Patents Assigned to Autoliv Development AS
  • Air bag device
    Patent number: 7976059
    Abstract: An air bag device includes a retainer to which an inflator and a folded air bag are attached. The retainer is fixed to a steering wheel armature and has a plurality of hooks formed in a side wall portion thereof. A module cover covers the air bag and each hook of the plurality of hooks is engaged with an opening of a leg piece portion projected from a rear side. The module cover can be vertically moved with respect to the retainer. A horn plate has a plurality of contacts attached along a circumferential edge of the module cover and moved integrally with the module cover at a horn operating time. A contact plate is attached to the retainer. A horn spring is arranged between the horn plate and the retainer. The contact plate includes a clip portion fastened to the retainer and a leaf spring portion abutting against one of the contacts of the horn plate at the horn operating time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Keiichiro Fujita, Tsutomu Koizumi, Takayuki Hisajima
  • Side airbag apparatus for vehicles
    Patent number: 7971900
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus provided with an airbag cushion installed in an armrest side portion of a seat frame of a vehicle, may include an airbag module having the airbag cushion therein; and a strap fastened at a first end portion thereof to a portion of the airbag cushion and fastened at a second end portion thereof to the seat frame or a bolster support wire frame, the strap surrounding a front portion of the seat frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Chang Hyun Lim, Dae Young Kwak, Tae Ik Kwon, Soon Bok Lee, Anders Palo
  • Side curtain airbag
    Patent number: 7967332
    Abstract: A curtain airbag to be installed in the roof frame area of a motor vehicle. The curtain airbag has an airbag skin including two side walls connected by an edge region, wherein the airbag skin surrounds a gas chamber. The gas chamber includes at least one protective area and at least one guide chamber fluidly connected to the protective area wherein the guide chamber is inflatable between the protective area and an internal structure of the motor vehicle when the curtain airbag is in an installed state. Furthermore, a plurality of fixing devices are provided for connecting the curtain airbag to the internal structure of the motor vehicle, wherein at least one guide chamber fixing device is located in the area of guide chamber in order to achieve a high level of operational safety and easy installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: David Karlssøn
  • Guide anchor for seat belt of vehicle and method for manufacturing the same
    Patent number: 7964130
    Abstract: A guide anchor for a seat belt, and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The guide anchor comprises a guide plate having a latching hole and a slide guide hole formed therein, a guide piece engaged with a lower circumference of the slide guide hole, and a first molded part for coupling the guide plate and the guide piece. The guide piece comprises a cover, and a second molded part injected into a lower surface of the cover. The second molded part has a recess formed in a longitudinal direction at a lower surface. The cover has cover eaves extending from a lower portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Byoung-Gae You
  • Airbag for protecting a vehicle occupant
    Patent number: 7963557
    Abstract: An airbag for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising a first and a second material layer each having edge regions, wherein the first and the second layers are sewn together along the edge regions. A fastening section adapted for attaching to a part of the vehicle and connecting to a gas generator configured to inflate the airbag with a gas in response to an accident. A first and a second chamber region disposed opposite a dividing seam, wherein each of the material layers includes a first and a second material section each matched to one of the first or second chamber regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Christian Aho, Dobrila Lucic, Stëfan Kodmja, Emma Svenbrant, Krestin Kuntzsch, David Stow, Gustav Börjeson
  • Knee airbag and method of folding the same
    Patent number: 7963550
    Abstract: Provided is a knee airbag capable of adjusting the height and width of the airbag upon deployment thereof and deploying the airbag along a lower crash panel. The knee airbag is installed at a lower crash panel and has an inflator installed at a predetermined position thereof, wherein the knee airbag has at least one wrinkle part folded in a longitudinal direction of side surfaces thereof. Since an upper part of the knee airbag is expanded more than a lower part thereof, it is possible to more safely protect passenger's knees. In addition, since the knee airbag is expanded upward and downward, it is also possible to protect passenger's ankles and readily adjust the height and width of the knee airbag. Further, the knee airbag is expanded to correspond to an appearance of a lower crash, thereby more safely protecting the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Ik-pyo Hong, Gyeong-won Jeong
  • ADVANCED TAB LOCK ATTACHMENT FOR EMBLEM
    Publication number: 20110140397
