Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Zf Passive Safety Systems US Inc.

Other

Daniel R Sutherland

Paul A Bowers

Kurt F Fischer

Timothy A Swann

Bryan W Shirk

Roy D Van Wynsberghe

Michael J White, Jr

Jess A Cuevas

Ernst M Faigle

Dylan Moran

Ali Emam Bakhsh

Hylus Ranjit Raj Jayakar

Eric C Erike

Vincent J Mramor

Angelo J Adler

Kevin M Brown

Al A Saberan

Dirk Schultz

Wael Youssef-Agha

Alexandra E Smith

Joseph C Popek

Yohann Le Norcy

Songwei Zhang

Robert I Phillion

Oscar Ugarte

Kirk W Christiansen

Matthew G Bombard

Ahmad L Al-Amin

An anchor assembly for connecting a curtain airbag to a side structure of a vehicle includes an elongated track configured to be connected to the side structure of the vehicle behind a vehicle trim piece that covers the side structure and forms a surface visible from within a passenger compartment of the vehicle. An anchor is configured to move along the track. The track includes sidewalls that define an interior channel that extends along the length of the track, and a slot that extends along the length of the track. The anchor includes a shank and a roller that is connected to the shank and rotatable relative to the shank. The roller and a portion of the shank to which the roller is connected are positioned in the channel and are movable along the channel when the anchor moves along the track. A portion of the shank extends through the slot, is positioned on an exterior of the track, and is configured to be connected to the curtain airbag. The track is configured so that the slot is at least partially exposed to a gap between trim piece and the side structure so that the portion of the shank that extends through the slot is not inhibited by the trim piece from moving along the slot when the anchor moves along the track in response to curtain airbag deployment.

Tether anchor assembly for curtain airbag

A restraint system for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle having a roof and a cabin with a seat for the occupant includes an airbag. The airbag has a stored condition within the vehicle seat and is inflatable to deploy laterally in the cabin to a deployed condition in front of the occupant. The airbag is configured to utilize the vehicle seat as a reaction surface for restraining the movement of the airbag in response to occupant penetration into the airbag.

Seat-mounted occupant restraint system

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition adjacent a roof of the vehicle to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. A tensioner is positioned adjacent to the vehicle roof and spaced inboard from the vehicle side structure. A tether has a first end portion connected to the tensioner and a second end portion connected to the curtain airbag. The tensioner is configured to pay-out and/or retract the tether. The tensioner is configured to control pay-out and/or retraction of the tether to control deployment of the curtain airbag and/or to control movement of the curtain airbag once deployed.

Airbag with deployment or movement controlling tensioner

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflatable between a vehicle surface and the vehicle occupant. The protection device includes a front panel having a portion presented toward the occupant when the protection device is in an inflated condition. A vent includes at least one opening for releasing inflation fluid from the protection device and has an actuated condition and a non-actuated condition. A tether has a first end connected to the vent for actuating the vent and a second end connected to the protection device. A guide member connected to the front panel slidably receives a portion of the tether between the first and second ends. First and second portions of the guide member are releasably connected together to define a slackened portion. The first and second portions remain connected together in response to initial deployment of the protection device below a predetermined degree to prevent the tether from tensioning such that the vent is in the non-actuated condition. Further deployment of the protection device to the predetermined degree releases the connection between the first and second portions to allow the tether to tension and act on the vent to place the vent in the actuated condition based on the position of the occupant in the vehicle.

Passive air bag with slack creator

An apparatus () for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle () includes at least one inflatable vehicle occupant protection device () including a first portion () inflatable to cover a first portion () of a vehicle and a second portion () inflatable to cover a second portion () of a vehicle. A single inflator () provides inflation fluid to inflate the protection device (). A first conduit () has a portion terminating in the first portion () of the protection device (). A second conduit () has a portion terminating in the second portion () of the protection device (). The first and second conduits (and) are adapted to move relative to each other from a first condition in which the conduits are positioned for installation in the vehicle () to a second condition in which the conduits are positioned next to each other.

Collapsable inflatable curtain module

An instrument panel assembly ( ) comprises a structural carrier member ( ) which is formed as one piece and has a first section ( ) defining a first chamber ( ) for receiving and supporting a first component ( ). The structural carrier member ( ) has a second section ( ) defining a second chamber ( ) for receiving and supporting a second component ( ). The first component ( ) comprises a first inflatable vehicle occupant protection device ( ) received in the first chamber ( ). The structural carrier member ( ) further defines a deployment opening ( ) through which the first protection device ( ) is inflatable from the first chamber ( ). The second component ( ) comprises an occupant knee protection device ( ) received in the second chamber ( ) for helping to protect the vehicle occupant's legs in the event of a vehicle collision.

Vehicle instrument panel assembly

An apparatus ( ) for helping to protect a vehicle occupant in the event of a vehicle collision comprises a steering wheel ( ) including a steering wheel armature ( ). The steering wheel armature ( ) has a centrally located hub portion ( ), a circumferentially extending rim portion ( ), and at least one spoke ( ) extending between the rim portion and the hub portion. At least one inflatable vehicle occupant protection device ( ) is mounted on the steering wheel armature ( ). An actuatable inflator ( ), when actuated, inflates the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device ( ). The inflator ( ) forms at least a portion of the at least one spoke ( ) of the steering wheel armature ( ).

