Patent ID: 6333515
Filing Date: 2001-12-25
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An automotive vehicle occupant protection apparatus for an automotive vehicle having an interior compartment, a pillar portion, a vehicle body side portion, and a roof side rail, said apparatus comprising:an inflator for jetting gas upon an occurrence of a side collision;a bag operatively connected to said inflator so as to expand during jetting of the gas, said bag being housed in a folded state and constructed and arranged to permit placement thereof between the pillar portion and the roof side rail so that expansion occurs beneath the roof side rail and within the interior compartment;a pillar garnish including a trim member disposable at an inner side of the pillar portion and extending in a longitudinal direction by a sufficient length to cover at least a portion of said bag in the folded state; anda deformable member hingedly connected to said pillar garnish and provided in the vicinity of said bag, said deformable member being (i) formed of a portion of said pillar garnish and (ii) configured to form an opening for expansion of said bag without breaking or scattering said pillar garnish;wherein the deformable member includes an unhinged end portion positioned in the vicinity of the vehicle body side portion, the unhinged end portion moving away from the vehicle body side portion when the bag starts to expand.