Adaptive Tether Air Bag for Occupant-Specific Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air bag systems lack the ability to adaptively control deployment based on occupant position and size, leading to suboptimal protection and potential injury from either restricted or full deployment.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive tether system with anchor, shaping, and trigger tethers, along with a vent mechanism, that adjusts deployment and inflation based on occupant conditions, using a controller and sensors to actuate the deployment and venting of the air bag to tailor protection according to the occupant's position and size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full deployment of the air bag is allowed for all occupants, then protection is maximized for rearward-positioned occupants, but it causes potential injury to forward-positioned occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The air bag system transitions from a static full-deployment design to a dynamic adaptive system that modifies deployment characteristics based on real-time occupant position detection. The controller adjusts inflation parameters and venting timing according to whether the occupant is forward or rearward positioned, making the protection system responsive to changing conditions rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of air bag deployment including inflation rate, maximum volume, and venting timing based on detected occupant position. For forward-positioned occupants, the system reduces inflation parameters and activates venting earlier to limit air bag volume and pressure, while allowing full parameters for rearward-positioned occupants.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If restricted deployment is used for forward-positioned occupants, then injury risk is reduced, but protection effectiveness is compromised for rearward-positioned occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that detect occupant position and feed this information back to the controller, which then adjusts deployment parameters accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the air bag deployment is optimized for the specific occupant configuration, preventing both over-protection and under-protection scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment characteristics are made dynamic rather than fixed, allowing the system to adapt between restricted and full deployment modes based on real-time detection of occupant position. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by providing the appropriate deployment level for each specific situation.
3Device complexity
If a single air bag deployment system is used for all occupants, then device complexity is minimized, but adaptability to different occupant conditions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The air bag system is segmented into functional components: inflation system, venting system with controllable vents, sensor system for position detection, and controller for coordination. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component while maintaining overall system adaptability without requiring completely separate air bag systems for different occupant types.
Solution Approach 2:
The air bag system is designed with multi-functionality to serve both forward-positioned and rearward-positioned occupants using the same physical air bag structure. The controller and venting system enable a single air bag to provide appropriately tailored protection for different occupant configurations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized air bag systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An air bag module (30) includes an air bag (14) having a deflated condition and an inflated condition and a structure (34) for supporting the air bag. A first tether (106) has a first end connected to the structure via an actuatable fastener (122) and an opposite second end connected to the air bag (14). A second tether (104) having a first end secured to the first tether (106) by a releasable connection (132) at a location between the first and second ends of the first tether. The second tether has a second end connected to a deployable portion of the air bag (14).