Overhead airbad with external tether
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An overhead airbag system comprising:
- an inflatable cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a surface of a vehicle; and
a cushion guide for mounting on a single surface of a vehicle, the cushion guide comprising a tether coupled to the inflatable cushion by a cushion attachment and to a vehicle by a vehicle attachment, wherein the cushion guide aids deployment of the inflatable cushion.
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Abstract
An overhead airbag system is disclosed for use in protecting a vehicle occupant during a collision. The overhead airbag system is configured to be mounted in the roof of a vehicle and subsequently, to deploy from the roof into a space between the vehicle occupant and an interior surface or structure of the vehicle. The overhead airbag system includes an external tether to guide the airbag during deployment. The external tether stabilizes the airbag, reducing danger to a vehicle occupant posed by rotation or skew of the airbag cushion.
57 Citations
71 Claims
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1. An overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a surface of a vehicle; and
a cushion guide for mounting on a single surface of a vehicle, the cushion guide comprising a tether coupled to the inflatable cushion by a cushion attachment and to a vehicle by a vehicle attachment, wherein the cushion guide aids deployment of the inflatable cushion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for mounting in a roof of a vehicle and for deployment from the roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a potential contact surface of a vehicle;
an airbag inflator coupled to the airbag cushion; and
a cushion guide for mounting to a single surface in a vehicle, the cushion guide comprising a tether and a vehicle reference point, the guide tether being coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion by a cushion attachment and coupled to the vehicle reference point by a vehicle attachment. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a vehicle surface;
an airbag inflator coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion; and
a cushion deployment guide for mounting on a lateral surface of a vehicle, the cushion deployment guide comprising a tether and a vehicle reference point, the tether being fixedly attached to a first cushion attachment point and a second cushion attachment point and being slidably attached to the vehicle reference point between the first and second cushion attachment points, wherein the cushion deployment guide aids proper deployment of the inflatable overhead airbag cushion. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a vehicle surface;
an airbag inflator coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion; and
a cushion deployment guide for mounting to a lateral surface of a vehicle, the cushion deployment guide comprising a tether and a vehicle reference point, the tether being fixedly attached to a cushion attachment point coupled to a tether retractor positioned at the vehicle reference point, wherein the tether retractor maintains a tension on the tether during deployment of the inflatable overhead airbag cushion, thus aiding proper deployment of the inflatable overhead airbag cushion. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54)
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55. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a vehicle surface;
an airbag inflator coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion; and
a cushion deployment guide for mounting to a lateral surface of a vehicle, the cushion deployment guide comprising a tether and a vehicle reference point, the tether being fixedly attached to a cushion attachment point coupled to a tether pretensioning device positioned at the vehicle reference point, wherein the tether pretensioning may provide a tension on the tether during deployment of the inflatable overhead airbag cushion, thus aiding proper deployment of the inflatable overhead airbag cushion. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58)
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59. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a vehicle surface;
an airbag inflator coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion; and
a cushion deployment guide for mounting to a lateral surface of a vehicle, the cushion deployment guide comprising a continuous loop-shaped tether, a first vehicle reference point, and a second vehicle reference point, the tether being fixedly coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion at a cushion attachment point and slidably coupled to the first and second vehicle reference points such that during deployment, the tether slides through the first and second vehicle attachment points as the inflatable overhead airbag cushion inflates, thus aiding proper deployment of the cushion. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. An overhead airbag system for protecting a vehicle occupant, the overhead airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable overhead airbag cushion for deployment from a vehicle roof into a space between a vehicle occupant and a vehicle surface;
an airbag inflator coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion; and
a cushion deployment guide for mounting to a lateral surface of a vehicle, the cushion deployment guide comprising a tether and a vehicle reference point, the tether being fixedly coupled to the inflatable overhead airbag cushion at a cushion attachment point and slidably coupled to the vehicle reference point, and the vehicle reference point comprising a guide rail, the cushion deployment guide aiding proper deployment of the cushion. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71)
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Specification