Development of a New Downsized Airbag System for Use in Passenger Vehicles

An issue placing significant pressure on airbag systems development at the current time is the need to downsize the entire airbag module in order to reduce weight and cost, offer better styling options for automotive original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) design engineers, and improve occupant safety. However, because components of the module are interrelated - both functionally and physically - size and weight reductions necessitate a total systems approach to engineering.

This paper will discuss an integrated approach to airbag systems design and will describe new airbag systems that offer significant weight and size reductions over current configurations.