An occupant protection system for protecting a vehicle occupant sitting in a seat includes a seatbelt that includes a lap belt for arresting the pelvis of the occupant, and an airbag that is stored in the lap belt. The airbag as deployed includes a main inflatable portion for protecting an upper body of the occupant, and a head protecting portion that is located in a vicinity of an upper end of the main inflatable portion for protecting a head of the occupant. The head protecting portion includes a front inflatable portion for covering a front side of the head, and a pair of side inflatable portions that extend rearward from left and right ends of the front inflatable portion for covering sides of the head. Each of the side inflatable portions is configured to be deployed in such a manner that a space is formed between itself and the head.

An occupant protection system for protecting a vehicle occupant sitting in a seat includes a seatbelt that includes a lap belt for arresting the pelvis of the occupant, and an airbag disposed in the lap belt. The airbag is coupled to the lap belt in such a manner as to be movable relative to the lap belt in a left and right direction, and includes a main inflatable portion that is deployable in front of upper body of the occupant, and a positioning inflatable portion that protrudes from a lower end region of the main inflatable portion. The positioning inflatable portion includes a contact surface that contacts and is supported by an environmental member which is disposed in a circumference of the lap belt at airbag deployment, whereby helps align a center in the left and right direction of the main inflatable portion generally with that of the upper body.

A vehicular seat cushion airbag is disclosed. The seat cushion airbag includes a first cushion, which is mounted on a seat cushion of a vehicle so as to be expanded at the rear portion of a passenger's thigh, and a second cushion, which extends from the first cushion in an upward direction of a bolster portion of the seat cushion so as to be expanded toward the lateral side surface of the passenger's thigh, wherein the first cushion is expanded at the rear portion of the passenger's thigh so as to prevent forward movement of the passenger's pelvis, and the second cushion is expanded toward the lateral side surface of the passenger's thigh so as to prevent outward spreading of the passenger's legs.

The invention describes a vehicle occupant restraint system (2) comprising a control unit and at least two restraint elements (8, 10) for the protection of lower extremities (6, 6′, 7, 7′) in the area of a footwell (4) of a vehicle of a vehicle occupant seated in a particular vehicle seat of the vehicle, wherein a first restraint element (8) is configured as a knee airbag module (12), wherein a second restraint element (10) is provided for mounting into the footwell (4) of the vehicle, especially in an area of the footwell (4) of the vehicle arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) ahead of the knee airbag module (12), wherein, in a situation of restraint, the control unit can differentiate between different given situations, wherein the given situation can be determined via a vehicle seat position and parameters relating to vehicle occupants, wherein, in the situation of restraint, when a situation is given in which the vehicle seat (5) is in a position shifted backwards, especially in a position shifted backwards compared to the standard position, and the vehicle occupant is a short and/or light person, the control unit only activates the foot airbag module (16) of the second restraint element (10).

The invention describes a vehicle occupant restraint system (2) comprising a control unit and at least two restraint elements (8, 10) for the protection of lower extremities (6, 6′, 7, 7′) in the area of a footwell (4) of a vehicle of a vehicle occupant seated in a particular vehicle seat of the vehicle, wherein a first restraint element (8) is configured as a knee airbag module (12), wherein a second restraint element (10) is provided for mounting into the footwell (4) of the vehicle, especially in an area of the footwell (4) of the vehicle arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) ahead of the knee airbag module (12), wherein, in a situation of restraint, the control unit can differentiate between different situations, wherein the control unit, in the situation of restraint, activates at least the first restraint element (8) and, depending on the given situation, additionally activates the second restraint element (10) and/or a partial element of the first restraint element (8) and/or a partial element of the second restraint element (10).

An assembly for a vehicle includes a seat having a seat bottom and a seatback supported by the seat bottom. The seat bottom and the seatback define an occupant seating area. The seat includes an airbag supported by an upper end of the seatback. The airbag is inflatable downwardly from the upper end of the seatback enclosing the occupant seating area between the airbag and the seatback. The seat includes a pyrotechnic device fixed to the seat below the airbag. The pyrotechnic device is connected to the airbag.

An occupant protection device for a vehicle includes a seat frame, an inflator and a side airbag. The seat frame is provided at a seat lower side of a side support portion. The seat frame includes an upright wall portion and an upper wall portion. The inflator is provided at the seat lower side of the upper wall portion. The side airbag is disposed between the side support portion and the seat frame. In an inflated state, the side airbag includes a first inflation portion that causes an upper portion of the side support portion to bulge to the seat upper side and the seat width direction inner side, and a second inflation portion that causes a lower portion of the side support portion to bulge to the seat upper side and the seat width direction inner side.

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 airbag device for a vehicle including at least one airbag housing interface chamber that attaches to an airbag housing; at least one airbag cushion chamber downstream of the at least one interface chamber; an elbow that fluidly connects the housing interface chamber with the cushion chamber and configured so that it controllably regulates gas flow into the at least one airbag cushion chamber; the elbow having an internal configuration, which includes at least one opening that permits back and forth gas flow between the elbow and the at least one airbag cushion chamber, and which controls the directional deployment of the airbag cushion chamber so that upon deployment the downstream end of the cushion chamber exits an airbag housing outwardly in a first direction and then in at least one second direction, so that the direction of deployment of the cushion chamber changes in direction to thereby wrap at least partially around a structure of a vehicle of the vehicle and at least temporarily interpose the cushion chamber between any occupant and the vehicle structure.

A vehicle front-end stiffener includes a hinge bracket pivotally coupled to a support bracket. The hinge bracket supports a stiffener beam. A spring engages the support bracket and the hinge bracket biasing the stiffener beam in a deployed position. A moving element in a locking mechanism can retractably interlock the hinge bracket when a vehicle exceeds a threshold speed to maintain the stiffener beam in the deployed position.