Driver side air bag with particulate diverter

• US 6,648,366 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hewin, Damon N., Dillon, Michael R., Ford, Brian C., Langbeen, Lawrence R.
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US10/097,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20030173760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 280/729, 280/740, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/729
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

An air bag module assembly comprising: an inflator (250) having at least one exit port (270) with a thin layer of burst material (272) blocking the at least one exit port (270), the burst material bursting forth from the exit port during an initial moment of activation of the inflator. The module including an air bag assembly comprising an inflatable first bag (20) and an inflatable second bag (70), the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including an opening (40b) to receive the inflator (250) wherein prior to activation, opposed portions of the second bag, radially outboard of the inflator, are formed into respective flaps, which are overlaid and positioned on a top of the inflator to provide a tortuous path through which any particles can flow prior to entering into a main portion of the air bag.

Claims

1. An air bag assembly comprising:

an inflatable first bag and an inflatable second bag, the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including a first shield panel and a second shield panel, the second shield panel including notches or openings at its periphery, peripheral portions of the second shield panel sewn to the first shield panel such that the notches or openings in the second shield panel form a plurality of openings in the second bag;

wherein the second shield panel includes a top opening which is smaller than an inflator opening in the first shield panel and wherein the first and second bags, upon assembly, can be inverted when pulled through the top opening in the second shield panel.

2. The air bag assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the inflator opening is adapted to receive an inflator.

3. The air bag assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second shield panels are of one-piece construction.

4. An air bag assembly comprising:

an inflatable first bag and an inflatable second bag, the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including a first shield panel and a second shield panel, the second shield panel including notches or openings at its periphery, peripheral portions of the second shield panel sewn to the first shield panel such that the notches or openings in the second shield panel form a plurality of openings in the second bag;

the first shield panel including an inflator opening for operatively receiving an inflator and the second shield panel including a top opening which is smaller than the inflator opening;

wherein the top opening is formed by a central, circular opening in the second shield panel, the second shield panel also including a plurality of slits extending outward from the circular opening.

5. An air bag module assembly comprising:

an inflator having at least one exit port with a thin layer of burst material blocking the at least one exit port, the burst material bursting forth from the exit port during an initial moment of activation of the inflator;

an air bag assembly comprising an inflatable first bag and an inflatable second bag, the second bag located within the first bag, the second bag including an opening to receive the inflator wherein prior to activation of the inflator, opposed portions of the second bag, radially outboard of the inflator, are formed into respective flaps, which are overlapped with one another and positioned on a top of the inflator to provide a tortuous path for any particles including particles of burst material.

6. The module assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein the second bag includes a set of opposed openings which are located in the opposed portions and prior to activation the opposed openings are within the overlapped flaps atop the inflator.