Front center airbag system

Abstract

Front center airbag system (50), comprising: a first airbag (82) mounted on an inner side (54) of a first front seat (52) and a second airbag (110) mounted on an inner side (62) of a second front seat (60), the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) being constructed and arranged such that, in a deployed state, the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) fill a space between and partially in front of the first front seat (52) and the second front seat (60); characterized in that in the deployed state, the first airbag (82) comprises a lower portion (86) and an upper portion (84) and the second airbag (110) comprises an upper portion (112), wherein the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) overlap each other in the deployed state such that in the deployed state only the lower portion (86) of the first airbag (82) overlaps and reacts against the upper portion (112) of the second airbag (110).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The field to which the disclosure generally relates includes safety restraint devices. In particular, the invention relates to a front center airbag system according to the preamble of claim 1, as known, for example, from JP 2010-76640 A. Similar airbag systems and modifications thereof are also disclosed in the publications US 2014 / 0 042 733 A1, DE 196 03 106 A1, US 2014 / 0 151 984 A1, DE 10 2012 216 896 A1, and US 5 499 840 A. BACKGROUND

[0002] A vehicle may include one or more safety restraint devices.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of providing a front center airbag system that requires relatively small cushions and yet still offers the required protection.

[0004] This object is achieved with a front center airbag system having the features of claim 1.

[0005] It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are for illustrative purposes only. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Selected examples of the invention will be fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an airbag system. Fig. 2 illustrates a front view of an airbag system. Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an airbag system. Fig. 4 illustrates a front view of an airbag system. Fig. 5 illustrates a side view of an airbag cushion. Fig. 6 illustrates a side view of an airbag cushion. Fig. 7 illustrates a side view of an airbag cushion assembly. Fig. 8 illustrates a close-up view of an airbag. Fig. 9 illustrates a close-up view of a cushion assembly and a gas generator assembly. Fig. 10 illustrates a top sectional view of an airbag in a seat. Fig. 11 illustrates a sectional view of an airbag in a seat from above. Fig. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a seat. Fig. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a driver and a passenger seat. Fig. 14 illustrates a control scheme DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE VARIANTS

[0007] The Fig. 1-4 and 10-11 illustrate various variations of a front center airbag system 50. According to one variation, a front center airbag system 50 may include a first airbag 82, which may be constructed and configured to provide an occupant 2, 4, which may include a driver or a front passenger, with an upper body region coverage including, but not limited to, head and / or shoulder coverage during a crash event, and a second airbag 110, which may be constructed and configured to provide an occupant 2, 4, with a midbody region coverage including, but not limited to, torso coverage during a crash event. According to another variation, the second airbag 110 may also be constructed and configured to provide pelvic coverage.According to one variation, the second airbag 110 may also be constructed and configured to cover at least a portion of a center console 68, if a center console 68 is present in the vehicle. According to one variation, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may be mounted on adjacent seats 52, 60. The use of two airbags 82, 110 may allow the use of inflators 90, 118 with a smaller diameter and thinner cushion packs 94, 122, as shown in FIGS. Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, which requires less packaging space than a larger diameter inflator with a larger airbag cushion. This may enable a deployed airbag cushion cover for one or more front occupants 24 of a vehicle using less packaging space, which may allow installation of a front center airbag system 50 in smaller vehicles and / or vehicles with narrow interiors where packaging space on the inside 54, 62 of the seat 52, 60 may be limited.

[0008] The Fig. 5-9 illustrate further variants. According to one variant, the first airbag 82 may include a first cushion assembly 100, which may be constructed and configured to, when inflated, provide an occupant 2, 4 with an upper body region covering, including, but not limited to, a head and / or shoulder covering, a variant of which is shown in Fig. 5. The second airbag 110 may include a second cushion assembly 128 that may be constructed and configured to, when inflated, provide an occupant 2, 4 with a central body region covering, including but not limited to a torso covering, with variations thereof being described in the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. According to another variation, the second cushion assembly 128 may also be constructed and configured to provide a pelvic cover. The first cushion assembly 100 and the second cushion assembly 128 may also include a first fill 140 and a second fill 142. According to one variation, the first and / or second fill 140, 142 may comprise a fabric and may include a coating on its outer surface 146 that may contact the opposing cushion assembly 100, 128, which may increase friction and assist in coupling the first airbag cushion assembly 110 and the second airbag cushion assembly 128 together during a deployment condition, which may reduce sliding of the first airbag 82 or the second airbag 110 over one another. Any number of coatings may be used, including, but not limited to, a silicone coating.According to another variation, an additional fill may be disposed on the outside of the main fills 140, 142 with the coated side facing inward toward the other module assembly to increase friction and may assist in coupling the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and the second airbag cushion assembly 128, which may reduce sliding of the first airbag 82 or the second airbag 110 over one another. According to further variations, one or more tethers, reinforcement fills, diffusers, and / or cushion retainers (not illustrated) may be attached to the first fill 140 and / or the second fill 142, which may increase the strength of the cushion assembly 100, 128 and protect the cushion assembly 100, 128 from the inflator assembly 88, 116 (a variation of which is shown in FIG. Fig. 9). According to another variation, the first fill 140 and the second fill 142 and any number of tethers and / or cushion-related components may be woven together integrally as one piece or as a large piece as part of the cushion assembly.

