Securing bladder for transporting a hazardous material component, and transport container having such a securing bladder
A durable textile securing bladder with inserts and a flexible closure addresses the challenge of safely transporting hazardous goods in lightweight, foldable containers, ensuring compliance with safety standards and enhancing transport efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- VOLKSWAGEN AG
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing transport containers for hazardous goods like airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners are heavy, inflexible, and fail to meet the requirements for lightweight, foldable, and safe transport while passing stringent drop tests and fire tests.
A securing bladder made of durable textile fabric or nonwoven material with inserts and a flexible closure, such as a zipper, is used to contain hazardous materials, allowing for lightweight, foldable containers that protect contents during accidents and comply with safety standards.
The securing bladder ensures safe containment of hazardous materials even in accidents, enabling lightweight, foldable containers that reduce weight and volume, improving transport efficiency and safety.
Smart Images
Figure EP2026050747_23072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Description
[0002] Securing bladder for the transport of a hazardous goods component and transport containers with such a securing bladder
[0003] The invention relates to a safety bladder for the transport of a hazardous goods component, in particular a motor vehicle part equipped with a pyrotechnic trigger, and a transport container with such a safety bladder according to the preamble of the independent claims.
[0004] Transport containers for airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, or other explosive items typically consist of a box-like base and a lid-like top, which together define an interior space for the component being transported. In transport containers known from the prior art, both the base and the top are made of a metallic material to ensure sufficient thermal resistance, as required in a fire test, and sufficient mechanical strength, as required in a drop test. However, such metallic transport containers are relatively heavy and their volume cannot usually be reduced by folding.Therefore, there is a need for a transport container for airbags or pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioners that, on the one hand, has a low weight to improve the ratio of container weight to payload, on the other hand, is foldable for efficient return transport and yet meets all requirements for compliant and safe transport.
[0005] Recently, various airbag systems and pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners have been classified as dangerous goods under ADR classification 1.4S, UN 0503 "airbag modules or seat belt pretensioners". A prerequisite for transporting such systems is the use of suitable, secure packaging, which must pass a drop test but not a fire test, as is usually the case with other dangerous goods classes. This opens up new possibilities in container design. Passing the so-called drop test as part of the certification of transport packaging for ADR-compliant transport is challenging when using lightweight, preferably collapsible transport containers, as these must be very complex and robustly constructed to securely contain the transported dangerous goods after impact, which contradicts the required lightweight and simple design.The test required for certification is only considered passed if, after the impact following a fall from a defined height, the container shows damage but no hazardous material has leaked out of the container itself.
[0006] From EP 2345589 B1, a transport container for airbags is known, comprising a lower part and an upper part that define an interior space for receiving airbags. The outer walls of the lower part and upper part are made of plastic, with metal mesh or fabric adjoining the plastic outer walls on the inside of both parts. The lower part and the upper part can be connected by locking devices that are permanently attached to the metal mesh or fabric of the lower part and upper part.
[0007] The invention is based on the objective of using lightweight, foldable and simply constructed plastic or steel containers for the standard-compliant transport of hazardous goods, which may be severely damaged or even destroyed in a drop test or an accidental impact, but which prevent any hazardous goods from escaping or ensure that they are safely contained.
[0008] The problem is solved by a securing bladder for transporting hazardous material components in a transport container. The securing bladder comprises a bag made of a textile fabric or nonwoven material, at least one insert or component for receiving a hazardous material component, which is arranged in the bag, can be connected to the transport container by the bag, or can be arranged in the bag, as well as an opening on the bag that can be closed by a flexible textile closure device, in particular a zipper, through which the hazardous material component can be inserted into the insert for transport.
