Vehicle safety apparatus including an inflatable confinement

Abstract

An improved safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an accident includes a confinement which is inflated to an expanded condition to restrain movement of an occupant. To effect inflation of the confinement, a fluid source is actuated to provide a high-velocity fluid stream which cooperates with a nozzle to draw a relatively large volume of air into the confinement. .Iadd.

I claim:  .[.1. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device including a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant of the vehicle during a collision, and means for generating one volume of gas and directing it into said confinement and for effecting a flow of a larger volume of air into said confinement to inflate said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition..]. .[.2. A safety device as set forth in claim 1 further including conduit means for continuously connecting said confinement in fluid communication with the atmosphere inside of the vehicle to thereby enable said larger volume of air to be drawn from within the vehicle upon expansion of said 
     
        confinement..]. 3. A safety device .[.as set forth in claim 1.]. .Iadd.for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device including a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant of the vehicle during a collision, and means for generating one volume of gas and directing it into said confinement and for effecting a flow of larger volume of air into said confinement for admixing with said first volume to inflate said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition, .Iaddend.wherein said means for generating said one volume of gas includes a solid-propellant rocket-type device which is at least partially cooled 
     
     
        by the flow of said larger volume of air into said confinement. 4. A safety device .[.as set forth in claim 1.]. .Iadd.for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device including a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition, in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant of the vehicle during a collision, and means for generating one volume of gas and directing it into said confinement and for effecting a flow of a larger volume of air into said confinement for admixing with said first volume to inflate said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition, .Iaddend.wherein said confinement and said means for generating one volume of gas .Iadd.and .Iaddend.directing it into said confinement are mounted on the steering wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith relative to a steering wheel support assembly.  .[.5. A safety device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said larger volume of air is at least four times greater 
     
     
        than said one volume of gas..]. 6. A safety device .[.as set forth in claim 1.]. .Iadd.for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for generating one volume of gas and directing it into said confinement for admixing with said first volume to inflate said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition, .Iaddend.wherein said means for generating said one volume of gas includes a nozzle for directing said one volume of gas and said larger volume of air into said confinement and a gas generator having a combustion chamber in which fuel is burned to thereby generate said one volume of gas, said gas generator being mounted in a coaxial relationship with said nozzle to enable said gas generator to be at least partially cooled by a flow of said larger volume of air around said gas generator. 
     
     
           A safety device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said confinement is made of a fluidtight material and is sealingly connected to said nozzle to prevent an escape of gas from said confinement into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.  .[.8. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said expanded condition including a nozzle connected in fluid communication with a source of air and having one end portion opening into said confinement and a gas-generating assembly for directing a stream of 
     
     
        high-velocity gas into said nozzle..]. 9. A safety device .[.as set forth in claim 8.]. .Iadd.for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said condition including a nozzle connected in fluid communication with the atmosphere in the vehicle occupant compartment and having one end portion opening into said confinement and a gas generating assembly for directing a stream of high velocity gas into said nozzle, .Iaddend.wherein said gas generating assembly is located in the path of the air to enable the air to at least partially cool the gas generated by said generating assembly.  .[.10. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said expanded condition, and passage means for connecting said confinement in fluid communication with the atmosphere outside of the safety device to enable air to be drawn through said passage means and into said confinement and to enable gas to be exhausted from said confinement to the 
     
     
        atmosphere outside of the safety device..]. 11. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said expanded condition including a nozzle opening into said confinement and a rocket motor fixedly connected to the vehicle and positioned to direct a 
     
     
        high-velocity stream of gas into said nozzle. 12. A safety device as set forth in claim 11 further including means for sealingly connecting said confinement with said nozzle to prevent an escape of gas from said 
     
     
        confinement into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. 13. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said expanded condition, and wherein said confinement and means for drawing air into said confinement are mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith relative to a steering wheel support assembly.  .[.14. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for drawing air into said confinement to expand said confinement to said expanded condition including a source of fluid for providing a volume of fluid which is substantially smaller than the volume of air drawn into 
     
     
        said confinement..]. 15. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, means for expanding said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition by effecting a flow of air from the atmosphere outside of said confinement into said confinement, and fluid passage means for continuously connecting the interior of said confinement with the atmosphere outside of the vehicle to enable said confinement to be deflated from the expanded condition without exhausting gas into the passenger compartment.  .[.16. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, means for expanding said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition by effecting a flow of air from the atmosphere outside of said confinement into said confinement including a gas generator which burns fuel to form a gas which flows into said confinement, and fluid passage means for continuously connecting the interior of said confinement with the atmosphere outside of said confinement to enable said confinement to be deflated from the expanded condition to the collapsed condition by flowing gas through said passage means to the atmosphere outside of said 
     
     
        confinement..]. 17. A safety device .[.as set forth in claim 16.]. .Iadd.for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, means for expanding said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition by effecting a flow of air from the vehicle occupant compartment outside of said confinement into said confinement including a gas generator which burns fuel to form a gas which flows into said confinement, and fluid passage means for connecting the interior of said confinement with the vehicle occupant compartment atmosphere outside of said confinement to enable said confinement to be deflated from the expanded condition to the collapsed condition by flowing gas through said passage means to the vehicle compartment atmosphere outside of said confinement, .Iaddend.wherein said confinement and gas generator are mounted on the steering wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith relative to a steering wheel support assembly.  .[.18. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, means for expanding said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition by effecting a flow of air from the atmosphere outside of said confinement into said confinement, and fluid passage means for continuously connecting the interior of said confinement with the atmosphere inside of said vehicle to enable air from the interior of the vehicle to flow into said confinement during expansion thereof to thereby tend to minimize the variation in fluid pressure within the passenger compartment during expansion of said confinement and to enable said confinement to be deflated from the expanded condition to the collapsed condition by flowing gas through said passage means to the atmosphere outside of said confinement..]. .Iadd. 19. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a passenger compartment of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed inoperative condition to an expanded operative condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision, and means for supplying inflating fluid to the confinement including means for drawing air into said confinement from the interior of said passenger compartment wherein said fluid and said air are admixed to expand said confinement to said expanded condition, and wherein said confinement and means for drawing air into said confinement are mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith relative to a steering wheel support assembly. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 20. A safety device for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision, said safety device comprising: (a) a confinement which is expansible from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant during a collision;   (b) means for expanding said confinement from said collapsed condition to said expanded condition including a gas generator which burns fuel to form a gas which flows into said confinement;   (c) means for effecting a flow of air from the vehicle occupant compartment into said confinement and mixing same with the generated gas during expansion thereof for minimizing the pressure variation in the occupant compartment, said means including means defining a passage connecting the interior of said confinement with the vehicle occupant compartment atmosphere outside of said confinement, said passage enabling said confinement to be inflated by drawing air from the occupant compartment and deflated from the expanded condition by exhausting the gas and air mixture through said passage to the vehicle occupant compartment;   (d) said gas generator and said means effecting said flow of air are disposed as an integral unit mounted in the dash of the vehicle for inflating a confinement to protect passengers adjacent the vehicle driver and said passage defining means communicates with the occupant compartment in the region bounded by the vehicle dash structure. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21. The safety device defined in claim 20 wherein said means effecting a flow of air includes means directing fluid flow into said confinement, said fluid directing means having the margins of said confinement attached thereto in fluid-sealing arrangement and said confinement in the collapsed condition is disposed in closely packed arrangement adjacent said fluid directing means. .Iaddend.