An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an airbag configured to be mounted on a vehicle steering wheel. The airbag includes an inflatable main chamber configured to cover the steering wheel, and an inflatable lateral chamber configured to cover a vehicle A-pillar. The apparatus also includes a tether actuation unit and a tether connected to the tether actuation unit and to a portion of the airbag that helps define the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit has an unactuated condition maintaining a connection with the tether that restricts deployment of the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit also has an actuated condition releasing its connection with the tether and causing the lateral chamber to fully deploy.

An occupant protection device includes: an airbag including an upper inflating portion and a lower inflating portion, and a rear inflating portion having a restraint surface that receives the occupant, the airbag being provided with a hollow portion penetrating in a left-right direction in a center; and a protrusion length adjustment unit configured to adjust a protrusion length from an accommodation position to the restraint surface in the airbag. An exhaust port configured to exhaust the inflation gas is disposed on an inner peripheral surface side in the vicinity of an intersection portion between the upper inflation portion and the lower inflation portion of the airbag. When the protrusion length by the protrusion length adjustment unit is adjusted to be long, the upper inflation portion and the lower inflation portion approach each other, so that an edge member approaches the exhaust port, thereby reducing an exhaust amount.

An airbag, in particular a front airbag, includes an outer wall having a front wall and a rear wall (18, 24) and a tether (16) as well as an electrically actuatable activation unit (26) for releasing the tether (16). The tether (16) includes plural tether portions (30, 32) connected to each other via a first tear seam (36). A tension means (40) is coupled to the tether (16) so that it destroys the first tear seam (36) when the activation unit (26) is not actuated.

A frontal airbag for vehicle occupants comprises a contact panel (26) facing the vehicle occupant in the inflated state. Inside the airbag tension means (30, 30′) which restrain portions of the contact panel (26) in the inflated state of the frontal airbag (10) are arranged on the contact panel (26) so that, in the mounted and inflated state, the contact panel (26) forms plural indentations (32) extending vertically from the view of the associated occupant. The frontal airbag (10) optionally may take a first completely inflated state and a second completely inflated state with a larger airbag volume than in the first state, wherein a release device (40) is assigned to at least several of the tension means (30, 30′) and, when the release device is not activated, the frontal airbag (10) only reaches the first state and, when the release device (40) is activated, the contact panel (26) bulges in the area of the released tension means (30, 30′) further toward the occupant so as to enable the second state.

An airbag, in particular a front airbag, includes an outer wall having a front wall and a rear wall (18, 24) and a tether (16) as well as an electrically actuatable activation unit (26) for releasing the tether (16). The tether (16) includes plural tether portions (30, 32) connected to each other via a first tear seam (36). A tension means (40) is coupled to the tether (16) so that is destroys the first tear seam (36) when the activation unit (26) is not actuated.

An air-bag apparatus includes: a frame member that is tiltable along a seat back of a vehicle seat; and a bag body that is embedded in the frame member, that is inflated and expanded to a front of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat at a time of an impact input, and that prevents a body of the occupant from being separated from the seat back.

An airbag apparatus may include an airbag module mounted at a lower end portion of a crash pad; an airbag cushion configured to deploy from the airbag module to deploy in a space between a knee portion and a head portion of a passenger, wherein a tether is connected to the airbag cushion in a deployment direction of the airbag cushion toward at least one of the knee portion, a chest portion, and the head portion of the passenger to form an integrated deployment shape of the airbag cushion; and a release device connected to the tether close to the airbag module, and operated to allow the tether to be released or maintained in a fixed state in a deployment process of the airbag cushion depending on a body shape of the passenger on a seat of the vehicle.

An occupant protection device includes: an airbag including an upper inflating portion and a lower inflating portion, and a rear inflating portion having a restraint surface that receives the occupant, the airbag being provided with a hollow portion penetrating in a left-right direction in a center; and a protrusion length adjustment unit configured to adjust a protrusion length from the accommodation position to the restraint surface in the airbag. An exhaust port configured to exhaust the inflation gas is disposed on an inner peripheral surface side in the vicinity of an intersection portion between the upper inflation portion and the lower inflation portion of the airbag. When the protrusion length by the protrusion length adjustment unit is adjusted to be long, the upper inflation portion and the lower inflation portion approach each other, so that an edge member approaches the exhaust port, thereby reducing an exhaust amount.

A roof curtain airbag for a vehicle includes an airbag cushion that is expanded to a space between passengers seated on respective seats when a plurality of seats are arranged to face each other, so that a collision between the passengers is prevented and the passengers are protected from impact by the airbag cushion.

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes an airbag configured to be mounted on a vehicle steering wheel. The airbag includes an inflatable main chamber configured to cover the steering wheel, and an inflatable lateral chamber configured to cover a vehicle A-pillar. The apparatus also includes a tether actuation unit and a tether connected to the tether actuation unit and to a portion of the airbag that helps define the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit has an unactuated condition maintaining a connection with the tether that restricts deployment of the lateral chamber. The tether actuation unit also has an actuated condition releasing its connection with the tether and causing the lateral chamber to fully deploy.