Patent ID: 6499765
Filing Date: 2002-12-31
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An air bag restraint for protection of an occupant within a transportation vehicle comprising: an inflatable cushion in fluid communication with a gas expelling inflator, the cushion being folded to assume a compact folded arrangement for storage at a defined storage location within the vehicle in substantially opposing relation to the occupant, the compact folded arrangement including an inboard lateral boundary for disposition within the vehicle facing generally towards the center of the vehicle and a generally opposing outboard lateral boundary for disposition within the vehicle facing away from the center of the vehicle, the compact folded arrangement further including a series of mass concentrating folds extending generally along one of the lateral boundaries, said cushion having variable deployment characteristics such that said cushion is normally deployable outwardly away from said storage location and generally towards the occupant upon introduction of gas from the inflator and such that upon encountering an obstruction at the initiation of deployment, the direction of deployment is biased laterally of and to the side of the occupant in the direction faced by the lateral boundary along which the mass concentrating folds extend.