Adaptive venting for an air bag module

An air bag module, comprising:

• a housing having a bottom wall and side walls defining a chamber, said housing having at least one vent aperture positioned to provide selective fluid communication between the chamber and the exterior of the housing;
• an air bag cushion secured to the housing, wherein the air bag cushion is in fluid communication with the chamber through first openings disposed in the housing;
• an inflator disposed in the chamber for releasing gas to inflate the air bag cushion in response to one of first and second deployment conditions;
• and
• a slide extending through one of the side walls and being movably mounted to said housing proximate to said at least one vent aperture, said slide provides a first level of fluid communication between only the chamber and the exterior of the housing under the first deployment condition, and provides a second level of fluid communication between only the chamber and the exterior of the housing under the second deployment condition, wherein said first openings remain unobstructed by said slide under both the first and second deployment conditions.

A method for variably inflating an air bag cushion, comprising:

• providing an air bag module including a housing having a bottom wall sand side walls defining a chamber, a vent aperture in the bottom wall providing fluid communication between the chamber of the housing and exterior of the air bag module and openings providing fluid communication between the chamber of the housing and the air bag cushion;
• actuating an inflator disposed in the housing for releasing gas to inflate the air bag cushion in response to one of first and second deployment conditions;
• and
• moving a slide that extends through on of the side walls from a first position to a second position in response to the first deployment condition, wherein the first position permits a first predetermined level of fluid communication between said chamber and air bag cushion and the second position permits a second predetermined level of fluid communication between the chamber and air bag cushion, the first predetermined level being different than the second predetermined level, wherein the slide adjusts between the first and second predetermined levels of fluid communication by opening or closing only the vent aperture or only the openings.

A device for variably inflating an air bag, comprising:

• a) a housing having a bottom wall and side walls defining an interior volume, said housing baying a vent aperture in the bottom wall providing fluid communication between said interior volume and an exterior of said housing;
• b) an inflatable air bag being secured to maid housing, said air bag being in fluid communication with said interior volume through a plurality of openings in said housing;
• c) an inflator for releasing gas into said interior volume;
• and
• d) a fluid flow restriction member extending through one of the side walls and being movably mounted to said housing for movement between a first position and a second position, said fluid flow restriction member only restricts fluid flow from said interior volume to one of said air bag and said exterior as said fluid flow restriction member moves from said first position to said second position by closing either said vent aperture or said plurality of openings.

An air bag module, comprising:

• a housing having a bottom wall and side walls defining an interior volume, said housing having a plurality of vent apertures in the bottom wall providing fluid communication between said interior volume and an exterior of said housing;
• an inflatable air bag being secured to said housing, said inflatable air bag being in fluid communication with said interior volume through a plurality of inflation openings in said housing;
• an inflator for releasing gas into said interior volume;
• a fluid flow restriction member extending through one of the side walls and being movably mounted to said housing for movement between a first position and a second position, said fluid flow restriction member only restricts fluid flow from said interior volume to one of said air bag and said exterior as said fluid flow restriction member moves from said first position to said second position such that either said vent apertures or said plurality of inflation openings remain unobstructed by said fluid flow restriction member when said fluid flow restriction member is in both the first and second positions.

An air bag module, comprising:

• a housing having a bottom wall and side walls defining a chamber in fluid communication with an exterior of said housing through at least one vent aperture formed in the bottom wall;
• an air bag secured to the housing, wherein said air bag is in fluid communication wit said chamber through at least one diffuser opening;
• an inflator being configured to release an inflation gas into said chamber to inflate said air bag in response to a first deployment condition or a second deployment condition;
• and
• a slide member extending through one of the side walls into said chamber for movement between a first position and a second position, said slide member being moved from said first position to said second position under said first deployment condition to either restrict flow of a portion of said inflation gas from said chamber to said air bag trough said at least one diffuser opening without restricting flow of said inflation gas from said chamber to said exterior trough said at least one vent aperture, or to restrict flow of said portion from said chamber to said exterior through said at least one vent aperture without restricting flow of said inflation gas from said chamber to said air bag trough said at least one diffuser opening.