Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Ayad E Nayef

Ali Emam Bakhsh

Rico Scott Bertossi

Al A Saberan

Suk J Ham

Apparatus () for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle () includes an inflatable windshield curtain () inflatable away from the vehicle roof () to a position between the windshield () and a vehicle occupant. The windshield curtain () includes overlying panels (and) interconnected to define an inflatable volume () of the windshield curtain. The windshield curtain () includes a pleated portion in which at least one of the panels (and) has portions folded over to form at least one pleat () in the panel. In one embodiment, the windshield curtain () includes connections (and) that interconnect overlying folded portions of the at least one panel (and) along the at least one pleat (). Portions of the at least one pleat between the connections (and) are unfoldable to allow expansion of the pleated portion upon inflation of the windshield curtain ().

Inflatable windshield curtain

Apparatus () for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle () includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device () and an inflator (). The protection device () is inflatable from a stored position along a forward edge () of a vehicle roof () to a deployed position overlying the windshield (). The protection device () while in the deployed position covers the windshield () from an A pillar () on a driver side () of the vehicle () to an A pillar of a passenger side () of the vehicle and from an upper edge () of the windshield to a position near a lower edge () of the windshield. The protection device () while deployed also covers the driver and passenger side A pillars ().

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Sterling Hts., MI, United States of America

Ayad E Nayef