Abstract: An igniter 40 activated blocking device 10 blocks a fluid line 4 adapted to carry fluid. The blocking device 10 has a housing 30 disposed about the fluid line, a piston 20 housed in the housing, and an igniter 40 that when activated propels the piston 20 to block the fluid line 4. The igniter 40 generates a shock wave to move the piston 20 to block the line. The piston 20 crushes or squeezes a portion of the line 4 to close the line.

Abstract: An airbag module assembly has an airbag cushion with at least one vent, a housing structure for receiving the airbag cushion, a housing cover for attachment to the housing structure, a vent connector connected to the vent, a pin puller mechanism with a retractable pin, and a flexible conduit extending from the airbag cushion adjacent the vent to the pin puller mechanism. The vent connector extends inside the conduit to a looped end for attachment to the retractable pin. The vent connector can be a rope or wire. The vent is initially in a closed position during deployment of the airbag. The airbag cushion is folded about the conduit during assembly and the vent connector is configured to pass through the flexible conduit when the airbag cushion is folded.

Abstract: An electric fuse box or junction box assembly has a high voltage electric line cutter assembly inside an electric fuse box or junction box. The assembly has a box housing for connecting a plurality of electrical lines or connections to a power source. The housing has a pair of mounting stanchions for affixing the high voltage electric line cutter assembly with an electric current carrying busbar having a pair of stub ends. Each stub end of the busbar for carrying electric current from the power source to the plurality of electrical lines is secured to one of the mounting stanchions. Each mounting stanchion has an attachment platform for attaching and supporting the stub end of the busbar and an underlying chamber below the attachment platform for receiving exhaust gases generated when the high voltage electric line cutter assembly is activated.

Abstract: An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle comprises an airbag having a primary chamber and a secondary chamber. The primary chamber has a stored condition and is inflatable to a deployed condition to cover a portion of the vehicle. The secondary chamber has a stored condition and is inflatable to a deployed condition to cover portions of the vehicle left uncovered by the primary chamber. At least one passive vent provides fluid communication between the primary and secondary chambers. At least one active vent is actuatable to provide fluid communication between the primary and secondary chambers. An inflator is actuatable to provide inflation fluid to the primary chamber. The at least one passive vent directs inflation fluid from the primary chamber into the secondary chamber. The at least one active vent is actuatable to direct inflation fluid from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber.

Abstract: A vehicle occupant safety system helps protect front seat occupants of a vehicle in the event of a collision that results in oblique forward occupant movement. The safety system includes a frontal air bag inflatable between on instrument panel end the front seat vehicle occupant, and a central air bag inflatable adjacent and inboard of the frontal air bag. The frontal air bag can be configured and positioned to receive and cushion the vehicle occupant moving in an oblique direction in the vehicle as the result of a vehicle collision. The central air bag can be configured and positioned to support an inboard portion of the frontal airbag against flattening out in response to receiving the obliquely moving occupant, and to engage the obliquely moving occupant's head and resist rotation of the vehicle occupant's head resulting from moving obliquely into engagement with the frontal air bag.

Abstract: A pyrotechnic activated body panel lift actuator assembly for a vehicle having a unique deployment profile and energy absorbing feature is disclosed. The assembly has a pyrotechnic actuator, a thin-walled tube and a piston. The tapered portion of the piston forms a recess between the piston and the tube. One or more balls sized to fit in the recess are provided. Upon activation, the piston is thrust proximally outwardly to lift a portion of a body panel to absorb an impact of a person hit by the vehicle and thereafter the piston retracts under controlled substantially constant force generated by balls moving up the tapered portion of the shaft thereby locally plastically deforming the thin-walled tube.

Abstract: A seat having a seat frame with a seat back designed to prevent injuries to a rear occupant seated behind the seat as the rear occupant moves forward into the seat back during a frontal crash of a vehicle, the seat including a seat back frame part designed to support the back of any occupant but which can rotate during a crash as a rear occupant moves forward into the seat back, the invention including at least one energy absorbing assembly to control the rotary motion of the rotating seat frame part, the rotating frame part maintained in a non-rotating state by an articulating or breakable pin which when moved or broken permits the frame part to rotate as the rear occupant engages the seat frame in response to a frontal vehicular crash.

