Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090031843 | ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - A steering column assembly for a motor vehicle is disclosed having lower and upper steering column members that are slidingly interengaged. The upper column member is attached to a structural part of the motor vehicle by a ride down mechanism that allows the upper steering column to move in the event of a collision. A load transfer means is provided to bypass the ride down mechanism when an adjustment lever is moved to a position allowing the position of the upper steering column member to be adjusted thereby preventing accidental damage occurring to the ride down mechanism due to operator abuse. | 02-05-2009 |
20110018240 | AIRBAG ASSEMBLY - An airbag assembly for a motor vehicle is disclosed having an airbag | 01-27-2011 |
20110148080 | AIRBAG ASSEMBLY - An airbag assembly for a motor vehicle has an airbag | 06-23-2011 |
20110248484 | SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG INSTALLATION SYSTEM - Installation system for fastening a side curtain airbag to a motor vehicle comprising an airbag with a hollow filling portion which may be inflated by a gas generator and a fastening edge. The installation system has a laterally open fastening profile with a continuous groove which may correspond to the length of the airbag. The fastening profile is arranged on the vehicle and defines a slit-like opening. A thickened guide extends along the fastening edge and is configured to be inserted into the fastening profile. The thickened guide is received in the groove and has a cross section that is at least partially larger than the slit-like opening of the fastening profile. | 10-13-2011 |
20110260437 | OCCUPANT PROTECTION AIRBAG FOR A VEHICLE - An occupant protection airbag device for a vehicle includes a housing having an opening and a closed end, a strut secured to the housing adjacent the closed end and extending from the closed end toward the opening, and an inflator supported by the strut adjacent the opening and spaced from the closed end to form a storage chamber between the inflator and the closed end of the housing. The inflator is spaced from an inner wall of the housing to form a gap therebetween. An airbag is stored in a deflated condition between the inflator and the closed end of the housing, and a forward-most layer of the airbag passes through the gap and around a surface of the inflator immediately adjacent the opening. | 10-27-2011 |
20110271787 | ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - A steering column assembly for a motor vehicle is disclosed having lower and upper steering column members that are slidingly interengaged. The upper column member is attached to a structural part of the motor vehicle by a ride down mechanism that allows the upper steering column to move in the event of a collision. A load transfer means is provided to bypass the ride down mechanism when an adjustment lever is moved to a position allowing the position of the upper steering column member to be adjusted thereby preventing accidental damage occurring to the ride down mechanism due to operator abuse. | 11-10-2011 |
20120139216 | CURTAIN AIRBAG ASSEMBLY FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - An airbag assembly for a motor vehicle includes an inflator and a curtain airbag securable to a body structure of the motor vehicle. The airbag includes two or more deployment tubes and two or more inflatable chambers. Vents connect the deployment chambers with the inflatable chambers. Gasses from the inflator pass first into the deployment tubes to rapidly inflate them to vertically extending positions and draw the airbag over a window opening. The gasses then pass through the vents into the inflatable chambers to complete the deployment of the curtain airbag. The rapid inflation and deployment of the deployment chambers provides cushioning for an occupant's head early in a crash event, followed by the inflation of the inflatable chambers to provide additional head protection and increasing the resistance of the curtain airbag to ejection through the underlying window apertures. | 06-07-2012 |
20140110388 | HEATED STEERING WHEEL - A heated steering wheel having a first electrical circuit including, in series, a first heating element disposed adjacent to a 3 o'clock of the wheel, a second heating element disposed adjacent to a 9 o'clock position of the wheel, and a positive temperature coefficient thermistor heated by one of the first and second heating elements; and a second electrical circuit including, in series, a third heating element disposed at a 6 o'clock position of the wheel, a fourth heating element disposed at a 12 o'clock position of the wheel, and a negative temperature coefficient thermistor heated by one of the first and second heating elements. The flow of electricity through the second electrical circuit is delayed until after electricity has flowed through the first electrical circuit warm those portions of the wheel to a desired temperature. | 04-24-2014 |
20140138939 | BAG-IN-BAG SAFETY RESTRAINT WITH DIRECTIONAL INFLATION - An air bag system deploys from within a structural element of a vehicle. A main bag is configured for storage in a folded condition in an internal region behind a covering of the structural element, wherein the main bag has a distal end configured to rupture a tear seam in the covering. A shielding bag is disposed over an inflator and has a projection body extending away from the inflator to a remote edge within the main bag. The projection body is substantially continuous in the direction of the main bag except for at least one gas passage at the remote edge for coupling inflation gas from the inflator to the main bag. The main bag has a fold proximate to the gas passage so that inflation of the main bag begins with the unfolding of the fold in a manner that displaces the main bag toward the tear seam. | 05-22-2014 |
20140151987 | ACTIVE BOLSTER WITH ACTIVE VENT FOR LOAD MANAGEMENT - An active bolster has a plastic-molded, expandable front wall and a plastic-molded back wall joined around a substantially sealed perimeter with the front wall to form an inflatable bladder. The back wall includes at least one active vent and at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. The active vent comprises a window opening in the back wall and an integrally-molded flap juxtaposed to the window opening. The flap has an undeflected position corresponding to a first flow coefficient and a deflected position corresponding to a second, nonzero flow coefficient that is less than the first flow coefficient. The flap moves from the undeflected position to the deflected position when a pressure in the inflatable bladder resulting from a passenger impact is greater than a predetermined pressure. | 06-05-2014 |
20140306430 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING A DRIVER AIRBAG MODULE TO A STEERING WHEEL - A steering wheel and driver airbag assembly in which an airbag module having a container housing a driver airbag is attached to motor vehicle steering wheel by a single snap fastener having a first part on the steering wheel and a second part on the container. To attach the airbag module to the steering wheel a part of the container is brought into contact with the steering wheel, the container is then rotated about a transverse axis so as to engage the second part of the snap fastener located on the container with the first part of the snap fastener on the steering wheel. A pair of location means locate the container at a position spaced away from the single snap fastener. | 10-16-2014 |
20150014968 | MOTOR VEHICLE INSTRUMENT PANEL WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT OPENING - The invention relates to an occupant protection airbag system for a motor vehicle. The airbag is stored in the vehicle instrument panel behind an airbag opening comprising a plurality of flaps constructed integrally with the instrument panel. The flaps open along respective separation lines and pivot about hinge lines when the airbag inflates. A single central flap has a hinge line located at the side of the instrument panel opening facing the windshield, and the separation line adjoining the hinge line extends in a substantially U-shaped manner. Left and right lateral flap which open toward each side are provided at both sides of the central flap. The portions of the lateral flap separation lines opposite from their respective hinge lines coincide with the lateral portions of the central flap separation lines. | 01-15-2015 |
20150061265 | BAG-IN-BAG SAFETY RESTRAINT WITH DIRECTIONAL INFLATION - An air bag system deploys from within a structural element of a vehicle. A main bag is configured for storage in a folded condition in an internal region behind a covering of the structural element, wherein the main bag has a distal end configured to rupture a tear seam in the covering. A shielding bag is disposed over an inflator and has a projection body extending away from the inflator to a remote edge within the main bag. The projection body is substantially continuous in the direction of the main bag except for at least one gas passage at the remote edge for coupling inflation gas from the inflator to the main bag. The main bag has a fold proximate to the gas passage so that inflation of the main bag begins with the unfolding of the fold in a manner that displaces the main bag toward the tear seam. | 03-05-2015 |