Polygon-shaped air bag
AssigneeMilliken & Company
InventorsLance M. Bosgieter, Ramesh Keshavaraj
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A polygon-shaped air bag comprised of fabric for use in vehicle restraint systems is disclosed. The air bag is constructed from fabric panels in the shape of congruent, n-sided equiangular polygons, where n may be between five and eleven, but is preferably six or eight. The individual panels may be in the form of a single polygon, or in the form of two abutting polygons. The use of polygon-shaped panels allows for economical fabric utilization and increased fabrication efficiency, compared with panels having a circular shape.
Claims12
An inflatable fabric cushion for use in a vehicle occupant restraint system, said cushion having a face side and a rear side, wherein said face side is comprised of a first n-sided equiangular polygon and said rear side is comprised of a second, congruent n-sided polygon, where n is an integer that is at least five and less than eleven.
A fabric blank having inscribed therein at least one pair of adjacent and congruent polygon-shaped panels for use in air bag construction, each of said adjacent panels in said pair being comprised of at least one n-sided equiangular polygon, n being an integer that is at least five and less than eleven, wherein one of said polygon-shaped panels comprising said pair of panels has at least one side parallel to a side of said other polygon-shaped panel comprising said pair of panels.
A process for manufacturing an inflatable restraint cushion, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) cutting a first n-sided panel in the shape of an equiangular n-sided polygon and a second, congruent n-sided panel from a fabric blank, where n is an integer that is at least five and less than eleven (b) superimposing said first panel and said second panel in congruent fashion, thereby causing said n sides of said first panel and said n sides of said second panel by forming a perimeter seam along each of their respective coincident n sides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.