[0009] In this context, a securing bladder is understood to be a sealable bag with a suitably robust outer shell made of a durable and tear-resistant woven or nonwoven material and an insert or structure to hold the hazardous materials components. An insert or structure is defined as a detachable component carrier, an intermediate floor that can be placed inside the bag, or a movable textile pocket permanently attached to the outer container through the bag. These components serve to hold the hazardous materials components in a defined position during transport, thus protecting them from damage.In this context, a hazardous materials component refers to components such as airbags, pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners, or other functional units with a pyrotechnic or otherwise protected triggering unit, for which additional transport protection requirements exist according to standards or laws. An opening in the bag refers specifically to a division of the bag, the parts of which can be connected by a zipper. This allows the bag to be opened sufficiently to allow the insert(s) and / or the hazardous materials component(s) to be placed inside.
[0010] In other words, the securing bladder describes a functional unit comprising a bag made of a high-strength woven or nonwoven material and at least one insert or component placed inside the bag in the form of padding, an intermediate layer, a spacer, or one or preferably several textile pockets firmly connected to the outer container through the bag. The insert provides a container for the hazardous material component and protects it from damage during transport. The bag or securing bladder serves to safely contain the contents should the outer container be damaged or even destroyed in an accident, thus fulfilling the ADR requirements for safe and suitable transport packaging for hazardous goods, even when using lightweight, simply constructed container systems.
[0011] The proposed containment bladder offers the advantage that, compared to previously known and used rigid and heavy constructions, light and simple container designs can now be used, since the bladder takes over the actual containment function of the hazardous material in the event of an accident and the container design itself does not have to be so robust that the hazardous material will be safely contained in the event of an accidental impact.
[0012] Another aspect of the invention relates to a transport container with such a securing bladder, wherein the transport container is designed to receive and / or enclose the securing bladder. Compared to metallic transport containers, such a transport container allows for a significant reduction in weight. This increases transport efficiency and reduces the transport volume. Enclosing the securing bladder or inserting the securing bladder into the transport container increases transport safety, enabling the transport container to transport the hazardous material components safely and efficiently.
[0013] Another aspect of the invention relates to the flexible properties of the securing bladder, which allows the respective transport container to be easily folded. By using a flexible textile material, the securing bladder can be easily folded when the container is collapsed, thus reducing its volume along with the container, which significantly increases the efficiency of returning empty containers.
[0014] The additional features listed in the dependent claims enable advantageous further developments and improvements of the safety bladder and transport container mentioned in the independent claims.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insert or assembly is provided with several receiving pockets, each pocket being designed and configured to hold a hazardous material component. The receiving pockets offer particularly good protection for the hazardous material components, allowing them to be completely enclosed by padding within the pockets and thus providing optimal protection. The receiving pockets can be additionally closed by a fastener, in particular a zipper, hook-and-loop fastener, or similar, to prevent the hazardous material components from falling out. In a simpler embodiment, the receiving pockets can also be designed without any additional cover, so that the hazardous material component is simply inserted into the receiving pocket without any additional securing mechanism.
[0016] In an advantageous embodiment of the securing bladder, the bag has a shape that essentially corresponds to a cuboid or a cube. Such a basic shape allows for a particularly simple arrangement of the securing bladder within a transport container. Alternatively, other shapes are possible, especially if the shape of the securing bladder is adapted to the shape of the transport container surrounding it. A cuboid or cube shape for both the securing bladder and the transport container enables particularly easy stacking of transport containers and thus a particularly simple and volume-optimized transport of hazardous material components. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the zipper runs along an edge of the cuboid or cube in a first section and a third section, respectively.Furthermore, the flexible textile closure device is designed as a zipper, with the zipper running in a second section located between the first and third sections in a side wall. This allows not only for an opening in the form of a hinged lid, but also for the opening to extend into a side face of the cuboid or cube, thus facilitating the insertion of hazardous material components into the containment bladder.
[0017] In an advantageous embodiment of the securing bladder, the bag is reinforced by at least one webbing strap, preferably at least two, or at least one webbing strap, preferably at least two, is / are attached to the bag. The webbing straps increase the stability of the bag and, in particular, further reduce the risk of the bag tearing apart. Furthermore, in the event of damage to the transport container, the hazardous material components can be easily and safely recovered by detaching the securing bladder from the transport container and pulling it out using the straps. For this purpose, at least one loop is formed by the webbing straps, allowing the securing bladder to be lifted out of the transport container and secured using a lifting device, in particular a crane or a forklift.Such a recovery option allows the contents of a transport container to be saved in the event of an accident or collision without posing an additional risk to the hazardous materials components.
