1. A method of feeding rubber to at least one rubber-consumer device, the method being of the type in which a strip of rubber is moved continuously from a rubber-supplier device to a consumer device, wherein during the continuous movement and before reaching the consumer device, a portion, referred to as the residue, is taken continuously from the strip of rubber and stored in downstream storage means, wherein the supplier device includes upstream storage means for storing rubber from which the strip of rubber is moved toward the consumer device, with the upstream and downstream storage means being swapped after the strip of rubber in the upstream storage means has been used up.
2. The method according to claim 1, in which the residue is taken by continuously cutting off a residue strip from the strip of rubber.
3. The method according to claim 1, in which the residue strip presents a width lying in the range one-half to nine-tenths the width of the strip of rubber.
4. The method according to claim 1, in which the consumer device is an extruder.
5. An installation for feeding rubber to at least one rubber-consumer device, the installation being of the type comprising means for continuously moving a strip of rubber from a rubber-supplier device to a consumer device, wherein the installation includes taker means for continuously taking a portion, referred to as the residue, from the strip of rubber, said taker means being arranged upstream from the consumer device, upstream rubber storage means from which the strip of rubber is for being moved toward the consumer device, the supplier device further including downstream storage means for storing the residue, and swap means for swapping the upstream and downstream storage means.
6. The installation according to claim 5, in which the taker means comprise cutter means for continuously cutting off a strip that is taken from the strip of rubber.
7. The installation according to claim 6, including means for automatically positioning said cutter means transversely relative to the 3 longitudinal edges of the strip of rubber.
8. The installation according to claim 5, in which the consumer device is an extruder.
9. The installation according to claim 8, in which the extruder comprises an extruder worm screw of diameter less than 90 mm, the extruder being capable of providing, an extruded rubber delivery rate of less than 3 kgmin.
10. The installation according to claim 5, in which the swap means comprise a movable support movable in rotation about an axis, the upstream and downstream storage means being carried by the movable support.
11. The installation according to claim 5, including device for regulating the rate at which at least the consumer device is fed by regulating the width of the residue.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
an airbag inflatable with inflation gas from a folded and housed state, the airbag including an exhaust hole that is formed through a circumferential wall of the airbag in such a manner as to be opened at any time for emitting part of inflation gas;
an openclose controller for controlling opening and closing operations of the exhaust hole;
a flap element foldable together with the airbag, the flap element being releasably joined to the openclose controller and being joined to a periphery of the exhaust hole in an outer side of the airbag which periphery is in a side facing away from the openclose controller, upon airbag inflation if the flap element is retained by the openclose controller, the flap element holding down a circumference of the exhaust hole, and if the flap element is released from the openclose controller, the flap element opening by a pressure of inflation gas to open the exhaust hole; and
an inner flap acting as an openclose means and joined to the periphery of the exhaust hole on the outer side of the airbag in a foldable manner, the inner flap, upon airbag inflation, if the flap element is retained by the openclose controller, being held down at an outer side thereof by the flap element to keep the exhaust hole closed, and if the flap element is released from the openclose controller, opening around a first joint portion joining the inner flap to the airbag due to the pressure of inflation gas such that the exhaust hole opens to exhaust inflation gas, wherein:
the first joint portion of the inner flap is located opposite from a second joint portion that joins the flap element to the airbag with respect to the exhaust hole;
both of the first joint portion and the second joint portion are bent in shape such that opposite ends thereof are directed toward the other joint portion; and
the two joint portions enclose the exhaust hole thoroughly.
2. The airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the flap element includes a flap body that is located on the outer side of the airbag for opening and closing the exhaust hole and a belt that is joined to the flap body by a first end and coupled to the openclose controller by a second end; and
a middle portion of the belt except the first and second ends connected to the flap body and openclose controller is disposed inside the airbag.
3. The airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the belt is along the expanding direction of the airbag, upon airbag inflation when the flap element is retained by the open-close controller.
4. The airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flap body and the inner flap are jointed to the periphery of the exhaust hole by a single continuous stitching work in such an overlapping manner as to be slightly offset from each other.