[0009] With reference to the Fig. 1, 3, and 5-8, according to further variations, the first fill 140 and the second fill 142 may be attached to each other by means of at least one seam 158 that may extend at a distance around the perimeter of the first fill 140 and the second fill 142 such that a cushion selvedge 156 may remain around the perimeter of the seam 158. According to further variations, the seam 158 may include one or more rows of stitching and / or may be woven such that the cushion assembly 100, 128 may be one piece. According to further variations, the cushion assembly 100, 128 may also include one or more internal tethers (not illustrated) and / or external tethers that may be used to control the shape of the cushion assembly 100, 128 in an inflated state 160. The one or more inner tethers may include one or more rows of stitching and / or may be woven into the cushion assembly 100, 128.According to further variations, when the first airbag 82 and / or the second airbag 110 are deployable, the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may fill the perimeter of the seam 158 and be inflated. According to further variations, the seam 158 may also include a sealant to retain gas in the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second airbag cushion assembly 128 at the seam 158. Any number of sealants may be used, including, but not limited to, silicone. According to another variation, the seam 158 may not be sealed.

[0010] According to further variants, a central region 104 of the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or a central region 132 of the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may include an inactive region 176 within at least a portion of the central region 104, 132. According to further variants, the inactive region 176 may be closed and / or sealed from the remaining outer portion 106, 134 of the cushion assembly 100, 128 such that during a deployment condition, the inactive region 176 cannot be inflated with a gas, whereas the outer portions 106, 134 can be inflated with a gas, with variants thereof being described in the Fig. 1, 3 and 5-7. The inactive region 176 may have any number of shapes, including, but not limited to, circular, a variation of which is Fig. 5 is an oval shape, with variants of it in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 6, or have a teardrop, hourglass, or banana shape (not illustrated). According to further variations, more than one inactive region 176 may be present. According to further variations, when the first airbag 82 and / or the second airbag 110 is / are capable of deploying, the inactive region 176 of the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the inactive region 176 of the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may not inflate with the rest of the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second airbag cushion assembly 128, such that the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may comprise a ring-like shape when inflated, with variations thereof in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. According to another variant, the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second cushion assembly 128 may be sewn so that the inflated cushion portion does not completely surround the central region 104, 132, so that the inflated cushion assembly 100, 128 may comprise a U-shape, an inverted U-shape, a C-shape, or an inverted C-shape, a variant of which is shown in Fig. 7. According to further variations, a seam 158 may extend from the inactive region 176 to a portion of the peripheral seam 158 such that a lower portion 86, 114 of the cushion assembly 100, 128 may be closed and / or sealed at the rear end 102 of the cushion assembly 100, 128 such that the lower portion 86, 114 may be inflated last.

[0011] With reference to the Fig. 1, Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and / or the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may, according to further variations, include one or more outer tethers 148, which may be constructed and configured to control the kinematics of the first airbag 82 and / or the second airbag 110 during deployment. According to one variation, an outer tether 148 may extend from the cushion selvedge 156 on a first end 150 of the cushion assembly 128 adjacent the inflator 118 and on the cushion selvedge 156 on a second, opposite side 152 of the cushion assembly 128, a variation of which is shown in Fig. 7. According to further variants, the outer tether 148 may also be attached to an inactive region 176 of the cushion assembly 100, 128, with variants thereof being described in the Fig. 1, Fig. 3, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. The outer tether 148 may be attached to the active region 176 according to further variations, including, but not limited to, passing the outer tether 148 through one or more slots 136 that may be located in the inactive region 176, variations of which are described in the Fig. 1, Fig. 3 and Fig. 7, and / or sewing 159 the outer tether 148 to the inactive region 176, a variant of which is shown in Fig. 8. According to one variation, the tether 148 may be used to pull the second cushion assembly 128 toward a front occupant 2, 4 so that the occupant 2, 4 can be quickly connected to the second cushion assembly 128 after deployment of the second airbag 110. According to other variations, one or more tethers on each side of each cushion assembly 100, 128 may be configured in a manner such that the one or more tethers have a shorter length than the inflated cushion to which the one or more tethers are attached so that they can pull each cushion 100, 128 toward each occupant 2, 4.

