Air bag and method of seam assembly for minimizing gas leakage

The invention generally relates to air bags and more particularly to air bags having a novel seam construction. While the present invention is applicable to many types of air bags, it will find favor with air bags that are designed to stay inflated for extended periods of time. For example, an air bag used to provide occupant protection during a rollover accident is one type of bag designed to stay inflated for a relatively long period. Generally, a rollover type of air bag would also include most if not all side impact air bags including seat mounted, vehicle frame-mounted or door-mounted, or side curtain air bags.

Historically, air bags have been made by sewing facing or adjacent panels of material together along a seam. The seam may include one or more rows of thread. To keep gas pressure in an air bag for longer durations, the panels can be made from low permeability woven fabric or made using woven fabric that is appropriately coated, typically by silicone or urethane. Depending on its application, the coating layer can be on the inside or the outside of the air bag. A portion of the prior art seam 21 is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1 . However, in the context of a long duration air bag, this type of seam has its deficiencies.

Any seam, including seam 21 , must be sufficiently robust and stay together while the air bag is inflated. A sewn seam has proven to be both a cost-effective way of joining mating panels together and one that provides the required strength. However, the process of sewing creates many hundreds of needle/thread holes in the panels. Even though each needle/thread hole is very small, they collectively present a relatively large flow area through which inflation gas can escape from the air bag and in between fabric panels. FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates inflation gas escaping through the needle/thread holes. Additionally, as the air bag panels are pulled apart at the seam during inflation, the size of these needle/thread holes will increase, increasing the amount of pressure lose.

The prior art shows techniques that try to avoid the problems related to needle/thread holes. For example, the prior art has recognized that the needle/thread holes can be sealed after the panels are sewn together. However, this post-sewing, sealing step is undesirable because the sealing material is typically sticky (at least just after it is applied) and creates many manufacturing and handling related problems. Furthermore, it does not effectively seal the stretching of needle holes due to pressure. These deficiencies in the prior art are obviated by the present invention.

Further, the prior art shows using knitted or woven bags, which eliminate or at least minimize the number and length of sewn seams in the bag. This type of construction, however, requires a significant financial investment in complicated weaving or knitting equipment and still requires the air bag to be coated after it is formed and often does not totally eliminate the need for some type of sewn seam. The prior art has also suggested using microwave or radio frequency energy to weld polyurethane or urethane-coated material and/or panels together. As can be appreciated, these processes also require special equipment and elaborate manufacturing steps, outside of conventional air bag manufacturing processes, each of which significantly add to the cost of and the time to produce an air bag. The welded seam or seal by itself is not strong in tension (a pealing load) and as such this type of seam (or seal) can be more easily pulled apart than can a sewn seam.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a long-duration-pressure-sustaining air bag.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such an air bag that is constructed with machinery no more complicated than a sewing machine or at most a sewing machine in combination with RF welding equipment. The RF weld will provide a sealing mechanism only, not a structural seam.

It is a further object of the invention to form a pressure barrier upstream of a sewn seam, the pressure barrier shielding the structural sewn seam from the pressurized inflation gas within the air bag.

Accordingly the invention comprises: a safety apparatus including an air bag. The apparatus may also include an inflator, housing and/or manifold. The air bag comprises a first and second panel of flexible, material of relatively low permeability, wherein each panel has a respective, mating peripheral edge. In the preferred embodiment the panels are about the same size, but this is not a requirement of the invention. The first and second panels are joined together at least generally along or parallel to the peripheral edges of the panels to define an inflatable chamber therebetween. The structural seam or joint may extend about the entire air bag or only about a portion of the periphery of the air bag. The structural first seam is subject to a peel load or thread tension load as the first and second panels are urged or pulled apart as the air bag is inflated. The air bag also includes inlet means to receive an inflator or at least some source of inflation gas. The inlet means may also include a passage through which inflation gas is communicated into the air bag from a remotely positioned inflator. The air bag also includes a pressure barrier. The pressure barrier is located on the inside of the air bag upstream of the sewn, structural first seam or joint. The pressure barrier comprises a thin and narrow strip of material that is preferably sewn or bonded to the respective panels on each side of the sewn peripheral first seam. To lessen the degree of pressure loss in the bag, the pressure barrier would extend along the entire length of the structural seam, however this is not a requirement. The pressure barrier preferably extends along all or a defined portion of the structural or first seam. As the air bag is inflated, the panels are pulled apart at the structural seam; the pressure barrier is pushed into the structural or first seam and isolates the seam from the pressurized inflation gas in the air bag, thereby reducing the migration of the inflation gas through the sewn seam and its related needle/thread holes (see FIG. 10 ). In one preferred embodiment the pressure barrier means is not subject to the peel load as is the first seam, while in another embodiment the edges of the pressure barrier are exposed to such a load.

Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art, seam construction.

