Airbag module comprising an airbag having a controllable
By designing an airbag module with passive and controllable exhaust ports in the front airbag module of the passenger, the deflection feature and blocking element of the control belt are used to solve the problem of the airbag damage to the passenger in the forward leaning posture of the passenger, and the rapid response and protection effect in the early deployment stage is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380080948.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-12-05
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-30
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-01
AI Technical Summary
In passenger front airbag modules, especially in passenger forward tilt posture (OoP), the deployed airbags may pose a threat to the passenger, and the prior art is difficult to effectively reduce this risk.
An airbag module is designed, and its airbag has a passive controllable exhaust port. By controlling the coordination of the deflection feature and the barrier element of the pull belt, it ensures that the controllable exhaust port is quickly opened in the forward tilt position of the passenger, thereby reducing damage to the passenger.
It effectively reduces the risk of damage to the airbag that is deployed in the passenger's forward leaning position, ensuring that the airbag can quickly respond and open the exhaust port in the early stage of deployment, protecting passenger safety.
Smart Images
Figure CN120239668A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Specification
[0002] The present invention relates to an airbag module as described in the preamble of claim 1 and a motor vehicle comprising such an airbag module as described in claim 11.
[0003] The present invention particularly relates to a front passenger airbag module for a passenger car, also referred to as a "passenger airbag module". Like most front airbag modules, such a passenger airbag module includes an airbag, a receiving unit for the airbag, and an inflator. The receiving unit of such an airbag module (usually including a housing) is located in the passenger-side vehicle dashboard and is used to protect the passenger in the event of a frontal collision.
[0004] Such passenger airbag modules are widely used in automotive technology and are part of almost every modern passenger car.
[0005] In some aspects, the requirements for such an airbag module (especially its airbag) are higher than those for the driver airbag module located in the steering wheel. The reasons are as follows:
[0006] Generally, the volume of the passenger airbag is much larger than that of the driver airbag in the same vehicle because the distance between the receiving unit and the person to be protected is greater than in the case of the driver airbag module. This of course makes it necessary to use a stronger inflator, which usually results in a rather "aggressive" deployment behavior of the airbag, especially in the early deployment stage. It is well known that the deployed airbag can pose a threat to the person to be protected, especially when the person is not in their standard sitting position but in a "forward-leaning position" (so-called "out-of-position" OoP) where the passenger's head is closer to the receiving unit than in the standard sitting position. Making the situation worse, such out-of-position scenarios occur more frequently in the case of passengers than in the case of drivers (when driving, the driver is basically always in their standard sitting position).
[0007] Therefore, measures should be taken to at least reduce the risk of the passenger being injured by the deployed airbag in the case of an OoP scenario, especially when the passenger leans forward towards the windshield / dashboard.
[0008] A measure often taken is a pure geometric measure: if the vehicle's geometry allows, the receiving unit for the airbag is usually arranged in such a way that the airbag initially deploys substantially upward towards the windshield, so that the body parts of the passenger are less likely to be hit by the deployed airbag at a very early stage.
[0009] Another measure is to provide at least one controllable exhaust opening in such a way that the controllable exhaust opening opens in the OoP situation as described above. Such controllable exhaust openings are known in the art and are generally distinguished between controllable exhaust openings actively controlled by an actuator triggered by a sensor signal and controllable exhaust openings passively controlled by the deployed airbag itself. In both cases, it is known to use a control strap that controls the controllable exhaust opening in such a way that in the deployed state of the airbag, the controllable exhaust opening is in a first (usually closed) state when the control strap is under tension and in a second (usually open) state when the control strap is not under tension.
[0010] In the case of a passively controlled exhaust opening, the following layout of an airbag module is known in the art: The airbag of the airbag module includes an outer skin having a collision wall and lateral walls extending from the collision wall. In the non-deployed state, the airbag is received in a receiving unit and an inflator is attached to the receiving unit. The airbag further includes a controllable exhaust opening located at the lateral wall and a control strap for controlling the controllable exhaust opening. The control strap extends from the controllable exhaust opening to a connection portion that connects the control strap to the outer skin. The control strap controls the controllable exhaust opening in such a way that in the deployed state of the airbag, the controllable exhaust opening is in a first state when the control strap is under tension and in a second state when the control strap is not under tension, where the second state is a state with lower throttling relative to the first state.
[0011] In some modern vehicle designs, it is desirable to arrange a large display between the upper surface of the instrument panel and the windshield. For this reason, it is usually not possible to arrange the receiving unit in such a way that the airbag initially deploys substantially upward. As described above, this is a disadvantage considering protecting the passenger from the deployed airbag in the OoP scenario.
