning means providing knee restraint being
`seating positions other than the excepted seating
`the first compartment to deploy from the housing
`position,
`and after entering the space between the housing
`the air bag material being permeable to permit flow of
`and the outboard seating position expanding later
`pressurized gas through the compartment walls to 20
`ally across the front of the seating positions and
`pulling the second and third compartments into
`the atmosphere and the bag to collapse at a con
`their respective restraint positions.
`trolled rate,
`the second and third impact cushioning means having
`3. An air bag restraint system according to claim 2, in
`a common wall therebetween,
`which:
`the third impact cushioning means being of smaller 25
`the pressurizing means is enveloped within the hous
`volume than the second impact cushioning means,
`ing by the first compartment of the bag,
`and the common wall having a one-way flap valve
`the first compartment having apertures therein in
`therein operable to equalize pressure between the
`communication with the second and third compart
`second and third impact cushioning means when
`ments to permit the flow of pressurizing medium
`pressure in the second impact cushioning means 30
`from the pressurizing means through the first com
`exceeds that in the third impact cushioning means
`partment into the second and third compartments.
`during collapse of the bag.
`4. An air bag restraint system according to claims 2
`2. An air bag restraint system for restraining move-
`and 3, in which:
`ment of passengers seated in the outboard and center
`the second and third compartments have a dividing
`passenger seating positions of the front seat of a motor 35
`wall therebetween,
`vehicle,
`and a flap valve opening from the second compart
`ment into the third compartment operable to equal
`the restraint system including:
`ize the pressure in the compartments when the
`a housing in the vehicle spaced forwardly of and
`pressure in the second compartment exceeds that in
`substantially in alignment with the outboard pas
`the third compartment.
`senger seating position,
`5. An air bag restraint system according to claim 2, in
`a unitary, flexible bag having a plurality of compart
`which:
`ments and in deflated condition being confined
`the expanded volume of the third compartment is
`within the housing,
`smaller than that of the second compartment.
`a pressurizing means contained within the housing
`actuatable to pressurize and inflate the flexible bag, 45
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`# # , i.
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