Overhead inflatable airbag assembly
AssigneeAutoliv ASP, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Schneider, Frank J. Herzenstiel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An overhead mountable inflatable airbag assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. Inflatable airbag assemblies may provide protection for an occupant in a vehicle collision event. The disclosed airbag assembly may form a sideways V shape to be supported at the roof by an inflator, housing, or other mounting method, and at or near a lower (distal) end against a portion of an instrument panel or a rear portion of a forward occupant seat. The supported sideways V shape may support the occupant during ride down to provide protection of the occupant. The supported sideways V shape may also reduce the volume of inflation gas required to properly inflate the airbag assembly, and may reduce the overall packaged volume of the airbag assembly.
Claims23
An overhead inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
- a main chamber;
- a sail panel tether that couples to an upper portion of the main chamber and to a lower portion of the main chamber, wherein the length of the sail panel tether is less than the length of the main chamber,
- wherein, in an inflated deployed state, a portion of the upper portion extends in a direction toward a vehicle seating position and a portion of the lower portion extends in a direction away from the vehicle seating position, the upper portion and the lower portion forming an apex at the change in direction, and
- wherein the sail panel tether has a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge, the first and second edges extending from the upper portion to the lower portion, and the first edge is shorter than the second edge.
An overhead inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
- a main chamber, wherein in an inflated deployed state, a portion of the main chamber forms two edges of a V-shape and an apex between the two edges,
- wherein the main chamber maintains the V-shape and resists an occupant's forward movement after the occupant engages the main chamber,
- wherein the main chamber is configured to engage a reaction surface during occupant loading of the overhead inflatable airbag cushion, and
- wherein the apex is configured to engage with a torso of the occupant.
An overhead inflatable airbag assembly comprising:
- a housing to mount to a roof of a vehicle;
- an inflator to supply inflation gas;
- and
- an overhead inflatable airbag cushion disposed within the housing to receive inflation gas from the inflator and deploy from the housing, the overhead inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
- a main chamber;
- and
- a sail panel tether that couples an upper portion of the main chamber and to a lower portion of the main chamber, wherein the length of the sail panel tether is less than the length of the main chamber,
- wherein, in an inflated deployed state, a portion of the upper portion extends in direction toward a vehicle seating position and a portion of the lower portion extends in a direction away from the vehicle seating position, the upper portion and the lower portion forming an apex at the change in direction, and
- wherein the sail panel tether has a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge, the first and second edges extending from the upper portion to the lower portion, and the first edge is shorter than the second edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.