Airbag with active vent
First Claim
1. An airbag assembly comprising:
- an airbag cushion that defines an inflatable chamber into which inflation gases can be received to inflate the airbag cushion, wherein the airbag cushion comprises a first panel that is configured to face toward a vehicle occupant and a second panel that is configured to face in a direction that is other than toward the vehicle occupant during deployment of the airbag;
an active vent that comprises;
an aperture defined by the second panel; and
a patch attached to the second panel and positioned at an exterior of the airbag cushion; and
a control tether coupled at a first end to the patch and fixedly coupled at an opposite second end to a panel of the airbag cushion opposite the second panel,wherein the control tether is configured to transition from a slack condition to a taut condition as the cushion expands during deployment to transition the active vent from a high-rate venting capacity state that allows unobstructed venting through the aperture to a lower-rate venting capacity state that partially obstructs venting through the aperture, andwherein the control tether, in the taut condition as the cushion further expands during deployment, is further configured to transition the active vent from the lower-rate venting capacity state to a closed state.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Airbag assemblies and active vents for airbag assemblies are disclosed. An airbag assembly can include an airbag cushion that defines an inflatable chamber and an active vent that comprises an aperture and a patch configured to plug the aperture. A first control tether is coupled to the patch and coupled to the airbag cushion. The first control tether is drawn taut as the cushion expands during deployment to draw the patch toward the aperture from a first position that allows unobstructed venting through the aperture to a second position that obstructs venting through the aperture. The first control tether, or a second control tether, is configured to be drawn taut to close the active vent. Responsive to impact with the airbag cushion, a control tether is configured to slacken to open the active vent.
40 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An airbag assembly comprising:
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an airbag cushion that defines an inflatable chamber into which inflation gases can be received to inflate the airbag cushion, wherein the airbag cushion comprises a first panel that is configured to face toward a vehicle occupant and a second panel that is configured to face in a direction that is other than toward the vehicle occupant during deployment of the airbag; an active vent that comprises; an aperture defined by the second panel; and a patch attached to the second panel and positioned at an exterior of the airbag cushion; and a control tether coupled at a first end to the patch and fixedly coupled at an opposite second end to a panel of the airbag cushion opposite the second panel, wherein the control tether is configured to transition from a slack condition to a taut condition as the cushion expands during deployment to transition the active vent from a high-rate venting capacity state that allows unobstructed venting through the aperture to a lower-rate venting capacity state that partially obstructs venting through the aperture, and wherein the control tether, in the taut condition as the cushion further expands during deployment, is further configured to transition the active vent from the lower-rate venting capacity state to a closed state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An airbag assembly comprising:
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an airbag cushion that defines a cavity into which inflation gases can be received to inflate the airbag cushion, wherein the airbag cushion comprises a first panel that is configured to face toward a vehicle occupant and a second panel that is configured to face in a direction that is other than toward the vehicle occupant during deployment of the airbag; an active vent that comprises; an aperture defined by the second panel; and a patch attached to the second panel at a first position adjacent a first side of the aperture and at a second position adjacent a second side of the aperture; and a tether coupled to the first panel and coupled to the patch, wherein the tether is configured to transition from a slack condition that allows the active vent to be in a high-venting capacity state to a taut condition when the cushion expands during deployment to close the active vent by causing the patch to interact with the portion of the second panel that defines the aperture in a manner that prevents or inhibits inflation gases from exiting from an interior of the airbag cushion via the aperture, and the tether is configured to transition from the taut condition back to the slack condition to open the active vent to a low-venting capacity state by permitting the patch to discontinue interacting with the portion of the second panel that defines the aperture due to movement of the first panel of the airbag. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 26)
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23. An airbag assembly comprising:
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an airbag cushion that defines an inflatable chamber into which inflation gases can be received to inflate the airbag cushion, wherein the airbag cushion comprises a first panel that is configured to face toward a vehicle occupant and a second panel that is configured to face in a direction that is other than toward the vehicle occupant during deployment of the airbag; an active vent that comprises; an aperture defined by the second panel; and a patch attached to the second panel and positioned at an exterior of the airbag cushion; and a control tether coupled to the first panel and coupled to the patch, wherein the control tether is configured to transition from a slack condition to a taut condition as the cushion expands during deployment to transition the active vent from a first open state with a high-rate venting capacity appropriate for an out-of-position condition to a second open state with a lower-rate venting capacity appropriate for restraining an occupant at impact and during ride down, and further configured to transition the active vent to a closed state. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 27)
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Specification