Claims
- 1. An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflatable to help protect a vehicle occupant; an inflator for providing inflation fluid for inflating said protection device; a vent member including at least one vent opening for venting said inflation fluid; and a vent cover having a closed condition for blocking fluid flow through said at least one vent opening and an open condition for permitting fluid flow through said at least one vent opening, said vent cover including a side wall having at least one portion that projects from said side wall into said vent member to help maintain said vent cover in said closed condition.
- 2. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one portion projects into said at least one vent opening, said at least one portion being engageable with a surface defining said at least one vent opening to maintain said vent cover in said closed condition.
- 3. The apparatus recited in claim 1, further comprising a device actuatable to place said vent cover in the open condition to enable fluid flow through said vent opening to vent inflation fluid from said apparatus.
- 4. The apparatus recited in claim 3, wherein said actuatable device interconnects portions of said vent cover to maintain said vent cover in said closed condition, said actuatable device being actuatable to release said portions of said vent cover to place said vent cover in said open condition.
- 5. The apparatus recited in claim 4, wherein said portions of said vent cover interconnected by said actuatable device comprise a first mounting flange disposed on a first end portion of said side wall and a second mounting flange disposed on a second end portion of said side wall, said actuatable device connecting said first and second mounting flanges to maintain said vent cover in the closed condition, said actuatable device being actuatable to release said first and second mounting flanges to release said vent cover for movement from the closed condition to the open condition.
- 6. The apparatus recited in claim 5, wherein said first and second mounting flanges extend parallel to each other and overlie each other when said vent cover is in the closed condition, said actuatable device extending through said first and second mounting flanges to interconnect said first and second mounting flanges.
- 7. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said actuatable device comprises an explosive bolt.
- 8. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent member has a cylindrical configuration, said side wall of said vent cover having a cylindrical configuration that mates with said cylindrical vent member.
- 9. The apparatus recited in claim 8, further comprising a retainer having an annular, radially extending main body portion for clamping said protection device to said vent member, said retainer having a plurality of axially extending, circumferentially spaced clamping legs for clamping said inflator to said vent member at a location radially between said inflation fluid outlets of said inflator and said vent opening;
said circumferentially spaced clamping legs of said retainer defining between them a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid passages that provide fluid communication between said inflation fluid outlets of said inflator and said vent opening in said vent member.
- 10. The apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein said vent member comprises a reaction member for supporting said apparatus on the vehicle.
- 11. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent member has a rectangular configuration, said side wall of said vent cover having a rectangular configuration that mates with said rectangular vent member.
- 12. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent cover comprises:
a first cover portion having a first end and an opposite second end; a second cover portion having a first end and an opposite second end; said second ends of said first and second cover portions being engageable with each other to interconnect said second ends of said first and second cover portions; said first ends of said first and second cover portions being connectable to each other via said actuatable device.
- 13. The apparatus recited in claim 12, wherein one of said second ends comprises a latch member and the other of said second ends comprises at least one hook member, said latch member being engageable with said at least one hook member to connect said second ends of said first and second cover portions.
- 14. The apparatus recited in claim 12, wherein said vent member has a cylindrical configuration, said first and second cover portions each having a semi-cylindrical configuration.
- 15. The apparatus recited in claim 12, wherein said vent member has a rectangular configuration, said first and second cover portions each having a rectangular configuration.
- 16. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent member comprises a reaction member for supporting said apparatus on the vehicle.
- 17. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent cover is formed as a split ring having a generally cylindrical configuration.
- 18. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent cover is formed as a split ring having a generally rectangular configuration.
- 19. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein said vent cover is adapted to exert a clamping force on said vent member to help maintain said vent cover in said closed condition.
- 20. An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device inflatable to help protect a vehicle occupant; an inflator for providing inflation fluid for inflating said protection device, said inflator having a plurality of inflation fluid outlets; a vent member connected with said inflator, said vent member having a vent wall including at least one vent opening; a vent cover including a side wall having at least one portion that projects from said side wall, said vent cover having a closed condition in which said at least one portion projects into said at least one vent opening to help connect said vent cover to said vent member, said vent cover having an open condition in which said at least one portion is retracted from said at least one vent opening to enable fluid flow through said at least one vent opening to vent inflation fluid from said apparatus; and an actuatable device having an unactuated condition maintaining said vent cover in the closed condition, said actuatable device having an actuated condition that places said vent cover in the open condition to enable fluid flow through said vent opening to vent inflation fluid from said apparatus.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/438,655, filed on May 15, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/976,822, filed on Oct. 12, 2001, now abandoned.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10438655 |
May 2003 |
US |
Child |
10731076 |
Dec 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09976822 |
Oct 2001 |
US |
Child |
10438655 |
May 2003 |
US |