[0012] Referring to Fig. 9, according to further variations, the first airbag cushion assembly 100 may be attached to a first mounting bracket 96 and a first inflator assembly 88 by means of one or more clamps 98. The second airbag cushion assembly 128 may be attached to a second mounting bracket 124 and a second inflator assembly 116 by means of one or more clamps 126. According to further variations, the first airbag 82 and / or the second airbag 110 may include a sleeve 154 that may be constructed and configured to house a inflator assembly 88, 116, a mounting bracket 96, 124, and / or one or more clamps 98, 126. The first inflator assembly 88 may be inserted into the sleeve 154, with a clamp 98 connecting the sleeve 154 to the first inflator assembly 88 to provide a gas seal.A second, lower clamp 98 can attach the first mounting bracket 96 to a sleeve 154 of the first cushion assembly 100 and to the first inflator assembly 88 such that the first inflator assembly 88 can be in position to fill the first cushion assembly 100 with gas to inflate the first cushion assembly 100. The second inflator assembly 116 can be inserted into the sleeve 154, with a clamp 98 connecting the sleeve 154 to the second inflator assembly 116 to provide a gas seal. A second, lower clamp 98 can attach the second mounting bracket 124 to the sleeve 154 of the second cushion assembly 128 and to the second inflator assembly 116 such that the second inflator assembly 116 can be in position to fill the second cushion assembly 128 with gas to inflate the second cushion assembly 128.

[0013] Another way to attach a gas generator to a pillow is Fig. 5. A gas generator assembly 131 with two pins 133 extending therefrom can be inserted through an opening 135 in the first cushion assembly 100. The gas generator assembly 131 can be oriented such that the bottom of the gas generator assembly 131 can protrude from a hole 141 of the first fill 140 below the pins 133, and the pins 133 can protrude from the holes 137 of the first fill 140. In this way, the nozzle end of the gas generator assembly 131 can remain within the first cushion assembly 100 between the first fill 140 and the second fill 142.The end 178 of the first cushion assembly 100 adjacent the opening 135 in the cushion assembly 100 may include one or more holes 139 that may extend through each of the first and second panels 140, 142, and may be constructed and arranged to be folded over and aligned with the holes 137 on the first panel 140 so that the pins 133 may extend through the holes 139. The pins 133 may then provide an attachment to the seat frame 53, 61. This variation may be used for either the first cushion assembly 100 or the second cushion assembly 128.

[0014] According to yet another variation, the gas generator 131 with the pins 133 can be guided into the cushion assembly 100, 128 through a slot with at least one flap (not illustrated), as known to those skilled in the art. The flap can be oriented such that it closes in a compressed manner between the gas generator and the seat frame 53, 61 when the pins are attached to the seat frame 53, 61. The flap can also be located inside the cushion assembly 100, 128 and oriented in such a way that, when the cushion is inflated, the gas generator gas can press the flap against the interior of the cushion assembly 100, 128 and seal the slot. Referring to the Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, the first airbag cushion assembly 100 and the second airbag cushion assembly 128 may each be folded to a compact size according to further variations. Folding the first and second cushion assemblies 100, 128 may also assist in the movement of the first and second airbags 82, 110 when the first and second airbags 82, 110 are deployable. A number of folds may be used, including, but not limited to, a roll fold, a zigzag fold, or a combination of a roll fold and a zigzag fold.

[0015] According to further variants, a first cover 108 may surround at least a portion of the folded first airbag 82. A second cover 138 may surround at least a portion of the folded second airbag 110. The first and second covers 108, 138 may have a number of configurations, including, but not limited to, a flexible shell, a variation of which is shown in Fig. 10, or a rigid shell, a variant of which is shown in Fig. 11. According to a variation, the rigid shell may include a portion of a dedicated deployment door 78, as discussed later herein. The cover 108, 138 may comprise a single continuous component or may comprise multiple components.

