Airbag apparatus with adaptive inflation
First Claim
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1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
- a casing having walls defining a chamber, the chamber having an inner end and an opposite airbag deployment end;
an airbag folded within and attached to the casing, the airbag including an interior inflatable chamber, wherein a boundary wall of the inflatable chamber includes a front face adapted to contact and cushion a vehicle occupant and a control section integrally connected to the front face;
a gas generator for providing gas to the chamber to inflate the airbag; and
at least one vent opening in one wall of the casing through which a portion of the gas can escape from the chamber,wherein a first portion of the control section extends along said one wall and has a control opening registered with the vent opening when the airbag is uninflated or partially inflated such that gas can escape from the casing through the registered openings, and wherein the first portion of the control section moves over said one wall as the airbag becomes fully inflated to move the control opening out of registry with the vent opening so that the control section covers the vent opening to substantially block the escape of gas therethrough.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag apparatus with adaptive inflation characteristics vents inflation gas prior to full airbag deployment to afford proper protection for an out-of-position occupant. A vent opening in the casing is controlled by a movable control section of the airbag itself. The control section has a control opening that is registered with the vent opening when the airbag is uninflated, or when it is partially inflated, such as when the airbag encounters an out-of-position occupant. For a properly positioned occupant, the control section moves to cover the vent opening as the airbag becomes fully inflated to block the escape of gas from the casing.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An airbag apparatus comprising:
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a casing having walls defining a chamber, the chamber having an inner end and an opposite airbag deployment end; an airbag folded within and attached to the casing, the airbag including an interior inflatable chamber, wherein a boundary wall of the inflatable chamber includes a front face adapted to contact and cushion a vehicle occupant and a control section integrally connected to the front face; a gas generator for providing gas to the chamber to inflate the airbag; and at least one vent opening in one wall of the casing through which a portion of the gas can escape from the chamber, wherein a first portion of the control section extends along said one wall and has a control opening registered with the vent opening when the airbag is uninflated or partially inflated such that gas can escape from the casing through the registered openings, and wherein the first portion of the control section moves over said one wall as the airbag becomes fully inflated to move the control opening out of registry with the vent opening so that the control section covers the vent opening to substantially block the escape of gas therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An airbag apparatus comprising:
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a casing having walls defining a chamber, the chamber having an inner end and an opposite airbag deployment end; an airbag folded within and attached to the casing near the inner end, the airbag including an interior inflatable chamber, wherein a boundary wall of the inflatable chamber includes a front face adapted to contact and cushion a vehicle occupant and a single control section integrally connected to the front face; a gas generator for providing gas to the chamber to inflate the airbag; and at least one vent opening in a side wall of the casing through which a portion of the gas can escape from the chamber, wherein a first portion of the control section extends along said side wall and has a control opening registered with the vent opening when the airbag is uninflated or partially inflated such that gas can escape from the casing through the registered openings; and wherein a second portion of the control section is folded when the airbag is uninflated or partially inflated, and unfolds as the airbag becomes fully inflated to allow the first portion of the control section to move over said side wall and move the control opening out of registry with the vent opening so that the control section covers the vent opening to substantially block the escape of gas therethrough, the single control section being the only portion of the airbag with control openings to align with the vent opening in the casing to allow venting of gas through the registered openings. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification
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Current AssigneeTK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
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Original AssigneeTK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
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InventorsMaripudi, Vivekananda S.
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Primary Examiner(s)CULBRETH, ERIC D
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Application NumberUS11/059,329Publication NumberTime in Patent Office1,468 DaysField of Search280/739, 280/742US Class Current280/739CPC Class CodesB60R 21/2342 Tear seamsB60R 21/239 characterised by their vent...B60R 21/276 with means to vent the infl...
