Inflatable curtain trajectory bracket
First Claim
1. A bracket for controlling the inflation trajectory of at least a portion of an inflatable curtain airbag cushion comprising:
- a bracket mounting panel for securing the bracket to a vehicle;
a curtain reaction panel sized to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain, the reaction panel extending from the bracket mounting panel in an inboard direction at an angle and terminating in an inboard edge; and
a curtain pivot positioned on the bracket for rotating the deploying inflatable curtain;
wherein the bracket directs the inflation of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain in a direction selected by the positioning of the curtain pivot relative to the mounting panel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The application provides a bracket for regulating the deployment characteristics of a deploying airbag cushion. The brackets of the invention provide at least local control over the deployment path of an airbag cushion by rotating at least a portion of the cushion along its length either away from a vehicle occupant, or more generally, away from a structure, person, or object possibly positioned in the path of a deploying airbag cushion. Such brackets may be structured to rotate a deploying cushion in part by providing an additional reaction surface and by partially surrounding the cushion.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A bracket for controlling the inflation trajectory of at least a portion of an inflatable curtain airbag cushion comprising:
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a bracket mounting panel for securing the bracket to a vehicle;
a curtain reaction panel sized to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain, the reaction panel extending from the bracket mounting panel in an inboard direction at an angle and terminating in an inboard edge; and
a curtain pivot positioned on the bracket for rotating the deploying inflatable curtain;
wherein the bracket directs the inflation of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain in a direction selected by the positioning of the curtain pivot relative to the mounting panel. - 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 inflatable curtain airbag module comprising:
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an inflatable curtain airbag cushion;
a bracket for controlling the inflation trajectory of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain airbag cushion, the bracket including a mounting panel for securing the bracket to a vehicle, a curtain reaction panel sized to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain, and a curtain pivot positioned on the curtain reaction panel;
wherein the reaction panel extends from the mounting panel at an angle and terminates in an inboard edge. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A bracket for controlling the inflation trajectory of at least a portion of an inflatable curtain airbag cushion comprising:
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a bracket mounting panel having a mounting tab for securing the bracket to a vehicle;
a curtain reaction panel sized to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain, the reaction panel extending from the bracket mounting panel in an inboard direction at an angle and terminating in an inboard edge;
a first curtain pivot positioned on the bracket for rotating the deploying inflatable curtain airbag cushion; and
a second curtain pivot positioned on the bracket for rotating the deploying inflatable curtain airbag cushion;
wherein the bracket directs the inflation of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain airbag cushion in a direction selected by the positioning of the curtain pivot relative to the mounting panel, and wherein the first curtain pivot and the second curtain pivot are positioned differentially relative to the mounting panel.
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40. A bracket for controlling the inflation directory of at least a portion of an inflatable curtain airbag cushion comprising:
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a bracket mounting panel having a mounting tab for securing the bracket to a vehicle;
a curtain reaction panel sized to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain, the reaction panel extending from the bracket mounting panel in an inboard direction at an angle and terminating in an inboard edge;
an inboard reaction panel extending from the inboard edge of the curtain reaction panel at an angle substantially perpendicular to the curtain reaction panel; and
a curtain pivot positioned on the inboard edge of the curtain reaction panel for rotating the deploying inflatable curtain airbag cushion;
wherein the bracket directs the inflation of at least a portion of the inflatable curtain airbag cushion in a direction selected by the positioning of the curtain pivot relative to the mounting panel.
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Specification