# US 5,704,402 A · Air bag fabric > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,704,402 A - Document ID: US5704402A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/625,311 - Filed: 1996-04-01 - Granted: 1998-01-06 - Earliest claimed: 1996-04-01 - Assignees: Milliken Research Corporation - Inventors: Derek L. Bowen; Charles L. Bower; John A. Sollars, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5704402A ## CPC - B60R 21/235: characterised by their material - D03D 1/02: Inflatable articles - D03D 15/283: synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres (cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225) - B60R 2021/23509: {Fabric} - Y10T 428/1362: Textile, fabric, cloth, or pile containing [e.g., web, net, woven, knitted, mesh, nonwoven, matted, etc.] - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - D03D: WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract The woven structure for an air bag is designed to have an air permeability which does not increase by more than about fifty percent when the fabric is subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces in both the warp and fill. This is accomplished by a multiple warp harness arrangement using combinations of twill and basket weave pattern components. This weave construction does not only avoid substantial increases in permeability over a range of biaxial tensions but also may result in a permeability decrease when subjected to tensions which approximate those applicable during actual air bag deployment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inflatable cushion for use in an occupant restraint system at least partially formed from uncoated woven textile fabric, wherein said textile fabric comprises a plurality of warp yarns disposed in a warp direction interwoven with a plurality of fill yarns disposed in a fill direction in a predetermined weave configuration such that the textile fabric has an air permeability which at no time increases by more than about fifty percent from that measured in a substantially untensioned state at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) across the fabric when the fabric is subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces in both the warp and the fill directions up to about 150 pounds force per linear inch. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The invention according to claim 1, wherein said textile fabric is woven according to a four pick repeat pattern. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The invention according to claim 2, wherein said textile fabric is formed from nylon warp yarns and nylon fill yarns. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The invention according to claim 2, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The invention according to claim 4, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The invention according to claim 1, wherein said textile fabric is woven according to a six pick repeat pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The invention according to claim 6, wherein said textile fabric is formed from nylon warp yarns and nylon fill yarns. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The invention according to claim 6, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The invention according to claim 8, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 10 An uncoated woven textile fabric for use in an inflatable cushion in an occupant restraint system, comprising: a plurality of warp yarns disposed in a warp direction interwoven with a plurality of fill yarns disposed in a fill direction in a predetermined weave configuration such that said textile fabric has an air permeability which at no time increases by more than about fifty percent from that measured in a substantially untensioned state at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) across the fabric when subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces in both the warp and the fill directions up to about 150 pounds force per liner inch. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The invention according to claim 10, wherein said textile fabric is woven according to a four pick repeat pattern. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The invention according to claim 11, wherein said textile fabric is formed from nylon warp yarns and nylon fill yarns. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The invention according to claim 11, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The invention according to claim 13 wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The invention according to claim 10, wherein said textile fabric is woven according to a six pick repeat pattern. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The invention according to claim 15, wherein said textile fabric is formed from nylon warp yarns and nylon fill yarns. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The invention according to claim 15, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The invention according to claim 17, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The invention according to claim 10, wherein said fabric has an initial air permeability of not more than about five standard cubic feet of air per minute per square foot of fabric at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) across the fabric when the fabric is in a substantially untensioned state. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The invention as in claim 19, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The invention as in claim 20, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 22 (depends on 10) The invention as in claim 10, wherein said fabric has an air permeability which at no time increases by more than about twenty percent at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) when subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces in both the warp and the fill directions up to about 150 pounds force per linear inch. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The invention as in claim 22, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The invention as in claim 23, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The invention as in claim 22, wherein said fabric has an initial air permeability of not more than about three standard cubic feet of air per minute per square foot of fabric at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) across the fabric when the fabric is in a substantially untensioned state. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The invention as in claim 25, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The invention as in claim 26, wherein said warp yarns are of substantially the same denier as said fill yarns. ### Claim 28 An uncoated woven textile fabric, comprising: a plurality of warp yarns disposed in a warp direction interwoven with a plurality of fill yarns disposed in a fill direction in a predetermined weave configuration such that said textile fabric has a measured air permeability which is not more than about three standard cubic feet of air per minute per square foot of fabric at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals (0.5 inches of water) across the fabric when the fabric is in a substantially untensioned state and said air permeability at no time increases by more than about fifty percent as measured at a pressure drop of 124 Pascals across the fabric when the fabric is subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces in both the warp and the fill directions up to about 150 pounds force per linear inch of fabric. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The invention according to claim 28, wherein said textile fabric is woven according to a four pick repeat pattern. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The invention according to claim 29, wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a denier of between about 300 and about 840. ### Claim 31 An uncoated, woven textile fabric having a controlled air permeability, the fabric comprising: a plurality of warp yarns disposed in a warp direction interwoven with a plurality of fill yarns disposed in a fill direction in a predetermined weave configuration such that said fabric has an air permeability which decreases by about twenty percent or more from that measured in a substantially untensioned state at a pressure drop of three pounds force per square inch across said fabric when said fabric is subjected to substantially equivalent tension forces of about eighty pounds force per linear inch in both the warp and the fill directions. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The invention as in claim 31 wherein said warp yarns and said fill yarns each have a linear density of about 100 denier or less.