EP0810128A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Roof-mounted air bag
Assignee: Autoliv ASP Inc
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Filing: 1997-05-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-05-29
Abstract
Abstract Vehicle occupant restraint system (30) comprising one or two inflatable cushions (32, 46) accommodated between a headliner and an outer roof surface which is lined with insulation material. A first cushion (32) is situated above a front passenger area and an optional second cushion (46) is situated above a rear passenger area. Roll-over impact sensors (40, 64) situated in roof pillars (42, 66) of the vehicle are connected by wires (44, 68) to inflation means which may comprise a single inflator or two inflators (34, 54) operatively interconnected by a cable (70) so as to ensure simultaneous inflator actuation. The cushions (32, 46) may be fabricated from puncture-resistant material. Inflation of the cushions (32, 46) may be accommodated by slackness in or elastic expanding of the headliner. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Calvin M. Timothy
- 👤 Mark W. Osmond
- 👤 Jonathan A. Mitchell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 07:38
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/013; B60R13/00; B60R13/02; B60R13/0212; B60R21/02; B60R21/16; B60R21/20; B60R21/214; B60R13/08; B60R13/0815; B60R2013/0287; B60R2021/01006; B60R2021/01306; B60R21/23; B60R21/231; B60R2021/23192
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
A passive vehicle occupant restraint system (30) for an automotive vehicle having a front seat (12) including a seat back (14) defining generally a front passenger area (16) to one side thereof and a rear passenger area (18) to an opposite side thereof, an outer roof surface (22), a quantity of insulation material (24) inside of said outer roof surface (22) and a headliner (26) overlying or covering said insulation material (24), said restraint system (30) comprising: a first inflatable cushion (32) mounted between said quantity of insulation material (24) and said headliner (26) and overlying at least a portion of the front passenger area (16) of said vehicle in such a manner as to provide a cushion, when inflated, between a head of a passenger and the outer roof surface (22), and a first inflator (34) operatively connected with said first inflatable cushion (32) and responsive to a predetermined triggering signal for producing a quantity of gas for inflating said first cushion (32).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of Claim 1 and further including a second inflatable cushion (46) mounted between said insulation material (24) and said headliner (26) and overlying at least a portion of said rear passenger area (18); and wherein said first inflator (34) is further operatively coupled to said second inflatable cushion (46).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of Claim 2 wherein said first inflator (34) is mounted between said headliner (26) and said outer roof surface (22) and generally between said first and second inflatable cushions (32, 46).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of Claim 2 or 3 and further including a second inflator (54) operatively coupled with both of said inflatable cushions (32, 46), and responsive to said predetermined triggering signal for producing a quantity of inflating gas.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of Claim 4 wherein said second inflator (54) is also mounted between said headliner (26) and said outer roof surface (22) and located generally between said first and second inflatable cushions (32, 46) in a side-by-side relation to said first inflator (34).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of Claim 4 or 5 and further including means operatively linking said first and second inflators (34, 54) for simultaneous response to said predetermined triggering signal.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
43 words
The system of any preceding claim further including roll-over sensor means (40, 64) operatively coupled with the or both of the inflators (34, 54) and mounted to said vehicle for producing said predetermined triggering signal in response to a roll-over of said vehicle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of Claim 7 wherein said vehicle has a plurality of roof posts (42, 66) supporting said roof (20) and wherein said roll-over sensor means (40, 64) comprises a plurality of roll-over sensors, respectively mounted on ones of said roof posts (42, 66).
Claim 9
Independent Claim
20 words
The system of any preceding claim wherein the or each inflatable cushion (32, 46) is fabricated of a puncture-resistant material.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
39 words
The system of any preceding claim wherein the or each inflatable cushion (32, 46) is inflatable to an increased thickness and wherein said headliner (26) is elastically expandable to accommodate inflation of the or each inflatable cushion (32, 46).
Claim 11
Independent Claim
50 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the or each inflatable cushion (32, 46) is inflatable to an increased thickness and wherein said headliner (26) is mounted relative to said roof (20) with sufficient slack to accommodate inflation of the or each inflatable cushion (32, 46).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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