    Abstract: A vehicle assembly including a cover, for example, an airbag cover, having an attached plate of the type adapted to support a manufacturer's emblem, wherein the plate penetrates with tongues distributed over its circumference into perforations arranged at the vehicle assembly cover. The tongues are bent into matching slots molded on the back of the vehicle assembly cover about a bending edge arranged between the perforations and the slots. At least one of the tongues is provided at its free end with a narrower neck region and a cross-sectional enlargement extending through the perforations in the vehicle assembly cover, and the slots having a shape matching the contour of one or more of the tongue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Juergen Mackensen, Raimund Nebel
  • Device for reinforcing a hollow structural element
    Patent number: 7959216
    Abstract: The present invention provides in particular a device for reinforcing a hollow motor vehicle bodywork element (1) of closed right section, the device being characterized by the fact that said element (1) has means (2; 3; 5) suitable for subjecting its inside space (E) to a shock wave or pressure wave on detecting an impact, such that the energy generated by said wave is sufficient to deform the element by increasing its section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Christian Perotto, Francaise Perotto, legal representative, Nicholas Dubois
  • Method to monitor manual steering of dynamic systems and device
    Patent number: 7961085
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method and an arrangement for ensuring through active monitoring an attentive manual control of a dynamic system. The method and the arrangement use the tactile ability of the human hand to receive, particularly when the muscles are relaxed, certain types of vibrations through two sets of sensitive corpuscle in the human skin, known as the Meissner corpuscles and the Pacinian corpuscles, and the ability of the brain to provide an immediate response to these signals in the same interface to the object that the two sets of sensitive corpuscle are touching during the control and with immediate feedback from the control device of the dynamical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: AUTOLIV Development AB
    Inventors: Sven Almqvist, Klas Küntzel
  • Inflator bottle for combustible gas mixture
    Patent number: 7959185
    Abstract: An inflator bottle adapted for controlled release of product gas to deploy an inflatable cushion and a method thereof is provided. The inflator bottle comprises a compartment filled with a combustible gas mixture having a partition that divides the compartment into a first region and a second region. Upon a crash event, an igniter on the inflator bottle ignites initiating combustion in the first region. Combustion propagates in the first region toward a nozzle building pressure in the first region sufficient to rupture a burst disk over the passage of the nozzle releasing product gas through the nozzle. The release of product gas through the nozzle draws combustible gas mixture from the second region flowing through the gas portal on the partition into the first region for combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: John Paul Sparkman, Charles M. Woods, William H. Phipps
  • Tether for airbag module
    Patent number: 7950694
    Abstract: A tether for a passenger airbag cushion of a vehicle includes first and second twist preventing parts formed at both edges of the tether in the deployment direction of the tether by an inflator such that the thickness of both edges of the tether is increased. The airbag cushion is more reliably deployed because the tether is not twisted or folded due to the above structure when the tether is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Jin Kook Kim, Sung Geun Jang
  • SEAT BELT RETRACTOR
    Publication number: 20110121120
    Abstract: A retractor includes a slide nut that is caused to slide toward a tread head while rotating by a mesh between a first male screw groove and a female screw groove when the tread head is locked and a spindle rotates in a direction for unreeling a webbing, and a slider that is caused to slide toward the slide nut by a mesh between the female screw groove and a second male screw groove. A torsional rigidity of a second shaft part of a torsion bar is larger than that of a first shaft part, and a play is eliminated before a gap such that the slide nut and the slider are integrated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Kiyoshi OGAWA, Masuo Matsuki
  • Safety arrangement
    Patent number: 7946612
    Abstract: A safety arrangement in the form of an air-bag module (1) to be mounted to the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. The air-bag module (1) comprises a housing (2) and a cover (3). The cover (3) is moveably mounted to the housing (2). A wire (25) is clipped to the cover (3) and the wire (25) is configured to engage contact members (16) provided on the housing (2) when the cover (3) is moved relative to the housing (2). The wire (25) and the contacts (16) together act as a switch arrangement which may be connected to an electrical circuit in the vehicle which controls the vehicle's horn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Nicolas Chevalier, Jean Kuriakose, Jovica Joveski
  • Safety device for the protection of vehicle occupants
    Patent number: 7938439
    Abstract: A safety device for protection of vehicle occupants is described. The safety device exhibits a curtain airbag (10) located in the area of the roof frame, with an upper edge (10a), which is rolled up in quiescent state and unrolled in the case of an accident. The curtain airbag can be filled with gas. In order to enable the safety device to be used reversibly, the curtain airbag (10) is rolled up to roll around its upper edge (10a) when in quiescent state, and the upper edge is held by fixing elements in a manner which the airbag is rotatable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Erik Hjerpe, Dan Bråse
