AIRBAG ASSEMBLIES WITH STABILIZER STRAPS

• US 20130229002A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Enders, Mark L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,777,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/201 Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2334 Expansion control features
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

An airbag assembly can include a stabilizer strap attached to an airbag, and the stabilizer strap can cooperate with a housing to prevent undesired rotation or skewing of the airbag during deployment. A portion of the stabilizer strap can be positioned at an exterior of the housing and can remain at the exterior of the housing throughout deployment of the airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing that comprises a mounting component and defines a deployment opening;

an inflatable airbag cushion coupled to the housing and configured to be deployed from the housing through the deployment opening; and

a stabilizer strap coupled to the inflatable airbag cushion and extending from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing at a position that is spaced from the deployment opening of the housing, wherein a portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component of the housing is configured to remain coupled with the mounting component at an exterior of the housing during deployment of the airbag cushion.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting component of the housing consists of a mechanical feature that is permanently fixed relative to neighboring portions of the housing.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting component of the housing consists of a mechanical feature that is devoid of moving parts.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting component of the housing comprises a catch that projects outwardly from a surface of the housing, and wherein a portion of the stabilizer strap extends about the catch.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting component of the housing comprises a stabilizer opening through the housing that is separate from and smaller than the deployment opening of the housing, and wherein the stabilizer strap extends from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing through the stabilizer opening.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component at an exterior of the housing is configured to interact with the portion of the housing that defines the stabilizer opening to thereby prevent the portion of the stabilizer strap from being pulled through the stabilizer opening toward the interior of the housing during deployment of the inflatable airbag cushion.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the stabilizer strap comprises a fabric material, and wherein the portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component at an exterior of the housing comprises a layered section of the fabric material.

8. The airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the stabilizer strap comprises a fabric material and a stopping element that is attached to the fabric material, and wherein the portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component at an exterior of the housing comprises the stopping element.

9. The airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component at an exterior of the housing comprises a stopping element that is fixedly secured to a length of fabric material, wherein the stopping element has a minimum diameter that is larger than a minimum diameter of the stabilizer opening.

10. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the portion of the stabilizer strap that is coupled to the mounting component at an exterior of the housing comprises a fabric material and a stopping element attached to the fabric material, wherein the stopping element is configured to interact with the mounting component so as to remain at the exterior of the housing during deployment of the airbag cushion.

11. The airbag assembly of claim 10, wherein the stopping element comprises a sleeve that encompasses the fabric material.

12. The airbag assembly of claim 10, wherein the stopping element comprises a metallic piece that is crimped about the fabric material.

13. The airbag assembly of claim 10, wherein the stabilizer strap further comprises a grommet coupled to the fabric material and positioned between the stopping element and the housing to prevent direct contact between the stopping element and the housing.

14. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is elongated in a longitudinal direction along a longitudinal axis, and wherein the stabilizer strap is configured to prevent skewing of the inflatable airbag cushion about a central rotational axis of the airbag assembly that is within a plane that bisects the longitudinal axis of the housing and is perpendicular to a direction of deployment of the inflatable airbag cushion.

15. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing that defines a stabilizer opening and a deployment opening;

an inflatable airbag cushion coupled to the housing and configured to be deployed from the housing through the deployment opening; and

a stabilizer strap that comprises a length of fabric material and a stopping element that is fixedly secured to the fabric material, wherein the fabric material is coupled to the inflatable airbag cushion and extends through the stabilizer opening from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing, and wherein the stopping element is at an exterior of the housing and is configured to interact with a portion of the housing to remain at the exterior of the housing throughout deployment of the inflatable airbag.

16. The airbag of claim 15, wherein a minimum diameter of the stabilizer opening is smaller than a minimum diameter of the stopping element.

17. The airbag of claim 15, wherein the stopping element is configured to directly contact an exterior surface of the housing during deployment of the airbag.

18. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stabilizer strap further comprises a grommet coupled to the fabric material and positioned between the stopping element and the housing to prevent direct contact between the stopping element and the housing.

19. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stopping element comprises a separate piece of material that is attached to the fabric material.

20. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stopping element comprises a metallic sleeve that is crimped about the fabric material.

21. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stopping element comprises a portion of the fabric material that is doubled over to form a multi-layer region.

22. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stopping element is configured to interact with the stabilizer opening to be inserted through the stabilizer opening from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing, and wherein the stopping element is further configured to interact with the stabilizer opening of the housing to remain at an exterior of the housing throughout deployment of the airbag cushion.

23. The airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein the stopping element, in any orientation, is incapable of passing through the stabilizer opening.

24. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing that defines a stabilizer opening;

an inflatable airbag cushion coupled to the housing and configured to be deployed from the housing through the deployment opening; and

a stabilizer strap that comprises a length of fabric material and a stopping element, wherein the fabric material is coupled to the inflatable airbag cushion and extends through the stabilizer opening from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing, wherein a portion of the fabric material at an exterior of the housing is layered on top of itself to form a columnar region, and wherein the stopping element is fixedly secured to the columnar region of the fabric material at the exterior of the housing.

25. The airbag assembly of claim 24, wherein the columnar region of the fabric material is stitched.

26. The airbag assembly of claim 24, wherein the stopping element is crimped to the columnar region of the fabric material.