Patent ID: 7648159

Claim:
An airbag apparatus for a saddle-type vehicle including a seat for a rider, the airbag apparatus comprising: a retainer for being mounted at a predetermined location to the vehicle adjacent to the seat and having a rearmost portion forwardly of the seat in a longitudinal fore-and-aft direction along the vehicle; an airbag for being deployed from the retainer during a front collision with the vehicle; a central portion of the airbag that upon airbag inflation is centrally aligned with the vehicle seat in the longitudinal fore-and-aft direction so as not to be offset laterally therefrom; a constraining surface of the central portion of the airbag having a forwardly inclined configuration so that upon airbag inflation the forwardly inclined constraining surface faces a rider seated on the vehicle seat and extends in alignment with and in generally the same direction as a front area between a rider's chest and abdominal regions; and at least a portion of the constraining surface that is disposed rearwardly of the retainer rearmost portion, wherein the airbag has a top portion to which the constraining surface extends with the sizing of the constraining surface being such that upon airbag inflation the top portion extends in the generally fore-and-aft direction along the vehicle below a rider's head region.