Takata Corporation

Wataru Nakazawa

Kei Tsujimoto

Yoshitaka Matsui

Akira Kokeguchi

Kazuya Miwa

Yasushi Masuda

Ichizo Kobayashi

Ryosuke Nakanishi

Masahiko Kaifuki

An airbag apparatus mounted on a motor vehicle is constructed such that a folded shape of an airbag is held by an airbag-holding member disposed in a manner to wrap an external surface of the folded airbag, which is housed in a retainer. The airbag-holding member is constructed such that a film sheet, in which a plurality of resin layers is laminated together, is configured to have a bag-shape that wraps around an entire external surface of the folded airbag.

Airbag apparatus

An airbag apparatus includes an airbag, an airbag housing portion for housing the airbag in a folded-back condition, an airbag cover for covering the airbag opening, a gas-supplying portion for supplying gas to the airbag, an airbag-holding member formed of a film sheet, and a thin thickness portion formed in the film sheet of the airbag-holding member. The airbag-holding member holds a folded-back shape of the airbag while wrapping around an external surface of the airbag in the folded-back condition. The airbag-holding member is ruptured at the thin thickness portion by the gas supplied from the gas supplying portion when a motor vehicle accident occurs.

An airbag apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle such as a motor vehicle includes an airbag and a gas supply device. The airbag is inflated to a rear side of a vehicle from a front side thereof in front of a vehicle passenger for protecting the passenger in case of a vehicle accident. The airbag includes a right airbag section extending vertically on a right side of the vehicle and a left airbag section extending vertically on a left side of the vehicle in the inflated state. The right or left airbag section located closer to a side portion of the vehicle has an upper edge lower than that of the left or right airbag section, so that the right or left airbag section does not interfere with the side portion.

Airbag apparatus and method of manufacturing airbag

An airbag apparatus is mounted to a front surface side of a base member of a steering wheel so as to be capable of advancing and retracting in the direction of an axial line of a steering column. A mounting strip projects upright from a back surface of a retainer of the airbag apparatus. The base member is formed with a mounting strip insertion hole, so that the retainer is connected to the base member by pushing the mounting strip into the mounting strip insertion hole and engaging the mounting strip with an engaging spring. The steering wheel and airbag apparatus is simple in structure, and has reduced weight.

Steering wheel with airbag apparatus

An airbag module for use in a motor vehicle is manufactured by first to third steps. In the first step, the airbag is folded into a predetermined configuration, and in the second step, an entire external surface of the airbag, in an initially folded condition obtained in the first step, is wrapped in a bag-shaped film forming member. The bag-shaped film forming member includes a plurality of resin layers formed in a layer-stack manner with regard to a film cross-sectional direction. In the third step, the initially folded airbag is housed in the airbag-housing member in a condition wherein the airbag has an airbag volume reduced to less than the airbag volume at a time of being initially folded, by a compression force applied to the bag-shaped film forming member.

Method for manufacturing airbag module

The positioning of an airbag plate with respect to an inflator is achieved so as to prevent the generation of a rattle that may otherwise be caused by vibrations during vehicle travel. The bottom side of a column-shaped inflator that injects pressurized fluid is supported by a retainer. An opening edge of an airbag body is clamped between an airbag plate and the retainer when the airbag plate, which is located on the upper side of the inflator, is engaged with the retainer. The edge of the bottom opening of the airbag body is clamped between the airbag plate and the inflator. In one embodiment, shoulders, which are provided on the airbag plate, abut both ends of the inflator. In another embodiment, tongue strips, which are provided on the airbag plate, abut both ends of the inflator.

A case of an airbag unit has a case body for forming a storage room for accommodating an airbag. The case body has a bottom section, a pair of first side walls, and a pair of second side walls. The case also has a movable component disposed adjacent to an outer surface of one of the first side walls, and retractable toward a base end along the case body in response to an external force applied to the case. One of the first side walls has a plurality of pillars extending upwardly from the bottom to form cut-off portions therebetween extending downwardly from the upper opening.

