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US 7,726,684 B2Granted
Airbag deployment techniques
AssigneeAutomotive Technologies International, Inc.
InventorDavid S. Breed
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment includes airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment, an inflator system for inflating the airbags and a crash sensor system coupled to the inflator system for directing the inflator system to inflate the airbag. Multiple housings may be arranged around the passenger compartment, each including at least one airbag. Some of the airbags may be interconnected to provide a primary airbag and at least one secondary airbag extending from the primary airbag. The inflator system may be an aspirated inflator system. The crash sensor system may be an anticipatory sensor system. The airbags may be film airbags. One-way valves may be arranged between adjacent airbags.
Claims27
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment;
- a plurality of housings arranged around the passenger compartment, each of said housings including at least one of said airbags;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with one of said housings and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag of said housing;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact, and wherein
- at least one of said airbags includes a plurality of cells or chambers which extend when deployed in a longitudinal row down a center of the vehicle between lateral sides of the vehicle.
3 more elements
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with at least one of said airbags and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact,
- said anticipatory crash sensor system being arranged to obtain information about the object by applying pattern recognition to waves received from the object or to images including the object and direct said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the obtained information and wherein
- at least one of said airbags includes a plurality of cells or chambers which extend when deployed in a longitudinal row between lateral sides of the vehicle.
3 more elements
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with at least one of said airbags and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said aspirated inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact,
- said at least one aspirated inflator system being arranged to direct gas to a plurality of said airbags through a common distribution volume or manifold in which pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment is combined.
2 more elements
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment, at least one of said airbags including a plurality of cells or chambers which extend when deployed in a longitudinal row parallel to lateral sides of the vehicle;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with at least one of said airbags and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact.
1 more element
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment;
- a plurality of housings arranged around the passenger compartment, each of said housings including at least one of said airbags;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with one of said housings and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag of said housing;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact,
- said anticipatory crash sensor system being arranged to obtain information about the object and direct said inflator systems to inflate said airbags based on the obtained information to provide a desired acceleration of a chest of an occupant of the vehicle during or after the impact of the object with the vehicle.
3 more elements
An airbag deployment system for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:
- a plurality of film airbags arranged to substantially fill the passenger compartment upon deployment;
- a plurality of inflator systems for inflating said airbags, at least one of said inflator systems being an aspirated inflator system, each of said at least one aspirated inflator system being associated with at least one of said airbags and arranged to combine pressurized gas and gas from the passenger compartment and direct the combined gas into said at least one airbag;
- and
- an anticipatory crash sensor system coupled to said inflator systems for predicting impact of an object with the vehicle and directing said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the predicted impact,
- said anticipatory crash sensor system being arranged to obtain information about the object by applying pattern recognition to waves received from the object or to images including the object and direct said inflator systems to inflate at least some of said airbags based on the obtained information,
- said anticipatory crash sensor system being arranged to obtain information about the object and direct said inflator systems to inflate said airbags based on the obtained information to provide a desired acceleration of a chest of an occupant of the vehicle during or after the impact of the object with the vehicle.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.