Airbag apparatus
First Claim
1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
- an airbag inflatable with inflation gas to protrude from a housing;
an actuator disposed at the housing and including a movable member for movement from an initial position to an end position;
a control device controlling a feed of inflation gas to the airbag for inflation and an activation of the actuator;
a vent mechanism for exhausting inflation gas, the mechanism including a first vent opening formed on the housing and a first valve body openably closing the vent opening for adjustment of emission of inflation gas to a low-emission mode or to a high-emission mode; and
a tether connecting part of the housing and a location on the airbag, the tether including, at an end area thereof closer to the housing, an engagement portion engageable with the movable member of the actuator for adjustment of a degree of protrusion of the airbag from the housing to an increased-protrusion mode or to a restrained-protrusion mode, wherein;
the engagement portion of the tether is retained at a location near the housing such that;
the engagement portion is detached from the location near the housing so as to preclude engagement between the engagement portion and the movable member of the actuator and thereby extending a length of the tether from the location of housing to a joint to the airbag to set the tether for the increased-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and
such thatthe engagement portion is engaged with the movable member of the actuator unless detached from the location near the housing thereby shortening the length of the tether from the location of housing to the joint to the airbag to set the tether for the restrained-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator activated; and
the valve body is attached at a location near the housing such that;
the valve body is engaged with the movable member to close off the vent opening and set the vent mechanism for a low-emission mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and
such thatthe valve body is disengaged from the movable member to open up the vent opening to set the vent mechanism for a high-emission mode upon activation of the actuator.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The airbag apparatus includes an airbag, a tether, a vent mechanism and an actuator. When the actuator is activated, a portion of the tether is retained by a movable member of the actuator to reduce the degree of protrusion of the airbag while the vent mechanism is released from the movable member to open up a vent opening and increase emission of inflation gas. When the actuator is inactive, the portion of the tether is detached from a position where the portion would otherwise be retained by the movable member to increase the degree of protrusion of the airbag while the vent mechanism is retained by the movable member to close off the vent opening and reduce the emission of gas. Further, the actuator may be activated at a delayed timing to open up the vent opening to increase the gas emission after the tether is configured to increase the protruding degree of the airbag.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
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an airbag inflatable with inflation gas to protrude from a housing; an actuator disposed at the housing and including a movable member for movement from an initial position to an end position; a control device controlling a feed of inflation gas to the airbag for inflation and an activation of the actuator; a vent mechanism for exhausting inflation gas, the mechanism including a first vent opening formed on the housing and a first valve body openably closing the vent opening for adjustment of emission of inflation gas to a low-emission mode or to a high-emission mode; and a tether connecting part of the housing and a location on the airbag, the tether including, at an end area thereof closer to the housing, an engagement portion engageable with the movable member of the actuator for adjustment of a degree of protrusion of the airbag from the housing to an increased-protrusion mode or to a restrained-protrusion mode, wherein; the engagement portion of the tether is retained at a location near the housing such that; the engagement portion is detached from the location near the housing so as to preclude engagement between the engagement portion and the movable member of the actuator and thereby extending a length of the tether from the location of housing to a joint to the airbag to set the tether for the increased-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and
such thatthe engagement portion is engaged with the movable member of the actuator unless detached from the location near the housing thereby shortening the length of the tether from the location of housing to the joint to the airbag to set the tether for the restrained-protrusion mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator activated; and the valve body is attached at a location near the housing such that; the valve body is engaged with the movable member to close off the vent opening and set the vent mechanism for a low-emission mode when the airbag is inflated with the actuator inactivated to keep the movable member at the initial position; and
such thatthe valve body is disengaged from the movable member to open up the vent opening to set the vent mechanism for a high-emission mode upon activation of the actuator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification