# US 7,744,121 B2 · Airbag, airbag apparatus, and method for folding airbag

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- Number: US 7,744,121 B2
- Document ID: US7744121B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/878,995
- Filed: 2007-07-30
- Published: 2008-02-07
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2006-08-01
- Assignees: Nihon Plast Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Tomotaka Ishikawa; Hideaki Saito; Takashi Ueda; Hiroyuki Iwamoto; Mitsuhiro Yoshida
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744121B2

## CPC

- B60R 21/237: characterised by the way they are folded
- B60R 21/2346: Soft diffusers
- B60R 21/213: in vehicle roof frames or pillars
- B60R 21/232: Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
- B60R 2021/161: {characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory}
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An airbag, which is folded and assembled elongatedly, is deployed along a side window. The airbag has a folded portion and a pleated portion which wraps the folded portion under the assembled condition. The airbag also has an inner tube which is provided from the inside of an infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of an inflating portion. The inner tube prevents that the airbag is damaged by heat of inflation gas. When the airbag is assembled, the inner tube is positioned along a first fabric, which is developed so that the surface of the first fabric faces an inside of a vehicle compartment, by the infused fluid. Deployment performance of the airbag (curtain airbag deploying along a side window of an automobile) is improved.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An airbag comprising:
(a) an airbag main portion including
(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and
(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion portion to inflate the inflating portion; and
(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion, wherein
the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions to each other and
the inner tube is folded with either one of the pleats.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The airbag according to claim 1, wherein
a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion.

### Claim 3

An airbag apparatus comprising:
(i) an airbag which deploys along a side window inside a vehicle compartment and comprises
(a) an airbag main portion including
(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and
(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion portion to inflate the inflating portion; and
(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion, wherein
the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions to each other,
a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion, and
the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats; and
(ii) an inflator for infusing gas into the gas infusion portion of the airbag, wherein
the first fabric of the airbag is developed so that the surface of the first fabric faces the inside of the vehicle compartment, and
the inner tube of the airbag is folded with the pleat of the first fabric.

### Claim 4

A method for folding an airbag; the airbag comprising
(a) an airbag main portion including
(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and
(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion portion to inflate the inflating portion; and
(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion, wherein
the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions to each other, and
the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats; the method comprising:
infusing fluid into the inside of the inner tube from a prescribed direction to inflate the inflating portion and detach the first and second fabrics from each other, and
pleating the inflating portion to form the pleated portion under the condition where the inner tube is positioned along any one of the first and second fabrics by the infused fluid.

### Claim 5

A method for folding an airbag; the airbag comprising
(a) an airbag main portion including
(x) a gas infusion portion through which gas is infused into an inside of the airbag main portion, and
(y) an inflating portion which is communicated with the gas infusion portion and has first and second fabrics between which the gas is infused through the gas infusion portion to inflate the inflating portion; and
(b) an inner tube provided from the inside of the gas infusion portion to the inside of an upstream portion of the inflating portion, wherein
the upstream portion of the inflating portion is pleated to form a pleated portion in which the first and second fabrics form a pair of pleats extending counter directions to each other,
a downstream portion of the inflating portion is folded to form a folded portion which is folded to be wrapped by the pleated portion, and
the inner tube is folded with any one of the pleats; the method comprising
folding the inflating portion to form the folded portion which is apart from the gas infusion portion,
infusing fluid into the inside of the inner tube from a prescribed direction to inflate the inflating portion except the folded portion and detach the first and second fabrics from each other, and
pleating the inflating portion except the folded portion to form the pleated portion under the condition where the inner tube is positioned along any one of the first and second fabrics by the infused fluid.