Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Joseph Mannino

Peter L Vigeant

David Laird Geyer

Robert Andrew Parks

Norinari Nagata

Michael A Schorle

Michael J Olesko

Tanja Kryzaniwskyj

Minoru Niwa

Darrell A Kellogg

Stephanie Schneider

Bryan H Stover

William Henry Travis

An example airbag assembly an airbag, a duct having an duct opening for venting gas outside the airbag, and a flap moveable from a first position to a second position. The duct is configured to direct more gas outside the airbag when the flap is in the first position than when the flap is in the second position. A tether is configured to move the flap from the first position to the second position.

Dynamic airbag venting

An exemplary airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct having an duct opening for venting gas. The duct has a first position and a second position. The duct is configured to direct less gas out of the airbag when in the second position than when in the first position. A tether kinks about the duct to move the duct from the first position to the second position. The inflating causes the tether to kink about the duct.

An example airbag assembly includes an airbag having an airbag opening and a duct adjacent the airbag opening. A tether is configured to move the duct between a first position and a second position. The duct communicates a first flow from the duct through the airbag opening in the first position. The duct communicates a second flow from the duct through the airbag opening in the second position. The first flow is greater than the second flow.

An example airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct. The duct has a duct opening for venting gas. The duct is moveable between a first position where the duct opening is outside the airbag and a second position where the duct opening is inside the airbag. Inflating the airbag moves the duct between the first position and the second position. The airbag is configured to be inflated by a first stream of gas moving from the duct opening to an interior of the airbag and by a second stream of gas moving from an airbag inflator to the interior of the airbag. The first stream of gas is separate from the second stream of gas.

An example airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct having an opening for venting gas. The duct moves between a first position where the opening is outside the airbag and a second position where the opening is inside the airbag. Inflating the airbag moves the duct between the first position and the second position.

An example tethered airbag arrangement includes an airbag movable to an expanded position. The airbag includes a contact face. An internal tether constrains expansion of the contact face. An external tether system includes tether portions and at least one bridge portion. The tether portions constrain expansion of the contact face. The bridge portion limits separation between one of the tether portions and an adjacent one of the tether portions as the airbag moves to an expanded position.

External and internal airbag tether arrangement

The present invention is directed to a bracket that connects an airbag subassembly to a support structure, such as a steering wheel armature. The bracket generally has a base formed from a material and at least two retention members extending from the base wherein the retention members are formed integral with and from the same material as the base. The present invention is also directed a method of forming the bracket.

Stamped airbag retention members and method of airbag assembly

A steering wheel subassembly with an armature and a clip. The clip has a first leg disposed in a first slot of the armature, a bend extending from the first leg, and a second leg extending from the bend. The second leg is disposed in a second slot on the armature and the clip is movable between a rest and displaced position. The clip partially obstructs a hole in the armature configured to receive a connecting part such as a pin. The clip legs exert a preload on armature engagement surfaces. The invention is further directed to a method for coupling the clip to the steering wheel armature as well as a steering wheel assembly having the steering wheel subassembly described above. The invention is still further directed to a configuration of a mounting bracket with an airbag subassembly adapted to be coupled to the steering wheel subassembly. The invention is also directed to a cover for the steering wheel subassembly wherein the cover and armature cooperate to define an access passage aligned with one of the clip legs.

Method and apparatus for coupling a driver's side airbag to a steering wheel

A device for mounting an integrally formed steering wheel on the steering shaft of a vehicle. The device includes a boss to couple the steering wheel to the steering shaft on which is rotatably mounted a fastener that is rotated by a drive gear arrangement. The drive gear is on shaft that is rotatably mounted in a housing connected to the boss so that the drive gear that meshes with a complementary drive gear on the fastener to rotate and fasten the steering wheel to the steering shaft. Retainers are used to support the gear shaft to opposing sidewalls of the housing, and include bushings located between the retainer and the gear shaft.

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Joseph Mannino