Airbag assembly
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
- an inflatable air bag for, when inflated, restraining a vehicle occupant;
at least one actuatable inflator for, when actuated, releasing inflation fluid through openings in said inflator to inflate said air bag, said inflator including a container containing a source of inflation fluid;
first and second housing members coupled together to form a reaction can, said first and second housing members defining a cavity containing said air bag and a deployment opening through which said air bag is deployed upon inflation of said air bag;
means supporting said inflator with said inflator openings in communication with said cavity; and
said first and second housing members including means for capturing said air bag in said cavity and retaining said air bag in a predetermined orientation in said cavity as said first and second housing members are coupled together to form said reaction can.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag assembly (10) includes a reaction device (15), an inflator (20), and an airbag (25). The reaction device (15) includes a first housing member (27) and a second housing member (28). In the completed airbag assembly, the housing members (27) and (28) form a receptacle with a cavity (29) and a deployment opening (30). The housing members (27) and (28) are configured to capture and orient the inflator (20) and/or the airbag (25) in the cavity (29) of the reaction device (15) as the housing members are being coupled together.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
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an inflatable air bag for, when inflated, restraining a vehicle occupant; at least one actuatable inflator for, when actuated, releasing inflation fluid through openings in said inflator to inflate said air bag, said inflator including a container containing a source of inflation fluid; first and second housing members coupled together to form a reaction can, said first and second housing members defining a cavity containing said air bag and a deployment opening through which said air bag is deployed upon inflation of said air bag; means supporting said inflator with said inflator openings in communication with said cavity; and said first and second housing members including means for capturing said air bag in said cavity and retaining said air bag in a predetermined orientation in said cavity as said first and second housing members are coupled together to form said reaction can. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
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an inflatable air bag for, when inflated, restraining a vehicle occupant; at least one actuatable inflator for, when actuated, releasing inflation fluid to inflate said air bag, said inflator including a container containing a source of inflation fluid; first and second housing members coupled together to form a reaction can having a cavity and a deployment opening through which said air bag is deployed upon inflation of said air bag, said first and second housing members including means for capturing one of said inflator and said air bag in said cavity and retaining the one of said inflator and said air bag in a predetermined orientation in said cavity as said first and second housing members are coupled together to form said reaction can; and each of said first and second housing members having a generally U-shaped structure in a portion thereof and cooperating with the generally U-shaped structure of the other one of said first and second housing members to define said deployment opening in said reaction can as said first and second housing members are coupled together to form said reaction can. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of assembling an air bag assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
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coupling a first housing member and a second housing member together to form a reaction can having a cavity and a deployment opening through which an air bag may be deployed; capturing at least one of an air bag and an inflator in the cavity of the reaction can and retaining the at least one of the air bag and the inflator in a predetermined orientation in the cavity as the first and second housing members are coupled together to form the reaction can; and moving a generally U-shaped structure of one of the first and second housing members into engagement with a generally U-shaped structure of the other one of the first and second members to form the deployment opening in the reaction can as the at least one of the air bag and the inflator is being captured and retained in the predetermined orientation in the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
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a housing including a first portion and a second portion which define a first chamber in said housing, at least one of said first and second portions having a series of fastener openings; an inflator disposed in said first chamber between said first and second portions of said housing, said inflator including a wall defining a second chamber in said inflator, an inflation fluid source disposed in said second chamber in said inflator, said inflator wall having an outer surface extending in a given direction between first and second opposite end portions of said inflator; an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint attached to said housing and having an inflation fluid opening; said first and second portions of said housing clamping against said outer surface of said inflator, said first and second portions of said housing defining said first chamber which (i) extends between said clamped end portions of said inflator and (ii) receives inflation fluid from said inflator, said first and second portions of said housing cooperating to direct inflation fluid from said first chamber into the inflation fluid opening in said occupant restraint; and a plurality of fasteners extending through said fastener openings in said at least one portion of said housing, said fasteners connecting said first portion of said housing with said second portion of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. An airbag assembly including a reaction device, an inflator coupled to said reaction device, and an airbag also coupled to said reaction device;
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said reaction device comprising a plurality of housing members adapted to be coupled together to form said reaction device; said reaction device defining a cavity and a deployment opening; said plurality of housing members being configured to capture at least one of said inflator and said airbag in said cavity and to retain said at least one of said inflator and said airbag in a predetermined orientation in said cavity as said housing members are coupled together; said plurality of housing members consisting essentially of a first housing member and a second housing member; said first and second housing members each including an inflator support structure formed in one piece with the respective housing member; each of said inflator support structures including a cradle, each cradle having a configuration which matches the configuration of at least a portion of said inflator, each cradle cooperating to capture and support said inflator in said predetermined orientation; said inflator being a cylindrical inflator comprising a cylindrical housing enclosing a source of inflation fluid, squib wires projecting outwardly from one end of said cylindrical housing, and a plurality of dispensing nozzles; and a resilient biasing device located so as to resiliently hold the inflator in said cradle as said housing members are coupled together; said resilient biasing device comprising a spring formed in one piece with one of said housing members, said spring being located so as to engage the exterior of the inflator and to resiliently press the inflator against the other of said housing members as said housing members are coupled together.
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Specification