Driver side air bag with particulate diverter

• US 20030173760A1
• Filed: 03/14/2002
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hewin, Damon N., Dillon, Michael R., Ford, Brian C., Langbeen, Lawrence R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,648,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/729
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

An air bag module assembly comprising: an inflator (250) having at least one exit port (270) with a thin layer of burst material (272) blocking the at least one exit port (270), the burst material bursting forth from the exit port during an initial moment of activation of the inflator. The module including an air bag assembly (20) comprising an inflatable first bag (290) and an inflatable second bag (70), the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including an opening (40b) to receive an inflator (250) wherein prior to activation, opposed portions of the second bag, radially outboard of the inflator, are formed into respective flaps, which are overlaid and positioned on a top of the inflator to provide a tortuous path through which any particles can flow prior to entering into an main portion of the air bag.

Claims

1. An air bag assembly comprising:

an inflatable first bag (20) and an inflatable second bag (70), the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including a first shield panel and a second shield, the second shield panel including notches (60) or openings at its periphery, the peripheral portions of the second shield sewn to the first shield panel thereby forming a like plurality of openings (60a) in the second bag.

2. The air bag as defined in claim 1 wherein the second shield panel includes an inflator opening for operatively receiving an inflator and wherein the first shield panel includes a top opening which is smaller than the inflator opening.

3. The air bag as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second shield panels are of integral one-piece construction.

4. The air bag as defined in claim 1 wherein the first shield includes a top opening which is smaller than the inflator opening and wherein the air bag, upon assembly, can be inverted when pulled through the top opening in the second shield panel.

5. The air bag as defined in claim 2 wherein the top opening is formed by a central, circular opening in the first shield panel, the first shield panel also including a plurality of slits extending outward from the circular opening.

6. An air bag module assembly comprising:

an inflator (250) having at least one exit port (270) with a thin layer of burst material (272) blocking the at least one exit port (270), the burst material bursting forth from the exit port during an initial moment of activation of the inflator;

an air bag assembly (20) comprising an inflatable first bag (290) and an inflatable second bag (70), the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including an opening ((40b) to receive the inflator (250) wherein prior to activation, opposed portions of the second bag, radially outboard of the inflator, are formed into respective flaps, which are overlaid and positioned on a top of the inflator to provide a tortuous path for of any particles including particles of burst material.

7. The module as defined in claim 6 wherein the second bag includes a set of opposed openings which are located at the extreme of each opposed portion and prior to activation the opposed openings are within the overlapped flaps atop the inflator.