A retainer and an inflator are disposed inside the airbag. The retainer includes a mounting base section, a holding section which extends from the mounting base section and receives and holds an inflator therein, and a second mounting means which protrudes from the mounting base perpendicularly. The inflator includes a cylindrical body provided with a gas release section and, a first mounting means protruding from a region of the body disposed outside the airbag. The retainer further includes a storing dent section which receives the first mounting means of the inflator so as to conform an orientation of the first means to that of the second mounting means and, a pressing section disposed proximate the storing dent section. The pressing section is brought into close contact with a circumferential area of the body of the inflator when the first mounting means of the inflator is secured to a vehicle body.

An occupant protection device includes: an airbag which is deployed and inflated rearward from an accommodation part so that the airbag receives the occupant when inflation gas flows in, the airbag having an inflation completion shape of a loop shape including an upper and lower portions which branch up and down from an inflow opening side and a rear portion which is a mutual connecting part between rear ends of the upper portion and the lower portion as a confluence part on a tip end side. The airbag includes: a bag main body including the upper portion, the lower portion, and the rear portion; and a connecting member having flexibility which is disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion and connects the upper portion and the lower portion so as to regulate a separation distance between the upper portion and the lower portion when inflation is completed.

The present disclosure relates to a method performed by an occupant protection system of a vehicle for supporting protection of a vehicle occupant in the event of an ongoing or imminent collision. The occupant protection system comprises an airbag panel arrangement arranged in connection with a dashboard of the vehicle, which airbag panel arrangement comprises an inflatable airbag adapted to upon deployment protect lower body parts of a vehicle occupant seated in a vehicle seat facing the dashboard. The occupant protection system determines a distance in a predeterminable direction between the airbag panel arrangement or the dashboard and the vehicle seat or an occupant seated in the vehicle seat; determines that the distance exceeds a predeterminable maximum threshold value; determines that one or more conditions for deployment of the airbag is fulfilled; and displaces the airbag panel arrangement outwardly from the dashboard by means of a panel displacing system.

An inflatable airbag, such as a knee airbag, including a positional strap coupled at a first end to an interior surface of the occupant-facing panel. The positional tether extends from within an inflatable chamber of the inflatable airbag and past an exterior surface of the vehicle-facing panel to couple at a second end to an anchor point that is external to the airbag. The positional tether is to be drawn taut during deployment to exert a force on the occupant-facing panel and impact a configuration of the airbag in the deployed state.

An airbag includes a bag body that includes a first panel and a second panel which are opposed to each other, a partitioning tether that is disposed in such a manner as to partition an interior of the bag body, a communication hole that is formed in the tether for providing gas communication in the interior of the bag body, and first and second joints that respectively join first and second edges of the tether to the first and second panels of the bag body. The communication hole has a generally rectangular contour which has two corners in a vicinity of each of the first and second edges of the tether. In both of the first and second edges of the tether, the corners of the communication hole are disposed closer to the first or second edge of the partitioning tether than a corresponding one of the joints.

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an airbag configured to be mounted to a support structure of the vehicle. The airbag is inflatable to deploy from a stored condition away from the support structure toward a vehicle seat in which the occupant is seated to one of a first deployed condition in which the airbag is configured for a non-reclined condition of the vehicle seat, and a second deployed condition in which the airbag is configured for a reclined condition of the vehicle seat. The airbag is configured to deploy to the first deployed condition in response to determining a non-reclined condition of the vehicle seat and to the second deployed condition in response to determining a reclined condition of the vehicle seat.

A knee airbag device according to the present invention includes: an airbag that restrains a lower extremity of an occupant by expanding and deploying below an instrument panel of a vehicle; and an inflator that supplies expansion gas to the airbag. The airbag includes, when the inside of the vehicle is a first side and the outside of the vehicle is a second side, a first portion positioned on the first side and a second portion positioned on the second side. Furthermore, the first portion of the airbag protrudes more toward the occupant side than the second portion.

A restraint system includes an instrument panel having an exterior panel directed downward, an airbag having an uninflated position behind the exterior panel and having a left chamber and a right chamber, a left inflator coupled to the left chamber, a right inflator coupled to the right chamber, and a controller programmed to selectively activate each inflator to one of a high output and a low output based on an impact angle.

An occupant protection device includes a knee air bag. The knee air bag is configured to be deployed rearwardly from a front of right and left knees of an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle towards the knees to press the knees from the front. The knee air bag includes at least either one of a right side inclined surface and a left side inclined surface. The right side inclined surface is configured to come in contact, from a right side, with the right knee of the occupant seated in the seat and the left side inclined surface is configured to come in contact with the left knee of the occupant from a left side.

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seat, an arm connected to the seat, a carrier supported by the arm, and an airbag supported by the carrier. The arm is moveable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The carrier is spaceable from the seat when the arm is in the deployed position. The airbag is inflatable to an inflated position in a direction toward the seat.