Abstract: An electric fuse box or junction box assembly has a high voltage electric line cutter assembly inside an electric fuse box or junction box. The assembly has a box housing for connecting a plurality of electrical lines or connections to a power source. The housing has a pair of mounting stanchions for affixing the high voltage electric line cutter assembly with an electric current carrying busbar having a pair of stub ends. Each stub end of the busbar for carrying electric current from the power source to the plurality of electrical lines is secured to one of the mounting stanchions. Each mounting stanchion has an attachment platform for attaching and supporting the stub end of the busbar and an underlying chamber below the attachment platform for receiving exhaust gases generated when the high voltage electric line cutter assembly is activated.

Abstract: A steering wheel assembly (10) contains a dampening system for mitigating vibrations transferred from a vehicle to the steering wheel assembly (10). A plurality of damper spring elements or grommets or damper spring elements (22) are each retained within a corresponding steering wheel support member (330). An air bag module (14) is fixed to a steering wheel (18) while resting upon the damper spring elements (22) for eliminating and/or reducing lateral displacement/vibrations normally attendant to vehicle operation. A horn switch (16) containing a plurality of annular support members (76, 176) may be positioned over the damper spring elements (22), wherein each annular support member (76, 176) is coaxially aligned and positioned over a corresponding grommet (22) to also manage vertical displacement; the air bag module (14) is then fixed over the horn switch 16 and to the steering wheel (18). Movement of the airbag module can actuate the horn switch.

Abstract: In a method of folding an airbag (10) for a vehicle occupant restraint system, especially of curtain-type side airbag, to form an airbag package (12?), the airbag (10) is rolled and/or folded to form an airbag roll (12) having a first volume (V1). The airbag roll (12) is fed to a pressing device (14) in which the airbag roll (12) is compressed to form an airbag package (12?) having a second volume (V2) which is smaller than the first volume (V1). The airbag roll (12) and, resp., the airbag package (12?) is heated within the pressing device (14) and the airbag package (12?) is cooled, with the airbag package (12?) retaining the second volume (V2) when it is removed from the pressing device (14; 114). The pressing device (14) includes a pressing mold or a molding shaft (18) whose height substantially corresponds to the desired height of the finished airbag packages (12?), a heating unit (20) for heating the airbag packages (12?) and a cooling device (22) for cooling the airbag packages (12?).

Abstract: A filter for an inflator includes a rolled sheet centered on an axis or three dimensionally printed as a whole and including a plurality of openings. A deflector is associated with each opening for directing inflation fluid in a non-radial direction relative to the axis.

Abstract: A system for retrieving a portable rumble strip from a roadway includes a carrier mountable to a vehicle for transporting retrieved portable rumble strips and a winch mountable to the carrier. The carrier has a support surface configured to support a rumble strip. And the winch includes a rotatable drum and a lead with a major dimension being a length dimension. A proximal end of the lead is connected to the drum such that rotation of the drum winds the lead about the drum. A hook is connected to a distal end of the lead opposite the proximal end. The hook is configured to engage and hold a portable rumble strip as the drum rotates to draw the lead and the hook to the winch, thereby drawing the engaged portable rumble strip into the carrier.

Abstract: A cargo carrier for portable rumble strips is mountable to a hitch assembly for a vehicle. The cargo carrier includes a basket configured to receive and retain a portable rumble strip for storage and transport, and a mounting assembly that includes a pintle adapted to be received in a receiver of a hitch assembly mountable to a vehicle. The basket has a frame that includes frame elements that define a bottom wall, relatively long front and back walls, and relatively short side walls that connect the front wall and the back wall. The front, back, and side walls extend from respective sides of the bottom wall in a common direction. And the basket further includes a rotating element at the top of at least one of the side walls to facilitate drawing rumble strips lengthwise over the side wall into or out of the basket.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor comprises (a) a rotatable spool on which seat belt webbing is wound and (b) a load-limiting system to limit a load applied to a vehicle occupant by the webbing. The load-limiting system includes a flow control orifice through which fluid is forced when a load in excess of a predetermined load is applied to the rotatable spool by the webbing. The cross-sectional flow area of the flow control orifice is adjustable in response to unwinding of webbing from the rotatable spool prior to a vehicle crash event and ceases to be adjustable after the crash event is in progress. The load-limiting system also includes a piston in a cylinder. The piston and cylinder are operatively coupled to the spool such that rotation of the spool causes the piston to move relative to the cylinder, which movement causes fluid to be forced through the flow control orifice.

Abstract: An electric line cutter device for high voltage busbars has a two-part housing, a piston, an igniter and a busbar. The upper housing includes a cylinder, cuboid or prism chamber. The lower housing also includes a cylinder, cuboid or prism chamber. The piston is contained inside one of either the upper housing chamber or the lower housing chamber. Upon igniting the igniter, the piston breaks a portion of the busbar moving the piston and the portion of the busbar into the opposite chamber thereby stopping the electric current flow. The piston is at least partially formed as an insulator to prevent electric discharge. The piston design together with chamber design includes integrated “squeeze areas” and “blow channels” for the appearing arc. A channel system outside or from inside the piston allow the pyro gases to push the arc plasma into a filter system to cool down the gases.

Abstract: An assembly of a driver airbag module and a steering wheel comprises connecting elements for connection of the airbag module with the steering wheel, said elements comprising a hinge or other connection means that allow the airbag module to swivel or rotate with respect to the steering wheel.

Abstract: A bushing primarily for use in high temperature applications. In preferred embodiments the bushing comprises a rounded body formed from a single piece of metal wherein the body has an “M” shaped cross-section with a first outer leg, second outer leg, first inner leg and second inner leg, and wherein the first outer leg and second outer leg are both concave arcs about a central axis and form an outer circumference of the rounded body and wherein the first inner leg and second inner leg each have an arc formed in the leg to create a rounded channel that extends a longitudinal length of the rounded body along the central axis; and wherein the first inner leg and second inner leg transition between each other in a third concave arc.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for helping to protect an occupant (20) of a vehicle (12) having a seat (16 or 22) for receiving the occupant (20) includes an inflatable protection device (14) inflatable from a stored condition in the vehicle (12) adjacent a reaction surface (19, 23, 36) to a deployed condition between the reaction surface and the vehicle occupant (20). The protection device (14) includes a front portion (62) presented toward the seat (22) and an inflatable volume for receiving a penetrating occupant (20?) when the protection device (14) is in the deployed condition. A rear portion (64) connected to the front portion (62) has an inflatable volume spaced from the front portion (62) by a space (110). The front portion (62) is positioned between the vehicle occupant (20) and the rear portion (64) when the protection device (14) is in the deployed condition.

Abstract: A child seat (56) detecting means employing a magnet and sensor (141) for detecting whether a child seat (56) is mounted on the passenger seat (14, 15). A controller (40) in response to a signal from the sensor (141) will prevent activation of a pretensioner or belt tightener (65) from tensioning the seat belt or webbing (55) which is often positioned about or through the child seat (56) and/or for preventing an inflator (34) from expanding an airbag (26) when a child seat (56) is detected on either the front or rear passenger seat (14, 15).

Abstract: A seat belt retractor (10) having a frame with sides (14, 16) and a cover associated with at least one side, an inertial sensor (30) positioned between the at least one side of the frame and the cover, a seal located between the cover and the frame side to prevent contaminants from entering a space about the inertial sensor, the inertia sensor including a movable mass (34) and a magnet (36) spaced from the mass (34) to create a magnetic force upon the mass (34) preventing the magnet from moving excessively if the retractor is subject to predetermined levels of vibration.