Air bag system for automotive passenger seat

Claim 1

An air bag system for use in a vehicle, front and back directions of said air bag system being defined with respect to an installable position of said air bag system in the vehicle and a front end and a back end of the vehicle, said air bag system comprising: an air bag case having a top side with an opening therein; an inflator for producing a gas; said inflator being disposed inside said air bag case and having an outer surface; an air bag having a compacted portion arranged in a side-by-side relation to and in back of said inflator said air bag case; a diffuser mounted about said inflator so as to be interposed between said inflator and an interior of said air bag, said diffuser being provided with gas supply holes for regulating a flow of a gas from said inflator into said air bag; said diffuser being mounted about said inflator so as to define a space between the outer surface of said inflator and said diffuser at least when the gas is produced from said inflator; and said gas supply holes of said diffuser in combination with said space between the outer surface of said inflator and said diffuser regulating gas flow from said inflator such that Q t /A varies with time in phases as follows: t=0 msec Q 0 /A=0 l/cm 2 t=5 msec Q 5 /A≦0.107 l/cm 2 t=10 msec Q 10 /A≦0.215 l/cm 2 t=20 msec Q 20 /A≦0.537 l/cm 2 t=30 msec Q 30 /A≦0.934 l/cm 2 where Q t is a total amount of gas produced during a time interval between 0 and t msec, and A is an area of the opening in the air bag case.