Vehicle steering wheel having inflatable devices

A foot pedal (,) for controlling operation of a vehicle is supported for movement relative to the vehicle. A cushion (,), inflatable by inflation fluid, is connected with and, when inflated, extends from the pedal (,).

Cushioned pedal

Apparatus (,) for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle (,) which has a side structure (,) and a roof (,) comprises an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (,). The vehicle occupant protection device (,) is inflatable away from the vehicle roof (,) into a position between the side structure (,) of the vehicle (,) and a vehicle occupant. An inflation fluid source (,) provides inflation fluid for inflating the vehicle occupant protection device (,). The vehicle occupant protection device (,) comprises a pair of overlying panels (,and,) that have overlapping portions secured together along at least a portion of the periphery of the panels to form a substantially airtight volume defined by the panels. The panels (,and,) are made of gas impermeable elastomeric material.

Inflatable side curtain

An apparatus (,) includes a retainer ring configured to overlie an edge portion (,) of an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (,) adjacent to an opening (,) defined by the edge portion (,). A mounting stud projects from the retainer ring. In a one embodiment, the mounting stud (,) has a central axis (,) and a free end (,) spaced from the retainer ring (,) along the axis (,). The peripheral size and shape of the mounting stud (,) are uniform fully between the retainer ring (,) and the free end (,). The mounting stud (,) further has an axially extending bore (,) configured to receive a screw-threaded fastener (,). In an additional embodiment, the mounting stud (,) is receivable through an aperture (,) in a reaction structure (,). The mounting stud (,) and a key (,) are configured to snap together into an interlocked condition in which the key (,) blocks withdrawal of the mounting stud (,) from the aperture (,) in the reaction structure (,).

Retainer structure for an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device

An apparatus (,) includes seat (,) for a vehicle occupant (,) and a support (,) for the seat (,). The seat (,) has a forward position in a vehicle (,) and a rearward position in the vehicle (,). The support (,) enables the seat (,) to move, relative to the support (,), from the forward position to the rearward position in the vehicle (,) during a frontal vehicle collision (,). The seat (,) moves from the forward position to the rearward position due to a force transmitted to the seat (,) through the legs (,) of the vehicle occupant (,).

Vehicle seat with limited rearward movement

An apparatus (,) includes a vehicle seat (,) having a cover (,) which is extendible from an initial condition to an extended condition for restraining an occupant of the seat (,). The seat (,) has a first volume enclosed by the cover (,) when the cover (,) is in the initial condition. The seat (,) has a second, greater volume enclosed by the cover (,) when the cover (,) is in the extended condition. The second enclosed volume of the seat (,) is greater than the first enclosed volume sufficient for enlargement of the seat (,) from the first enclosed volume to the second enclosed volume to enhance the degree to which the seat (,) can restrain movement of a seated vehicle occupant under the influence of vehicle crash forces. An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (,) is supported on the seat (,). The protection device (,) is movable against the cover (,) so as to extend the cover (,) from the initial condition to the extended condition upon inflation of the protection device (,) from a stored condition to a fully deployed condition.

Vehicle occupant restraint apparatus

A vehicle occupant safety apparatus (,) for mounting in a portion (,) of a vehicle includes a module (,). The module (,) includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (,), an inflation fluid source (,), a cover (,) for the vehicle occupant protection device and the inflation fluid source, and bolts (,) for mounting the module in the vehicle portion. The module cover (,) encloses the inflation fluid source (,) and the protection device (,) when the protection device is in a deflated condition. The module cover (,) is made from a material which is flexible and wrapped around the vehicle occupant protection device (,) and the inflation fluid source (,). The apparatus also includes a deployment door (,), and tabs (,) (,) for releasably mounting the deployment door on the vehicle portion (,) for movement relative to the vehicle portion upon inflation of the protection device (,). The apparatus (,) also includes a flexible tether (,) connecting the deployment door (,) with the module (,) for limiting movement of the deployment door away from the module beyond a predetermined distance upon inflation of the protection device (,).

Air bag module with deployment door

An apparatus (,) for helping to reduce injury to a lower extremity (,) of a driver of a vehicle (,) in the event of a vehicle collision. The apparatus (,) comprises one or more pedals (,) having an operative condition in which the pedals are engageable by a foot (,) of the driver to control a vehicle operation. The pedals (,) have an inoperative condition in which the pedals are not engageable by the driver's foot (,) to control a vehicle operation. A mechanism (,) moves the pedals (,) from the operative condition to the inoperative condition in the event of a vehicle collision.

Movable vehicle pedal apparatus

A vehicle occupant protection device (14) has an inflated condition wherein the vehicle occupant protection device is located between a side structure (16) of the vehicle (12) and a vehicle occupant. When in the inflated condition, the vehicle occupant protection device (14) has a given length measured in the direction of vehicle travel. The length of the vehicle occupant protection device (14) increases as measured in the direction of vehicle travel as the vehicle occupant protection device deflates from the inflated condition to a deflated condition. A first spring connector (52) connects the vehicle occupant protection device (14) to the vehicle (12). The first spring connector (52) applies force to the vehicle occupant protection device (14) as it deflates and maintains tension in the deflating vehicle occupant protection device.

Growing community of inventors

Eastpointe, MI, United States of America

Daniel R Sutherland