[0018] In a further improvement of the securing bladder, at least one fastening element is formed or molded onto the bag to fix it, at least temporarily and preferably reversibly, within a transport container. In this context, a fastening element is understood to mean any means that enables the (temporary) fixing of the bag to a transport container. Fastening elements include, but are not limited to, hooks, eyelets, Velcro strips, snap fasteners, or similar devices that allow for the temporary fixing of the bag to a transport container surrounding it. In particular, such a fastening element can fix the position of the securing bladder relative to the transport container to prevent the securing bladder from slipping within the transport container.In an advantageous embodiment of the transport container, it is provided that the transport container includes a securing bladder as described in the preceding sections, wherein the transport container has a container designed to receive and / or enclose the securing bladder. The transport container provides additional protection for the securing bladder. This prevents the securing bladders from rubbing against each other during transport or being damaged in any other way, particularly by sharp objects. Furthermore, the transport containers have a higher rigidity than the securing bladders, so that, unlike the securing bladders, the transport containers can be stacked easily and securely on top of each other.
[0019] In a further advantageous embodiment of the transport container, it is designed as a collapsible container. This allows the transport container to be folded when empty, further reducing the space required and the transport volume, especially when empty. Furthermore, such a collapsible solution can be implemented with relatively simple and cost-effective means, since effective protection of the hazardous materials components is already achieved by the protective bladder.
[0020] In a further advantageous embodiment of the transport container, it is provided that the container is made of a plastic material. Since the actual securing function for the hazardous goods components is already fulfilled by the securing bladder, the transport container can be manufactured simply, with minimal weight and at low cost, from a plastic material. The transport container serves in particular to protect the securing bladder, with the material specifically preventing cuts or other damage to the plastic fabric of the securing bladder. A thermoplastic or thermoset plastic can be used here, in particular, to provide sufficient stability for the transport container.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the transport container, the container has a recess in one side wall which can be closed by a flap formed on the container. A flap in the outer wall further simplifies and facilitates the loading and unloading of the containment bladder. Furthermore, closing the flap increases the stability of the side wall after loading, thus providing even better protection for the hazardous materials. In an advantageous embodiment of the transport container, it is provided that the container has at least one reinforcing element to increase its dimensional stability. In this context, a reinforcing element is understood to be an element that increases the strength and / or stiffness of the transport container.Such a reinforcing element can be, in particular, an edge protector, a cut-resistant panel, a reinforcing plate, or any other reinforcing structure that is integrated into or connected to the transport container. Such a reinforcing structure further improves the protection of the hazardous materials being transported and thus additionally increases transport safety.
[0022] Unless otherwise stated in individual cases, the various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another.
[0023] The invention is explained below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show:
[0024] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a transport container according to the invention with a safety bladder;
[0025] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a safety bladder for such a transport container;
[0026] Figure 3 shows a further schematic representation of a transport container according to the invention and
[0027] Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of a transport container and a securing bladder in a top view of an open lid of the transport container and the securing bladder.
[0028] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a transport container 50 according to the invention with a securing bladder 10. The securing bladder 10 comprises a bag 46 made of a textile fabric or nonwoven material 28 and at least one insert or fitting 16, as shown in Figure 3, for receiving a hazardous material component 80. The insert or fitting 16 is designed to be arranged in the bag 46. Alternatively, the insert or fitting 16 can also be permanently connected to the bag 46 and, for example, sewn, glued, or welded to it. The securing bladder 10 has a flexible textile closure device 14 in the form of a zipper 14, which, when the textile closure device 14 is open, in particular when the zipper 14 is open, forms an opening 12 in the bag 46 through which the hazardous material component 80 can be inserted into the insert or fitting 16 of the securing bladder 10 for transport.The zipper 14 is designed as a high-performance zipper and runs in a first section 86 along a first edge of the securing bladder 10, in a third section 90 along a second edge of the securing bladder 10 and in a second section 88 located between the first section 86 and the third section 90 over a side wall 42 of the securing bladder 10, so that the opening 12 releases both a cover 44 of the securing bladder 10 and a part of the side wall 42 to allow easy loading and unloading of the securing bladder 10.
