Dual chamber side airbag apparatus and method

摘要

An airbag module is disclosed which, in one configuration, inflates from a vehicle seat to protect a vehicle occupant against lateral impact. The airbag module has a cushion with a pelvic chamber and a thoracic chamber. The airbag module also has an inflation assembly including an inflator within a housing inside the cushion. The housing has an aperture disposed within each of the chambers such that, when the inflator deploys, the pelvic chamber is inflated to a relatively higher pressure. The inflator may be moved axially within the housing to control the pressure ratio between the chambers. The housing is attached to the vehicle seat via attachment features that may be located at a variety of positions with respect to the remainder of the housing to facilitate adaptation of the inflation assembly to multiple cushion and vehicle configurations.