Airbag unit and case of airbag unit

A case of an airbag unit includes a case body for forming a storage room for accommodating an airbag, and a movable component attached to the case body for forming at least a part of an edge of an opening of the case body. The movable component has a lower end portion bent in a direction away from the case body. The movable component is movable toward the bottom when an external force is applied to the case.

A structure for attaching a fabric sheet to a vehicle body, wherein the fabric sheet may be prevented from being twisted together with the rotation of a threaded fastener such as a bolt during fixation of the fabric sheet to the vehicle body by the threaded fastener. A spacer which is generally cylindrical is fitted in a hole of a tab. The spacer comprises a cylindrical portion into which a bolt is inserted, and a pair of flanges radially overhanging from both axial ends of the cylindrical portion, respectively. The flanges, have an outer diameter which is sufficiently large in comparison to the inner diameter of the hole. The cylindrical portion is inserted into the hole. The head a of the bolt never touches the tab so that the tab is never twists together with the bolt when the bolt is screwed into the bolt hole.

Structure for attaching a fabric sheet to a vehicle body

A horn switch device includes a retractable body, an unmoving body facing the retractable body, a biasing member between the retractable body and the unmoving body, a pair of contact members attached to, and moving with, the retractable body, and a contacting body, formed on the unmoving body, for contacting one of the contact members when the retractable body retracts. The contacting body stops the retraction of the contacted contact member, thereby bringing the contact members into contact with each other so as to sound the horn. The horn switch device facilitates positioning of the contact members relative to each other, thereby simplifying the assembly of a steering wheel and an airbag system.

Horn switch device, airbag system, and steering wheel

In airbag apparatus mounted on a vehicle, a folded shape of an airbag is held by an airbag-holding member disposed over an outer surface of the airbag, and is housed in a retainer. The airbag-holding member is made of a translucent film sheet, in which a plurality of resin layers is stacked in a thickness direction. The folded shape of the airbag can be visually confirmed.

A horn switch device includes a retractable body, an unmoving body, first and second biasing members for biasing the retractable body in a restoring direction, and first and second contact members. The contact members are attached to, and move with, the retractable body, and are capable of contacting each other by movement of the retractable body. The first biasing member pushes the first contact member and the second contact member apart. The second biasing member pushes the second contact member toward the first contact member. When a module cover is depressed, the biasing members are compressed to bring the contact members into contact with each other, thereby sounding the horn. Since the biasing members are arranged in series, vehicle vibration can be absorbed, thereby preventing accidental contact of the contact members. The device facilitates positioning of the contact members, thereby simplifying assembly of a steering wheel and an airbag system.

A horn switch device includes a first contact member, a second contact member disposed relative to the first contact member via a spacer, a guide shaft for guiding the first and second contact members, a coil spring, and a contacting body at the distal end of an extension extending from a retainer. When a module cover is depressed, the second contact member comes into contact with the contacting body so as to be deformed, thereby bringing electrical contacts into contact with each other so as to sound the horn. The horn switch device facilitates positioning of the contacts relative to each other, thereby simplifying the assembly of an airbag system.

Hangers of the curtain airbag are used to hang a bag body from a structural member of a vehicle. The hangers restrict the deployment direction of the bag body, and receive reaction force produced when the bag body is deployed downwards. The hanger is mounted to an ear of the bag body, and includes a strip-shaped flat plate portion and a sandwiching plate portion formed integrally with the corresponding flat plate portion. The ears of the bag body are sandwiched between inner plates and outer plates of the corresponding sandwiching plate portions. By the flat plate portion of each hanger, the bag body deploys smoothly along an inner surface of the window glass.

Curtain airbag

A protection bag for an automobile includes an introducing chamber extending along an upper side of the bag, and a plurality of small chambers disposed parallel to each other at a lower side of the introducing chamber. Some of the small chambers have a spiral shape. Gas inlet of the spiral small chamber faces a pass through port. The length of a gas flowing path of the small chamber is greater than the width of the small chamber. The protection bag can avoid outflow of gas from the small chambers and sufficiently absorb the impact on the passenger's head.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Wataru Nakazawa