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EP-4739825-A1 - ONE-PIECE WOVEN AIR-BAG FABRIC STRUCTURE

EP4739825A1EP 4739825 A1EP4739825 A1EP 4739825A1EP-4739825-A1

Abstract

A one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure (16) comprising a first layer (17) comprising a plurality of first warp yarns (18) and a plurality of first weft yarns (19), wherein at least some of the first weft yarns (19) are woven with the first warp yarns (18). The air-bag fabric structure (16) comprises a second layer (20) at least partly superimposed on the first layer (17), the second layer (20) comprising a plurality of second warp yarns (21) and a plurality of second weft yarns (22), wherein at least some of the second weft yarns (22) are woven with the second warp yarns (21). The air-bag fabric structure (16) further comprises a modified weave portion (15) comprising a respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second warp yarns (21) woven with at least some of the first weft yarns (19) and not woven with the second weft yarns (22) such that the weaving density of the first layer (17) is greater than the weaving density of the second layer (20) at the modified weave portion (15).

Inventors

  • WOOTTON, GARY
  • Dolman, Jez
  • HOLLIES, Andy
  • Dean, Helen
  • Thorpe, Ryan

Assignees

  • Autoliv Development AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240701

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure comprising: a first layer comprising: a plurality of first warp yarns; and a plurality of first weft yarns, wherein at least some of the first weft yarns are woven with the first warp yarns; a second layer at least partly superimposed on the first layer, the second layer comprising: a plurality of second warp yarns; and a plurality of second weft yarns, wherein at least some of the second weft yarns are woven with the second warp yarns; and a modified weave portion comprising: a respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second warp yarns woven with at least some of the first weft yarns and not woven with the second weft yarns such that the weaving density of the first layer is greater than the weaving density of the second layer at the modified weave portion.
  2. 2. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the second weft yarns are cut and do not extend from a first side of the modified weave portion to a second side of the modified weave portion.
  3. 3. The fabric structure of claim 2, wherein at least part of the modified weave portion is an uninflatable portion of the air-bag fabric structure.
  4. 4. The fabric structure of claim 2, wherein a portion of the second layer at the modified weave portion of the fabric structure comprises an aperture in the second layer between the first side of the modified weave portion and the second side of the modified weave portion.
  5. 5. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the second weft yarns each comprise a respective float section that is not woven with the first warp yarns or the second warp yarns at the modified weave portion.
  6. 6. A one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure comprising: a first layer comprising: a plurality of first warp yarns; and a plurality of first weft yarns, wherein at least some of the first weft yarns are woven with the first warp yarns; a second layer at least partly superimposed on the first layer, the second layer comprising: a plurality of second warp yarns; and a plurality of second weft yarns, wherein at least some of the second weft yarns are woven with the second warp yarns; and a modified weave portion comprising: a respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second weft yarns woven with at least some of the first warp yarns and not woven with the second warp yarns such that the weaving density of the first layer is greater than the weaving density of the second layer at the modified weave portion.
  7. 7. The fabric structure of claim 6, wherein at least some of the second warp yarns are cut and do not extend from one side of the modified weave portion to another side of the modified weave portion.
  8. 8. The fabric structure of claim 7, wherein at least part of the modified weave portion is an uninflatable portion of the air-bag fabric structure.
  9. 9. The fabric structure of claim 7, wherein a portion of the second layer at the modified weave portion of the fabric structure comprises an aperture in the second layer between the first side of the modified weave portion and the second side of the modified weave portion.
  10. 10. The fabric structure of claim 6, wherein at least some of the second warp yarns each comprise a respective float section that is not woven with the first weft yarns or the second weft yarns at the modified weave portion.
  11. 1 1. A one-piece woven air-bag comprising the fabric structure of any one of the preceding claims.
  12. 12. The air-bag of claim 11 , wherein the first layer of the fabric structure at the modified weave portion is an uninflatable portion of the air-bag.
  13. 13. An air-bag module comprising: an inflator provided with a gas outlet tube; and the air-bag of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein part of the gas outlet tube extends through the second layer of the fabric at the modified weave portion so that, upon activation of the inflator, gas output from the inflator passes through the gas outlet tube and into the air-bag to inflate the air-bag.
  14. 14. A method of manufacturing a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure, the method comprising one-piece weaving: a first layer by weaving a plurality of first warp yarns with at least some of a plurality of first weft yarns; a second layer which is at least partly superimposed on the first layer by weaving a plurality of second warp yarns with at least some of a plurality of second weft yarns; and a modified weave portion by weaving a respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second warp yarns with at least some of the first weft yarns and not weaving the respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second warp yarns with the second weft yarns such that the weaving density of the first layer is greater than the weaving density of the second layer at the modified weave portion.
  15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises: cutting and removing each float section from the fabric so that at least some of the second weft yarns do not extend from a first side of the modified weave portion to a second side of the modified weave portion.
  16. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises: providing at least some of the second weft yarns with a respective float section by not weaving at least some of the second weft yarns with the first warp yarns or the second warp yarns at the modified weave portion.
  17. 17. A method of manufacturing a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure, the method comprising one-piece weaving: a first layer by weaving a plurality of first warp yarns with at least some of a plurality of first weft yarns; a second layer which is at least partly superimposed on the first layer by weaving a plurality of second warp yarns with at least some of a plurality of second weft yarns; and a modified weave portion by weaving a respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second weft yarns with at least some of the first warp yarns and not weaving the respective portion of each of a predetermined number of the second weft yarns with the second warp yarns such that the weaving density of the first layer is greater than the weaving density of the second layer at the modified weave portion.
  18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises: cutting and removing each float section from the fabric so that at least some of the second warp yarns do not extend from a first side of the modified weave portion to a second side of the modified weave portion.
  19. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises: providing at least some of the second warp yarns with a respective float section by not weaving at least some of the second warp yarns with the first weft yarns or the second weft yarns at the modified weave portion.
  20. 20. A method of manufacturing an air-bag, the method comprising: one-piece weaving a fabric structure according to the method of any one of claims 14 to 19 such that the fabric structure forms part of the air-bag.