FIG. 2 shows the three major components of an air bag incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an air bag.

FIG. 3 a is a partial cross-sectional view through section lines 3 a — 3 a of FIG. 3 showing a construction of a first pressure barrier to a main panel.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing two panels positioned on each other.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through section 5 — 5 of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the air bag with the edges secured with a structural seam.

FIG. 7 shows the present invention configured as a seat mounted side impact air bag.

FIG. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are partial cross-sectional views primarily showing a pressure barrier.

FIGS. 11-16 show another alternate embodiment of the invention.

Reference is made to FIGS. 2-6, which show the various views of an air bag 20 that incorporates the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a first panel 22 and a second panel 24 . Each panel is preferably made from a woven nylon fabric coated with, for example, silicone or urethane or alternatively made of a low permeability, uncoated fabric. Numerals 22 a and 22 b identify the respective coated and uncoated sides or layers of panel 22 and numerals 24 a and 24 b show the uncoated and coated sides or layers of panel 24 . The air bag 20 additionally includes the pressure barrier 100 , which is formed by an elongated rectangular strip or panel 102 of woven, coated material or low permeable, uncoated material. Numeral 102 a and 102 b illustrate the coated and uncoated sides or layers of the strip or panel 102 . In FIG. 2 the panels 22 , 24 and 102 are laid flat for the purpose of illustration. The panels 22 and 24 can have any shape including an irregular, circular, rectangular or oval. FIG. 2 shows dotted lines 104 a and 104 b, one in each of the panels 22 and 24 . Each dotted line shows the location of a structural sewn seam 110 that will secure the panels together. Located within lines 104 a and 104 b are lines 106 a and 106 b. These lines respectively show the location of another sew line along which a first side 108 a and a second side 108 b of the strip 102 are secured to each of the panels 22 and 24 .

Reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 3 a. One end 154 a of the material strip or panel 102 is placed upon one of the panels such as 22 with the coated layers 22 a and 102 a of each of the panels facing each other. Edge or side 108 a of strip 102 is manipulated to lie a distance d 1 (about 15 to 30 mm) from the edge 23 a of panel 22 , with a first end 154 at a determinable point on the panel 22 . For each placement of the strip, each panel can be marked or pre-printed with a line showing the preferred location of the edge of the strip 102 . The strip 102 is sewn to panel 22 at the location of line 106 a (see FIG. 2 ). The thread or threads 103 form a sewn seam 112 a, which follows the desired line 106 a. The seam 112 a (and 112 b mentioned below) will be about 5 to 20 mm from the edge of the panel 22 . The strip 102 could be marked with two such lines along each edge. For example, the panel 102 could be aligned to the marked line on the panel 22 (or 24 ) and then sewn to the panel 22 along the marked line on the panel 102 . One or more rows of threads can be used to form seam 112 a. The panel 22 is arranged on the sewing machine such that the bobbin thread is on the uncoated layer 22 b portion of panel 22 . Upon sewing the strip 102 to the panel 22 , the resulting configuration is that as shown in FIG. 3 in which the panel 102 extends generally about or parallel to the periphery of panel 22 . The ends of the strip 102 generally shown by numerals 154 a,b can be overlaid to form a lap seam and sewn together to prevent leakage thereacross or alternatively left open to provide a convenient opening through which an inflator can be inserted within the air bag 20 .

FIG. 3 a is a cross-sectional view through section lines 3 a — 3 a of FIG. 3 showing the strip 102 generally laid flat and sewn upon the panel 22 . As can be seen in FIG. 3, the panel 22 includes corners. Depending upon the radius of a particular corner or the radius of the bag if it is generally circular, it might be necessary to gather or fold, as known in the art, some of the material panel 102 proximate these corners to affect the sewing of the panel 102 to the panel 22 . If, however, the radius is relatively large, it will not be necessary to gather or fold portions of the panel 102 as the strip or panel 102 is sewn around the appropriate corners. As mentioned above, the shape of the panels can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, circular, oval, rectangular or otherwise. After side 108 a of panel 102 is secured to panel 22 , the panel 22 is turned upside-down and laid upon and registered or aligned relative to panel 24 (see FIG. 4 ). The panel 102 is folded over into a U-shaped configuration, as also shown in FIG. 4, with the coated side 102 a of panel 102 placed on the coated side or layer 24 a of panel 24 . The coated layer 24 a of panel 24 faces upwardly toward the coated layer of the panel 22 . Side 108 b of the strip 102 is then sewn at seam 112 b about line 106 b generally about the periphery of the panel 24 in the same manner as described above. The side 108 b of panel 102 is also located a determinable distance such as d 1 from the edge 25 a of panel 24 . As strip 102 is sewn to panel 24 , that portion of panel 22 previously sewn to the strip 102 is manipulated so that it is positioned away from the sewing needle (not shown) and the panel 102 is thereafter sewn to panel 24 along the desired sew line 106 b. In FIG. 4, the edge 23 of panel 22 is elevated from panel 24 as would happen during the above sewing step. The panels 22 and 24 are shown spaced from one another in FIG. 4 for the purpose of illustration. The panels would lie on each other as the strip 102 is sewn to panel 24 .

