Flexible housing for an airbag module
First Claim
1. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
- a cushion that inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and
a housing shaped to keep the cushion in the compacted configuration until inflation, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, the housing comprising an attachment throat attachable to the vehicle;
wherein the cushion is attached to the housing such that the inflation gas expels the cushion from the housing through the attachment throat and flows into the cushion to inflate the cushion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag module may have an inflator, a cushion, and a housing that contains the inflator and the cushion. The housing has an outer wall formed of a flexible material and a bracket designed to be attached to a vehicle. During deployment, the cushion is expelled out of the housing through the bracket. The inflator remains in the housing and inflation gas is conveyed to the cushion through the housing. The inflator may be retained by flaps wrapped around the inflator and secured to a perpendicularly oriented diffuser of the inflator. Alternatively, the diffuser may extend through an orifice formed in a fabric wall within the housing, and retention portions of the outer wall may be wrapped around the opposite side of the inflator. The airbag module may be mounted in an instrument panel to provide front seat, passenger'"'"'s side impact protection without requiring a rigid module housing.
38 Citations
44 Claims
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1. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
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a cushion that inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and a housing shaped to keep the cushion in the compacted configuration until inflation, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, the housing comprising an attachment throat attachable to the vehicle; wherein the cushion is attached to the housing such that the inflation gas expels the cushion from the housing through the attachment throat and flows into the cushion to inflate the cushion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
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an inflator that produces inflation gas in response to receipt of an activation signal; a cushion that receives the inflation gas and inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and a housing mountable within an instrument panel of the vehicle to contain the inflator and the cushion in the compacted configuration, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, wherein the housing comprises an attachment throat attachable to the vehicle, and a first bracket attached to the attachment throat and to an inlet of the cushion, wherein the first bracket comprises at least one attachment feature that facilitates attachment of the bracket to the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
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an inflator that produces inflation gas in response to receipt of an activation signal; a cushion that receives the inflation gas and inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and a housing mountable within an instrument panel of the vehicle to contain the inflator and the cushion in the compacted configuration, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, wherein the housing comprises an outer wall and a barrier, which is formed as a single piece with the outer wall, wherein the barrier is positioned between the inflator and the cushion in the compacted configuration to provide an inflator retention portion containing the inflator and a cushion retention portion containing the cushion in the compacted configuration. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
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an inflator that produces inflation gas in response to receipt of an activation signal; a cushion that receives the inflation gas and inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and a housing comprising an outer wall, at least a portion of which is formed as a single piece with at least a portion of the cushion, wherein the housing contains the inflator and keeps the cushion in the compacted configuration until inflation, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, wherein the housing comprises an attachment throat attachable to the vehicle, and a first bracket attached to the attachment throat and to an inlet of the cushion, wherein the first bracket comprises at least one attachment feature that facilitates attachment of the bracket to the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising:
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an inflator that produces inflation gas in response to receipt of an activation signal; a cushion that receives the inflation gas and inflates from a compacted configuration to protect the occupant from impact; and a housing comprising an outer wall, at least a portion of which is formed as a single piece with at least a portion of the cushion, wherein the housing contains the inflator and keeps the cushion in the compacted configuration until inflation, wherein the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material, wherein the housing further comprises a barrier and an outer wall, wherein the barrier and the outer wall are formed as a single piece, wherein the barrier is positioned between the inflator and the cushion in the compacted configuration to provide an inflator retention portion containing the inflator and a cushion retention portion containing the cushion in the compacted configuration. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact through the use of an airbag module comprising an inflator, a cushion, and a housing having an attachment throat, the method comprising:
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transmitting an activation signal to the inflator to trigger egress of inflation gas from the inflator; conducting the inflation gas through the housing to expel the cushion from the housing through the attachment throat, wherein the attachment throat is attached to the vehicle and the housing is formed substantially of a fabric material; and conducting the inflation gas into the cushion from the housing via the attachment throat to inflate the cushion. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for manufacturing an airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle from impact, the airbag module comprising a cushion, an inflator having a diffuser, and a housing having a cushion retention portion and a first orifice adjacent to the cushion retention portion, wherein the housing comprises an outer wall and a barrier, wherein the barrier and the outer wall are formed as a single piece, the first orifice being formed in the barrier, wherein the barrier provides the cushion retention portion and an inflator retention portion, the method further comprising inserting the inflator into the inflator retention portion by disposing the inflator to rest against the barrier, the method comprising:
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inserting the diffuser through the first orifice such the diffuser is positioned substantially within the cushion retention portion; wrapping a portion of the housing at least partially around the inflator to retain the inflator; and inserting the cushion into the cushion retention portion. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification