Inflatable impact protection cushion

• US 4,186,941 A
• Filed: 05/03/1978
• Issued: 02/05/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Brambilla, Luigi, Backhaus, Hans-Gerd, Scholz, Hansjurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/902,495
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743, 280/734, 280/735, 280/728, 280/742, 280/738, 280/739, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2633 with a plurality of inflation levels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams

Abstract

An inflatable impact cushion for passengers of a motor vehicle, which in case of an accident is adapted to be selectively filled with the available gas by the increasing pressure by means of several sequentially triggerable ignition stages depending on the strength of the deceleration; in the starting condition, a portion of the protective cushion is separated off by a seam or the like, while the seam or the like is destroyed by the increasing pressure in such a manner that in the end condition the entire volume of the protective cushion is available.

Claims

1. An inflatable impact protection cushion for a passenger of a motor vehicle, said cushion comprising a bag expandable to a maximum volume and separating means separating a portion of the bag from the remainder thereof for limiting the degree of expansion of said bag to a volume less than said maximum volume when an internally supplied gas exerts an expansion pressure below a predetermined value, said separating means being constructed for being rendered inoperative when said gas exerts an expansion pressure greater than said predetermined value to enable said bag to be expanded to said maximum volume, and inflation means for initially supplying said gas in a manner exerting said pressure less than said predetermined value to initially expand said bag to said lesser volume and for subsequently supplying an additional amount of gas in a manner exerting a pressure greater than said predetermined value to expand said bag to said maximum volume.

2. An inflatable cushion according to claim 1, wherein said inflation means comprises multiple ignition stages and means operable for selectively triggering said ignition stages.

3. An inflatable impact protection cushion according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the separating means is a seam.

4. An inflatable impact protection cushion according to claim 3, characterized in that the seam is approximately semi-eliptical in shape.

5. An inflatable impact protection cushion according to claim 4, characterized in that the seam of the separating means, separates off a pleat from the remaining volume of the cushion.

6. An inflatable impact protection cushion according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the separating means, separates off a pleat from the remaining volume of the cushion.