Airbag restraint system for motor vehicle

An airbag restraint system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• an instrument panel defining a recess space and formed with an opening through which said space is communicable with a passenger compartment;
• a lid by which said opening is substantially closeable;
• means for detecting a speed of the vehicle and outputting a vehicle speed signal representative of the detected speed;
• a collision sensor for generating a collision signal when a collision of the vehicle occurs;
• an airbag unit disposed in said space inside said instrument panel, said airbag unit including a plurality of inflators for generating a high pressure gas in response to the collision signal, and an airbag stored in its folded state and inflatable to be projectable into the passenger compartment through said lid;
• and
• means for causing said airbag to inflate in a first inflating pressure, a first primary direction of inflation, and a first inflation contour in response to a concurrence of the collision signal and the vehicle speed signal being higher than a predetermined level, and in a second inflating pressure, a second primary direction of inflation, and a second inflation contour in response to a concurrence of the collision signal and the vehicle speed signal being lower than said predetermined level,
• said causing means including a means for operating all of said inflators in response to a concurrence of the collision signal and the vehicle speed signal being higher than the predetermined level, and a predetermined subset from among said inflators in response to a concurrence of the collision signal and the vehicle speed signal being lower than the predetermined level;
• and
• means for selectively interfering with a portion of the airbag so as to control the airbag to inflate in the first primary direction of inflation and the first contour of inflation in response to the collision signal when the vehicle speed signal is higher than the predetermined level and in the second primary direction of inflation and the second contour of inflation in response to the collision signal when the vehicle speed signal is lower than the predetermined level.