Flame protection for a gas bag

• US 6,217,067 B1
• Filed: 01/13/1999
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive Safety Systems SRL (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Derrick, John-Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US09/229,712
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 280/740, 280/742, 280/728.1, 280/729, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/742
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23123 Heat protection panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence

Abstract

An air bag module includes a gas bag with an inlet opening, an inflator having a pyrotechnic propellant and a flame protection. To provide an effective flame protection which is simply and cost-efficiently achievable and applicable to the various methods of folding the gas bag, the flame protection consists of a pot-shaped textile part of a heat-proof material, the bottom of which comprises a central recess corresponding to the inlet opening of the gas bag, and the rim of the central recess surrounds the inlet opening.

Claims

1. An air bag module comprising:

an inflatable gas bag including a rim defining an inlet opening,

an inflator having a pyrotechnic propellant for, when actuated, inflating said gas bag,

a flame protection member having a cylindrical wall of a heatproof flexible textile material and a bottom part having a rim defining a central opening corresponding to said inlet opening of said gas bag,

said gas bag and said inflator having a common central axis,

said inflator including a cylindrical wall having outlet openings oriented radially with respect to said central axis,

said inflator being surrounded by the inlet opening of the gas bag and by the central opening in the bottom part of said flame protection member,

said cylindrical wall of said flame protection member extending substantially parallel to said axis,

said cylindrical wall deflecting a flow of combustion gas from said outlet openings into a flow parallel to said axis upon inflation of said gas bag.

2. The air bag module as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a mounting plate, and

a flange radially projecting from the inflator wall,

said rim defining the inlet opening of the gas bag and said rim defining the central opening in the bottom part of the flame protection member being clamped in place between said mounting plate and the flange of said inflator.

3. The air bag module as set forth in claim 1, wherein said flame protection member includes a rim at an end opposite to said bottom part and wherein portions of said rim are placed on each other and are connected to each other by means of a seam which bursts on inflation of said gas bag.

4. The air bag module as set forth in claim 3, wherein said rim at said end opposite to said bottom part of said cylindrical wall of said flame protection member is not connected to said gas bag.