[0012] Starting from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an airbag module whose airbag has a passively controllable exhaust opening that contributes to protecting the passenger in the OoP scenario, especially in a geometry where the airbag expands substantially towards the passenger in the early deployment phase.
[0013] This task is solved by an airbag module having the features of claim 1. A motor vehicle including such an airbag module is defined in claim 11.
[0014] It has been found that, especially in the case of the above-described geometry, very good results can be obtained when the connection portion of the control strap is located at the impact wall and the control strap does not extend directly therefrom in a straight line to the controllable exhaust opening, but is deflected by a deflection feature such that the tensioned control strap is at least partially V-shaped, which means that the control strap shows a first section extending between the controllable exhaust opening and the deflection feature and a second section extending between the deflection feature and the connection portion with the impact wall.
[0015] Due to this geometry, the controllable exhaust opening remains tightly closed during the unobstructed deployment of the airbag, but opens very quickly when the impact wall of the deployed airbag hits an obstacle (e.g., the head of a passenger).
[0016] It has further been found that optimal results can generally be obtained when the angle between the first and second sections of the control strap is an acute angle, preferably an angle between 10° and 60°. To achieve this, it may be preferred that the first deflection feature is positioned opposite the impact wall.
[0017] In one embodiment, the first deflection feature is a first deflection element attached to the inner surface of the outer skin. The deflection element is preferably made of a flexible material, such as ordinary airbag material. This has the advantage that the airbag can be fully manufactured before it is attached to its receiving unit and / or inflator.
[0018] In an alternative embodiment, the first deflection feature is a deflection element attached to one of the inflator, the housing, and the mounting element attaching the inflator to the housing. This has the advantage that the deflection feature has a very clearly defined position that does not change at all during the deployment of the airbag.
[0019] In some applications, it may be advantageous to provide two controllable exhaust openings, for example for redundancy or to achieve stronger ventilation. In this case, the airbag module includes an additional controllable exhaust opening, and the control strap defines a shared control strap for controlling the two controllable exhaust openings, or an additional strap for controlling the additional controllable exhaust opening. In addition, the airbag module includes a second deflection feature for deflecting the additional control strap or the shared control strap for controlling the portion of the additional controllable exhaust opening. In this way, a symmetric layout can be achieved.
[0020] To avoid the control strap exerting too large a force on the controllable exhaust opening in the case of unobstructed deployment of the airbag, it may be preferred to provide an additional strap connecting the impact wall to the inner surface of the outer skin. Alternatively, the control strap includes a third section connecting the impact wall to the inner surface of the outer skin, where the third section does not transfer force to the controllable exhaust opening.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the controllable exhaust opening includes a blocking element which, when the controllable exhaust opening is in its first state, is at least partially located between a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first layer includes a first hole and the second layer includes a second hole, and the first hole and the second hole at least partially overlap. The blocking element is connected to a first section of a control pull strap. As long as the outer skin is freely deployable and when the outer skin is fully deployed, the blocking element remains in its original blocking position, but when the impact wall hits an obstacle, the blocking element is pushed through the hole in the outer layer such that the control pull strap cannot reach its tensioned state.
[0022] Particularly good results can be obtained when the blocking element is substantially triangular and the first section of the control pull strap is connected to one vertex of the triangular blocking element.
[0023] To improve the airtightness of the controllable exhaust opening in its first state, it may be preferred that at least the end of the pull strap attached to the blocking element includes two legs, both of which are attached to the blocking element. By this measure, the blocking element is stabilized and held in a flat shape at least in the first state of the controllable exhaust opening. This can contribute to improving the airtightness.
[0024] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of preferred embodiments. The drawings show:
[0025] Figure 1 : A schematic view of the front part of a vehicle on the passenger side, wherein the airbag of the airbag module is in its undeployed state,
[0026] Figure 2 : Figure 1 The article shown in the deployed state of the airbag of the airbag module,
[0027] Figure 3 : In Figure 2 The airbag module in a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the plane A-A of Figure 2 ,
[0028] Figure 4 : Figure 3 Detail D of
[0029] Figure 5 : From Figure 4 The controllable exhaust opening shown in a side view in the direction R in Figure 4 ,
[0030] Figure 6 : An alternative embodiment of the controllable exhaust opening in a representation substantially according to Figure 5 ,
[0031] Figure 7 : An alternative embodiment of the blocking element of the controllable exhaust opening
[0032] Figure 8 : Alternative embodiments of the second layer,
[0033] Figure 9 : Further alternative embodiments of the blocking element and the control strap attached to the blocking element,
[0034] Figure 10 : Substantially as Figure 2 shown OoP event, where the passenger leans forward when the airbag deploys,
[0035] Figure 11 : In accordance with Figure 3 in the representation of Figure 10 shown, but showing the passenger,
[0036] Figure 12 : According to Figure 3 the second embodiment of the airbag module in the representation,
[0037] Figure 13 : According to Figure 3 and Figure 12 the third embodiment of the airbag module of the present invention in the representation,
[0038] Figure 14 : According to Figure 13 the fourth embodiment of the airbag module of the present invention in the representation,
[0039] Figure 15 : According to Figure 14 the fifth embodiment of the airbag module of the present invention in the representation.
