Stress reducer passenger cushion
First Claim
1. A passenger inside air bag cushion for use in a vehicle to provide occupant protection during a crash that has reduced stress concentrations during deployment, said bag when uninflated and unfolded having:
- an elongated central main panel having substantially identical end portions;
a pair of side panels having a curved outer periphery that is attached to opposite side edges of the central main panel to form an enclosure for a confined volume wherein the central main panel totally surrounds the peripheral edges of the side panels in their entirety; and
said end portions extending from each end of the central main panel having a respective free end that is distant from a nearest side panel peripheral edge, said free ends being located at upper and lower edges of a mouth of the air bag cushion, said free ends having flaps on each side which extend laterally beyond the width of the mouth, said flaps being folded toward each other to form opposite side walls for said mouth, said folded flaps being joined together by a seam along each sidewall that extends from between said upper and lower edges of said mouth back to the periphery of the side panel, said mouth thus being formed solely from the central main panel with no portion of the side panels forming part of the mouth, and said upper and lower edges of the mouth being adapted for connection to a module through which inflation gas is received when the air bag cushion is deployed.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A three piece bag construction for an air bag cushion adapted to be deployed in the event of a collision has reduced stress at corners of the mouth. An elongated central main panel 10 totally surrounds the two side panels 12 and 14 and has end portions which form a transition section leading from the mouth 16 to the interior of the cushion. No part of the side panels 12 or 14 extends to the mouth 16. Seams extending from the four corners of the bag mouth 16 through the mouth/attach area to the side panels 52 and 54 found in traditional bags where high stress occurs, are not used in the present invention. A novel rod and rod pocket assembly facilitates attachment of the cushion to a conventional module.
14 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A passenger inside air bag cushion for use in a vehicle to provide occupant protection during a crash that has reduced stress concentrations during deployment, said bag when uninflated and unfolded having:
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an elongated central main panel having substantially identical end portions; a pair of side panels having a curved outer periphery that is attached to opposite side edges of the central main panel to form an enclosure for a confined volume wherein the central main panel totally surrounds the peripheral edges of the side panels in their entirety; and said end portions extending from each end of the central main panel having a respective free end that is distant from a nearest side panel peripheral edge, said free ends being located at upper and lower edges of a mouth of the air bag cushion, said free ends having flaps on each side which extend laterally beyond the width of the mouth, said flaps being folded toward each other to form opposite side walls for said mouth, said folded flaps being joined together by a seam along each sidewall that extends from between said upper and lower edges of said mouth back to the periphery of the side panel, said mouth thus being formed solely from the central main panel with no portion of the side panels forming part of the mouth, and said upper and lower edges of the mouth being adapted for connection to a module through which inflation gas is received when the air bag cushion is deployed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A passenger side air bag cushion for use in a vehicle for providing occupant protection during a crash comprising:
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an elongated central main panel having opposite ends shaped to form a mouth for the cushion that is adapted for attachment to a module through which inflation gas is received, said mouth having a width that is smaller than the width of the opposite ends of the main panel and a height that is smaller than said mouth width; a pair of side panels having a generally round periphery that is shorter than the length of the main panel; said main panel having opposite side edges attached to totally surround the periphery of each of the side panels to position free ends of said opposite ends in juxtaposition at top and bottom edges of said mouth and distant from a nearest side panel peripheral edge, said free ends having flaps that extend laterally beyond the edges of the mouth, said flaps being folded toward each other to overlap to form side walls for said mouth, said overlapping flaps being joined together along seams that extend from a position between said upper and lower edges of the mouth to the periphery of the side panel, said mouth thus being formed solely from the central main panel with no portion of the side panels extending to the mouth, and said upper and lower edges of the mouth being adapted for connection to said module. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A passenger side air bag cushion for providing occupant protection during a crash and having a mouth adapted for attachment to a module in a vehicle which supplies inflation gas during deployment and provides occupant protection during a crash, said air bag cushion comprising:
two side panels having generally rounded peripheries and free of any snout portion which extends to said module, and a main panel having a length longer than the periphery of the side panel and having opposite side edges secured to and totally surrounding the peripheries of the side panels, there being end portions at opposite ends of the main panel that are shaped to form a snout formed solely of the main panel fabric which extends from the side panel periphery to the air bag cushion mouth, said mouth having upper and lower edges located at ends of said main panel end portions, the upper and lower mouth edges including rods fitted in a respective rod pocket that is part of a panel that is attached to the main panel end portions, said rods having a length that is shorter than the width of the end portions of said main panel to provide flaps on the end portions at each side of the mouth, and the mouth having a height that is smaller than the rod length, said flaps extending downwardly from an upper end portion of the main panel and upwardly from a lower end portion of the main panel to overlap each other forming the snout, and seams for joining each of said overlapping flaps together, each seam starting about mid-way between the upper and lower mouth edges and extending to the periphery of the side panel, each seam further having a length of at least 40 mm from the mouth to that point on the side panel periphery that is nearest the mouth.
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13. A passenger side air bag cushion for use in a vehicle to provide occupant protection during a crash comprising;
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an elongated main panel having a wide central portion between two narrow necked down portions adjoining a widened end portion at opposite ends, said opposite ends being adapted for connection to a module from which inflation gas is received; a pair of side panels having a periphery attached to and surrounded by opposite side edges of said main panel thereby to position said main panel opposite end portions in juxtaposition at upper and lower edges of a bag mouth; and a pair of further panels each secured to a respective end portion of the main panel, each of said further panels being narrower than the widened end portions of the main panel and folded about a first fold line that serves as one of said mouth edges, each of said further panels having panel portions that are attached to opposite faces of a main panel end portion, and a first seam spaced from the associated main panel end and parallel to and spaced from the fold line to define a pocket having a size adapted to receive a rod when positioned at one of said mouth edges. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification