Abstract: The airbag apparatus includes an airbag folded and housed in a housing. The airbag includes an outer bag constituting an outer wall of the airbag and an inner bag disposed inside the outer bag. The inner bag includes an outlet port supplying inflation gas into the outer bag and an arm inflatable into a tapered bag contour. The arm holds down a peripheral defected region of the outer bag defected from the housing onto a top plane of a ring of a steering wheel all the while that the inner bag remains completely inflated at the operation of the airbag apparatus.

Abstract: The steering wheel includes a wheel body and an airbag apparatus disposed on top of a boss. The wheel body is divided into a shaft side division joined to the steering shaft, and a ring side division disposed proximate the ring. The ring side division is rotatable with respect to the shaft side division such that a ring plane is aligned generally vertically. The boss includes an actuator that rotates and moves the ring side division to align the ring plane generally vertically. The actuator completes its operation to align the ring plane generally vertically by the time a driver contacts the inflated airbag in the course of forward motion.

Abstract: The airbag apparatus includes an airbag having a tether including an occupant side tether belt and a vehicle body side tether belt. An intermediate portion of the vehicle body side tether belt is held at the side of a housing of the airbag by a retaining mechanism. At full inflation of the airbag, the clearance between the side of the housing and the occupant side tether belt is reduced when the vehicle body side belt is retained by the retaining mechanism whereas the clearance is enlarged when the vehicle body side tether belt is released from the retaining mechanism. The occupant side tether belt and the vehicle body side tether belt are linked with each other so that a central area of a protection plane of an occupant side wall of the airbag in the former case is generally parallel to the central area in the latter.

Abstract: The airbag apparatus includes an airbag having an exhaust hole for discharging part of inflation gas, an open/close controller for controlling opening and closing operations of the exhaust hole, and a flap element releasably joined to the open/close controller and being joined to a periphery of the exhaust hole in an outer side of the airbag which periphery is in a side facing away from the open/close controller, for opening and closing the exhaust hole. The apparatus further includes an open/close means arranged in the periphery of the exhaust hole. Upon airbag inflation, if the flap element is retained by the open/close controller, the open/close means is held down at its outer side by the flap element and keeps the exhaust hole closed. If the flap element is released from the open/close controller, the open/close means opens by the pressure of inflation gas to expand an opening area of the exhaust hole.

Abstract: An air bag for steering wheel of the invention is folded and housed in a boss positioned in the vicinity of the center of a ring of a steering wheel gripped by a driver during steering. The air bag includes a driver side wall and a wheel side wall that are substantially equal in outer shape to each other. The wheel side wall includes an opening for supplying an inflation gas therethrough in the center. A periphery of the opening provides an area for attachment of the air bag to the steering wheel. A thickness regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls and thus regulating the thickness of the completely inflated air bag is disposed in the vicinity of the opening. An oscillation regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls is disposed in the vicinity of the ring of the steering wheel in the completely inflated air bag.

Abstract: An airbag of an airbag device for driver's seat of the invention is stored in a way that a carbody-side wall part and a driver-side wall part are overlapped and spread flat, and the airbag is folded in three steps so that widths between opposing outer edge portions with a gas opening as the center are reduced. In the first step of the folding, the carbody-side wall part and the driver-side wall part are overlapped and spread flat, and then right and left edge portions are folded toward the carbody-side wall so that wound regions are provided. In the second step of the folding, areas by front and rear edge portions are folded toward the driver-side wall, so that two regions that have been folded each cover approximately half the gas opening. In the third step, areas by the right and left edge portions that have been folded in the second step are folded in such a manner as to be bent upward.

Abstract: An airbag device according to the present invention includes an airbag folded and housed in the shape of folded-up body, and an airbag wrapping member for keeping the folded-up configuration of the airbag. The folded-up body is formed by bringing both ends of the airbag close to a base line, such that the folded-up body is symmetric with respect to the base line. The wrapping member includes a breakable portion in a region above the base line. The breakable portion includes a plurality of apertures each of which is located across the base line as to extend toward both sides from the base line, and connecting portions for connecting adjacent apertures into a larger opening upon breakage. The connecting portions disposed by the side of both ends of each of the apertures are located in opposite sides of the base line. The wrapping member further includes two cut-out portions in edges of a cover portion in a direction along the base line.

Abstract: An air bag for steering wheel of the invention is folded and housed in a boss positioned in the vicinity of the center of a ring of a steering wheel gripped by a driver during steering. The air bag includes a driver side wall and a wheel side wall that are substantially equal in outer shape to each other. The wheel side wall includes an opening for supplying an inflation gas therethrough in the center. A periphery of the opening provides an area for attachment of the air bag to the steering wheel. A thickness regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls and thus regulating the thickness of the completely inflated air bag is disposed in the vicinity of the opening. An oscillation regulating tether for regulating the separation distance between the driver side and wheel side walls is disposed in the vicinity of the ring of the steering wheel in the completely inflated air bag.

Abstract: A steering wheel horn switch includes two contact members and a support member, which supports the contact member and is formed from a light metallic material, and the contact member and the support member are electrically conducted to each other in such a manner to form a horn operating circuit. An electric conductor having electrical conductivity, which is higher than the electrical conductivity of the support member, is disposed between the contact member and the support member in such a way as to come in contact with both the contact member and the support member. The electric conductor is in contact with the support member so that the contact area therebetween is larger than the contact area between the contact member and the support member in the case when the contact member is singly brought into contact with the support member, or so that the electric conductor is brought into contact with the support member by being pushed by the support member.

Abstract: It is a steering wheel horn switch that has two contact members and a support member, which supports the contact member and is formed from a light metallic material, and that the contact member and the support member are electrically conducted to each other in such a manner as to be able to form a horn operating circuit. An electric conductor having electrical conductivity, which is higher than that of the support member, is disposed between the contact member and the support member in such a way as to come in contact with both the contact member and the support member. The electric conductor is in contact with the support member so that the contact area therebetween is larger than the contact area between the contact member and the support member in the case when the contact member is singly brought into contact with the support member, or so that the electric conductor is brought into contact with the support member by being pushed by the support member.