The invention relates to an airbag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising an airbag panel (16) defining an inflatable airbag volume as well as including a front panel portion (18) and a rear panel portion (20), a tether (22) extending in the interior of the airbag (14) across the inflatable airbag volume, a discharge orifice (24) which is formed in the rear panel portion (20) of the airbag panel (16), as well as a first closing tab (26) and a second closing tab (28) for closing the discharge orifice (24), wherein the tether (22) extends from a first tether end (32) tightly connected to the front panel portion (18) in the direction of the discharge orifice (24) to an opposite second tether end (34), wherein the first closing tab (26) extends from a first tab end (36) tightly connected to the rear panel portion (20) to a second tab end (38) tightly connected to the second tether end (34), wherein the second closing tab (28) is fastened on the rear panel portion (20) adjacent to the discharge orifice (24), and wherein the two closing tabs (26, 28) are coupled by a connection releasable when a vehicle occupant (30) impacts on the inflated airbag (10).

A side airbag (SAB) of a vehicle includes: a main chamber disposed in a seat to be deployed from a side surface portion of the seat and, when deployed, configured to cover at least one of a thoracic region, an abdomen region, or a pelvis region of an occupant; a main inflator configured to supply gas to the main chamber to deploy the main chamber; and an auxiliary chamber communicating with the main chamber to allow the gas inside the main chamber to be supplied to an interior of the auxiliary chamber and connected to the main chamber to be deploy above the main chamber.

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an airbag comprising a vent having a closed condition blocking inflation fluid flow through the vent, and an opened condition permitting inflation fluid to flow through the vent. The vent includes a vent opening formed in a panel of the airbag and a vent flap connected to the airbag panel adjacent to the vent opening. The vent flap is configured to block inflation fluid flow through the vent opening in the closed condition of the vent, and to permit inflation fluid flow through the vent opening in the opened condition of the vent. The vent flap includes a plurality of folds configured to form one or more pleats in the vent flap. The vent flap is held extending across and covering the vent opening in the closed condition of the vent. The vent flap is released and uncovers the vent opening in the open condition of the vent. In response to the vent flap being released in the open condition of the vent, the pleats are configured to unfold under the pressure of inflation fluid in the airbag to uncover the vent opening and permit inflation fluid to vent through the vent opening.

An airbag includes at least one panel defining an interior of the airbag, a divider positioned in the interior so as to divide the interior into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, and at least one tethering mechanism positioned within the lower chamber. The at least one tether mechanism is structured and attached to the at least one panel so as to restrict movement of a portion of the at least one panel during airbag inflation such that a first recess is formed along an exterior surface of the airbag when the airbag is inflated.

The invention relates to an airbag module (10) for a vehicle occupant restraint system (12), comprising an airbag (14), an inflator (18), a shaping tether (22) for influencing the airbag deployment geometry which is connected to the airbag (14) at one tether end, and comprising a port release tether (20) which is connected to a discharge port closure (26) of the airbag (14) at one tether end, wherein the port release tether (20) is connected to the discharge port closure (26) so that it releases a discharge port (28) of the airbag (14) from a predetermined tensile tether force, and wherein an activatable tether release device (24) coupled both to the shaping tether (22) and to the port release tether (20) is provided for actively releasing the tethers (20, 22). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of operating a vehicle occupant restraint system (12) comprising said airbag module (10), wherein airbag deployment takes place in response to predetermined basic conditions, such as in response to the weight of a vehicle occupant (16) and/or of a driving mode for manual or automated and, resp., autonomous driving.

The invention relates to an airbag (14) for a vehicle occupant restraint system comprising an airbag panel (16) defining an inflatable airbag volume, a tether (22) extending inside the airbag (14) through the inflatable airbag volume, a discharge port (24) formed in the airbag panel (16) and a discharge port closure (26) for closing the discharge port (24), wherein the tether (22) extends from a first tether end (32) tightly connected to the airbag panel (16) in the direction of the discharge port (24) to an opposite second tether end (34), wherein the discharge port closure (26) is connected both to the second tether end (34) and to the airbag panel (16), wherein the tether (22) at least in portions has a two-ply design and includes two strap layers (36, 38), wherein further a control strap (40) is provided which extends transversely to the tether (22) through the inflatable airbag volume as well as two control strap portions (42, 44), and wherein a first control strap portion (42) is fastened to the airbag panel (16) as well as to the first strap layer (36) and a second control strap portion (44) is fastened to the airbag panel (16) as well as to the second strap layer (38).

A side inflatable airbag assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. Inflatable airbag assemblies may provide protection for an occupant in a vehicle collision event. In a side collision event, or other event producing lateral movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle, the disclosed inflatable airbag assembly may receive and support the occupant during ride-down so as to prevent or minimize injury resulting from impact with a vehicle sidewall. An inflatable airbag cushion of the inflatable airbag assembly comprises a valve with an aperture and a vent flap that has a strong connection and a weak connection to the inflatable airbag cushion. The disclosed airbag may differentially support the occupant by providing varied degrees of support for the shoulder, pelvis, and torso, which may be particularly beneficial to an elderly occupant whose bones may be more susceptible to some injury types and modes as a result of age-incident health issues.

A vehicle airbag control system includes an airbag module, a temperature detector and an electronic controller. The airbag module is for a vehicle. The airbag module has an airbag with a vent. The temperature detector configured to detect an ambient temperature of the vehicle. The electronic controller is programmed to control the airbag module between an active venting condition and a non-venting condition based on a detected result detected by the temperature detector. The vent is in an open state in the active venting condition. The vent is in a closed state in the non-venting condition.

A knee airbag module, comprising an airbag (10) which has plural vertical chambers superimposed in the inflated state, including a middle, upper and lower chamber (18, 20, 16), is filled directly via the middle chamber (18), wherein the lower chamber (16) can be fluid-communicated with the middle chamber via plural overflow openings (28) and a valve device is configured on the overflow openings (28) so that the overflow openings (28) are open at the beginning of the deployment operation and the valve device closes the overflow openings (28) in the course of the deployment operation.

An airbag that includes an inner bag having a facing surface configured to face a passenger of a vehicle in the deployed state, an outer bag that surrounds the outer periphery of the inner bag with the facing surface exposed, and two protrusion parts which are provided in the outer bag and are respectively disposed on the left and right sides in the width direction of the vehicle with respect to the facing surface so as to protrude rearward. The inner bag and the outer bag may be partitioned by a common partition wall, with a ventilation port formed in the partition wall. Moreover, the inner bag and the outer bag may each be independent bag bodies, a ventilation port may be formed in both the inner bag and the outer bag, and the inner bag and the outer bag may be coupled around the ventilation port.