[0016] With reference to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the first airbag 82 may be mounted on an upper portion 56 of the inner side 54 of the driver seat frame 53, and the second airbag 110 may be mounted on a lower portion 66 of the inner side 62 of the passenger seat frame 61, according to further variants. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the first airbag 82 may be mounted on the upper portion 64 of the inner side 62 of the passenger seat frame 61, and the second airbag 110 may be mounted on the lower portion 58 of the inner side 54 of the driver seat frame 53, according to another variant. The first and second airbags 82, 110 may, according to further variants, include, but are not limited to, one or more mechanical connecting elements 81, some variants of which are shown in the Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, and / or threadless variants, including, but not limited to, a hook and window approach or a snap-in approach (not illustrated) may be attached to the seat frame 53, 61.

[0017] According to further variations, both the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may be concealed within the seat 52, 60. During deployment, the first and / or second airbag 82, 110 may deploy through a tear seam 74 on the seat 52, 60, a variation of which may be incorporated in the Fig. 10 and Fig. 13, and / or can be deployed through a deployment groove 76 inside the seat 52, 60, a variant of which is shown in Fig. 10. According to another variant, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 can deploy through a separate deployment door 78, with variants of which are described in the Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. The dedicated deployment door 78 may be integrated into the seat 52, 60 or may be part of the airbag 82, 110. According to yet another variation, one of the first airbag 82 or the second airbag 110 may be concealed within the seat 52, 60, while the other may deploy through a dedicated deployment door 78.

[0018] Referring to Fig. 9, according to further variations, the first inflator assembly 88 may include a first inflator 90 and a first wiring harness 92. The second inflator assembly 116 may include a second inflator 118 and a second wiring harness 120. The first inflator 90 and the second inflator 118 may provide the same inflator output or may have different inflator outputs.

[0019] The first and second wiring harnesses 92, 120 may be operatively connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) (not illustrated), which may send signals to the first inflator 90 and the second inflator 118 to deploy when any of a variety of vehicle conditions occur, including, but not limited to, a crash event. One or more airbag sensors that detect a vehicle crash may be operatively connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) (not illustrated), which may include a logic sensing system that may be used to determine whether one or more crash events are occurring.If an impact event is detected that occurs above a predetermined deployment threshold in a particular direction, the ECU may send a signal to at least one of the inflators 90, 118 to deploy the first and / or second airbags 82, 110. According to one variation, the first airbag 82, the second airbag 110, or both the first and second airbags 82, 110 may not deploy if one or more predetermined conditions occur, including, but not limited to, the absence of a passenger, the direction of impact to the vehicle, and / or the severity of the impact event being below a predetermined threshold.

[0020] According to the invention, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 overlap each other in a deployed state so that they can react against each other when inflated and loaded by an occupant 2, 4, which can increase the overall stiffness of the front center airbag system 50. In particular, a lower portion 86 of the first airbag 82 overlaps an upper portion 112 of the second airbag 110 so that the overlap occurs vertically in the vehicle. According to a variant, the first airbag 82 can have a greater height (loft) or thickness than the second airbag 110, wherein the first airbag 82 includes an upper portion 84 and a lower portion 86. At least a portion of the lower portion 86 can interact with a portion of the second airbag 110. The lower portion 86 may have a thickness that may be smaller than the thickness of the upper portion 84, a variation of which may be Fig. 2 is illustrated in dashed lines. According to further variations, the second airbag 110 may be constructed and configured such that an upper portion 112 of the second airbag 110 may have an increased thickness relative to the lower portion 114 of the second airbag 110, which may provide head restraint for an occupant 24 without additionally mounting the first airbag 82 in the opposing seat 52, 60.

[0021] According to further variations, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110, when inflated, may fill the area between the driver seat 52 and the front passenger seat 60, and a portion of the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may extend in front of the driver and front passenger seats 52, 60. According to further variations, the second airbag 110 may also extend across at least a portion of the center console 68, including, but not limited to, a top portion 70 and / or a side portion 72 of the center console 68. According to further variations, the first airbag 82 may have a first gas pressure in an inflated state that may be lower than a second gas pressure of the second airbag 110 in an inflated state.According to further variations, the first airbag 82 may have a first gas pressure in an inflated state that may be higher than a second gas pressure of the second airbag 110 in an inflated state.

