FRONTAL AIRBAG SYSTEMS FOR OBLIQUE CRASH PROTECTION

摘要

An inflatable airbag system provides cushioning restraint of a vehicle occupant during an impact event of a vehicle. The airbag system can be configured to be mounted to a frontal region of a vehicle. The airbag system includes an inflatable airbag and a selectively actuatable vent that can be actuated in response to detection of an oblique impact event and/or a small overlap collision event. The selectively actuatable vent is actuated to open to provide additional venting and thus a lower pressure within the inflatable airbag. A lower pressure can reduce force and momentum on the vehicle occupant's head at an offset angled contact with the airbag. A lower pressure may also prevent the occupant from deflecting or rolling off of an airbag and colliding with other surfaces within the vehicle.

主权项

1. An inflatable airbag system comprising:
an inflatable airbag cushion that is deployable in response to an impact event of a vehicle to receive a vehicle occupant during the impact event, the inflatable airbag cushion comprising one or more panels defining an inflatable chamber; a selectively actuatable vent disposed in a panel of the one or more panels of the inflatable airbag cushion, the selectively actuatable vent having a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein the closed configuration limits passage of inflation gas out of the inflatable chamber and the open configuration allows passage of inflation gas out of the inflation chamber; and a vent actuation mechanism that, if the collision event is an oblique collision event, causes the selectively actuatable vent to be in the open configuration.