Air Bag Deployment Flap for Even Force Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air bag designs face challenges in evenly distributing inflation and deployment forces across vehicle occupants, particularly in scenarios where the occupant is positioned close to the instrument panel, leading to uneven protection and potential injury.
Innovation Solution
The air bag is designed with a deployment flap that inhibits initial inflation and deployment of the lower portion, allowing the upper portion to deploy freely and direct inflation forces evenly across the occupant's head and torso, while the lower portion engages with the instrument panel to provide comprehensive protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the air bag is designed to inflate freely without deployment flap, then the inflation speed is fast, but the inflation forces are unevenly distributed across the occupant leading to potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment flap is pre-positioned to wrap around the lower portion of the air bag before inflation occurs. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when inflation begins, the flap is already in place to control the deployment sequence, allowing fast inflation while preventing harmful uneven force distribution through pre-planned constraint
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the deployment flap is used to control deployment sequence, then the distribution of inflation forces is even, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment flap serves multiple functions: it acts as a constraint during storage, a deployment controller during inflation, and a protective element during occupation. This multi-functionality achieves even force distribution without requiring separate control mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
3Ease of operation
If the lower portion is allowed to deploy first, then the deployment sequence is simple, but the protection effectiveness is reduced due to uneven force distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment flap is pre-positioned to wrap around the lower portion, establishing a predetermined deployment sequence where the upper portion inflates first. This preliminary arrangement maintains operational simplicity by requiring no active control while ensuring the upper portion deploys first to provide effective protection
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures even distribution of inflation and deployment forces, enhancing occupant protection by controlling the deployment sequence and minimizing impact on the occupant until the air bag is fully inflated and positioned correctly between the occupant and the instrument panel.
Implementation Method 1
A deployment flap includes a sheet of material wrapped at least partially around the second portion frictionally to engage and thus inhibit initial inflation and deployment of the second portion
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus (10) for helping to protect an occupant (20) of a vehicle (12) includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (14) inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in which the protection device is positioned between an instrument panel (36) of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. The protection device (14) includes upper portion (142) and a lower portion (144), each of which is at least one of rolled and folded. The upper portion (142) and the lower portion (144) are positioned overlying each other when in the stored condition. A deployment flap (120) includes a sheet of material having a first end portion (130) secured to the vehicle. The deployment flap (120) has a central portion (134) that wraps around the lower portion (144) and a second end portion (132), opposite the first end portion (130), that is tucked under the lower portion while the protection device (14) is in the stored condition.