A vehicle occupant protection expandable bladder may comprise an initial expandable chamber, an occupant restraining expandable chamber and a releasable connection that is configured to connect the occupant restraining expandable chamber to the initial expandable chamber or to a vehicle. The vehicle occupant protection expandable bladder may be configured to be expanded from a stowed state to a deployed state in a vehicle. The deployed state may comprise a first phase in which gas flow from the initial expandable chamber to the occupant restraining expandable chamber is at least substantially restricted and a second phase in which gas flow from the initial expandable chamber to the occupant restraining chamber is unrestricted. The releasable connection may be configured to release the connection in the deployed state.

An occupant restraining device that uses a side airbag to promote occupant restraint. An occupant restraining device for restraining an occupant seated in a vehicle seat having a seatback and seat cushion, including: a side airbag arranged on at least one of the right side or the left side of the seat back, a tension member arranged over the side portion of the seat back and the seat cushion and a portion thereof provided on the outer surface of the side airbag, and a traction portion on which another portion of the tension member is provided, that is stowed on the inside of or below the seat cushion, and that can pull the tension member, wherein the tension member arranged on the side of the seatback is pulled toward the center of the vehicle seat by the traction portion.

An occupant restraint system for a seat of a vehicle includes at least a first airbag carried by the seat and deployable from the seat and at least a first tether mounted to the seat and deployable from a stowed position to a deployed position such that the first tether extends around a front facing side of the first airbag from a first lateral side of a seatback of the seat to a second lateral side of the seatback.

A vehicle occupant restraint system comprises an airbag module (12) including an inflator (18) and a frontally acting airbag (16), wherein the airbag (16) includes an inflator-side inflation end (46) as well as a first free end (56) located in the inflated state of the airbag (16) within a vehicle interior. In a first period during deployment of the airbag (16), the first free end (56) is still connected via a tether (74) to the airbag module (12), wherein the tether (74) becomes detached upon reaching a predetermined tensile force. When folding the airbag (16), the non-inflated airbag (16) is spread so that a second free end (58) is maximally distant from the inflation end (46) and a first outer wall portion is stretched in the longitudinal direction of the airbag (16), and the first free end (56) is located in the vicinity of the inflation end (46) and a second outer wall portion is stretched in the longitudinal direction of the airbag (16), wherein a third outer wall portion of the airbag (16) is folded back onto itself at least in a portion. The two lateral areas of the spread airbag (16) are folded toward the center, and subsequently the airbag (16) is rolled up from the second free end (58).

A vehicle occupant restraint system comprises an airbag module (12) which includes an airbag (16) as well as an inflator (18) which upon activation supplies filling gas for the airbag (16). The airbag (16) is folded prior to activation into an airbag package (14) so that a main package (48) which contains a restraint part (52) of the airbag (16) constituting a major part of the airbag volume as well as a connecting portion (50) is formed which comprises a neck (54) of the airbag (16) connecting the restraint part (52) to the inflator (18), wherein the restraint part (52) is folded differently from the neck (54).

A safety system includes an airbag configured to deploy from a rail and restrain motion of an occupant, a tether configured to deploy from a pillar, and an anchor coupling the tether and the airbag. The anchor is configured to travel from a stowed position proximate to the rail to a deployed position spaced apart from the rail and spaced apart from the pillar in unison with deployment of the airbag. The safety system includes a tensioning mechanism configured to apply force to the tether. Motion of the anchor is controlled by the force applied by the tensioning mechanism.

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.

A curtain airbag apparatus for a vehicle is configured to connect a curtain airbag cushion to a vehicle body by a cushion restriction device including a tether carriage and a cushion tether to reinforce a restriction force of the deployed curtain airbag cushion, and to reinforce restriction on movement of an occupant during a side collision by use of the curtain airbag cushion having the reinforced restriction force to prevent the occupant from being thrown through a vehicle side window during a side collision even when a panorama window is used as the side window.

The invention relates to an airbag (10) for restraining a vehicle occupant (12) in an automotive vehicle, comprising an inflatable cushion portion (20) for damping an occupant impact and two inflatable tube portions (22) laterally opposed in the mounted state of the airbag (10) which are arranged on the occupant side on the cushion portion (20), wherein the tube portions (22) are connected to each other by a slide layer (24) arranged on the occupant side on the cushion portion (20) and are laterally movable at least in portions relative to the cushion portion (20). Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an airbag (10) as well as an airbag module (18) comprising said airbag (10).

An embodiment occupant restraining apparatus includes a base to be fastened to a body of a vehicle, a support having a first end hinge-connected to the base and a second end configured to support a deployed airbag, and a bellows configured to be expanded by gas to pivot the support. During deployment of the airbag, the bellows is configured to receive the gas in concert with the deployment of the airbag.