Coated airbag, method for making the same, and airbag module comprising the coated airbag

Abstract

An airbag comprises a textile substrate and a coating on at least a portion of the surface of the textile substrate. The coating comprises a polyurethane polymer and a phosphorous compound. The phosphorous compound can be selected from the group consisting of esters of phosphoric acid, esters of phosphonic acid, esters of phosphinic acid, and mixtures thereof. An airbag module comprises the above-described airbag, a gas generator, and a cover at least partially enclosing the airbag and gas generator.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention provides a coating composition suitable for use on airbags, an airbag coated with such a composition, a method for making such an airbag, and an airbag module comprising such an airbag.BACKGROUND[0002]Airbags for motor vehicles have become ubiquitous in passenger vehicles. These airbags are installed at strategic points in the passenger compartment of a vehicle and, in the event of a collision, are rapidly inflated with gas so that they act as an energy absorbing barrier between the vehicle occupant and an interior surface of the passenger compartment (e.g., steering wheel, dashboard, or windows). For example, side curtain airbags typically are installed within one or more of the pillars of the vehicle so that they provide protection during roll-over or side impact collisions. With the advent of such airbags, manufacturers began coating the airbag fabric to modify the gas permeability of the fabric, enabling the airbags manufacture...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a coating for airbag fabric that has two main benefits. First, a phosphorous compound in the coating acts as a plasticizer, making the coating easier to apply and resulting in a higher quality coating with fewer defects. Second, the phosphorous compound also has flame retardant properties, which means that less conventional flame retardants need to be used in the coating, resulting in improved quality and reduced risk of harm.

Problems solved by technology

And while these dispersion-based systems are popular, they are not free from drawbacks and difficulties.

The addition of additives (e.g., pigments, fillers, flame retardants, etc.) to such a dispersion can adversely affect the rheology of the dispersion, making it more difficult to produce a coating on the fabric that is of good and consistent quality.

Furthermore, particulate additives can be difficult to evenly disperse within the coating composition; and unevenly dispersed particulates in the coating composition will adversely affect the quality of the coating on the fabric.

However, the use of coalescing solvents presents its own set of potential problems.

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