Patent ID: 7862076

Claim:
A side impact airbag for installation in a motor vehicle which is capable of responding differently to a large and a small motor vehicle occupant striking the airbag in a side-on collision, the airbag comprising: at least one chamber; wherein the chamber includes an outflow opening and a closing element that is configured to block or throttle the flow of an inflation gas filing the chamber through the outflow opening and out of the chamber, the airbag and closing element located within the motor vehicle such that in the side-on collision, the closing element is not engaged by the small occupant contacting the airbag and is engaged by the larger occupant contacting the airbag, wherein when the closing element is not engaged gas flow through the outflow opening is enabled to reduce gas pressure in the chamber, and when the closing element is engaged the gas flow through the outflow opening is restricted, wherein the airbag forms a main chamber arranged to be adjacent to a thorax area of the vehicle occupant, and the chamber is in the form of an auxiliary chamber positioned on top of the main chamber, and wherein the outflow opening is formed by the auxiliary chamber, the main chamber has a lower outer impact surface for being directly impacted by the thorax area of the vehicle occupant, and the auxiliary chamber has an upper outer surface for being directly impacted by the thorax area of the larger occupant to engage the closing element and for not being directly impacted by the thorax area of the smaller occupant to not engage the closing element.