[0040] Figure 1 Schematically shows the passenger side of a passenger car. Passenger P is sitting on the passenger side vehicle seat 50 and facing the windshield 56 and the dashboard 52. The monitor 54 is located between the upper end of the dashboard 52 and the windshield 56. As is commonly known in the prior art, the airbag module 5 including the airbag 10 and the inflator 42 is hidden behind the surface of the dashboard 52. The airbag module also includes a receiving unit, but the receiving unit is not shown in detail in Figure 1 Due to the position of the monitor 54, the deployment opening of the airbag module substantially points to the passenger P (instead of usually pointing to the windshield as in the case of a passenger airbag module according to the prior art). This of course means that the airbag 10 deploys directly in the direction towards the passenger P.
[0041] Figure 2 shows Figure 1 the item shown, where the airbag 10 is fully deployed. Passenger P (as Figure 1shown) in a standard sitting position (before he begins to move substantially towards the airbag due to inertial forces), such that the airbag 10 can deploy unobstructed. Figure 3 is also shown in a cross-sectional view along Figure 1 plane A-A in which the airbag is in a fully deployed state. In this figure, the housing 40, which is part of the receiving unit, can also be seen. The cover of the receiving unit (which can be integrated with the instrument panel) is not shown. The inflator 42 is mounted to the housing 40 by means of a flange known in the art, and this flange also attaches the airbag 10 to the housing 40.
[0042] The airbag 10 of course includes an outer skin 12 which geometrically has a collision wall 14, a support wall 18 and side walls 16 connecting the collision wall 14 and the support wall 18. Generally, the collision wall, the support wall 18 and the side walls 16 are made of separate cut pieces, and in particular, the side walls 16 are made of at least one cut piece connecting to both the collision wall and the support wall 18.
[0043] A controllable exhaust port 20 is provided in the side wall 16, and the airbag 10 also includes a control strap 30 for controlling the controllable exhaust port 20.
[0044] The structure of the controllable exhaust port 20 is best shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 : The controllable exhaust port 20 includes a hole 20a in a first layer (in this embodiment, the side wall of the outer skin 12 of the airbag); a second layer 26 which in this embodiment is located on the inside of the outer skin 12 and includes at least a hole 26a overlapping the hole 20a in the first layer; and a blocking element 24 which is located between the first layer (outer skin 12) and the second layer 26 and covers both holes 20a and 26a. The second layer 26 and the blocking element 24 are generally made of flat material, in particular standard airbag material (the same material as the outer skin 12). As can be seen from Figure 5 the second layer 26 and the blocking element 24 are triangular in shape and are connected via a connecting seam 29. The connecting seam 29 extends substantially along all the edges of the second layer 26, but only along one edge of the blocking element 24. The vertex of the blocking element 24 remote from the edge connected via the connecting seam 29 is connected to one end of the control strap 30. The second layer 26 includes a hole 28 for the control strap, and the control strap 30 extends through this hole.
[0045] As can be seen from Figure 4Best visible in [description], when held in place by the control strap 30, the blocking element 24 blocks the holes 20a in the first layer and the holes 26a in the second layer 26, such that when the control strap 30 is under tension, the controllable exhaust port 20 is in the blocked first state. It is readily understood that when the airbag deploys (meaning the gas pressure inside the airbag skin 12 exceeds the pressure outside the airbag 10) and the control strap 30 is not under tension, the blocking element 24 is pushed through the hole 20a in the skin, such that the controllable exhaust port 20 transitions to the open second state.
