Patent ID: 6039346
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An air bag module for restraint of an occupant in a vehicle, the air bag module comprising:an air bag;an inflator being activatable to discharge inflator gas for inflating the air bag, the inflator having a predetermined number of discharge ports through which inflator gas is discharged and through which the level of inflation gas into the air bag can be varied;a housing having a wall adjacent the discharge port of the inflator, the housing including a predetermined number of vent openings equal to the number of discharge ports through which the level of inflation gas into the air bag can be varied;a movable member alignable with the vent openings, the movable member being movable relative to the vent openings for opening and closing the vent openings at a predetermined time during inflator activation to control the amount of inflator gas discharged into the air bag and the amount of inflator gas expelled out through the vent openings of the housing; anda device being activatable during activation of the inflator to move the movable member relative to the vent openings at the predetermined time during inflator activation;the vent openings on the housing and the discharge ports on the inflator being directly aligned with each other such that substantially all of the inflator gas discharged from the predetermined number of discharge ports through which the level of inflation gas into the air bag can be varied is expelled out through the vent openings when the movable member is positioned for opening the vent openings.