Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

John L Volz

Michael W Donegan

Thomas C Brown

An air bag assembly is mounted in a vehicle instrument panel recess located below an opening in the instrument panel upper surface which has a removable cover door normally closing the opening. The air bag assembly comprises an inflator, an air bag, a container mounting the inflator at its bottom and housing the folded air bag atop the inflator, and an air bag deployment chute. The deployment chute is a fabric rectangular tube having one end attached to the container around its deployment opening. The deployment chute is folded atop the air bag. A fabric tether connects the lower edge of the chute outer end to the container and is shorter than the tube. Upon actuation of the inflator, the deployment chute forces open the instrument panel door and extends outwardly of the instrument panel opening. The tether forces the chute to arch rearwardly and downwardly of the instrument panel opening. The inflating air bag forces its way through the narrow deployment chute until it emerges from the chute downwardly and rearwardly of the instrument panel and fully inflates. Upon emerging, the inflating air bag forces the chute to retract to a gathered position about the instrument panel opening, thus allowing full inflation of the air bag.

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Dayton, OH, United States of America

John L Volz