Takata Corporation

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc.

Takata Corporaton

Tsuneo Chikaraishi

Yoshihiko Tanaka

Koji Koga

Toshihiko Tanaka

Takeshi Fukuda

Hiroshi Ohashi

Jeffery S Blackburn

Yasushi Masuda

Morizo Nakazato

Yoshikazu Nakayama

Nobuya Osada

Makoto Doi

Yoshinobu Takahashi

Kanji Yano

Yoshinori Ohishi

Muneharu Tomie

Katsuhiko Teramura

Kiyokazu Hamada

An inflatorof a vehicle occupant protection system, for example, contains an elongated housinghaving a first endand a second. The gas generatorincludes a sealed pressurized gas supply or gas tankin fluid communication with the first endupon inflatoroperation. A first sealseals the first endprior to gas generatoroperation. A notched support memberis wedged within the housingand fixes the first sealagainst a sealed openingof the gas tank, thereby preventing fluid flow during gas generatorinactivity. Upon gas generatoractivation, the support memberis fractured by a force produced by an initiatorthereby releasing pressurized gas into the first endand through the housing

Pressurized gas release mechanism

A gas generating apparatus is provided which includes a plurality of combustion chambers and a filter chamber. The filter chamber contains a filter which includes a region which is not substantially heated by combustion gases generated by one combustion chamber and which receives combustion gases subsequently generated in another combustion chamber. In this fashion, a high gas cooling efficiency is achieved. The gas generating apparatus has an upwardly-opening vessel-shaped base and a downwardly-opening vessel-shaped cup which when combined form an outer shell of combustion chambers. A filter cap is fixed to the upper side of the cup, thereby defining the filter chamber. A first combustion chamber is positioned outside a pipe through the base and a second combustion chamber is formed inside the pipe. A foil on the inner surface of the filter chamber prevents combustion gases emitted by one combustion chamber entering another combustion chamber.

Gas generating apparatus

A gas generating apparatus is provided which includes a first combustion chamber having a first opening and a second combustion chamber having a second opening. Each of the combustion chambers contains an ignitor and a propellant. A filter chamber that accommodates a filter is provided. The filter chamber is separated from each of the combustion chambers. The apparatus is configured so that a combustion gas produced in the first combustion chamber exits through the first opening and enters a first portion of the filter chamber without passing through the second chamber. The second combustion chamber extends through the filter chamber and the first combustion chamber.

An airbag inflator for generating gas for deploying an airbag includes a cylindrical body, at least one partition disposed in the cylindrical body to divide the cylindrical body into a plurality of combustion chambers, a crimping portion formed at the cylindrical body near an outer periphery of the partition for holding the same, and a coining portion formed in at least one of side surfaces of the partition near the outer periphery thereof. The diameter of the partition is enlarged by the coining portion, so that the outer periphery of the partition securely contacts an inside of the cylindrical body to seal therebetween.

Airbag inflator and method of manufacturing the same

An inflatable seat belt apparatus is formed of an inflatable portion which is usually maintained in a band shape and has an envelope part inflated and deployed in a spindle shape by introducing a gas generated by a gas generating device, the gas generating device acting in case of exceeding a predetermined threshold, a webbing having the inflatable portion extending over at least a range directly contacting with an occupant, a tongue fixed to an end of the inflatable portion and having a gas inlet from the gas generating device inside thereof and a buckle which detachably engages the tongue. The envelope part is made of a knitted fabric expanded in the weft direction in a range of contacting the chest of the occupant when the envelope part is inflated. The inflatable seat belt apparatus includes an inflation restricting device for restricting the expansion in the weft direction besides the range.

Inflatable seat belt having defined shape

Disclosed is a base fabric for automobile air bags having excellent flexibility to ensure compact folding of the air bag and high flame retardancy for safety in hazard, which consists of a woven fabric web and a rubbery coating layer formed thereon from a silicone-based coating composition in the form of an aqueous emulsion comprising: (a) 100 parts by weight of an organopolysiloxane represented by the general formula

Base fabric for air bags and method for the preparation thereof

An air bag includes a main body formed by sewing up the respective peripheries of two fabrics, a front panel and a rear panel with a thread, first tether belts and second tether belts for connecting the central portion of the front panel and the central portion of the rear panel. Each of the first tether belts has a low strength portion structured by forming notches on both sides. Stud bolts are inserted into through holes of the first tether belts, through holes of the air bag, bolt holes of the retainer, and bolt holes of a flange. The air bag deploys to the outside of the steering wheel quite rapidly in the initial stage of the deployment, and the front panel extends suitably forward in the latter stage of the deployment.

Air bag with tearable and non-tearable tethers

An inflatable seat belt apparatus is formed of an inflatable portion which is usually maintained in a band shape and has an envelope part inflated and deployed in a spindle shape by introducing gas generated by a gas generating device, the gas generating device acting in case of exceeding a predetermined threshold, a webbing having the inflatable portion extending over at least a range directly contacting with an occupant, a tongue fixed to an end of the inflatable portion and having a gas path from the gas generating device and a buckle to which the tongue is detachably engaged. The inflatable portion has an elastic inflatable unit inserted into the envelope part and is inflated and deployed by introducing the gas generated by the gas generating device into the elastic inflatable unit via a filter.

