A tether actuation unit includes an actuator configured to form a connection with a tether that is releasable in response to actuation of the actuator, and a housing configured to receive the actuator. The housing includes a tether channel configured to allow the tether to extend therethrough. The tether channel includes sidewalls configured to receive and engage the tether along a portion of its length when the tether extends at an angle from the housing. The sidewalls of the tether channel are configured to limit movement of the tether in response to airbag deployment in order to limit tension applied to the actuator by the tether to a predetermined range of non-orthogonal directions with respect to a central axis of the actuator.

An airbag device includes an actuator of a configuration that causes a string-form coupling member extending from an airbag to be coupled, and controls an inflation aspect of the airbag by causing a state of coupling with the coupling member to be maintained or terminated. The actuator includes a gas generator that can eject a combustion gas and a holder portion that can hold the coupling member. The holder portion includes a holding wall portion, which can hold the wound coupling member on an outer peripheral face side, and a top wall portion that closes a leading end side of the holding wall portion, and a contact region in which the combustion gas can be brought into contact with the coupling member is disposed in a region of the holding wall portion. The actuator causes the coupling member to be severed by causing the combustion gas to come into contact with the coupling member in the contact region, whereby a state of the coupling member being held in the holder portion can be terminated.

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a seat in a vehicle having an instrument panel and a housing positioned therein includes an airbag for positioning in the housing and defining an inflatable volume for receiving inflation fluid from an inflator. The airbag includes an occupant-facing panel. A tether has a first end connected to the occupant-facing panel for forming a pocket therein and a second end connected to a portion of the airbag positioned within the housing. The second end includes a folded-over portion. First stitching extends through the folded-over portion in a direction extending transverse to a centerline of the tether. Second stitching extends through the folded-over portion and parallel to the first stitching. The first and second stitchings are spaced a predetermined length from one another.

An occupant restraint system (30) comprises a seat (14), at least one airbag integrated in the seat (14) and an airbag control device. The seat (14) is adjustable at least between a first seating position and a second seating position, the seat (14) in the second seating position having an orientation (A) that is rotated vis-à-vis the first seating position about an angle of rotation (α) from 170° to 190°. The airbag has a first inflated state and a second inflated state in which the airbag has an external geometry different from the one in the first inflated state. Accordingly, the airbag control device is arranged so that, in the case of need, the airbag adopts the first inflated state when the seat (14) is in the first seating position, and the airbag adopts the second inflated state when the seat (14) is in the second seating position. Further, a vehicle (10) comprising such an occupant restraint system (30) is provided.

An assembly includes a first seat and a second seat spaced from the first seat. The assembly includes an airbag supported by the first seat. The airbag is inflatable to an inflated position between the seats. The airbag has a main chamber, a pair secondary chambers supported by the main chamber, and a tether releasably connected to the secondary chambers. The secondary chambers are maintained by the tether in an undeployed position relative to the main chamber and the secondary chambers are releasable by the tether to a deployed position in a cross-vehicle direction relative to the main chamber. The assembly includes a computer including a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify that an occupant is seated in the first seat, identify that an occupant is seated in the second seat and release the tether based on the identification of the occupants seated seats.

An airbag apparatus includes an airbag cushion including a sub-vent hole, an opening/closing panel temporarily attached to the airbag cushion, and a tether including one end portion fixed to the airbag cushion and the other end portion fixed to the opening/closing panel, in which tension applied to the tether by a force for inflating the airbag cushion allows the tether to pull the opening/closing panel toward the sub-vent hole to close the sub-vent hole, and additional tension applied to the tether by an additional force loaded onto the airbag cushion allows the tether to additionally pull the opening/closing panel and separate the opening/closing panel in a detachably attached state from the airbag cushion to open the sub-vent hole.

An occupant protection device is such that an airbag is housed in a housing region of a lap belt portion that can be disposed on a front side of a waist portion of an occupant seated in a seat. The airbag can receive and protect an upper body of the occupant using a rear face side occupant restraining face when inflation is completed. The airbag includes an exhaust port that can discharge an inflating gas and a regulating valve mechanism that restricts a discharge of the inflating gas from the exhaust port. The regulating valve mechanism permits a discharge of the inflating gas from the exhaust port when a protrusion upward of the airbag from the housing portion is restricted, and restricts a discharge of the inflating gas from the exhaust port when a protrusion upward of the airbag from the housing portion is not restricted.

An airbag apparatus for a vehicle, in which a lateral tether is disconnected or a front tether is disconnected, in the event of a collision accident, depending on whether a passenger seated in a passenger seat is in a normal seating state or a relaxed seating state, such that a deployed airbag cushion may effectively protect not only a passenger seated in the passenger seat in the normal seating state but also a passenger seated in the passenger seat in the relaxed seating state.

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.