There is proposed a vehicle seat configured to support an occupant (42) in a sitting position, the seat comprising: a squab (27), a backrest (28), and an airbag unit. The airbag unit comprises an inflatable airbag (1) provided in an initially rolled and/or folded airbag package (33), and an inflator (34) actuable to direct inflating gas into the airbag (1) to inflate the airbag into an inflated configuration. The airbag (1) comprises a pair of inflatable chambers (8, 9) which are physically connected to one another via a connecting interface (17), and are fluidly isolated from one another. The airbag unit is mounted and configured such that, upon actuation of said inflator (34) to inflate the airbag (1), said inflatable chambers (8, 9) inflate into respective deployed positions in which they: i) extend forwardly from respective opposing and laterally spaced-apart side regions of said backrest (28); and ii) extend upwardly, and laterally inwardly across an uppermost region of the seat towards said connecting interface (17), so as to thereby cooperate to define an inflated shroud around at least an uppermost region of the backrest (28) so as to extend over said sitting position and provide lateral protection to a said occupant (42) of the seat in said sitting position.

The present invention relates to a tubular element for a gas pressure container of an airbag system of a motor vehicle, wherein the tubular element (10) has at least one first length section (100, 101) and at least one recess (11) extending in the circumferential direction, characterized in that the tubular element (10) has at least one second length section (102), formed by the recess (11) extending over at least a part of the circumference of the tubular element (10), that the second length section (102) lies between two first length sections (100, 101), that in at least one first length section (100, 101) the outer radius (A1) of the tubular element (10) is greater than the smallest outer radius (A2) of the at least one second length section (102), that the tubular element (10) has a tensile strength of >920 MPa, that the wall thickness (W2) of the tubular element (10) in the at least one second length section (102) is thicker than or equal to the wall thickness (W1) in at least one first length section (100, 101) of the tubular element (10), that the degree of reduction of the outer radius (A2) in the recess (11) lies in the range of 5 to 35% relative to the outer radius (A1) of at least one first length section (100, 101), and that the tubular element (10) consists of a material which, in addition to iron and impurities due to melting, comprises the following alloying elements in the ranges indicated in percent by weight: C 0.05-0.2% Si0.9% Mn 0.2-2.0% Cr 0.05-2% Mo<0.5% Ni<1.0% Nb 0.005-0.10% Al<0.07% Ti<0.035% and B<0.004%.

In a shielding state, a partition extends from an upper portion to a lower portion of a cabin in such a manner as to partition a space between a pair of opposing vehicle seats. In the case where the partition is in the shielding state during a collision of a vehicle, the partition is inflated in a vehicle longitudinal direction by gas supplied from an inflator that is actuated when a collision detection sensor detects the collision of the vehicle. That is, since the partition is inflated in the space between the pair of the vehicle seats without interfering with the vehicle seats, the partition can reliably restrain an occupant who receives a collision load and is thereby displaced in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the vehicle seat. In this way, it is possible to easily secure a private space in the cabin and to improve occupant restraint performance.

An airbag apparatus includes a longitudinal webbing guide configured to guide movement in a longitudinal direction of webbing, an inflatable airbag disposed along an outer side of the webbing guide, a bag cover configured to cover the airbag, and an upper side coupling member configured to couple a guide upper end of the webbing guide to a cover upper end of the bag cover, and move upward along the webbing together with the airbag when the airbag is inflated and deployed. A seatbelt apparatus includes the airbag apparatus.

A head-protecting airbag device includes: an airbag body; and a connecting piece which is formed of a sheet material with flexibility, wherein: the airbag body and the connecting piece constitute an airbag having a bag shape inflatable to cover an inboard side of a window of a vehicle; the airbag body includes an inboard side wall disposed on the inboard side at the time of inflation completion, an outboard side wall disposed on an outboard side, and a coupling target portion coupling the connecting piece; the coupling target portion is configured to be divided into an inboard side portion and an outboard side portion; and the root end of the connecting piece is nipped between the inboard side portion and the outboard side portion, and is coupled with the inboard side portion and the outboard side portion so as to be connected with the airbag body.

A gas distribution system for airbag inflation in a vehicle can include: a passenger airbag including a plurality of inflatable chambers; an airbag inflation device configured to produce a gas when a collision involving the vehicle is sensed and to supply the gas to the passenger airbag, causing deployment of the passenger airbag; and an inflation gas distributor disposed at least partially between the airbag inflation device and the passenger airbag, the inflation gas distributor including a rotatable distributor belt, the inflation gas distributor configured to allow passage of the gas from the airbag inflation device to a first subset of the plurality of chambers, and to impede passage of the gas from the airbag inflation device to a second subset of the plurality of chambers, by rotating the distributor belt to a gas distribution position selected among a plurality of predetermined gas distribution positions.

The invention relates to a gas generator (10), especially for a vehicle safety system, comprising a sleeve (60) positioned inside the gas generator (10) which sleeve has first flow orifices (68) and encloses an ignition chamber (52) including first propellant (50), wherein a combustion chamber (56) filled with a second propellant (54) is connected to the outside of the sleeve (60), the combustion chamber being surrounded by a diffusor (70) located inside the gas generator (10) and having second flow orifices (78), and comprising a baffle plate (12) which has third flow orifices (14) and surrounds the diffusor (70), wherein the sleeve (60), the diffusor (70) and the baffle plate (12) are adhesively bonded to each other.

[Problem] To provide a side airbag apparatus capable of quickly and properly restraining a passenger in the initial stage of deploying an airbag, along with a passenger protection apparatus including this side airbag apparatus.

[Resolution means] The airbag employed in the present invention includes: a first chamber (C1) which houses the inflator and is deployed outside in the vehicle width direction of the frame side wall part; a second chamber (C2) which is deployed inside in the vehicle width direction of the frame side wall part; and a gas guide (100) arranged so as to surround the inflator inside the first chamber. In addition, the first chamber (C1) is deployed such that at least a portion thereof, as seen from the vehicle side, overlaps the frame side wall part. A first inner vent is formed at the boundary part between the gas guide and the first chamber, with gas introduced from the gas guide to the first chamber via this first inner vent. Moreover, a second inner vent is formed at the boundary part between the gas guide and the second chamber, with gas introduced from the gas guide to the second chamber via this second inner vent.

An air bag 2, an inflator 3, and a diffuser 30 are attached to a retainer 10. The diffuser 30 has a main surface portion 31, leg piece portions 32 extending in four radiating directions, and flap portions 34. The main surface portion 31 covers a head side of the inflator 3. The leg piece portion 32 passes through a mounting ring 20 and an inflator opening 12 and passes between the retainer 10 and a flange portion 3b of the inflator 3. A bolt 21 of the mounting ring 20 is inserted through a small hole 33 of the leg piece portion 32.

An airbag module comprises a control unit, a source of electric current managed by the control unit, a container wherein a gas is stored under pressure, and a hollow body with an inlet duct, in which an outlet of the container sealed by a pierceable membrane is tightly fitted, and an outlet duct on which an inflatable bag is tightly assembled. The airbag module further comprises an actuator assembly configured to pierce open the membrane sealing the container, said actuator assembly comprising a piercing member movably restrained to the body and at least one linear shape memory alloy wire actuator member that is electrically connected to the source of electric current and operably restrained to the piercing member so as to cause it to move beyond the pierceable membrane.