Inflatable seat belt having bag filter

An inflatable seat belt apparatus is formed of an inflatable portion which is usually maintained in a band shape and has an envelope shaped elastic inflatable member inflated and deployed in a rough spindle shape by introducing gas generated by a first gas generating device. The gas generating device operates in case of exceeding a predetermined threshold. A webbing includes the inflatable portion and extends over at least a range directly contacting with an occupant. A tongue is fixed to an end of the inflatable portion and includes a gas path extending from the gas generating device. A buckle is detachably engaged with the tongue. The envelope shaped inflatable member is inflated in a predetermined shape by introducing gas for a leak testing from a second gas generating device when the tongue is engaged with the buckle, and is inspected whether or not the gas leaks by a gas leak detecting device disposed in the gas path. A state of the damage is inspected.

Inflatable seat belt with leak detection device

An inflatable seatbelt system wherein if extremely high acceleration acts on the vehicle laterally when a lateral collision or other similar emergency situation occurs and this acceleration exceeds a first set value, a gas generator is activated to inflate a shoulder belt (2) surely and almost instantaneously in the same way as in a case where extremely high deceleration acts on the vehicle longitudinally. In this case, a portion of the shoulder belt (2a) extending between first and second anchors (6) and (20) also inflates to a large extent. Accordingly, the head and face of the occupant (M) are brought into contact with the inflated shoulder belt portion (2a) by the lateral acceleration. Therefore, the heavy impact load, which would otherwise be applied to the occupant's head and face, is relieved. Thus, the occupant's head and face are effectively and reliably protected.

Inflatable seatbelt system

An inflatable seatbelt system having a webbing (11) formed by laying two strap-like webbing base fabrics (11a) and (11b) one on top of the other, which have a predetermined width approximately equal to the width of a typical conventional seatbelt, and sewing the respective side edges of these webbing base fabrics to each other at both lateral ends of the webbing (11). The warp (14) is disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the webbing (11), and the weft (15) is disposed perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the webbing (11). The warp (14) is formed of threads which do not practically stretch when the webbing (11) inflates. The weft (15) is formed of rubber-like stretchable threads made of an elastic material, e.g., urethane. Accordingly, the webbing (11) inflates to a large extent in the lateral direction, but it does not practically inflate in the longitudinal direction.

An inflatable seatbelt system designed so that the thickness of the webbing, when maintained in a strap-like configuration, is minimized, and it is possible to eliminate the webbing folding process and to reduce the amount of base fabric used and yet possible to reliably inflate the webbing when an emergency situation occurs. A shoulder belt (2) is formed from a tubular webbing (17), a tube (16) inserted in the webbing (17), and a cover (15) covering the webbing (17). The tube (16) is made of an elastic material which can be formed relatively thin and which has heat resistance and relatively high strength, e.g., urethane rubber or silicone rubber. The cover (15) is made of a resin material, e.g., polyester. The webbing (17) is made of a knitted fabric formed into a tubular configuration by weft knitting. By the use of the knitted fabric, the webbing (17) is stretchable to a large extent in the lateral direction but does not practically stretch in the longitudinal direction.

A method of dyeing a webbing of a seat belt device having a step of padding a dye to a raw material for a webbing and a subsequent step of introducing the webbing into a hot blow furnace and color developing, wherein a webbing in a moistened state by padding of the dye is introduced into a hot blow furnace and drying and color development are conducted in the hot blow furnace.

Method of dyeing a webbing of a seat belt device

An inflatable seatbelt system having a webbing (11) formed in the shape of a bag from a woven fabric. The warp of the webbing (11) is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the seatbelt, and the weft is disposed in the lateral direction of the seatbelt. The weft is formed of spandex threads made of a material having a relatively low modulus of elasticity and stretchable in a rubber-like manner, e.g., urethane. The weft (15) on the reverse side of a portion of the webbing (11) corresponding to the boundary between a shoulder belt (2) and a lap belt (3) is cut over a predetermined area. A gas outlet portion (5e) of a tongue (5) is inserted into the shoulder belt (2) from an opening 11(c) formed by widening the cut area of the weft (15). The lap belt (3) of the webbing (11), which extends in the opposite direction to the direction of insertion of the gas outlet portion (5e), is passed through a webbing receiving hole (5b) provided in an operating portion (5c) of the tongue (5) by slightly contracting the lap belt 3 in the direction of the width thereof. A belt cap (16) is fitted onto the gas outlet portion (5e) of the tongue (5) with the webbing (11) interposed therebetween, thereby securing the tongue (5) to the webbing (11).

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Hikone, Japan

Tsuneo Chikaraishi