Patent ID: 8682534

Claim:
A method of deploying and testing an inflatable restraint, comprising the steps of: selecting a firing map defining firing of an inflatable restraint upon a vehicle crash, the firing map having a first deployment pattern and a second deployment pattern, the firing map having at least three zones, at least one first zone where the inflatable restraint fires in the first deployment pattern, at least one second zone where the inflatable restraint fires in the second deployment pattern, and at least one transition zone between the first zone and the second zone where various characteristics define whether the inflatable restraint fires in the first or the second deployment pattern; defining a regulation zone comprising crash test requirements, wherein the regulation zone and the at least one transition zone do not overlap, wherein the regulation zone uses a single pre-selected deployment pattern chosen from the first deployment pattern and the second deployment pattern throughout the entire regulation zone, wherein the regulation zone comprises at least a speed condition and at least one additional condition; conducting a crash test in the regulation zone; and deploying the inflatable restraint according to the firing map.