Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Autoliv Development Ab

Autoilv Asp, Inc.

Louis A Mueller

Larry Frank Lunt

Mark Ludwig Enders

Mark Sherman Hatfield

Charles Richards

Nathaniel Lee Gerlach

Bradley W Smith

David W Schneider

David W Parkinson

Bin Wang

Terry Alan Wheelwright

John F Witt, Jr

Michael B Kutchey

Brett R Garner

Brian Keith Czach

Jamie R Fritz

Gustav Börjeson

Matt Cox

Erik Sandwall

Mark I Enders

Bobby Lusk

Henrik Öhrvall

Mark S Hatfield

Brett Richard Garner

Larry Lunt

Michael Kutchey

An inflator assembly arranged in an airbag system for use in a vehicle includes an elongated inflator with at least one mounting stud for mounting the inflator assembly in the vehicle and a gas deflector having a back plate and a front cover with at least one opening to diffuse gas generated from the inflator. The front cover is slid on the back plate along a longitudinal axis of the inflator such that the front cover is slidably engaged with the back plate to enclose a portion of the inflator. Further, the front cover and the back plate are securely engaged with each other by a crimp process to prevent opening or deforming of the gas deflector.

Airbag inflator assembly

A gas generator including a diffuser for diffusing inflation gases generated by an inflator of the gas generator. The gas generator includes at least a first mounting stud. The diffuser has a cylindrical sidewall axially extending between first and second axial ends and circumferentially extending between first and second axially extending sides. A gap is defined between the first and second axially extending sides. The cylindrical sidewall includes a plurality of holes radially extend therethrough and includes a slot having a closed end and an open end. The diffuser circumferentially surrounds a portion of the cylindrical housing of the inflator with the first mounting stud disposed in the slot.

Gas generator of an inflatable airbag, the gas generator including a diffuser for diffusing inflation gases

A side airbag module assembly for a vehicle seat back rest features a molded plastic cover () with a Class A surface constituting the outside of the cover visible after installation in the backrest (). An airbag holder portion () made of plastic is molded onto the cover (). The airbag holder portion () is formed as a fastening bracket (). An airbag () including a gas generator () is prepackaged in a soft pack () with fasteners () protruding from the soft pack (). The fasteners () and the fastening bracket () are configured to attach the soft pack () to the airbag holder portion (). Upon deployment of the airbag, the fastening bracket () will bend and thereby open the cover (), which allows the airbag () to inflate in a forward direction.

Side airbag module assembly

A side airbag module assembly for a vehicle seat back rest features a molded plastic cover () with a Class A surface constituting the outside of the cover visible after installation in the backrest (). A base plate () of an airbag holder () made of metal or plastic is rigidly connected to the cover () by insert-molding or a different method of attachment. A fastening bracket () is integrally formed onto the base plate (). An airbag () including a gas generator () is prepackaged in a soft pack () with fasteners () protruding from the soft pack (). The fasteners () and the fastening bracket () are configured to attach the soft pack () to the airbag holder (). Upon deployment of the airbag, the fastening bracket () will bend and thereby open the cover (), which allows the airbag () to inflate in a forward direction.

An airbag assembly can include a stabilizer strap attached to an airbag, and the stabilizer strap can cooperate with a housing to prevent undesired rotation or skewing of the airbag during deployment. In some arrangements, a portion of the airbag is secured to the housing via an inflator.

Knee airbag assemblies and related methods

Heat shields are used to shield an airbag from hot gasses issuing from an inflator. The heat shields can be a piece of thin metal that is coupled to the airbag cushion or the inflator. The heat shield can be held in place by being attached or coupled to the airbag and/or the inflator.

Inflatable airbag assemblies with heat shields

An airbag assembly with a reduced-cost knee airbag cushion and internal tethers can be formed from a single rectangular panel of material so that there is very little material waste. A pleat can be formed in a rear face so that the combination of tethers and pleat help the cushion deploy with favorable characteristics and adopt an arced shape when inflated. The cushion can have apertures for inserting an inflator with mounting stems partially within the cushion so that the mounting stems can be used to couple the cushion to an airbag housing. The assembly can also have a bag strap formed from a single piece of fabric that can wrap around a rolled and/or folded cushion. The assembly can also have a stabilizer strap that can be coupled to the cushion and to the airbag housing so that during deployment, the cushion does not skew or twist.

Inflatable knee airbags and internal tethers produced from single panels of material

Knee airbag assemblies configured for inflator insertion and inflator-mediated coupling to an airbag housing

An inflator assembly is disclosed for use in an automobile. The inflator assembly features a slide-on housing around an inflator.

Slide-on inflator housing

In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides a side airbag for protection of a vehicle occupant. The side airbag is adapted to be inflated by gas from an inflator. The side airbag comprises a side panel which forms an exterior of the side airbag. The side panel defines a vent hole for venting the gas to outside the side airbag. A closing panel is disposed about the vent hole. The closing panel is configured such that the vent hole is unobstructed to vent the gas during inflation of the side airbag until the side airbag is substantially inflated. The side and closing panels cooperate to obstruct the vent hole with the closing panel such that the gas is substantially not vented. When the side airbag is obstructed from substantially inflating, for example due to the proximity of an out-of-position occupant, the vent hole remains unobstructed to vent the gas.

Airbag for protection of a vehicle occupant

Growing community of inventors

Roy, UT, United States of America

Louis A Mueller