[0029] The bag 46 has a rectangular shape 38. The transport container 50 also has a rectangular shape, which encloses the securing bladder 10. The transport container 50 is designed as a collapsible container 52 and has a base 54 and four side walls 56, 58, 60, 62. The transport container 50 can additionally have a lid (not shown in Figure 1) to completely enclose the securing bladder 10. A recess 64 is provided in one side wall 58, which can be closed by means of a flap 66 integrated into the transport container 50. The recess 64 is aligned with the opening 12 in the bag 46 of the securing bladder 10 to facilitate loading and unloading of the securing bladder 10. The flap 66 has a hook-and-loop fastener 68, which engages with hook-and-loop elements 70 on the transport container 50.Furthermore, a first reinforcing element 72 and a second reinforcing element 74 are formed on the transport container 50, which stabilize the edges of the transport container 50 and thus further increase safety.
[0030] Figure 2 shows a securing bladder 10 for a transport container 50. The securing bladder 10 has a substantially rectangular shape 38. The securing bladder 10 comprises a bag 46 with a bottom 40, four side walls 42, and a top 44. The securing bladder 10 is made of a high-strength woven textile or nonwoven material 28. A first webbing 20 and a second webbing 22 are integrated into the securing bladder 10. The webbing 20, 22 each form a loop 24, 26 at their free ends projecting beyond the securing bladder 10, by which the securing bladder 10 can be lifted.
[0031] The securing bladder 10 further comprises a zipper 14 which extends in a first section 86 along a first edge of the securing bladder 10, in a third section 90 along a second edge of the securing bladder 10, and in a second section 88 located between the first section 86 and the third section 90 across a side wall 42 of the securing bladder 10, such that the opening 12 exposes both a top 44 of the securing bladder 10 and a portion of the side wall 42 to facilitate easy loading and unloading of the securing bladder 10. The securing bladder 10 may also incorporate additional stiffening elements to increase its dimensional stability.
[0032] Figure 3 shows a transport container 50 according to the invention with a securing bladder 10. The securing bladder 10 has one or preferably several inserts 16, in particular intermediate floors and / or dividers, on which receiving pockets 18 are formed for receiving a hazardous material component 80, for example an airbag 82 or a pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioner 84. In Figure 3, the opening 12 in the securing bladder 10 is fully open by the zipper 14, so that easy loading and unloading of hazardous material components 80 is possible. In addition, the flap 66 in the transport container 50 is open to facilitate the insertion of the hazardous material components 80 into the receiving pockets 18.
[0033] By opening the zipper 14, the cover 44 of the safety bladder 10 can be completely folded back, creating a particularly large and easily accessible opening 12. Through this opening 12, the insert or the insert 16 can also be placed into the bag 46 and / or aligned within the bag 46.
[0034] Figure 4 shows a top view of an open transport container 50 with an open securing bladder 10. The securing bladder 10 is detachably connected to the transport container 50 at the corners by fastening elements 30 to prevent the securing bladder 10 from slipping or collapsing during loading and unloading. The fastening elements 30 are preferably designed as reversibly detachable fastening elements, in particular as hook-and-loop fasteners 34, eyelets 32, or loops 36, which can be brought into operative contact with corresponding fastening elements on the transport container 50.