  • RAMP APPARATUS FOR CURTAIN AIRBAG FOR VEHICLE
    Publication number: 20110101656
    Abstract: A ramp apparatus for a curtain airbag for a vehicle, positioned between a headliner and a vehicular body panel such that the curtain airbag is deployed through a matching part formed between the headliner and a pillar trim, may include a support ramp fastened to the vehicular body panel and receiving a lower portion of the folded curtain airbag, and a deployment ramp extending from a first end of the support ramp to enclose a portion of the curtain airbag therein and deploying towards the interior of the vehicle to seal a gap between the vehicular body panel and the pillar trim by expansive pressure of the curtain airbag in the event of a vehicle collision.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company, Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Eung Seo KIM, Dae Young Kwak, Jae Haeng Yoo, Seung Man Kim, Dong Jun Lee, Do Hun Kim
  • Method and apparatus for recording the rotation angle of a vehicle
    Patent number: 7933697
    Abstract: An apparatus for recording the rotation angle of a vehicle comprises an angular velocity sensor adapted to measure an angular velocity ? of the vehicle, an integrator adapted to integrate the measured angular velocity ? across a predetermined unit of time ?t to calculate a differential rotation angle ?? in unit of time ?t, a ring buffer adapted to store the differential rotation angles ??an acceleration sensor adapted to detect that an accident occurred with the vehicle, and a nonvolatile recording device adapted to record, when an accident is detected by the acceleration sensor, the differential rotation angles ??M . . . ??M+N?1 stored in the ring buffer, across a predetermined recording time T before and after the accident.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Shinya Fukushima, Makoto Oda
  • PYROTECHNIC GAS GENERATOR WITH COMBUSTION AND DIFFUSION CHAMBERS OF DIFFERENT SECTIONS
    Publication number: 20110083576
    Abstract: A pyrotechnic gas generator intended for motor-vehicle safety includes a combustion chamber of cylindrical or approximately cylindrical shape. An initiator is located within the combustion chamber and is associated with at least one solid pyrotechnic charge. A diffusion chamber communicates with the the combustion chamber and receives gases generated by the pyrotechnic charge and transfers the gases to atmosphere via at least one evacuation opening. The diffusion chamber extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the combustion chamber, in the extension of one of its end faces. The diffusion chamber is also of generally cylindrical or approximately cylindrical shape, but with a cross section that is less than that of the the combustion chamber. The diffusion chamber is devoid of structure for filtering the gases that pass therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Yvonnig Patton, Francois Peremarty
  • Air-bag cover arrangement
    Patent number: 7922194
    Abstract: An air-bag cover arrangement is disclosed which comprises a moveable cover element (25) for covering an air-bag module (5), and design element (15) which is positioned adjacent the cover element. The design element has an overlapping part (16) which overlaps part of the cover element. The arrangement is characterised in that the cover element is moveable relative to the design element but is held by a stop element (18) in a rest position in which the cover element does not contact the overlapping part of the design element but rather a space from the design element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Stefan Andersson, Johan Friberg
  • Inflatable cushion assembly including breakable tether stitches
    Patent number: 7922200
    Abstract: An inflatable cushion assembly includes a tether having an attachment end attached to an inflatable cushion. The tether comprises one or more seams extending along an axis and defining a pocket adjacent the attachment end. The seam includes a series of breakable stitches having a first stitch adjacent a pocket and the series of stitches successively disposed along the axis away from the pocket. A seam ripper is received in the pocket, and secured remote from the tether. Deployment of the inflatable cushion pulls the seam ripper along the axis away from the attachment end to successively break the series of stitches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: James L. Webber
  • Side curtain air bag
    Patent number: 7922192
    Abstract: The present invention provides a side curtain air bag facilitating the control of tension with the air bag. The side curtain air bag includes chambers expanded by gas supplied from a gas generator, and expands and develops into a curtain shape along a side part of a vehicle so as to protect vehicle occupants. The side curtain air bag includes primary chambers which expand to form the side curtain air bag, and a secondary chamber which expands after the primary chambers to apply additional tension across the expanded side curtain air bag. The secondary chamber includes an opening communicating with the primary chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Masataka Fukuda, Takayuki Makioka, Makoto Higano