Patent ID: 6726615
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
A method of folding a gas bag for a vehicle occupant restraint system, said gas bag having a wall delimiting a chamber and having an inflation opening, said inflation opening having a rim, said method comprising the following steps:spreading said gas bag out on a first planar surface of a base, holding said rim of said inflation opening of said gas bag fixed with respect to said base, locating a plate having a second planar surface parallel to said first planar surface and fixed at a predetermined distance from said first planar surface throughout inflating and folding of said gas bag, and exposing said chamber of said gas bag to a positive pressurized medium so that said gas bag is unfolded into a substantially flattened shape and is pushed by said pressurized medium against said first planar surface and against said second planar surface, pressing said wall of said gas bag inwards by a plurality of fold tongues spaced apart from each other in a circular configuration around a circular outer periphery of said wall and which are displaced along a linear path parallel to said first and second planar surfaces and which displacement of said fold tongues into said wall forces at least some of the pressurized medium out of said chamber and forms a plurality of indentations in said wall, each indentation corresponding to each of said fold tongues, each indentation extending from said plate to said base in a direction perpendicular to said first and second planar surfaces, and withdrawing said fold tongues from said wall, said exposing said chamber of said gas bag to a positive pressure, said pressing and said withdrawing being performed while said first and second planar surfaces are fixed at said predetermined distance and while the entire gas bag lies between said base and plate.