[0035] The top view in Figure 4 shows an insert 16 with a plurality of receiving pockets 18, arranged in a matrix. Each receiving pocket 18 is individually padded with appropriate cushioning to provide the best possible protection for the hazardous materials components 80 in the event of a fall from the transport container 50 and / or the securing bladder 10. Hazardous materials components 80 include, in particular, airbags 82 or airbag modules, especially driver airbags, passenger airbags, head airbags, side airbags, or knee airbags, but also pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners 84 or other vehicle components with pyrotechnic activation, for example, pyrotechnically deploying roll bars of a convertible. Alternatively, instead of an insert 16 that can be detachably connected to the bag 46, a built-in component 16 can be provided within the bag 46 to hold the hazardous materials components 80.Such an installation 16 can in particular be sewn, glued or welded to the bag 46 to create a permanent connection between the bag 46 and the installation 16.
[0036] To load the cargo, the zipper 14 of the securing bladder 10 is opened in a first step. Then, the now movable upper cover 44 of the securing bladder 10 is folded back to allow access to the sliding, textile receiving pockets 18 for the payload. Finally, the securing bladder 10 is closed again in reverse order. Reference list
[0037] 10 Safety bladder
[0038] 12 Opening
[0039] 14 Flexible textile closure device / zipper 16 Insert / Installation
[0040] 18 recording bag
[0041] 20 first webbing
[0042] 22 second strap
[0043] 24 first loop
[0044] 26 second loop
[0045] 28 textile fabric or nonwoven material 30 fastening element
[0046] 32 eyelets
[0047] 34 Velcro straps
[0048] 36 loops
[0049] 38 Rectangular shape
[0050] 40 floor
[0051] 42 side wall
[0052] 44 ceiling
[0053] 46 bags
[0054] 50 transport containers
[0055] 51 containers
[0056] 52 collapsible containers
[0057] 54 Floor
[0058] 56 first side wall
[0059] 58 second side wall
[0060] 60 third side wall
[0061] 62 fourth side wall 64 recess
[0062] 66 flap
[0063] 68 Velcro fasteners
[0064] 70 Velcro elements
[0065] 72 first reinforcement element 74 second reinforcement element
[0066] 80 Dangerous goods component
[0067] 82 Airbag
[0068] 84 pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioner 86 first section
[0069] 88 second section
[0070] 90 third section
Claims
Patent claims 1. Securing bladder (10) for the transport of dangerous goods components (80), comprising: a bag (46) made of a textile fabric or nonwoven material (28), at least one insert or a lining (16) for receiving the dangerous goods component (80) which is arranged in the bag (46) or can be arranged in the bag (46), and flexible textile closure device (14) and an opening (12) on the bag (46) that can be closed by the flexible textile closure device (14), through which the dangerous goods component (80) can be inserted for transport into the insert or the installation (16).
2. Securing bladder (10) according to claim 1, wherein several receiving pockets (18) are formed on the insert or the installation (16), each receiving pocket (18) being designed and equipped to receive a dangerous goods component (80).
3. Securing bladder (10) according to claim 1, wherein the bag (46) has a shape which is substantially a cuboid or a cube.
4. Securing bladder (10) according to claim 3, wherein the flexible textile closure device (14) is a zipper (14), wherein the zipper (14) extends in a first section (86) and in a third section (90) along an edge of the cuboid or cube and in a second section (88) located between the first section (86) and the third section (90) in a side wall (42).
5. Securing bladder (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bag (46) is reinforced by at least one webbing (20, 22) or at least one webbing (20, 22) is attached to the bag (46).
6. Securing bladder (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one fastening element (30) is formed or arranged on the bag (46) to at least temporarily fix the bag (46) in a transport container (50).
7. Transport container (50), comprising a securing bladder (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a container (51) which is configured to receive and / or enclose the securing bladder (10).
8. Transport container (50) according to claim 7, wherein the container (51) is designed as a collapsible container (52).
9. Transport container (50) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the container (51) has a recess (64) on a side wall (56, 58, 60, 62) which can be closed by a flap (66) formed on the container (51).
10. Transport container (50) according to one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the transport container (50) has at least one reinforcing element (72, 74) to increase the dimensional stability of the transport container (50).