Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Other

Choi, Changsoo

Changsoo Choi

David W Schneider

Jeffrey Daniel Williams

Timothy A DePottey

Michael Joseph Lachat

Larry D Rose

Mark Ludwig Enders

Patrick Jamison

Christina Morris

Kent Potter

Frank Herzenstiel

John C Newkirk

Harry Park

Ralph Tree

Greg Waters

Brad Smith

Shankar Balaskandan

Curtis W Strader

Brian Joseph Borton

Xiaohong Wang

Dana Joseph Wold

Pontus Soderstrom

James Ernie Jacobson

Frank Joseph Herzenstiel, Ii

David L Dominssini

Mohamad Youssef Alsedawi

Russ Morris

Hylus Ranjit Raj Jayakar

Russ Gans

Vinay Genthikatti

Stephen Taylor

Tim Whited

Christina R Morris

An airbag assembly including an inflator to supply inflation gas and an airbag cushion configured to expand and deploy toward a seating position of a vehicle, the airbag cushion including a main chamber, a secondary chamber coupled to the main chamber, and a tether passing through the main chamber into the secondary chamber, wherein the tether is configured to be released to allow the secondary chamber to be inflated.

Active control of anti-submarining automotive protective devices

An airbag device is adapted to be installed in a vehicle for protecting an occupant. The airbag device includes a bag-like cushion that inflates and deploys in front of a seat and is adapted to restrain the occupant. In an inflated condition, the airbag cushion includes a main inflating section inflating toward the rear of the vehicle, a pair of lobes protruding toward the rear of the vehicle on both sides of the main inflating section in a vehicle width direction, a pair of secondary inflating sections being provided respectively between the main inflating section and each of the lobes in the vehicle width direction and inflating toward the rear of the vehicle, and a pair of tethers are symmetrically attached and tensioned inside the cushion for preventing the protruded lobes from swinging around the main inflating section of the cushion.

Airbag device

Inflatable airbag assemblies and methods are disclosed for a vehicle seating position having a utility component or occupant accessory that at least partially extends over a seat of the vehicle seating position. The utility component/occupant accessory may be stowable, and may be adjustable upward-downward, fore-aft, rotationally, etc. The utility component/occupant accessory may house an inflatable airbag cushion of the inflatable airbag assembly, which may deploy in a collision event so as to be disposed between the utility component/occupant accessory and the vehicle seating position.

Inflatable airbag assemblies for a utility component-equipped vehicle seating position

A surrounding inflatable airbag assembly configured to deploy for a seat back of a vehicle is disclosed. Inflatable airbag assemblies may provide protection for an occupant in a vehicle collision event. In a collision event, or other event producing forward and/or lateral movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle, the disclosed inflatable airbag assembly may receive and support the occupant during ride down so as to prevent or minimize injury resulting from impact with a vehicle structure disposed forward or lateral to a vehicle seating position. The disclosed airbag may deploy from the seat back including a head back portion. During deployment, a front portion of the airbag may extend up and over the head of the occupant and further extend forward and downward in front of the vehicle seating position.

Surrounding airbag assemblies and methods of deployment

An inflatable safety restraint system that is downwardly deployable from a roof of a vehicle for protecting an occupant of the vehicle. The inflatable safety restraint system includes at least one inflatable airbag and at least one joint closing the shape of the at least one inflatable airbag to circumscribe an internal cavity. At least one inflator is in fluid communication with the at least one inflatable airbag for inflating the at least one airbag. Upon deployment, the inflatable safety restraint system defines a closed shape for surrounding the occupant of the vehicle.

Inflatable safety restraint system for surrounding a vehicle occupant

Airbag assemblies are disclosed that can reduce rotational velocity of an occupant's head during a collision event and thereby mitigate traumatic brain injury/head injury to an occupant. An airbag includes a pair of lobes or protrusions to deploy and extend from the rear face of the airbag on either side of the occupant's head to limit rotation of the head. A pair of vertical tethers within an interior of the airbag configure the lobes and contour the rear face to form one or more low fabric tension zones or bubbles. The lobes maintain high fabric tension, similar to a pressurization of a main inflatable chamber of the airbag.

