Active bolster vent distribution for stress and load management

A method of configuring inflation of an active bolster for mounting at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle, wherein the bolster comprises a plastic-molded front trim wall for deploying in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment, a plastic-molded bladder member joined along an outer perimeter with the trim wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder wherein the bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle, and an inflator for coupling an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

• configuring the shapes of the trim wall and bladder member to meet specifications for the automotive vehicle;
• identifying at least one first region of highest stress on the hot weld seam associated with inflation of the bladder without full venting;
• identifying at least one second region of lowest desired restraint force based on interaction between a deployment trajectory of the front trim wall and a desired restraint profile for a corresponding passenger;
• placing a stress relief vent on the bladder member juxtaposed with the first region and having a first aperture area;
• and
• distributing a plurality of tuning vents along the hot weld seam wherein the tuning vents are concentrated at the second region, wherein the tuning vents each has a respective initial aperture area less than the first aperture area.