A control device for a gas generator for controlling a volumetric flow of a fluid, which is stored under pressure, for filling an airbag of a motor vehicle, with a valve arrangement. To reduce a response time of a main valve piston, the valve arrangement has a means for controlling a fluid pressure in a control chamber, wherein the means for controlling a fluid pressure is configured to bring or hold the fluid pressure in the control chamber to/at a pressure which lies in a predefined tolerance range around an activation pressure of the main valve piston.

An airbag device includes a movement obtaining unit, an airbag, and an airbag controller. The movement obtaining unit is configured to obtain a movement of an occupant in an automobile. The airbag is deployable with different thicknesses into a gap between the occupant and a side portion of the automobile. The airbag controller is configured to restrict the thickness of the airbag that deploys toward the gap so that the airbag is inserted into the gap, if the airbag controller determines that the gap is smaller than a predetermined value on the basis of the movement of the occupant obtained by the movement obtaining unit.

A side airbag device for a motor vehicle includes an airbag, in which, in the event of an impact, gas is introduced by a gas generator of the side airbag device. The airbag includes drain valve for removing the gas immediately after the impact. The device also includes an electronic computing unit and a further drain valve and/or a further gas generator. A passenger of the motor vehicle is detected by a detection unit. The device is filled with the gas in the event of the impact to protect this passenger. The electronic computing unit is configured, depending on the detected passenger, to determine a gas pressure in the airbag by actuation of the further drain valve or the further gas generator before the impact and to adapt the gas pressure to the passengers during the impact.

An airbag includes folds with each fold having an apex and limbs. The limbs extend from the apex to the limbs of an adjacent fold. A fastener is fixed to the folds and releasably connects the folds to each other.

A side curtain airbag that has a rear chamber, a front chamber and a secondary chamber affixed to said front chamber. The side curtain air bag has tear stitching and permanent stitching connecting the secondary chamber to an inboard panel of the air curtain such that, in a deployed state, the secondary chamber occupies a gap between a driver airbag and the curtain airbag.

An airbag, in particular a front airbag, includes an outer wall having a front wall and a rear wall (18, 24) and a tether (16) as well as an electrically actuatable activation unit (26) for releasing the tether (16). The tether (16) includes plural tether portions (30, 32) connected to each other via a first tear seam (36). A tension means (40) is coupled to the tether (16) so that it destroys the first tear seam (36) when the activation unit (26) is actuated.

A method for controlling a passenger airbag may include determining whether an occupant is present on a passenger seat; determining whether the occupant seated on the passenger seat has fastened a safety belt; determining whether deployment of a passenger airbag is required; and deploying, when the deployment of the passenger airbag is required, a main chamber of the passenger airbag, and further deploying a sub-chamber connected to the main chamber of the passenger airbag to be interlocked with the deployment of the main chamber when the occupant is present on the passenger seat and has fastened the safety belt.

An inflatable airbag system can be configured to be mounted to a frontal region of a vehicle. The inflatable airbag system includes an airbag and an active control mechanism, and is configured to deploy in various configurations in response to frontal and oblique collision events. An active portion of the inflatable airbag deploys to an expanded configuration when a collision event is an oblique collision event and deploys to a less expanded configuration when the collision event is a frontal collision event. The active control mechanism can include one or more tethers or an inflatable member.

An airbag device for a front passenger seat includes a front passenger seat airbag main body, a center airbag portion, an actuator and a control section. The actuator is configured to switch a strap between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the center airbag portion is retained in a folded state. In the second state, the other end portion of the strap is released and the center airbag portion is allowed to inflate and expand. The control section sets the actuator to the first state when there is a full overlap frontal collision, and sets the actuator to the second state when there is a collision that is any of an oblique collision against a driver seat side of a vehicle front portion or a small overlap collision.

An inflatable airbag system can be configured to be mounted to a frontal region of a vehicle. The inflatable airbag system includes an airbag and an active control mechanism, and is configured to deploy in various configurations in response to frontal and oblique collision events. An active portion of the inflatable airbag deploys to an expanded configuration when a collision event is an oblique collision event and deploys to a less expanded configuration when the collision event is a frontal collision event. The active control mechanism can include one or more tethers or an inflatable member.