Description

ONE-PIECE WOVEN AIR-BAG FABRIC STRUCTURE FIELD The present invention relates to a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure and a method of manufacturing a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure. The present invention more particularly relates to a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure comprising a modified weave portion configured to receive part of a gas outlet tube of an inflator. BACKGROUND A conventional air-bag is typically constructed from two fabric layers that are cut and sewn together with the seams being sealed so that the air-bag can be inflated by gas from an inflator. Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional inflatable curtain air-bag 1 that is of a cut and sew and seam sealed construction. The air-bag 1 comprises a first fabric layer 2 that is sewn to a second fabric layer (not visible in figure 1 ) along a seam 3 which extends around the periphery of the fabric layers. The air-bag 1 comprises an inflatable portion 4 and an uninflatable portion 5. The uninflatable portion 5 is configured as a single layer of fabric to reduce the weight of this portion of the air-bag 1 in a region where no cushioning is required to protect an occupant of a vehicle. The air-bag 1 is provided with an aperture 6 which, in this example, is a slit, for receiving a gas outlet tube of an inflator. In a conventional air-bag, such as the air-bag 1 shown in figure 1 , the aperture 6 is cut in the first layer of fabric 2 before the two layers of fabric are sewn together. It is relatively easy to cut the aperture 6 in the first layer of fabric 2 before the two layers of fabric are sewn together, for instance using a laser cutter. However, the step of cutting an aperture for an inflator is more difficult to perform when an air-bag is constructed using one-piece weaving (OPW) because the layers are formed integrally with one another. An OPW air-bag is formed permanently as a two-layer fabric structure and laser cutting an aperture in one layer of an OPW fabric structure is not possible without also cutting the other layer of the OPW fabric structure. To overcome this issue, it is known to insert a dolly or shield between the two layers of an OPW fabric structure to block the laser so that the laser does not cut the other layer of the fabric structure. This enables an aperture to be cut in one layer of the fabric structure without cutting the other layer of the fabric structure. While using a dolly is effective, it is impractical and inefficient since inserting and removing the dolly from the OPW fabric structure adds time and complexity to the manufacturing process. There is a need for an improved one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure and method of manufacturing the same which addresses the problems described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure as claimed in claims 1 and 6, an air-bag as claimed in claim 11 , an air-bag module as claimed in claim 13, a method of manufacturing a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure as claimed in claims 14 and 17, and a method of manufacturing an air-bag as claimed in claim 20. The present invention also provides preferred embodiments as claimed in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES In orderthat the present disclosure may be more readily understood, preferable embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a conventional cut and sew and seam sealed air-bag; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of a one-piece woven air-bag of examples of this disclosure; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of part of an air-bag comprising a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure of examples of this disclosure; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of part of an air-bag comprising a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure of further examples of this disclosure; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of an aperture in the part of the air-bag comprising a one-piece woven air-bag fabric structure shown in figure 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE Referring now to figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, an air-bag 7 of examples of this disclosure is a one-piece woven (OPW) air-bag. In this example, the air-bag 7 is an inflatable curtain air-bag that is similar in shape to the conventional cut and sew and seam sealed air-bag 1 shown in figure 1 . However, unlike the conventional air-bag 1 , the air-bag 7 of this example is an OPW air-bag and, as such, is manufactured without the fabric layers of the air-bag 7 being cut and sewn together. The OPW air-bag 7 comprises a plurality of layers which are manufactured in one piece using one-piece weaving. In this example, the air-bag 7 is an inflatable curtain air-bag for a vehicle. However, in other examples, the air-bag may be any other type of air-bag that is formed using one-piece weaving. In this example, the air-bag 7 comprises an inflata