Patent ID: 6988578

Claim:
An outboard air bag system of a vehicle, comprising: a pair of tubular air bags each operable to be inflated and deployed on an outer surface of the vehicle along one of a pair of front pillars on opposite sides of a front windshield, each of said air bags being attached to an inflator provided on a cowl of the vehicle, each of the air bags when inflated extending from the inflator longitudinally upwardly and rearwardly along the front pillar, each of said air bags having a longitudinal center portion; and a strap in each of said air bags disposed in the longitudinal center portion so as to extend longitudinally, said strap having front and rear edges connected to the air bag to form a longitudinally constricted portion on a surface of the air bag which faces the outer surface of the vehicle and convexly curved portions on both sides of the constricted portion coming into contact with the outer surface of the vehicle, said front edges of said straps facing forwardly relative to said vehicle when said bags are inflated and said rear edges facing rearwardly; wherein the convexly curved portions of each air bag contact the windshield and a garnish of the front pillar, respectively, so as to hold the air bags in place during deployment relative to wind currents.