Vehicle air bag assembly

• US 5,423,571 A
• Filed: 12/17/1993
• Issued: 06/13/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Hawthorn, Laura A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth, Eric D.
• Application Number:
  US08/168,244
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 280/732, 280/738, 280/728 B, 280/728 R, 280/731
• US Class Current: 280/738
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/276 with means to vent the inflation fluid source, e.g. in case of overpressure B60R21/30 takes precedence; venting means on inflatable member walls B60R21/239
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/30 with means to draw ambient air into the flow line and mix such air with the inflation fluid

Abstract

A vehicle air bag assembly has a housing mounted beneath an opening in a vehicle panel and holding an inflator for discharging gas to inflate an air bag for deployment through the opening. A door normally closes the opening and is forcibly moved out of the opening from a closed position to an open position by the deploying air bag. The housing also includes a plurality of apertures communicable with ambient air. A flap closes the apertures to prevent communication with ambient air so that discharging inflator gas is blocked from escaping out through the apertures and is fully utilized for initial air bag inflation to open the door. A positioning device positions the flap for closing the apertures in the housing. The flap is operatively connected to the door, such as by having an end secured thereto, and is pulled by the opening movement of the door to open the apertures. Upon opening movement of the door by the deploying air bag, ambient air is aspirated in through the apertures to augment the volume of inflator gas delivered to the air bag, and subsequently inflator gas and ambient air may be vented out through the apertures.

Claims

1. In a vehicle air bag assembly having a housing mounted beneath an opening in a vehicle panel and holding an inflator for discharging gas to inflate an air bag for deployment through the opening, and a door normally closing the opening and being forcibly moved out of the opening from a closed position to an open position by the deploying air bag, the improvement comprising:

the housing comprising at least one wall having a panel attached thereto and spaced apart therefrom to cooperatively define a pocket which opens subjacent the door, the wall and panel having a plurality of apertures;

a flap means having an end secured to the door and being suspended downwardly therefrom;

the wall and panel cooperatively positioning said flap means within the pocket for closing the apertures to prevent communication with ambient air when the door is in the closed position so that discharging inflator gas is blocked from escaping out through the apertures and is fully utilized for initial air bag inflation to open the door;

and said flap means being pulled completely out of the pocket by the opening movement of the door to open the apertures;

whereby upon opening movement of the door by the deploying air bag, ambient air is aspirated in through the apertures to augment the volume of inflator gas delivered to the air bag, and subsequently inflator gas and ambient air may be vented out through the apertures.

2. The improvement of claim 1 further characterized by apertures in the wall being directly opposed to the apertures in the panel.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein the door has a hinged end and an opposite free end and the pocket opens subjacent the free end of the door.