Fabric knee airbag for high internal pressures
First Claim
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1. A knee airbag assembly, comprising:
- an inflatable fabric cushion having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides being opposite each other;
a loop being formed in the fabric of the first side;
a loop being formed in the fabric of the second side; and
a first tether located on an internal side of the inflatable cushion, the first internal tether attached to and interconnecting the loop on the first side and the loop on the second side.
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Abstract
A fabric knee airbag that is capable of withstanding high internal pressures is provided. The knee airbag is formed from one continuous fabric sheet. The knee airbag has a plurality of loops formed in the walls of the airbag. Internal tethers are disposed within the airbag cushion and are attached to oppositely facing loops. The internal tethers enable the airbag to withstand the high internal pressure by maintaining the airbag at a constant volume and shape upon activation by an inflator. The knee airbag further includes an external tether attached to the exterior of the airbag wall to control the direction of the deployment of the knee airbag.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A knee airbag assembly, comprising:
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an inflatable fabric cushion having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides being opposite each other;
a loop being formed in the fabric of the first side;
a loop being formed in the fabric of the second side; and
a first tether located on an internal side of the inflatable cushion, the first internal tether attached to and interconnecting the loop on the first side and the loop on the second side. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A knee airbag assembly, comprising:
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an inflatable fabric cushion having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides being opposite each other;
at least one loop being formed in the fabric of the first side;
at least one loop being formed in the fabric of the second side; and
two or more tethers located on an internal side of the inflatable cushion, each internal tether attached to and interconnecting a loop on the first side and a loop on the second side. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A knee airbag assembly, comprising:
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an inflatable cushion formed from one continuous sheet of fabric material, the inflatable cushion having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides being opposite each other;
a plurality of loops formed in the fabric of the inflatable cushion, such that about one-half of the plurality of loops are formed on the first side and about one-half of the plurality of loops are formed opposite on the second side, where each loop extends in a direction toward the inside of the inflatable cushion;
a plurality of tethers located on an internal side of the inflatable cushion, each internal tether attached to a side of a loop on the first side of the inflatable cushion, on the outside of the loop, and each internal tether is attached to a side of a loop on the second side of the inflatable cushion, on the outside of the loop;
a tether located on an external side of the inflatable cushion, the external tether being attached to the fabric of the second side of the inflatable cushion; and
an inflator that inflates the inflatable cushion to an internal pressure between about 10 pounds per square inch and about 14 pounds per square inch. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A method of constructing a fabric knee airbag that can withstand high internal pressure, comprising:
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obtaining a continuous fabric sheet;
forming two or more loops in the sheet;
folding the sheet in half, such that at least one loop is located on an opposing side of the sheet from another loop;
attaching a first tether inside the airbag to at least one loop and attaching the first tether to at least one loop on the opposing side of the sheet, such that the first tether interconnects a pair of opposing loops; and
sealing a perimeter of the folded fabric sheet so that the airbag can retain inflation gases. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification