Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

John E Gordon

Robert E Huffman

John Paul Sparkman

David P Schenck

Robert E Bowser

Steven W Stukenborg

An air bag module includes an inflator for discharging gas and a base plate including a plate opening. A plurality of stud members are mounted to the base plate and extend downwardly from the base plate. Each stud member includes a radial slot. The inflator includes an outwardly extending inflator flange which underlies and engages the base plate upon insertion of the inflator through the plate opening. The inflator flange is adapted for receiving the stud members therethrough such that the slots in the stud members open subjacent the inflator flange when the inflator flange engages the base plate. The air bag module includes an inflator retainer being a discontinuous resilient ring which is radially deformable for positioning the retainer in radial alignment with the slots. When the retainer is radially aligned with the slots, the retainer is releasable to snap-fittedly engage with each of the slots such that the retainer is captured and held in the slots. When the retainer is captured in the slots of the stud members, the inflator flange is trapped between the retainer and the base plate such that the inflator is anchored to the base plate and held in position relative to the base plate when discharging gas.

Air bag module inflator retainer

An air bag module includes an air bag having a circular bag opening and a retainer plate including a circular plate opening. A peripheral hem portion surrounds the bag opening. The air bag module also includes a discontinuous circular ring having a first end and a second end which are circumferentially spaced apart to form a circumferential gap. The ring is located within the hem portion of the air bag. The ring has a relaxed position in which the gap is fully open and the ring has a diameter greater than that of the plate opening. The ring also has a deformed position in which the gap is reduced and the deformed ring has a diameter less than that of the plate opening such that the ring and air bag are insertable through the plate opening. Upon insertion of the ring through the plate opening, the ring reopens to the relaxed position and is captured beneath the plate such that the air bag is anchored to the plate and removal of the ring back through the plate opening is prevented.

Air bag attachment mechanism

A driver-side air bag module is mounted to a steering wheel assembly mounting bracket having three mounting apertures. The module comprises a cover, an inflator and a base plate, which are assembled without using fasteners. The base plate has a plurality of arcuately-spaced mounting apertures and mounts three studs. The cover includes a plurality of mating flexible tangs having locking shoulders. The inflator has a peripheral mounting flange which includes three arcuately-spaced locking blades and a plurality of locking tabs projecting from its surface. The base plate has three mating openings each having an adjacent locking abutment. The studs are first staked to the base plate. The cover is assembled by inserting the tangs through the base plate mounting apertures so that the shoulders snap over to engage the base plate. The inflator locking blades are pushed through the base plate mating openings and twisted to pass them over the locking abutments. This traps the base plate between the blades and the mounting flange and abuts the locking tabs with the cover tangs, preventing their removal. Three inflator mounting flange slots receive the studs during assembly. The air bag module is installed by projecting the studs through the steering wheel assembly mounting bracket apertures, where the spring fingers snap into the stud grooves to prevent removal. The locking tangs, tabs and base plate apertures are unequally spaced, and the studs and apertures are unequally spaced to assure a predetermined orientation of the module when installed.

Driver-side air bag module assembly

A vehicle air bag module mounted on a vehicle steering column comprises a container containing an inflator and an air bag folded on top. The air bag has a fabric body, a gas inlet surrounding the inflator, and a crown located opposite the gas inlet. The outer ends of four tethers are equally spaced about the center of the crown and are sewn to it. The inner ends of the tethers are clamped to the casing of the inflator and held by frictional force. Upon inflation, the periphery of the air bag deploys to its full breadth as the tethers restrain deployment of the air bag center. After inflation pressure builds, the force exerted on the air bag crown overcomes the frictional force holding the tether inner ends, which will release, enabling the entire air bag to fully inflate. In a modification, the tethers are all sewn to the upper portion of the air bag crown to delay deployment of the upper part of the air bag until the lower part has deployed.

Air bag with releasable tethers

An occupant restraint system comprises an inflatable air bag having an open end which is closed by one side of a base plate having a central circular opening flanked by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced mounting holes. An inflator for the air bag has a cylindrical casing with radial fluid discharge ports for discharging gas. A flange extends radially beyond the casing below the discharge ports and includes four circumferentially-spaced mounting holes which mate with the base plate mounting holes. The inflator acts as a valve to maintain air bag pressure below a predetermined level. This is accomplished by providing guide pins extending through the mated mounting holes. The guide pins carry compression springs which bias the inflator to a first position in which the flange engages the base plate with the discharge ports located above the base plate in operative communication with the air bag. The inflator includes a reaction surface located above the discharge ports which is exposed to air bag pressure. When the force exerted by air bag pressure exceeds a predetermined level, the springs compress and the inflator slides on the pins to a second position in which the discharge ports are located below the base plate out of operative communication with the air bag. Alternatively, the inflator may be supported by a plastically yieldable support which collapses to allow movement of the inflator to the second position.

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Brookville, OH, United States of America

John E Gordon