Autoliv Development Ab

Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Trw Airbag Systems Gmbh & Co. Kg

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

Thomas Reiter

Karl-Heinz Sommer

Jörg Albert

Marcus Weber

Marc Schock

Klaus-Peter Kühne

Sven Hoffmann

Klaus Massanetz

Martin Haas, Jr

Brent A Parks

Alan Ralph Larsen

François Peremarty

David Keyser

Nico Wallat

Jeff Kida

Oliver Adolph

Harald Schuler

Marco Broussard

Johann Unger

Karin Ydrén

Florian Ober

Tomas Ågren

Jonas H Gustafsson

Karl Binknus

Annika Warm

Norbert Karszt

Lutz Staack

Alexander Feicht

Wolfram Engelhardt

Holger Zang

Andreas Huf

Christoph Reichmann

Peter Kleeberger

Tomasz Skoneczny

Karl Heinz Sommer

Thilo Brade

Hans Michael Kirr

Muhammed-Ali Narin

Thomas Lauenroth

Christian Lang

Albert Jörg

Ulrika Fredriksson

David Jacobsson

Katharina Wehner

Ingo Berger

Gregor Picard

Andreas Guggengerger

Mathias Köppl

Michael Gruhne

Felix Pollatschek

Dominik Zelmanski

Knut Schmeier

Mauricio Mehnert

Rikard Erixon

Jochen Ewert

A steering wheel includes a steering wheel body and a base. The base carrying an inflator and an airbag package, such that the base, the inflator and the airbag package form a first sub-assembly. The base is connected to the steering wheel body at least indirectly via at least one elastic element, such that the sub-assembly can move relative to the steering wheel body in at least one direction so that the whole sub-assembly serves as a vibration damping mass. The steering wheel also includes a cover element with a roof extending over the airbag package, and at least one horn sensor generating a signal when a pressing force exceeding a predefined value is applied to the roof. The cover element is not rigidly connected to the base, such that the sub-assembly can move relative to the steering wheel body under deformation of the elastic element while the cover element does not move relative to the steering wheel body.

Steering wheel with vibration damping mass

An actuator assembly that includes an actuator device. The actuator device includes a tubular housing with a first end and a second end, the tubular housing defining a storage chamber containing a pyrotechnic material to produce gas. At least one electrical connection is coupled to the first end, the electrical connection in reaction initiating communication with the pyrotechnic material. An actuator housing that partially encompasses the tubular housing, wherein an outer surface of the actuator housing comprises a hexagon shaped portion that extends along a longitudinal direction of the actuator housing. An assembly housing at least partially encompasses the actuator device, wherein an inner surface of the assembly housing comprises an engaging surface portion that extends along a longitudinal direction of the assembly housing that corresponds to and slidably engages with the hexagon shaped portion of the actuator housing.

Tether release for an automotive safety device

A knee airbag module for a motor vehicle. The airbag module has a housing which is preferably composed of plastic and has a housing base () and a wall extending from the housing base (), forming an outlet opening. A receptacle is provided in a first wall section. An airbag is folded into the housing, an air generator () which has outflow openings located within the airbag, and a covering element which closes the outlet opening. This covering element has a main section () which lies substantially in one plane, at least one first end section () accommodated in the at least one receptacle, and a second end section () situated opposite the first end section (), extends out of the plane of the main section () and is connected to the housing (). The covering element () is produced from a blank.

Airbag module and vehicle

Holding elements for attaching an element of an airbag assembly to a holding unit comprising such a holding element and an inflating element, along with related methods. In some embodiments, the holding element may be configured for attaching an element of an airbag assembly via at least one tear seam, and the holding element may comprise a first side wall made of a flexible material and a second side wall made of a flexible material. A peripheral connection may couple the first side wall and the second side wall and may extend from a first end to a second end such that the first side wall, the second side wall, and the peripheral connection define a space therebetween and an opening. The holding element may further comprise an inlay comprising a hole and having at least one layer being located between the first side wall and the second side wall.

Flexible holding element for removably attaching an element of an airbag

An airbag module including a first casing enclosing a first gas space, a first inflator and a control device for controlling ventilation of the first gas space or the shape of the first casing. The control device includes a second casing () enclosing a second gas space and a gas source. The second gas space is bordered by a permanent edge connection, and further includes a control element such as a strap (), whose first end is connected to the first casing and whose second end is sewn to the second casing () by a tear seam (), and is decoupled from the second casing () upon filling of the second gas space. The tear seam () touches or intersects the edge connection at two points so that the tear seam divides the second gas space into two regions ().

Airbag module with a control device

A knee airbag () which is deployed between the vehicle occupants and a vehicle structure () and a gas generator () for filling the knee airbag () with inflating gas, wherein the knee airbag () has a base chamber () which is filled first with inflating gas, and at least one further upper chamber () which receives the inflating gas conducted through the base chamber (). A flow obstacle () for the inflating gas is arranged between the base chamber () and the one or more upper chambers (). The one or more upper chambers () is rolled up or collapsed and is secured in the rolled-up or collapsed state, the securing () being designed in such a manner that it fails when a predetermined degree of filling of the base chamber () is reached.

Apparatus for protecting the knee region of a vehicle occupant

An airbag has an airbag envelope () having two side walls () enclosing a gas chamber. The first side wall () constitutes herein the impact surface and the second side wall () constitutes the support surface. A traction element () furthermore extends from a first end to a second end, whose first end is connected to the outer side of the second side wall () in order to force the inflated airbag to assume a curved shape. In order to achieve an easy production and assembly, the second end of the traction element () is also connected to the outer side of the second side wall (), wherein the operating length of the traction element () is smaller than the length of the section of the second side wall () that is spanned thereby.

Airbag with external traction element and process for production thereof

An airbag for a vehicle occupant protective system comprises an inflatable cushion, a cinch tube circumventing a vent aperture disposed in the cushion, and a draw element guided in a circumventing channel of said cinch tube and being coupled to a surface of said cushion such that deployment of said cushion causes said draw element to contract said cinch tube. The airbag comprises a contraction limiting arrangement adapted to limit the contraction of said cinch tube by said draw element to a predetermined minimum free diameter d of at least 20% relative to the free diameter D of the open cinch tube.

Airbag for a vehicle occupant protective system

A safety arrangement for a motor vehicle is disclosed which comprises an air-bag module () having an inflatable air-bag () in fluid communication with an inflator (). An internal tether () is provided having a first end () and a second end (). The first end () of the tether is connected to a restrainable part () of the air-bag, whilst the second end () of the tether is free from connection with the air-bag but is initially trapped between the folds or rolls of an initially folded or rolled part of the air-bag. The arrangement is such that, upon inflation of the air-bag, the tether serves to restrain the restrainable part () of the air-bag until such time as the folded or rolled part of the air-bag () becomes sufficiently unfolded or unrolled to release the second end () of the tether ().

Safety arrangement

An air-bag housing comprising a rectangular frame () defining an opening and having a mounting arrangement in the form of flanges () to mount the frame in position within a motor vehicle. The frame supports a housing-forming element () formed, for example, of fabric. This forms a housing having walls () and a floor. The walls () are formed seamlessly by folding the fabric in half about a fold-line, and tucking one end of the fold-line into the other end of the fold-line, and inserting the frame between the pieces of fabric to lie adjacent the fold-line. The floor is formed by a plurality of floor-forming tabs (etc) carried by the fabric forming the side-walls of the housing. The tabs are folded inwardly to at least partly overlie each other and are secured in position to form the floor of the housing by studs () provided on the inflator which pass through co-aligned apertures () in the floor-forming tabs (etc).

Air-bag housing

An airbag module and instrument panel assembly for a motor vehicle having at least one ventilation outlet and a ventilation duct attached thereto and arranged behind an instrument panel. The airbag module is fastened behind the instrument patent and has a gas generator and a folded airbag arranged within its housing wherein a ventilation outlet is closed by a grid that opens when the airbag module is triggered and is provided within the instrument panel for the unfolding airbag. The airbag module is arranged adjacent to the ventilation duct in such a manner that when the airbag module is triggered, the airbag unfolds into the ventilation duct and from there unfolds out of the instrument panel through the ventilation outlet. The pressure of the unfolding airbag moves away from the ventilation outlet which is arranged within the instrument panel.

Instrument panel for a motor vehicle having an airbag device integrated in a ventilation arrangement

An airbag module in a motor vehicle having a modular casing installed behind at least one opening flap built into the instrument panel is characterized in that the disk-shaped gas generator, including the modular casing surrounding it, is arranged on-edge at an angle to the plane of the instrument panel, its narrow side being defined by the gas-discharge openings arranged on its perimeter, and the folded airbag is arranged at least partially between the narrow side of the gas generator and the opening flap.

Passenger side airbag module

An airbag system for jointly supporting at least two vehicle occupants inside a motor vehicle in case of an accident with at least two separate airbags inflatable with a gas supplied by a gas generator. The airbag system has at least two airbags () folded into a common housing () to be arranged in the dashboard of the motor vehicle. The airbags are connected to a common gas generator () having at least two outflow areas () assigned to the at least two airbags (). Each airbag () is sealed by a deflector () inserted therein against the respectively other airbag (), and the airbags are fixed inside the housing ().

Airbag system designed for two persons

An airbag module with a gas generator, a gas bag, a housing containing an exit opening for the deploying gas bag, and a holder. The gas generator and holder are located inside the gas bag, and the gas generator is fixed to the housing. The holder () has a support area () and at least one deflector segment () directed toward the exit opening (). The holder is placed between the gas generator () and the housing (). The deflector segment at least partially surrounds the gas generator () and directs the gas generated by the gas generator () into at least one of a plurality of fold packets () of the gas bag () placed on both sides of the deflector segment ().

Airbag module with a deflector holder

An airbag module having a gas generator (), an airbag (), a housing (), and a retaining part () for fixing the airbag fabric against the housing (), whereby the gas generator (), which is positionally fixed to the housing (), and the retaining part () are arranged inside the airbag (). The retaining part () is arranged without a force-absorbing fixation between the gas generator () and the housing () and, during deployment of the airbag (), is pressed against the gas generator () by the airbag fabric extending between the retaining part () and the housing ().

Airbag module comprising a retaining plate for said airbag

Growing community of inventors

Vierkirchen, Germany

Thomas Reiter