Inflatable safety restraint for vehicle occupant protection
First Claim
1. An inflatable safety restraint arrangement comprising an inflatable cushion dispose proximate a stricture having a tearable seam, including a rip cord attached at one end to a part of the cushion and at an opposite end to a part of the seam, so that as the cushion deploys the rip cord tears the seam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An inflatable safety restraint arrangement is provided which is particularly helpful to protect vehicle occupants from transverse components of crash forces such as are experienced in side impacts. An inflatable cushion (8) in the deflated state is foldled and mounted in a flexible pocket and is fixedly attached to Ihe vehicle at at least two spaced positions. The flexible pocket comprises a line of weakness such as a tear seam along which the pocket opens when subjected to forces generated during inflating of the cushion and through which the inflating cushion deploys to a position between the vehicle occupant and the adjacent vehicle surface (e.g. door) in the event of a crash situation being detected. The flexible pocket is preferably fabric though it may be of a plastics material and the tear seam comprises a stitched seam the stitches of which either break or unravel when the airbag cushion is deployed.
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Citations
32 Claims
- 1. An inflatable safety restraint arrangement comprising an inflatable cushion dispose proximate a stricture having a tearable seam, including a rip cord attached at one end to a part of the cushion and at an opposite end to a part of the seam, so that as the cushion deploys the rip cord tears the seam.
- 3. An inflatable safety restraint for protection of a vehicle occupant from components of crash forces, the arrangement comprising an inflatable cushion, the cushion being fixedly attached to at least two spaced positions such that on deployment at least a part of the cushion occupies a position between the thorax of the vehicle occupant and an adjacent internal surface of a side of the vehicle in the event of a crash situation being detected, and further comprising an inflator and an inflator manifold for connecting the inflator to the cushion, wherein the inflator has an output for inflation gas which is constructed and arranged to direct gas flow onto an inside wall of the manifold so-as to retain the manifold in the cushion.
Specification