An assembly includes an airbag having an inflation chamber. The inflation chamber is defined by a first inflatable section, a second inflatable section, and a duct fluidly connecting the first inflatable section and the second inflatable section. A tether is external to the inflation chamber. The tether has a cinching loop encircling the duct. The tether has a tail extending from the cinching loop and the tail is fixed to the airbag.

A vehicle occupant re-straining device, comprising, an air bag inflated and deployed on both sides of a vehicle occupant; tension cloth housed so as to extend from the inside of the seat back of a seat into a seat cushion; an angle detection means for detecting the reclining angle of the seat back; and an inner pressure control means for controlling, depending on the reclining angle, pressure in the air bag at the time of inflation and deployment thereof, wherein the tension cloth is deployed on the sides of the seat when the surface material of the seat is broken open by the inflation and deployment of the air bag, thereby holding the surfaces of the air bag, which are located on the opposite sides of the vehicle occupant, and wherein the inner pressure control means reduces pressure in the air bag.

The present invention relates to a vehicular airbag device provided with a configuration comprising: an airbag cushion which is formed in a shawl shape so as to surround and restrict the entire upper body around both shoulders of an occupant as well as the abdominal and pelvic regions in the event of a vehicle collision, and deployed toward both side surfaces of the occupant; and a limiting means which is installed in first and second cushions of the airbag cushion deployed at both sides of the occupant, and provides a supporting force and limits the deployment shape of the first and second cushions at the time of deployment of the first and second cushions. According to the present invention, both side surfaces and the front surface of the occupant are efficiently restricted by improving the lateral strength of the airbag cushion to safely protect the occupant in the event of a vehicle collision.

An airbag apparatus includes two airbags. The airbags are respectively accommodated in side accommodation portions in a seat back. The airbags include two side inflation portions and two front inflation portions. Each airbag further includes a tether. Each airbag includes a non-inflation portion. Each tether includes a pass-through section at which the tether is passed through the non-inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a distal end is arranged along a rear surface of the front inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a basal end is arranged along an inner surface of the side inflation portion. The basal end of each tether is configured to be fixed to a rear end of the side inflation portion or the seat back. The distal end of each tether is fixed to a front end of the front inflation portion.

A far side side airbag device provided on the side part in the center in the width direction of a backrest portion of either of separated seats arranged in the width direction of a vehicle, which restrains the movement of an occupant. A cushion and an inflator expands and deploys the cushion. The cushion has a first portion and a second portion that expand and deploy onto the front surface of each of the adjacent separated seats when a signal is received to restrain the occupant and capture the side part of the occupant, and a center portion provided in between the first portion and the second portion. A protruding part is formed on the center portion in order to capture the head of the occupant.

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 for a vehicle is proposed. The airbag includes an inflator configured to generate gas, the airbag cushion connected to the inflator and configured to expand by the gas, and a variable vent provided in a first side of the airbag cushion and configured to control opening and closing state of a vent hole of the variable vent for gas escape from the airbag cushion in response to an operational condition of the airbag cushion.

An occupant protection system for a vehicle may include an expandable curtain and/or an expandable bladder configured to be expanded from a stowed state to a deployed state. In the deployed state, the expandable curtain may include first and second sides configured to extend along respective portions of first and second interior sides of the vehicle. The expandable curtain may also include a transverse portion extending between the first and second sides, and the first and second sides, and the transverse portion of the expandable curtain may form a contiguous barrier. The expandable bladder when deployed may be supported by the expandable curtain during contact by an occupant. The occupant protection system may also include a deployment control system configured to cause the expandable curtain and/or the expandable bladder to expand to the deployed state. The occupant protection system may be used in vehicles having a carriage-style seating arrangement.

Far-side inflatable airbag assemblies are disclosed to be installed to deploy adjacent an occupant during a far-side collision event or a far-side oblique collision event, and may retain the occupant at the occupant's vehicle occupant position to protect the occupant from collision with structures within the vehicle, as well as from collisions with other occupants of the vehicle. The far-side inflatable airbag assemblies of the present disclosure may be particularly beneficial when installed between vehicle occupant positions of the vehicle.

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