US Patent 7770917 Inflatable curtain venting

Disclosed are embodiments of apparatus, methods, and systems for inflatable curtain venting. In one embodiment, an inflatable curtain airbag is tested using a 50th-percentile dummy. The inflatable curtain airbag comprises a vent opening positioned such that during the crash test, the head of the 50th-percentile dummy strikes the airbag at the location of the vent such that the exit of inflation gas through the vent is at least partially blocked. The same inflatable curtain airbag may then be used in a test involving a 5th-percentile dummy, in which case the head of the 5th-percentile dummy would not strike the airbag so as to block the vent, thereby allowing for venting of the airbag.