Vehicular Occupant Protection Method Using Airbags
Method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle using an inflatable airbag includes sealing sheets of film to form a sealed airbag having interconnected compartments receivable of inflating gas and a port through which the compartments are inflated, and positioning the airbag, when in an uninflated state, into a recessed portion alongside the passenger compartment. The airbag is positioned to extend, when inflated, across a side of the passenger compartment between occupant seating positions on that side of the vehicle and a portion of the vehicle defining the passenger compartment. A pressurized gas source inflates the airbag so that when an accident is sensed and a determination is made to inflate the airbag, gas enters into and inflate the airbag through the port thereby causing the airbag to extend across the side of the passenger compartment.
1 . A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle using an inflatable airbag, comprising:
sealing sheets of film to form a sealed airbag having a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of inflating gas and a port through which the plurality of compartments are inflated;
positioning the airbag, when in an uninflated state, into a recessed portion alongside a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the recessed portion being in a ceiling defining the passenger compartment, the airbag being positioned to extend, when inflated, across a side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle between occupant seating positions on that side of the vehicle and a portion of the vehicle defining the passenger compartment on that side of the vehicle;
arranging a pressurized gas source on the vehicle to inflate the airbag;
whereby when an accident involving the vehicle is sensed and a determination is made to inflate the airbag, the pressurized gas source causes pressurized gas to enter into and inflate the airbag through the port thereby causing the airbag to extend across the side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle between the occupant seating positions on that side of the vehicle and the portion of the vehicle defining the passenger compartment on that side of the vehicle.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising dimensioning the airbag relative to the vehicle to extend at least partly alongside each of a plurality of windows on the side of the passenger compartment, when inflated.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the airbag is formed from the sealed sheets of film such that at least one of the sheets of film is an outermost layer of the airbag which is exposed to atmosphere in the passenger compartment when inflated.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the airbag without a venting arrangement such that the airbag vents through an inflator which provides the pressurized gas source.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the airbag system in a headliner portion of the ceiling of the vehicle.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising dimensioning the airbag relative to the vehicle to extend alongside substantially the entire side of the passenger compartment, when inflated.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the port to extend longitudinally along the airbag such that pressurized gas is caused to flow into all of the compartments substantially simultaneously.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising arranging an inflator relative to the compartments such that pressurized gas flows from the inflator through the port into an upper end of the compartments substantially simultaneously.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sheets of film are sealed to form substantially straight compartments.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sheets of film are sealed to form compartments substantially parallel to one another.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
arranging the airbag in an airbag module; and
arranging the airbag module in the recessed portion of the vehicle.
12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising arranging the airbag alongside a door on the side of the passenger compartment.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sheets of film comprises an elastomer.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the elastomer is urethane.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sheets of film comprises an inelastic polymer.
16 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the inelastic polymer is NYLON®.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sheets of film are sealed to form the sealed airbag such that there is only a single port situated at an upper edge of the airbag through which the airbag is inflated.
18 . A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle using an inflatable airbag, comprising:
sealing sheets of film to form a sealed airbag having a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of inflating gas and a single port through which the plurality of compartments are inflated;
positioning the airbag, when in an uninflated state, into a recessed portion alongside a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the recessed portion being in a ceiling defining the passenger compartment, the airbag being positioned to extend, when inflated, alongside a front seat and a rear seat on the same side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle;
arranging a pressurized gas source on the vehicle to inflate the airbag;
whereby when an accident involving the vehicle is sensed and a determination is made to inflate the airbag, the pressurized gas source causes pressurized gas to enter into and inflate the airbag through the port thereby causing the airbag to extend across the front and rear seats.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising forming the port to extend longitudinally along the airbag such that pressurized gas is caused to flow into all of the compartments substantially simultaneously.
20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising arranging an inflator relative to the compartments such that pressurized gas flows from the inflator through the single port into an upper end of the compartments substantially simultaneously.