Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

David E Pettigrove

Michael John Wolanin

Laura C Stevenson

Laura A Hawthorn

Jack L Jensen

Hubert P Blom

John William Melvin

An occupant restraint air bag assembly includes an air bag having a base wall portion communicating with an inflator and a face wall for contacting the occupant upon inflation of the bag. A vent opening is provided in the base wall portion of the air bag for venting a portion of the inflation gas from the air bag to the occupant compartment. A valve flap carried by the air bag is operable to a position closing the vent opening to contain the inflation gas within the air bag. A tether has a first end connected to the valve flap and a second end attached to the face wall so that the inflation of the air bag and consequent displacement of the face wall pulls the tether to close the valve flap. The vent opening is preferably a plurality of spaced apart openings and the tether progressively moves the valve flap across the openings to progressively close the vent opening in response to the progressive travel of the face wall toward the occupant. If desired, one or more additional vent openings with flap valves may be provided and operated by tethers of different operative lengths to provide selected and variable control over the venting of inflation gas from the air bag in response to displacement of the bag.

Displacement responsive air bag vent

An air bag valve assembly for installation in an opening in the fabric wall of an air bag includes first and second housing panels of flexible sheet material which overlie one another and are permeable to pass gas therethrough. The edge portions of the housing panels are stitched together to form a housing envelope in which a valve flap panel of flexible sheet material is supported. A tether is attached to the valve flap panel to move the valve flap panel across the gas permeable first and second panels when the tether is actuated. The valve assembly may be normally closed by using a gas impermeable material for the valve flap panel. Alternatively, the valve assembly may be normally open and then the actuation of the tether pulls a gas impermeable valve flap across the gas permeable first and second panels to block the flow of gas. The housing panels may be of a gas impermeable fabric having holes cut therein, or the panels may be an open weave mesh construction to pass gas therethrough.

Air bag valve assembly

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Brighton, MI, United States of America

David E Pettigrove