A restraint system (10) for helping to protect an occupant (60) of a vehicle (20) having a roof (32) and a cabin (40) including a seat (50) for the occupant (60) has an airbag (70). The airbag (70) has a stored condition within the roof (32) and is inflatable to a deployed condition extending into the cabin (40) and aligned with the seat (50). The airbag (70) includes a first portion (94) defining a first chamber (100) and a second portion (104) defining a second chamber (110). The first portion (94) is connected to the vehicle (20) and includes a vent (106). The first portion (94), in response to occupant (60) penetration with the second portion (104), vents inflation fluid from the vent (106) and elongates to enable folding of the airbag (70) away from the occupant (60).

A lap expanding reactionary airbag apparatus includes separate expanding lap and chest portions of the airbag. When loaded in a frontal or oblique crash event, the two portions act as a reactionary surface against each other, reducing the chest velocity of a vehicle occupant, thereby reducing the forward movement of the occupant. This restriction in forward movement results in reduced lumbar injuries.

An airbag device for pedestrian protection includes means for shrinking and tying an airbag after deployment toward the storage. The airbag device includes a protecting sheet that is folded together with the airbag and stored in the storage, and a wrapping sheet that wraps the airbag as folded. The protecting sheet includes a main body and a plurality of straps disposed in a periphery of the main body. The wrapping sheet includes a rupturable portion that is configured to rupture and split the wrapping sheet into a front portion and a rear portion at airbag deployment, and a plurality of through holes each for receiving the straps in a vicinity of the rupturable portion in the front portion. The deployed airbag is shrank and tied toward the storage by passing the straps through the through holes and tying them so the straps do not come off of the through holes.

A passenger seat airbag includes: a bag main body; and a left-right tether, arranged in the bag main body to connect a left wall portion and a tight wall portion facing each other on a left-right direction side of the peripheral wall portion, preventing left and right outward protrusions of a connecting portion with the left wall portion or the right wall portion. The connecting portion includes a pair of strip portions and an intermediate portion which is sewn and connected to the left wall portion or the right wall portion between the strip portions. A sewn portion for sewing the intermediate portion to the left wall portion or the right wall portion is configured as a substantially rectangular shape having a pair of strip-side sides on the strip portion side and a pair of non-strip-side sides connecting both ends of the pair of strip-side sides.

An injury preventing structure located in a vehicle is provided and comprises a lower member and an upper member which distribute impact of a vehicle, and a panel which forms a bottom surface of the vehicle, in which the upper member and the lower member are in contact with the panel to form a dosed cross-section between each member and the panel, and a position at which the panel is in contact with a rear end of the upper member and a position at which the panel is in contact with a front end of the lower member at least partially overlap each other to form a collision transformation support shaft. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent injury of the legs of a first or frontrow occupant even with a reduced cross-section of the upper member. It is additionally possible to further reduce the first row space of the vehicle, thereby also securing the rear seat and cargo loading space.

An airbag apparatus may include: an inflator configured to jet gas in case of a collision of a vehicle; a first cushion inflated by the gas jetted by the inflator, and configured to support the head of a passenger in case of a head-on collision of the vehicle; a second cushion connected to the first cushion so as to be supported by the first cushion, and configured to suppress the head of the passenger from moving in a diagonal direction in case of an oblique collision of the vehicle; a connection tube configured to connect the first and second cushions such that the gas of the inflator moves from the first cushion to the second cushion; and a control tether connected to the first cushion and the connection tube.

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an airbag configured to be mounted on a vehicle steering wheel. The airbag includes an inflatable main chamber configured to cover the steering wheel, and an inflatable lateral chamber configured to cover a vehicle A-pillar. The apparatus also includes a tether actuation unit and a tether connected to the tether actuation unit and to a portion of the airbag that helps define the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit has an unactuated condition maintaining a connection with the tether that restricts deployment of the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit also has an actuated condition releasing its connection with the tether and causing the lateral chamber to fully deploy.

A latch travel mechanism for a closure panel of a vehicle, the mechanism comprising: a mounting plate for mounting a latch, the latch for retaining the closure panel in a closed position with respect to a body of the vehicle; a support plate coupled to the mounting plate, the support plate for connecting to a body of the vehicle; one or more linkages connected to the support plate at one end and connected to the mounting plate at another end, the one or more linkages providing said coupled to the mounting plate; a locking member mounted on the support plate and configured for retaining the mounting plate in a home position when coupled to the mounting plate and for decoupling from the mounting plate when operated; an actuation system coupled to the linkages for extending the linkages once the locking member is decoupled from the mounting plate, in order to move the mounting plate relative to the support plate from the home position to an extended position; wherein the latch is also moved from the home position to the extended position when mounted on the mounting plate.

A vehicle occupant protection device includes a seat belt device having a variable force limiter mechanism that can change a force limiter load that an occupant who is sitting on a vehicle seat receives from a seat belt at a time of a frontal collision of a vehicle, an airbag device that deploys an airbag toward the front of the occupant at the time of the frontal collision, a seating position detection unit that detects a seating position at which the occupant is seated, and a control unit that reduces the force limiter load if, compared to a case in which the occupant is positioned within a standard seating region, the seating position of the occupant detected by the seating position detection unit is further toward a vehicle rear than the standard seating region and is within an airbag protection region in which the occupant is protected by the airbag.

The pedestrian airbag device includes an airbag cushion that expands and deploys from below the front hood toward the windshield. The airbag cushion has a main chamber covering at least the lower part of the windshield, a pillar chamber covering the A-pillar, provided at both ends of the main chamber in the vehicle width direction, a compartment wall partitioning the main chamber and the pillar chamber, an inner vent penetrating the compartment wall through which gas can pass, a bridge over the inner vent, and a patch attached so as to cover the inner vent on the pillar chamber side of the compartment wall, such that a portion is separable from the compartment wall.