Reference is briefly made to FIG. 5, which is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view through Section 5 — 5 of FIG. 3, and illustrates the panels 22 and 24 and the orientation of the pressure barrier 100 formed therebetween. As should be appreciated, the panels 22 and 24 are purposefully shown spaced apart for ease of illustration in FIG. 5, which also exaggerates the spacing between the edges 23 and 25 of panels 22 and 24 . In the next step, the edges 23 and 25 are laid flat on one another and the panels 22 and 24 are sewn together along a structure seam 110 (see FIG. 6) which is located on lines 104 a and 104 b (shown in FIG. 2 ). The formation of seam 110 closes the air bag, forming an inflatable chamber 26 therebetween.

Inflation gas can be received within the air bag in any number of ways. For example, if the air bag 20 is to function as a driver side air bag, a gas inlet such as an opening 160 , shown in dotted line in FIG. 3, can be placed in the center of one of the panels such as 22 . As known in the art, a cylindrically shaped driver side inflator can be secured to panel 22 in a known manner. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a cylindrically shaped inflator 30 , with one or more gas exit ports 32 , can be placed within the air bag 20 through a slit 170 provided in panel 102 or in the other panels 22 or 24 and secured therein to minimize gas leakage therethrough. For example, the panel 102 may include a number of mounting openings 172 located on either side of the slit 170 . Additionally the inflator 30 or a housing or manifold into which the inflator is secured in a known manner, may include a like plurality of mounting studs 174 . The studs 174 are first placed through one set of openings 172 in part 102 c of panel 102 and then that portion 102 d of the panel 102 having the other set of openings 172 is overlapped on portion 102 c and secured by fasteners, such as a threaded nut. While the orientation of bag 20 is shown vertical in FIG. 7, it can be at any required angle as dictated by its location in the vehicle or seat. As can be appreciated, the configuration of FIG. 7 would be applicable to a side impact air bag located within a vehicle seat (not shown). Panel 22 , on inflation, would be located facing the occupant (driver) to be protected and panel 24 facing the side 173 (shown in phantom line) of the vehicle. Further, the bag can include a snorkel or fill tube so that the inflator can be located outside of the air bag.

As can be appreciated, the air bag 20 and more particularly the panels 22 and 24 could have been formed utilizing a larger single panel or piece of material 22 ′, as shown in FIG. 8, rather than the two separate pieces of material as in the above figures. In this embodiment, the single piece of material is folded over a centerline 27 and the panels 22 and 24 are formed as facing portions of the folded-over larger panel. As can be appreciated, this construction eliminates one length of a previously sewn seam (along the fold or centerline 27 ) and need for a pressure barrier. The edges of the panels 22 and 24 are secured using the above technique with a pressure barrier inserted therebetween.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of one section of the pressure barrier 100 and shows in greater detail the construction and location of the seam 110 (shown as a double row of stitches), and seams 112 a and 112 b. This figure shows the configuration of the pressure barrier before the air bag is pressurized. The bobbin thread of the sewing machine is arranged on the ambient or exterior side of the air bag 20 . In this manner, the bobbin thread and looped sewing threads, forming seams 112 a and 112 b, assist in closing any of the needle holes formed during sewing. Diagrammatically, the bobbin thread is shown by numeral 40 and the loop formed by the sewing threads is shown by numeral 42 . For convenience the coated layers of the panels are shown as a darkened line.

From FIG. 9 it can be seen that the distance from seam 112 a to seam 110 plus the distance from seam 110 to seam 112 b is shorter than the distance measured along the looped portion or unsecured portion 105 of the pressure barrier 100 (panel 102 ). When the air bag is pressurized and the panels 22 and 24 are pulled apart, the peel loading is at seam 110 . This construction does not subject the seams 112 a and 112 b of panel 102 to a peeling load during inflation.

As can be appreciated, the pressure within the inside looped portion 105 will initially be at a pressure less than that of the inflating chamber 26 . Further, as the air bag is pressurized, the center of the looped portion 105 of panel 102 will be pushed outwardly (see FIG. 10 ), that is, toward and into the center of the joint or seam 110 and the adjacent portions of panels 22 and 24 . As the center of the panel 102 is deformed, as shown in FIG. 10, the now bent-over portions 107 of the panel 102 extend outwardly beyond the locations of the seams or joints 112 a and 112 b. These extending portions are pressed against adjacent, facing coated portions of the panel 102 to generate a seal or barrier preventing inflation gases from migrating from the seams or joints 112 a and 112 b in the direction of arrow 122 . The coated surfaces of silicone or urethane are smoother and softer than that of the woven fabric, which has small peaks and valleys. The pushing together of these softer, smoother surfaces reduces or significantly prevents the migration of gases from the chamber 26 through to the joint or seam 110 .

