Patent ID: 7163230

Claim:
Apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle that has a side structure and a roof, said apparatus comprising: an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device that is inflatable away from the vehicle roof into a position between the side structure of the vehicle and a vehicle occupant, said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device defining an inflatable volume and having a length extending along the side structure of the vehicle, said inflatable volume including a forward portion for location forwardly in the vehicle and a rearward portion for location rearwardly in the vehicle; an inflation fluid source that provides inflation fluid for inflating said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said inflation fluid consisting essentially of helium stored under pressure, said inflation fluid source being free from pyrotechnic material for heating said inflation fluid; and a fill tube having a portion located in said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device extending into said forward portion and said rearward portion of said inflatable volume, said fill tube being in fluid communication with said inflation fluid source, said inflation fluid source, when actuated, providing said inflation fluid to said fill tube, said fill tube including outlet apertures positioned along said portion of said fill tube for directing said inflation fluid into said inflatable volume to pressurize said forward and rearward portions evenly along the length of said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and to inflate said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device initially to a first desired pressure and maintain said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflated above a second desired pressure, less than said first pressure, for at least the initial 5–7 seconds of inflation; said inflation fluid being directed through said outlet apertures into said forward portion and said rearward portion of said inflatable volume to inflate said forward and rearward portions, said inflation fluid directed into said forward portion and said inflation fluid directed into said rearward portion having generally the same temperature and generally the same pressure during initial inflation of said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said inflation fluid in said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device having a temperature about equal to an ambient temperature in which said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is inflated for at least 95% of at least the initial 5–7 seconds of inflation.