Patent ID: 6918611

Claim:
An air bag pressure control system for use in a vehicle having a seating structure, comprising: a housing being configured for installment in the vehicle; an inflatable cushion stored in an un-deployed position in said housing, said inflatable cushion being configured for deployment towards the seating structure; a dual stage inflator in fluid communication with said inflatable cushion, said dual stage inflator being configured to generate a quantity of inflation gas being in a range defined by a first quantity of inflation gas and a second quantity of inflation gas to deploy said inflatable cushion from said housing towards the seating structure; a vent opening formed in said housing, said vent opening being configured to allow a portion of said first quantity of inflation gas or a portion of said second quantity of inflation gas to vent away from said inflatable cushion; a sensing and diagnostic module for detecting an activation event level; a control algorithm adapted to tailor an inflation level of said inflatable cushion during deployment by controlling said dual stage inflator to generate either said first quantity of inflation gas or said second quantity of inflation gas, and by controlling a tether element releasably secured to an activation mechanism to selectively retain said inflatable cushion in a profile being in a range defined by a first expanded profile and a second expanded profile, by manipulating said activation mechanism between a first position and a second position, said activation mechanism being configured to allow said portion to vent away from said inflatable cushion through said vent opening and to retain said inflatable cushion in said first expanded profile at said first position and said activation mechanism being configured to direct said portion towards said inflatable cushion and to release said inflatable cushion to said second expanded profile by releasing said tether element as said activation mechanism moves towards said second position; and wherein said control algorithm is configured to select said inflation level from at least five discrete inflation levels.