Air bag deployment bias apparatus

In a vehicle having an air bag stored in a folded condition beneath a vehicle panel positioned forwardly of a seated occupant and deployable through an opening in the panel by the introduction of pressurized inflation gas into the air bag to an occupant restraining position relative the seated occupant, the improvement comprising,

• apparatus for selectively initiating the deployment of the air bag laterally of the occupant,
• said apparatus including a deployment guide member having a normal stored position overlying the folded air bag and deployable through the panel opening by the deploying air bag,
• said guide member having a box shape with an open bottom admitting the deploying the air bag and forward, rearward and outboard side walls deployable from the stored position on top the folded air bag to a deployed position,
• a top flap hingedly connected to the outboard side wall for movement between a closed top position and an open top position, and
• an open inboard side through which the air bag obtains initial deployment laterally of the occupant when the top flap is held in the closed top position.

In a vehicle having an air bag stored in a folded condition beneath a vehicle instrument panel positioned forwardly of a seated occupant and deployable through an opening in the panel by the introduction of pressurized inflation gas into the air bag to an occupant restraining position relative the seated occupant, the improvement comprising,

• a deployment guide member of flexible foldable material including forward and rearward walls attached to the vehicle and folded overtop the folded air bag so that the forward and rearward walls are deployed through the panel opening ahead of the deploying air bag,
• said guide member including an end wall connecting the forward and rearward walls at one end thereof so that the forward and rearward walls and the end wall define an air bag deployment chute having a lateral deployment opening at the end of the forward and rearward walls opposite the end wall and a top deployment opening which registers with the deployment of opening of the instrument panel, and
• said end wall having an extended flap portion extending beyond the dimensional extent of the forward and rearward walls and being folded overtop the folded air bag in the stored position so that the flap portion closes the top opening of the chute to bias the air bag deployment through the lateral opening until the flap portion is unfolded to an extended position opening the top opening of the chute to permit further deployment of the air bag through the top opening.