[0022] According to further variations, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may be deployed at the same time. According to another variation, the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may be individually controlled so that the first airbag 82 and the second airbag 110 may be deployed at different times. According to further variations, an impact event above a deployment threshold may occur in a direction where the front center airbag system 50 may be deployed. According to one variation, the deployment time may be fixed so that the first airbag 82 may be deployed before the second airbag 110 or the second airbag 110 may be deployed before the first airbag 82. According to another variation, the first airbag 82 may be deployed after a first deceleration, while the second airbag 110 may deploy after a second deceleration.The first delay and the second delay may be calibrated within the sensing system logic in the ECU or may be changed based on any number of vehicle conditions, including, but not limited to, a detected impact speed, impact type, and / or impact direction. According to further variations, the first and second delays may be identical in time, or one or both of the first delay and the second delay may be zero milliseconds.

[0023] Fig.14 illustrates further variations of deployment logic that may be used to determine the deployment time of the first airbag 82 and / or the second airbag 110. A first condition 162 may occur, which may be an impact event that may occur above a predetermined deployment threshold in a direction where the front center airbag system 50 may deploy. The deployment logic system may then determine whether a second condition 164, which may be a driver-side impact event, has occurred. If so, the first deployment logic 170 may cause the first airbag 82 to deploy with a first delay and the second airbag 110 to deploy with a second delay. The first delay may be longer in time than the second delay, the same as the second delay, or shorter in time than the second delay.If not, the deployment logic system may then determine whether a third condition 166, which may be a passenger-side impact, has occurred. If so, a second deployment logic 172 may cause the first airbag 82 to deploy with a third delay and the second airbag 110 to deploy with a fourth delay. The third delay may be longer in time than the fourth delay, the same as the fourth delay, or shorter in time than the fourth delay. If not, the deployment logic system may determine whether a third condition 168, which may be a rollover impact, has occurred. If so, a third deployment logic 174 may cause the first airbag 82 to deploy with a fifth delay and the second airbag 110 to deploy with a sixth delay.The fifth delay can be longer in time than the sixth delay, the same as the sixth delay, or shorter in time than the sixth delay.

[0024] According to another variant of the deployment logic, if the system detects that no passenger is present and the impact occurs on the driver's side, the system logic may be such that the deployment of one or both of the front airbag system airbags may be disabled. An industry-standard form of passenger detection system may be used, including, but not limited to, a weight-based system, an electric field system, or a visual system.

Claims

[1] Front central airbag system (50), comprising: a first airbag (82) mounted on an inner side (54) of a first front seat (52) and a second airbag (110) mounted on an inner side (62) of a second front seat (60), the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) being constructed and arranged such that, in a deployed state, the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) fill a space between and partially in front of the first front seat (52) and the second front seat (60); characterized by , that in the deployed state, the first airbag (82) comprises a lower portion (86) and an upper portion (84) and the second airbag (110) comprises an upper portion (112), wherein the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) overlap each other in the deployed state such that in the deployed state only the lower portion (86) of the first airbag (82) overlaps and reacts against the upper portion (112) of the second airbag (110). [2] A front center airbag system (50) according to claim 1, wherein the first airbag (82) is constructed and arranged to provide an occupant (2) with an upper body region covering during the deployment state, and wherein the second airbag (110) is constructed and arranged to provide another occupant (4) with a middle body region covering in the deployment state. [3] The front center airbag system (50) of claim 1, wherein the second airbag (110) in the deployed state overlaps a portion of a center console (68). [4] The front center airbag system (50) of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first airbag (82) or the second airbag (110) comprises a cushion (100, 128) having an inactive central region (176) constructed and arranged such that during the deployment condition, a gas fills at least one of the entire periphery of the cushion (100, 128) or a portion of the periphery. [5] The front center airbag system (50) of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first airbag (82) and the second airbag (110) includes a tether (148). [6] Front center airbag system (50) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first airbag (82) or the second airbag (110) comprises a tether (148) constructed and arranged to pull the at least one airbag (82, 110) with the tether (148) towards at least one occupant (2, 4) upon deployment. [7] The front center airbag system (50) of claim 1, wherein the first airbag (82) is mounted to a first front seat frame (53) and the second airbag (110) is mounted to a second front seat frame (61), and wherein at least one of the first airbag (82) or the second airbag (110) is constructed and arranged to deploy through at least one of a seat tear seam (74), a deployment trough (76), or a dedicated deployment door (78).

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