Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Alex Scott Damman

Mark Thomas Winters

John Clifford Hattery, Jr

Daniel Allen Rhule

Jeffrey Alan Shepherd

Daniel A Rhule

David James Thomas

Vince Urban Otto

An air bag module includes an inflator and an air bag for inflation. The air bag includes retainer bars for attachment of the air bag to the housing. The module further includes an axially elongated, open-ended, generally cylindrical extruded housing having a circular-shaped cross section defined by a single cylindrical wall having an internal wall surface and an external wall surface. The housing includes integrally extruded air bag channels directly disposed on the external wall surface. The integrally extruded air bag channels axially receive the retainer bars of the air bag therein for attachment of the air bag to the housing such that the cylindrical wall and the air bag channels form a generally cylindrical-shaped housing which is lightweight and compact. Preferably, the module includes exactly two integrally formed channels directly disposed on the housing and a cover having axially extending enlarged portions thereon. The enlarged portions are preferably hollow and sized and shaped for receiving the retainer bars and enlarged portions therein. Thus, exactly two channels on the housing advantageously mount both the air bag and the cover to the housing.

Air bag module with extruded housing

An air bag assembly includes an inflator for discharging inflator gas. The inflator includes upper and lower longitudinal ends and an elongated longitudinal inflator axis. The inflator has a longitudinally elongated solid body portion and also has an outlet end portion located at the upper longitudinal end of the inflator atop the elongated solid body portion. The outlet end portion includes a plurality of discharge ports through which inflator gas is discharged. A base plate is connected to the inflator and extends radially outward therefrom. The base plate is positioned closer to the upper longitudinal end of the inflator than to the lower longitudinal end. The longitudinal inflator axis is generally perpendicular to the base plate to advantageously provide a T-shaped. An air bag is positioned above the base plate for deployment in an upwardly direction away from the base plate. This arrangement allows the outlet end portion of the inflator to distribute inflator gas evenly into the air bag and the longitudinal axis of the inflator to be oriented parallel to the direction of the inflating air bag.

Air bag assembly

An air bag module in a vehicle includes a housing and an inflatable air bag having a mouth portion defining an air bag opening, the mouth portion including opposing axially extending side edges. The module further includes an air bag retainer for securing the air bag to the housing. The retainer includes a pair of axially elongated retainer bars each including an axially elongated main body portion and an axially elongated thin tail portion extending radially outward from the main body portion. The side edges of the air bag are each secured to a respective thin tail portion of the retainer bars such that movement of the air bag relative the retainer bars is prevented during assembly and during air bag inflation.

Air bag retainer

An air bag assembly includes an axially elongated inflator for generating gas. The inflator includes first and second ends and has a gas discharge opening located on the first inflator end. The air bag assembly also includes an air bag deployable upon generation of gas by the inflator. A diffuser cup engages the first inflator end on which the gas discharge opening is located. The diffuser cup diffuses the inflator gas into the air bag such that the inflator gas is spread more evenly into the air bag during air bag inflation. Preferably, the diffuser cup also retains the first inflator end to an end wall of a housing.

Air bag assembly with diffuser

An air bag module includes an axially elongated, extruded housing having a nautilus-shaped profile defined by a single continuously extending spiral-shaped wall. The spiral-shaped wall has first and second free ends and the spiral-shaped wall has a generally continually increasing radius of curvature from the first end to the second end. The housing preferably has a decreased radius portion for holding an inflator therein and an increased radius portion for holding an air bag therein. The decreased radius portion has a radius of curvature which is less than a radius of curvature of the increased radius portion.

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Clayton, OH, United States of America

Alex Scott Damman