Inflatable knee airbags and internal tethers produced from single panels of material
First Claim
1. An inflatable knee airbag cushion assembly comprising:
- an inflator;
a inflatable airbag cushion comprising a middle portion between a front face and a rear face, wherein the middle portion has a width that is of a smaller magnitude than a width of the front face and the rear face, the front and rear face being coupled together along a perimeter such that the airbag cushion defines and inflatable void and has an upper portion and a lower portion,wherein the middle portion is configured to be coupled to the inflator;
a first tether coupled to the front face and coupled to the rear face such that the first tether is located within the inflatable void of the airbag cushion and extends between the front face and the rear face; and
,a second tether coupled to the front face and coupled to the rear face such that the second tether is located within the inflatable void of the airbag cushion and extends between the front face and the rear face;
wherein each of the first and second tethers are oriented such that they run transversely across at least part of the width of the inflatable airbag cushion,wherein the first tether is closer to the inflator than the second tether,wherein the first tether is coupled to the rear face of the inflatable airbag cushion at a point that is located closer to the inflator than at a point at which the first tether is coupled to the front face of the inflatable airbag cushion,wherein the rear face of the inflatable airbag cushion comprises a pleat that runs transversely across at least part of the width of the inflatable airbag cushion between the first tether and the second tether.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag assembly with a reduced-cost knee airbag cushion and internal tethers can be formed from a single rectangular panel of material so that there is very little material waste. A pleat can be formed in a rear face so that the combination of tethers and pleat help the cushion deploy with favorable characteristics and adopt an arced shape when inflated. The cushion can have apertures for inserting an inflator with mounting stems partially within the cushion so that the mounting stems can be used to couple the cushion to an airbag housing. The assembly can also have a bag strap formed from a single piece of fabric that can wrap around a rolled and/or folded cushion. The assembly can also have a stabilizer strap that can be coupled to the cushion and to the airbag housing so that during deployment, the cushion does not skew or twist.
137 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An inflatable knee airbag cushion assembly comprising:
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an inflator; a inflatable airbag cushion comprising a middle portion between a front face and a rear face, wherein the middle portion has a width that is of a smaller magnitude than a width of the front face and the rear face, the front and rear face being coupled together along a perimeter such that the airbag cushion defines and inflatable void and has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the middle portion is configured to be coupled to the inflator; a first tether coupled to the front face and coupled to the rear face such that the first tether is located within the inflatable void of the airbag cushion and extends between the front face and the rear face; and
,a second tether coupled to the front face and coupled to the rear face such that the second tether is located within the inflatable void of the airbag cushion and extends between the front face and the rear face; wherein each of the first and second tethers are oriented such that they run transversely across at least part of the width of the inflatable airbag cushion, wherein the first tether is closer to the inflator than the second tether, wherein the first tether is coupled to the rear face of the inflatable airbag cushion at a point that is located closer to the inflator than at a point at which the first tether is coupled to the front face of the inflatable airbag cushion, wherein the rear face of the inflatable airbag cushion comprises a pleat that runs transversely across at least part of the width of the inflatable airbag cushion between the first tether and the second tether. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification