Trw Automotive Gmbh

Timo Abele

Werner Freisler

Sven Oliver Tamme

Daniele Aranzulla

Werner Frelsler

A knee airbag for a vehicle occupant restraint device can adopt a deployed position of use between a fixed vehicle component and the legs of a vehicle occupant. The airbag includes an airbag sheath, at least one exhaust orifice formed therein and control features for selectively releasing the exhaust orifice. The control features are disposed inside the knee airbag and arranged so as to release or block the exhaust orifice depending on the expansion of the knee airbag in a particular direction of expansion.

Adaptive knee airbag for vehicle occupant restraint device

A vehicle occupant restraint device having a knee airbag deployable between an instrument panel and the legs of a vehicle occupant and including an airbag sheath and at least one exhaust orifice formed therein. The vehicle occupant restraint device further has features for qualifying the build of the vehicle occupant, an activating unit for selectively releasing the exhaust orifice and a control which actuates the activating unit depending on the qualification of the build of the vehicle occupant.

Vehicle occupant restraint device comprising an adaptive knee airbag

A vehicle occupant restraint system comprises an inflatable knee airbag (). The knee airbag () includes an airbag sheath () and at least one vent hole () formed therein. The vent hole () is arranged in the upper half of the knee airbag () and is provided on a side of the knee airbag () facing away from the vehicle occupant which in the operating position of the knee airbag () is directly opposed to a fixed component () in the vehicle interior. A method of protecting a vehicle occupant comprises the following steps of: Inflating a knee airbag () with gas so that the knee airbag () adopts an operating position; and adapting the gas discharge behavior in accordance with the constitution, especially the body height of the vehicle occupant, in that a vent hole () formed in an upper section () of the knee airbag () is pressed against a fixed component () in the vehicle interior by the knee () of a normal size vehicle occupant moving forward and is closed thereby, or is not pressed against a fixed component () in the vehicle interior by the knee () of a small size vehicle occupant moving forward.

Vehicle occupant system having an adaptive knee airbag

The invention relates to an airbag () of a vehicle occupant restraint system () comprising plural juxtaposed compartments () delimited outwardly by opposing external walls () and against each other by partitions (), wherein the airbag (), in the inflated condition, has a form overall bent and elongate in cross-section. In the bending area the external wall () includes a cut-out () that is closed by an inserted insert () tensioned in the deployed condition which in the longitudinal direction has a length (L) different in the bending area from the opposing external wall portion () of the chamber () so as to produce the bending. The invention furthermore relates to a method of manufacturing an airbag of this type.

Airbag and method of manufacturing an airbag

A vehicle occupant restraint system comprises an airbag module () disposed in an instrument panel () the airbag () of which extends when inflated from a receipt in the instrument panel () into the interior of the vehicle (). A supporting structure () for the airbag () on a side of the airbag () facing a windscreen () is configured so that it supports the airbag () against the forces occurring when a vehicle occupant immerses in the airbag ().

Vehicle occupant restraint system and method of restraining a vehicle occupant

A vehicle occupant restraint device has a gas bag module with a housing and a gas bag having a free exit end, the gas bag moving into its fully deployed position with the free exit end first. At least one control element is provided which engages the gas bag and forces the gas bag to extend generally in an arc shape from the housing up to the free exit end in the deployed state.

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Abtsgmuend, Germany

Timo Abele