Frontal airbag assemblies for reducing rotational velocity of a head of an occupant

Airbag cushion assemblies comprising internal stabilizers and related methods. Some embodiments may comprise an airbag cushion comprising a first side and a second side opposite from the first side and a hub comprising a hub opening configured to be coupled with an inflator so as to receive inflation gases during deployment of the airbag cushion through the hub opening. A stabilizer, such as, in some embodiments, a diffuser or another inflatable structure, may be positioned within the airbag cushion and may be non-releasably coupled with the airbag cushion along at least a portion of the first side, along at least a portion of the second side, and adjacent to the hub opening.

Airbag cushion stabilizers

Airbags and airbag assemblies are disclosed that include passive adaptive venting. The disclosed embodiments include an airbag cushion to define an inflation chamber and that include a set of vents. The set of vents is disposed through a panel of the airbag cushion. The set of vents allow egress of inflation gas from the inflation chamber and to be in an open state when a degree of compression of the airbag cushion is below a threshold level. The set of vents is configured to be in a closed state and/or obstructed by a vehicle surface of a vehicle structure when the degree of compression of the airbag cushion exceeds the threshold level.

Airbag with passive adaptive venting

An airbag can include a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber and a second cushion portion that is connected to the first cushion portion and defines a second inflatable chamber. The first inflatable chamber can receive inflation gas from an inflator to expand the first cushion portion and the second cushion portion can receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion. A unidirectional valve permits inflation gas to flow from the first inflatable chamber to the second inflatable chamber and restricts backflow of inflation gas from the second inflatable chamber to the first inflatable chamber.

Multi-chamber airbag with unidirectional vent

An airbag can include a first cushion portion that defines a first inflatable chamber and a second cushion portion that is connected to the first cushion portion and defines a second inflatable chamber. The first inflatable chamber can receive inflation gas from an inflator to expand the first cushion portion and the second cushion portion can receive inflation gas from the first inflatable chamber to expand the second cushion portion. In some arrangements, a temporary fastener may maintain the second cushion portion in a compact state during expansion of the first cushion portion.

Multi-chamber airbags

An airbag assembly can comprise an inflation assembly to inflate a first airbag and a second airbag to deploy from a housing. The first airbag and the second airbag can receive inflation gas from the inflation assembly and deploy from a common housing. The inflation assembly can comprise a first inflator coupled to the first airbag and a second inflator coupled to the second airbag. Alternatively, the inflation assembly may comprise a dual-stage inflator coupled to each of the first airbag and the second airbag and configured to inflate each of the first airbag and the second airbag independently. A panel can couple together the first airbag and the second airbag.

Dual cushion airbag with independent inflation

Methods, apparatus, and systems for packing or deploying airbag cushions, such as driver side airbag cushions, to improve unfolding kinematics and/or otherwise improve performance. In some implementations of methods for packing an airbag cushion, a first portion of an airbag cushion may be compressed and then secured in a compressed configuration using a first wrap. A second portion of the airbag cushion may then be compressed and secured in a second compressed configuration using a second wrap. The resulting airbag cushion assembly may be configured to separate the wraps sequentially, rather than simultaneously, during inflation of the airbag cushion.

Multi-wrap airbags and related methods and systems

An airbag can include a base panel and a cushioning panel that cooperate to define an inflatable chamber. A deflector can be positioned between the base panel and the cushioning panel. The deflector can be attached to the base panel so as to define a lower inflation aperture that directs inflation gas toward a bottom end of the base panel. In some arrangements, the airbag can include a tether that extends through the lower inflation aperture.

Airbag with deflector

An inflatable knee airbag can have a plurality of inflatable chambers. The inflatable chambers can be formed as independent chambers, rather than a single chamber being divided by an internal tether. The inflatable chambers can be arranged in a serial configuration, wherein the chambers form an 'L' shape so that when the airbag is deployed, it conforms to the shape of an instrument panel.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MI, United States of America

Changsoo Choi