Side curtain and multi-compartment vehicular airbags

Abstract

Side curtain air bag system for a vehicle including an airbag housing including a side curtain airbag arranged to deploy to a position alongside the windows on the left and/or right side of the passenger compartment and having at least one sheet of material forming a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of an inflating medium, and an inflator arranged in flow communication with an interior of the side curtain airbag and which generates an inflating medium to inflate it and thereby provide it with an inflated state in which the compartments contain the inflating medium and are situated alongside the windows on the left and/or right side of the passenger compartment. The airbag may include at least one sheet of film and at least one sheet of woven material coupled thereto.

1 . A vehicle, comprising: 
 a frame defining a passenger compartment and a ceiling defining a top of said passenger compartment;    windows on left and right sides of said passenger compartment; and    a side curtain air bag system comprising: 
 an airbag housing including a multi-layer side curtain airbag arranged to deploy to a position alongside said window(s) on the left and/or right side of said passenger compartment, said side curtain airbag including at least first and second layers, said first layer being an outermost layer of said side curtain airbag and being made of film; and  
 an inflator arranged in flow communication with an interior of said side curtain airbag and which generates an inflating medium to inflate said side curtain airbag to provide said side curtain airbag with an inflated state in which said side curtain airbag contains the inflating medium and is situated alongside said window(s) on the left and/or right side of the passenger compartment.  
   
   
   
       2 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said second layer is made of film.  
   
   
       3 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said second layer is made of woven material.  
   
   
       4 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said second layer is fibrous.  
   
   
       5 . The vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein said side curtain airbag further comprises a third layer, said second layer comprising fibers arranged between said first and third layers.  
   
   
       6 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said airbag housing is arranged in or mounted to said ceiling such that said airbag is arranged to deploy downward into said passenger compartment.  
   
   
       7 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said airbag housing is mounted in a headliner portion of said ceiling.  
   
   
       8 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said airbag housing is arranged in said ceiling to extend transversely across said passenger compartment such that when deployed, said airbag extends substantially across a major portion of a front seat of the vehicle.  
   
   
       9 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said airbag housing is arranged in said ceiling to extend longitudinally adjacent the left and/or right side of said passenger compartment vehicle such that when deployed, said airbag extends alongside the windows on the left and/or right side of said passenger compartment.  
   
   
       10 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said side curtain airbag forms a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of an inflating medium.  
   
   
       11 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said side curtain airbag includes means for arresting the propagation of a tear in said first layer.  
   
   
       12 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said first layer comprises an elastomer.  
   
   
       13 . The vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein said elastomer is urethane.  
   
   
       14 . The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein said first layer comprises an inelastic polymer.  
   
   
       15 . The vehicle of  claim 14 , wherein said inelastic polymer is NYLON®.  
   
   
       16 . A side curtain airbag for protecting vehicular occupants from injury during a crash by deploying along a left and/or right side of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising: 
 at least first and second layers of material, said first layer being an outermost layer of said side curtain airbag and being made of film such that when deploying along the left and/or right side of the passenger compartment, said film is exposed.    
   
   
       17 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said second layer is made of film.  
   
   
       18 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said second layer is made of woven material.  
   
   
       19 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said second layer is fibrous.  
   
   
       20 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said side curtain airbag further comprises a third layer, said second layer comprising fibers arranged between said first and third layers.  
   
   
       21 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said side curtain airbag forms a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of an inflating medium.  
   
   
       22 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said side curtain airbag includes means for arresting the propagation of a tear in said first layer.  
   
   
       23 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said first layer comprises an elastomer.  
   
   
       24 . The airbag of  claim 16 , wherein said first layer comprises an inelastic polymer.  
   
   
       25 . A vehicle including a frame and the airbag of  claim 16 , the airbag being mounted to said frame along the left and/or right side of the vehicle.  
   
   
       26 . A side curtain airbag system for a vehicle, comprising: 
 an airbag housing including a multi-layer side curtain airbag arranged to deploy to a position alongside a window on the left and/or right side of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, said side curtain airbag including at least first and second layers, said first layer being an outermost layer of said side curtain airbag and being made of film;    an inflator arranged in flow communication with an interior of said side curtain airbag and which generates an inflating medium to inflate said side curtain airbag to provide said side curtain airbag with an inflated state in which said side curtain airbag contains the inflating medium and is situated alongside the window on the left and/or right side of the passenger compartment; and    a sensor system coupled to said inflator for detecting a crash condition involving the vehicle which requires deployment of said side curtain airbag, said sensor system being arranged to control said inflator system to generate the inflating medium when the crash condition is detected.    
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein said second layer is made of film, a woven material and/or is fibrous.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein said side curtain airbag further comprises a third layer, said second layer comprising fibers arranged between said first and third layers.  
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein said side curtain airbag forms a plurality of interconnected compartments receivable of an inflating medium.  
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein said side curtain airbag includes means for arresting the propagation of a tear in said first layer.