Vehicle airbag apparatus
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsHiroshi Goto, Satoshi Iijima
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wearing type airbag apparatus that is worn by a passenger in advance of a collision, wherein the passenger is not prevented from normal movement during normal travel of a vehicle. Upon the vehicle having a collision, an airbag body is immediately inflated and deployed so that an impact against the passenger is effectively and adequately absorbed. The airbag body and an inflator are provided on a wearing member. An ELR device is provided on a vehicle body, a connecting cable drawn therefrom. The connecting cable is connected to the inflator by an activation switch, so that when a tensile strength of a predetermined value or higher is exerted to the connecting cable, the activation switch is activated to inflate and deploy the airbag body.
Claims4
A vehicle airbag apparatus that is put on a passenger's body in advance for absorbing an impact against the passenger comprising:
- a wearing member for wearing by the passenger;
- an airbag body provided on the wearing member;
- an inflator for inflating and deploying the airbag body;
- an emergency locking retractor device provided on a vehicle body;
- an activation switch for connecting a free end of a connecting cable member drawn from the emergency locking retractor device;
- an operating portion of the inflator,
- wherein the activation switch is activated to operate the inflator upon a tensile strength of a predetermined value or higher being exerted to the connecting cable member, thereby inflating and deploying the airbag body.
A method of absorbing an impact against a passenger in a vehicle due to a vehicle collision, the method comprising:
- wearing a wearable airbag apparatus by the passenger, the wearable airbag apparatus including:
- a wearing member,
- an airbag body provided on the wearing member,
- an inflator for inflating and deploying the airbag body,
- an emergency locking retractor device provided on the vehicle body,
- an activation switch for detachably connecting a free end of a connecting cable member drawn from the ELR device, and
- an operating portion of the inflator;
- checking connection of the connecting cable member to the wearing member by the passenger;
- traveling by the passenger in the vehicle;
- inflating and deploying the wearable airbag apparatus upon the vehicle collision, the wearable airbag apparatus automatically performing the steps of:
- detecting a relative acceleration difference between a velocity of the passenger and a velocity of the vehicle by the connecting cable member;
- releasing the detachable connection of the connecting cable member to the ELR device by the activation switch;
- sensing the releasing by a release sensor;
- activating the inflator;
- inflating the inflator;
- and
- absorbing impact on the passenger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.