Patent ID: 6422592
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
A passenger seat air bag module for supporting and deploying an air bag sack at a location relative to the instrument panel of a vehicle, comprising:a housing; an air bag sack; a gas generator for generating gas for inflating the air bag sack; a cover element for covering a deployment opening through which the air bag sack moves when it is deployed; a pulling force transmitting element having one portion connected to the cover element by a cover element connection and another portion retained at an anchor location spaced from the cover element connection; and a drive mechanism for withdrawing the cover element from its deployment opening cover position into a withdrawn position relatively behind the instrument panel, the drive mechanism including: a drive block having a plurality of paired cylinder bores and drive pistons each of which includes a cylinder bore formed in the drive block and a drive piston movably retained in the cylinder bore and having a pressurized fluid conduit for communicating the cylinder bores with a source of pressurized fluid such that each drive piston is driveable outwardly of its associated cylinder bore in response to the introduction of pressurized fluid into the cylinder bore, the drive block being disposed relatively between the cover element connection and the anchor location of the pulling force transmitting element such that the pulling force transmitting element, between its cover element connection and its anchor location, is trained along a portion of the drive block, and a push bar located at the portion of the drive block along which the pulling force transmitting element is trained, the push bar being engaged by the drive pistons such that the push bar is moved outwardly relative to the drive block upon extension of the drive pistons from their cylinder bores, the outward movement of the push bar effecting withdrawal of the cover element from its deployment opening covering position to its withdrawn position by the pulling force transmitting element due to a shortening of the effective length of the pulling force transmitting element between its anchor location and its cover element connection.