Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2001-11-13
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S743100, C280S735000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315323
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection apparatus including an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as an air bag. In particular, the present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection apparatus including an air bag for helping to protect an occupant seated forward in a vehicle seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to inflate an air bag to help protect an occupant of a vehicle. The air bag is inflated into a position between the vehicle occupant and a portion of the vehicle such as the steering wheel or instrument panel of the vehicle.
An air bag for a front seat passenger of a vehicle is often designed to extend across a large portion of the width of the front seat of the vehicle in order to accommodate a passenger who may, for example, be leaning forward or to one side or the other, as opposed to sitting back and centered in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. As a result, the front seat passenger air bag is larger than it would need to be were it designed to protect only a passenger who is sitting back in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. This larger air bag requires more material and also requires larger capacity inflator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a vehicle occupant protection apparatus comprising an inflatable device for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle. At least one tether is connected with the inflatable device for controlling the location of the inflatable device when inflated. The occupant protection apparatus includes at least one sensor for sensing at least one condition relevant to a determination of where to locate the inflatable device when inflated. The occupant protection apparatus also includes a tether tension control mechanism for tensioning the at least one tether in accordance with the sensing of the at least one condition.
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patent: 5380038 (1995-01-01), Hawthorn et al.
patent: 5707075 (1998-01-01), Kraft et al.
patent: 5931493 (1999-08-01), Sutherland
patent: 5957490 (1999-09-01), Sinnhuber
patent: 5975566 (1999-11-01), Bocker et al.
patent: 6014602 (2000-01-01), Kithil et al.
patent: 6029993 (2000-02-01), Mueller
patent: 6076854 (2000-06-01), Schneck et al.
patent: 6189928 (2001-02-01), Sommer et al.
patent: 6254130 (2001-07-01), Jayaraman et al.
Buchanan Christopher
Mai Lanna
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
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