Occupant restraint cushion system

• US 4,153,273 A
• Filed: 04/14/1978
• Issued: 05/08/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Risko, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/896,352
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728, 280/729, 280/730, 280/732, 280/736, 280/737, 280/738, 280/739, 280/740, 280/741, 280/742, 280/743
• US Class Current: 280/740
• 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

Abstract

An occupant restraint cushion system including a housing provided with a J-shaped base wall connected to a pair of laterally spaced end walls with one of the end walls having an enlarged circular opening formed therein and the other end wall having an aperture formed therein. A gas generator-diffuser combination is mounted in the opening with a threaded stud fixed with one end of the gas generator extending through the aperture and adapted to have a nut tightened thereon so as to draw the gas generator towards the associated apertured side wall to thereby concentrically locate the gas generator relative to the diffuser and simultaneously clamp portions of the cushion fabric between the gas generator and diffuser to provide the cushion with a sealed compartment.

Claims

1. An occupant restraint system comprising, in combination, an elongated housing adapted to be fixedly mounted on a motor vehicle, said housing including a base wall connected to a pair of laterally spaced end walls, one of said end walls having an enlarged opening formed therein and the other end wall having an aperture formed therein, a restraint cushion having a pair of laterally spaced side walls one of which is formed with a hole, an elongated tubular diffuser located within said restraint cushion and being positioned in the housing between the end walls, one end of said diffuser being formed with a radially outwardly flared conical portion axially aligned with said hole in said restraint cushion, means radially extending from said diffuser and passing through the restraint cushion for rigidly connecting the diffuser to said base wall so as to locate said conical portion of said diffuser concentrically and in spaced relationship with respect to said enlarged opening in said one of said end walls, a gas generator positioned in said tubular diffuser, said gas generator having a threaded stud at one end thereof that extends through the other of said side walls of said restraint cushion and through said aperture in said other end wall of said housing, a conical flange formed at the other end of said gas generator and being located in said hole in the restraint cushion, and a nut on the threaded stud which upon tightening causes the conical flange to be drawn towards and cooperate with said conical portion of the diffuser for clamping the material of the restraint cushion surrounding said hole between said conical flange and said conical portion and providing a seal therebetween.

2. An occupant restraint system comprising, in combination, an elongated housing adapted to be fixedly mounted on a motor vehicle, said housing including a base wall connected to a pair of laterally spaced end walls, one of said end walls having an enlarged opening formed therein and the other end wall having an aperture formed therein, a restraint cushion having a pair of laterally spaced side walls one of which is formed with a plurality of slits so as to define a hole therein, an elongated tubular diffuser located within said restraint cushion and being positioned in the housing between the end walls, one end of said diffuser being formed with a radially outwardly flared conical portion axially aligned with said hole in said restraint cushion, a plurality of stud members radially extending from said diffuser and passing through the restraint cushion for rigidly connecting the diffuser to said base wall so as to locate said conical portion of said diffuser concentrically and in spaced relationship with respect to said enlarged opening in said one of said end walls, a gas generator positioned in said tubular diffuser, said gas generator having a threaded stud at one end thereof that extends through the other of said side walls of said restraint cushion and through said aperture in said other end wall of said housing, a conical flange formed at the other end of said gas generator and being located in said hole in the restraint cushion, and a nut on the threaded stud which upon tightening causes the conical flange to be drawn towards and cooperate with said conical portion of the diffuser for clamping the material of the restraint cushion surrounding said hole between said conical flange and said conical portion and simultaneously traps a portion of the material of the other of said side walls of the restraint cushion between said other end wall of the housing and said one end of the gas generator.

3. An occupant restraint system comprising, in combination, an elongated housing adapted to be fixedly mounted on a motor vehicle, said housing including a J-shaped base wall connected to a pair of laterally spaced end walls, one of said end walls having an enlarged circular opening formed therein and the other end wall having an aperture formed therein, a restraint cushion having a pair of laterally spaced side walls one of which is formed with a plurality of slits so as to define a hole therein, an elongated tubular diffuser located within said restraint cushion and being positioned in the housing between the end walls, one end of said diffuser being formed with a radially outwardly flared conical portion axially aligned with said hole in said restraint cushion and the other end of said diffuser being formed with integral guide means, a plurality of stud members radially extending from said diffuser and passing through the restraint cushion for rigidly connecting the diffuser to said base wall so as to locate said conical portion of said diffuser concentrically and in spaced relationship with respect to said enlarged opening in said one of said end walls, a gas generator positioned in said tubular diffuser, said gas generator having a threaded stud at one end thereof that extends through the other of said side walls of said restraint cushion and through said aperture in said other end wall of said housing, a conical flange formed at the other end of said gas generator and being located adjacent said enlarged opening in said other end wall of said housing and in said hole in the restraint cushion, said guide means serving to locate said one end of said gas generator in said diffuser to as to align said threaded stud with said aperture, and a nut on the threaded stud which upon tightening causes the conical flange to be drawn towards and cooperate with said conical portion of the diffuser for clamping the material of the restraint cushion surrounding said hole between said conical flange and said conical portion and simultaneously traps a portion of the material of the other of said side walls of the restraint cushion between said other end wall of the housing and said one end of the gas generator.

4. A method of connecting a restraint cushion to a diffuser-gas generator combination wherein the diffuser is tubular in configuration and has one end thereof formed with an outwardly flared conical portion and wherein the gas generator is cylindrical in configuration and has one end thereof formed with a conical flange and the other end provided with a threaded stud, said method comprising the steps of cutting a plurality of slits in one side wall of the restraint cushion so as to form a hole therein defined by a plurality of circumferentially spaced flap members, placing the diffuser within the restraint cushion and positioning the conical portion of the diffuser in axial alignment with said hole, folding the restraint cushion into a compact package that permits the restraint cushion and diffuser to be positioned within a support housing having laterally spaced end walls one of which has an enlarged opening formed therein and the other of which has an aperture formed therein, securing the diffuser to the housing so that the conical portion of the diffuser registers with the enlarged opening in the one end wall of the housing and the other end of the diffuser is concentrically located relative to the aperture in the other end wall, forming an opening in the other side wall of the restraint cushion in axial alignment with said aperture in the other end wall of the housing, inserting the gas generator into the diffuser so as to cause the threaded stud to pass through the opening in the other side wall of the restraint cushion and through the aperture in the other end wall, and securing the gas generator to the other end wall so as to trap a portion of the restraint cushion between said other end wall and the other end of the gas generator while simultaneously clamping said flap members between the conical portion of the diffuser and the conical flange of the gas generator.