FIGS. 11-16 show another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the sides 108 a and 108 b of the pressure barrier extend outwardly to the edges 23 and 25 of the panels 22 and 24 . Additionally, the sewn seams 112 a and 112 b are replaced with RF welded joints (or seams) for sealing purposes only.

Reference is made to FIGS. 11 and 12, which show an alternate air bag 300 using a differently constructed pressure barrier 100 a. The air bag 300 comprises two panels of material 322 and 324 . The shape of the air bag 300 is oval and sufficiently long so that it can extend from the A-pillar to the C-pillar of a vehicle and function as a side curtain air bag. While not illustrated, this type of air bag is initially folded and hidden within a housing or tearable trim strip located at or near the roof rail of a vehicle. As can be seen from FIG. 12, the pressure barrier 100 a is similarly shaped to the pressure barrier 100 described earlier and is in essence formed by folding over a coated strip of material 102 . A preferred construction of the panels 322 and 324 , as well as the strip 102 , is to use a coated woven fabric with the coated layers operatively touching each other. However, as also mentioned above, a woven, uncoated, low-permeability fabric can also be utilized. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the folded-over sides 108 a and 108 b of the strip 102 extend outwardly to the edges 23 and respectively of panels 322 and 324 . The panels 322 and 324 and the folded-over panel or strip 102 are sewn together by a seam 110 that generally extends about the periphery of the panels 322 and 324 . Provision for an inflator or fill tube would also be provided. Additionally, the coated layers of panels 322 and 324 are RF welded to the coated layer of the folded-over strip or panel 102 . The coating material (such as urethane or vinyl) is chosen so that it is excitable by an RF source. Other material can be used which can be excited by different sources of energy such as heat.

The following describes a method by which the air bag 300 can be assembled. With reference to FIG. 13, the ends 154 a and 154 b are overlaid as shown in FIG. 14 and sewn or bonded together, forming a flat ring. The panel 102 is thereafter folded over on its centerline 157 such that the ring is now U-shaped in cross section as shown in FIG. 15 . With the strip 102 folded as described above forming a U-shaped (in cross-section) ring, the coated layer 102 a of the strip 102 lies on the top and bottom of this folded-over, U-shaped configuration. The ring, once folded over, is positioned upon one of the panels, for example panel 324 , which has been laid flat on a work surface. The sides 108 a and 108 b of the strip 102 are aligned to the edge of panel 324 . Thereafter, panel 322 is placed upon the U-shaped ring, formed by panel 102 , yielding the configuration shown in FIG. 12 .

As the U-shaped ring of panel 102 is placed on the larger panel 324 and panel 322 is placed thereabove, a manual spring clamp, diagrammatically shown as 340 , is periodically clipped to the periphery of the panels, thereby sandwiching the U-shaped ring of panel 102 between panels 322 and 324 , thereby keeping the preferred orientation of the panels 322 , 324 and 102 . With the periphery of the panels secured by one or more clips 340 , the various panels are thereafter sewn together by sewing a seam 110 generally parallel to the edge of panels 322 and 324 . Either simultaneously with the sewing of seam 110 or thereafter, the air bag 300 is subjected to localized RF energy (when using coating material excitable by RF energy) transmitted from a sending unit 350 to a receiving unit, which is typically a ground plane, to thereby introduce into the panels two generally peripheral welded seams 352 and 354 , which respectively weld the coated layers 322 a and 102 a together, as well as the coated layers 324 a and 102 a together. For the purpose of illustration, cross-hatching has been omitted from the layers of the fabric shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 so that the RF welds 352 and 354 can more easily be seen.

Reference is briefly made to FIG. 16, which is a cross-sectional view generally identical to FIG. 12 and more clearly shows the relationship of the barrier 100 a to the panels 322 and 324 . When the interior or internal chamber 26 of air bag 300 is inflated, the pressure barrier 100 a will deform, be pushed into the seam 110 and generally resemble the configuration shown in FIG. 10 .

Reference is made to FIG. 11 as well as FIG. 16 . As can be seen, the bag includes a border 356 that is outside of the sewn seam 110 . This border includes one or more openings 360 , which serve as mounting holes to permit the air bag 300 to be secured to the roof rail of the vehicle. FIG. 11 diagrammatically illustrates an inflator 30 positioned external to the air bag 300 and a tube or conduit 31 is used to communicate inflation gas into the airbag 300 .

Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. For example, the sewn seam can be replaced with an RF welded seam in certain applications. Accordingly, that scope is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.