[0046] According to the invention and as best visible from Figure 3 Best visible in [description], the control strap 30 extends from the controllable exhaust port 20 (i.e., its blocking element 24) to the impact wall 14, and the control strap is connected to the impact wall by a connection in the form of a connection seam 34. However, the control strap does not extend directly from the controllable exhaust port 20 to the impact wall 14, but is guided through a deflection feature 36, which here is in the form of a deflection flap 36 connected to the support wall 18. Due to being guided through the deflection element 36, the control strap is divided into a first section 30a and a second section 30b. It is important to note that the deflection flap 36 deflects the control strap 30 in a sliding manner. The effect of the deflection of the control strap 30 will be described in particular later with reference to Figure 10 and Figure 11 but first, with reference to Figures 6 to 9 describe an alternative embodiment of the controllable exhaust port 20, where it is necessary to mention the operating principle of maintaining the controllable exhaust port.
[0047] Figure 6 Shows an embodiment of the controllable exhaust port 20 in the representation according to Figure 5 Here, the blocking element 24 and the second layer 26 are sections of a single-piece fabric, and the blocking element 24 and the second layer 26 are connected to each other by a connecting section 25. As in the first embodiment, the blocking element 24 and the second layer 26 are triangular in shape, but compared with the embodiment of Figure 5 these triangles have substantially the same dimensions, but are arranged offset from each other. As in the first embodiment, a connection seam 29 is provided, but compared with the first embodiment, the connection seam 29 does not have a section passing through both the blocking element 24 and the second layer 26. This can have advantages regarding the force contribution and sealing of the controllable exhaust port when it is in its first state. As in the first embodiment, holes 28 for the strap are provided in the second layer 26.
[0048] Figure 7The barrier element 24 is shown, which is also substantially triangular in shape in the sense that it has two edges that define an acute angle α. Two legs 33a, 33b of the control strap 30 are attached to the barrier element 24 along the just-mentioned edges, such that these legs 33a, 33b also enclose the acute angle α. This measure can also contribute to better force transmission and better sealing of the controllable vent when it is in its first state. This geometry can also be applied to the barrier element 24 as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 . In the embodiment of Figure 7 , the control strap 30 comprises two strands 31a, 33b, and the legs 33a, 33b are end sections of those strands 31a, 31b. Figure 8 shows Figure 7 a variant of the embodiment: Here, the control strap 30 consists of a main part 32 and an attachment part 33, which is substantially V-shaped and thus has two legs 33a, 33b. As in the embodiment of Figure 7 , those legs 33a, 33b are attached to the barrier element 24 along the edges of the barrier element. The attachment between the barrier element 24, the attachment part 33 of the control strap, and the main part of the control strap can be accomplished by a single seam.
[0049] Figure 9 shows an embodiment of the second layer 26, which is particularly suitable for a barrier element - strap combination as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 . Here, the second layer 26 has a tunnel section 26B that guides a part of the control strap 30.
[0050] Reference is made to Figure 10 and Figure 11 for a description of the working principle of the present invention:
[0051] When the occupant is sitting in a forward-bent position during airbag deployment, the impact wall 14 of course contacts the occupant at a very early time point. Therefore, the control strap 30 is never under tension, and since the outer skin 12 of the airbag cannot unfold freely, the barrier element 24 is very early pushed out of the hole 20a due to the very rapidly increasing pressure inside the outer skin 12, such that gas is released from the interior of the outer skin 12, and the further deployment of the airbag 10 is less aggressive. Thus, a fast-response safety vent for the OoP situation is provided.
[0052] In contrast, when the airbag unfolds freely (see for example Figure 2 ), the barrier element 24 remains in its sandwiched position until the airbag is fully deployed, and is then held by the control strap.
[0053] As in Figure 12As shown, it is of course also possible to preferably provide two controllable exhaust ports 20, 20' in a symmetrical manner. Here, a single control strap 30 can be used, which is slidably connected to the impact wall 14 via a connecting tab 34. In this case, the control strap has four sections 30a to 30d. Providing two controllable exhaust ports 20, 20' (especially in the symmetrical manner as Figure 12 shown) basically has two advantages: firstly, the amount of gas released in the OoP case is of course increased, and secondly, the forces transmitted to the impact wall 14 are symmetrical.
[0054] Figure 13 is shown Figure 12 a variant of the embodiment of, which also utilizes the symmetrical force transmission to the support wall 18, but only uses one controllable exhaust port.
[0055] As Figure 14 shown, it is of course also possible to use two completely separate control straps 30, 30' instead of one control strap held slidably at the impact wall 14.
[0056] Finally, the layout as shown with reference to Figures 1 to 3 can be combined with an additional strap 38 that is only used to limit the inflation depth ( Figure 15 ).
