Volkswagen Ag

Jörn Kessler

Peter Dahmen

Holger Dietze

Olaf Müller

Peter Rehling

Michael Steenbock

An airbag configuration provides an airbag outlet opening in a front instrument panel wall region. A given safety distance is provided between the airbag outlet opening and a potential head impact region of a vehicle occupant. The potential head impact region is provided in a head-impact instrument panel wall region adjoining the front instrument panel wall region in a direction away from a windshield and towards the vehicle interior. The safety distance is provided in such a manner that the airbag, after advancing in the direction of the vehicle interior by a distance corresponding to the safety distance between the airbag outlet opening and the potential head impact region, has a filling pressure which is reduced in accordance with predetermined limit values in comparison with the initial filling pressure in the airbag at the beginning of the airbag activation.

Airbag configuration in a vehicle

A ventilation device for a vehicle includes an instrument panel having a front passenger region with a front instrument panel wall region facing a windshield and a rear instrument panel wall region as a potential head-impact instrument panel wall region. An individual vent air-feeding duct, which is covered by the instrument panel, extends below the potential head-impact instrument panel wall region and extends there essentially in a direction of the transverse axis of the vehicle. A front passenger airbag module can therefore be positioned away from the potential head-impact region in a free space formed in front of the individual vent air-feeding duct. The front instrument panel wall region has, at least in some regions, air passage openings for a diffuse ventilation of the vehicle interior. Starting from the individual vent air-feeding duct, at least one branch duct is guided to a region below the air passage openings.

Ventilation device for a vehicle

The invention relates to an airbag apparatus, with an airbag module and at least one covering device, behind which, in a closing position, an airbag expanding by gas inflation is accommodated and which, to release the expansion of the airbag, can be moved out of the closing position into an open position by means of a mechanism, the mechanism containing a first mechanism component, which is coupled firmly to the airbag module, and a second mechanism component, which is coupled firmly to the covering device, and the airbag module forming, together with the first mechanism component, a unit ready for installation. The invention relates, furthermore, to a mounting method for such an airbag apparatus, the mechanism containing a first mechanism component which is coupled firmly to the airbag module, so that the airbag module forms, together with the first mechanism component, a unit ready for installation, and containing a second mechanism component which is coupled firmly to the covering device, and, during or after the installation of the airbag apparatus behind a vehicle interior trim panel, the first mechanism component being brought into an active position with respect to the second mechanism component. The invention relates, further, to an operating method for such an airbag apparatus, the first mechanism component and the second mechanism component being coupled actively to one another only by means of a release of the airbag apparatus.

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Langen, Germany

Jörn Kessler