Anchorless tether for curtain airbag
AssigneeZf Passive Safety Systems US Inc.
InventorsFernando Rios, David Loya Cano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition adjacent a roof of the vehicle to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. The apparatus also includes a tether for anchoring the curtain airbag to the vehicle structure. The tether includes a length of woven fabric material having longitudinal slits spaced from each other along the length of the tether. The tether is doubled over onto itself to position the slits overlying each other and to form a loop at the terminal end of the tether. A fastener extends through the aligned slits and being configured to connect the tether directly to the sheet metal of the vehicle.
Claims12
An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, comprising:
- a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition adjacent a roof of the vehicle to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is configured to be positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant;
- and
- a tether for anchoring the curtain airbag to the vehicle structure, the tether comprising a length of woven fabric material having longitudinal slits spaced from each other along the length of the tether, the tether being doubled over onto itself to position the slits overlying each other and to form a loop at a terminal end of the tether;
- and
- a fastener extending through the slits and being configured to connect the tether directly to sheet metal of the vehicle, wherein the fastener comprises a flange bolt that includes a flange surface for engaging the tether, wherein the flange surface has a diameter that meets or exceeds a width of the tether.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.