Air bag arrangement
AssigneeForrester Ketley & Co.
InventorsEnrique Selfa, Manuel Vales, Felix Garcia, Vicente Bayarri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an air-bag arrangement in a motor vehicle a gas generator (5) has a flange (8) which is spaced from a flange member (3) by elongate spacer elements (9). The spacer elements pass through apertures (20, 21) formed in an air-bag adjacent a central aperture (19). On inflation of the air-bag, the part of the air-bag surrounding the aperture will be drawn into an engagement with the flange (8). Should a very high pressure exist within the air-bag, the part of the air-bag surrounding the aperture will be driven away from the flange (8), with part of the aperture sliding along the elongate elements (9), thus permitting excess pressure to be relieved.
Claims12
An air-bag arrangement for a motor vehicle comprising an air-bag, a gas generator having a flange member and an apertured base plate member spaced a predetermined distance away from the flange member, elongate elements being provided extending between the flange member and the base plate member, the air-bag having an opening forming a throat, the air-bag also having a plurality of apertures surrounding said opening, each aperture receiving a respective said elongate element, the arrangement being such that, in an accident situation, as gas from the gas generator is introduced to the air-bag, a part of the air-bag surrounding the opening moves into substantially sealing engagement with the flange member of the gas generator and such that, if the inflating air-bag impacts with an occupant of the vehicle, increasing gas pressure within the air-bag moves the part of the air-bag surrounding the opening towards the base plate member so that gas flows from the air-bag through a gas flow path defined at least partly by the space between the flange member and the base plate member.
The arrangement of any one of the preceding claims wherein the elongate elements comprise studs and wherein each stud passes through a bush which serves as a spacer between the flange member and the base plate member.
The arrangement of any one of the preceding claims wherein the elongate elements comprise tabs which extend from one member to the other member.
The arrangement of any one of the preceding claims wherein the elongate elements comprise protrusions extending from one member to the other, the protrusions serving as spacers between the flange member and the base plate member.
The arrangement of any one of the preceding claims wherein the throat is dimensioned to receive part of the gas generator.
The arrangement of any one of the preceding claims wherein the throat is reinforced with an additional layer of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.