[0057] List of Reference Numerals
[0058] 5 Airbag module
[0059] 10 Airbag
[0060] 12 Outer skin
[0061] 14 Impact wall
[0062] 16 Side wall
[0063] 18 Support wall
[0064] 20, 20' Controllable exhaust ports
[0065] 20a Hole in the first layer
[0066] 22 First hole
[0067] 24 Blocking element
[0068] 25 Connection between the blocking element and the second layer
[0069] 26 Second layer
[0070] 26a Hole in the second layer
[0071] 26b Tunnel section
[0072] 28 Holes for the drawstring
[0073] 30, 30’ Control the drawstring
[0074] 30a, 30b,
[0075] 30c, 30d Control sections
[0076] 31a, 31b Strands
[0077] 32 Main part for controlling the drawstring
[0078] 33 Attachment part for controlling the drawstring
[0079] 33a, 33b Legs
[0080] 34 Connecting part / Connecting seam Connecting flap
[0081] 36 Deflection element / Deflection flap
[0082] 38 Additional drawstring
[0083] 40 Housing
[0084] 42 Inflator
[0085] 50 Vehicle seat
[0086] 52 Instrument panel
[0087] 54 Monitor
[0088] 56 Windshield
Claims
1. An airbag module (5), the airbag module comprising: An airbag (10), the airbag comprising an outer skin (12) having a collision wall (14) and side walls (16) extending from the collision wall (14), A receiving unit that houses the airbag (10) when the airbag (10) is in its undeployed state, and An inflator (42) attached to the receiving unit, Wherein the airbag (10) further comprises A controllable exhaust port (20) located at the side wall (16), and A control pull strap (30) for controlling the controllable exhaust port (20), the control pull strap (30) extending from the controllable exhaust port (20) to a connection portion (34) that connects the control pull strap (30) to the outer skin (12), Wherein the control pull strap (30) controls the controllable exhaust port (20) in such a manner that in the deployed state of the airbag (10), the controllable exhaust port (20) is in a first state when the control pull strap (30) is under tension and in a second state when the control pull strap (30) is not under tension, wherein the second state is a state with lower throttling relative to the first state, Characterized in that The connection portion (34) connects the control pull strap (30, 30') to the collision wall (14), and The control pull strap (30) is guided through a first deflection feature (36) such that at least when the control pull strap (30) is under tension, the control pull strap (30) is deflected by the deflection feature (36) such that the control pull strap (30) shows a first section (30a) extending between the controllable exhaust port (20) and the deflection feature (36), and a second section (30b) extending between the deflection feature (36) and the connection portion (34) to the collision wall (14).
2. The airbag module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first deflection feature (36) is positioned opposite to the collision wall (14).
3. The airbag module according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first section (30a) and the second section (30b) of the control pull strap (30) enclose an acute angle, preferably an angle between 10° and 60°.
4. The airbag module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The first deflection feature (36) is a first deflection element (36) attached to the inner surface of the outer skin (12), wherein the first deflection element (36) is preferably made of a flexible material to form a flap.
5. The airbag module according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first deflection feature (36) is a deflection element (36) attached to one of the inflator (42), the receiving unit, and the mounting element that attaches the inflator to the receiving unit.
6. The airbag module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The airbag module includes an additional controllable exhaust port (20'), The control pull strap defines a shared control pull strap (30) for controlling two controllable exhaust ports (20, 20'), or provides an additional control pull strap (30') for controlling the additional controllable exhaust port (20'). An additional deflection feature (36’) is provided for deflecting a portion of the additional control strap (30’) or the shared control strap (30) that controls the additional controllable exhaust port (20’).
7. The airbag module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, An additional strap (38) is provided that connects the impact wall (14) to one of the inner surface of the outer skin, the inflator (42), the receiving unit, and the mounting element that attaches the inflator to the receiving unit, in particular to a housing (40) that is part of the receiving unit. Alternatively, it is characterized in that the control strap includes a third section that connects the impact wall to one of the inner surface of the outer skin, the inflator (42), the receiving unit, and the mounting element that attaches the inflator to the receiving unit, in particular to a housing (40) that is part of the receiving unit.
8. The airbag module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The controllable exhaust port (20) includes a blocking element (24) that is at least partially located between a first layer (12) and a second layer (26) when the controllable exhaust port (20) is in its first state, where the first layer (12) includes a first hole (20a) and the second layer (26) includes a second hole (26a), and the first hole (20a) and the second hole (26a) at least partially overlap.
9. The airbag module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The blocking element (24) is substantially triangular in shape.
10. The airbag module according to claim 9, characterized in that, At least the end of the control strap (30) attached to the blocking element (24) includes two legs (33a, 33b), both of which are attached to the blocking element (24).
11. A motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including a windshield, an instrument panel, and an airbag module (10) according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, and a monitor (54) located between the instrument panel (52) and the windshield (56).