Airbag Closure Element Tether Ventilation Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airbag designs face challenges in rapid ventilation, as the narrow closure elements restrict gas flow, impeding quick ventilation and deployment, especially when encountering occupants or obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A controllable closure element system with a tether mechanism that maintains the closure element in a closed position until actuated by a release device, allowing for controlled gas escape through a larger aperture, influenced by the cross-sectional area, and adjustable geometry for optimal deployment and absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a narrow closure element (hose) is used to close the aperture, then the closure element can be简单地 attached and maintained, but the gas flow is restricted and rapid ventilation is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element is divided into a main body portion and a separate narrow hose portion. The main body covers the aperture with a larger cross-sectional area for rapid ventilation, while the narrow hose connects to the tether for closure control. This segmentation allows the closure element to provide both rapid gas flow capability and controlled closure function simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element is designed to be dynamically positionable between two states: covering the aperture (closed position) and retracting away (open position). The tether mechanism enables dynamic transition between these states, allowing the system to switch between ventilation and closure modes as needed, rather than being fixed in one configuration.
2Productivity
If a large aperture is provided in the airbag shell, then rapid ventilation is enabled, but the closure element must work harder to seal the aperture under internal pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element incorporates a separate narrow hose portion that can be pulled independently of the main body. This allows the tether force to be concentrated on the narrow hose, creating sufficient sealing force at the aperture edge without requiring the entire closure element to be under high tension, thus making sealing easier while maintaining a large aperture.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element has different cross-sectional areas in different regions: a larger main body area for ventilation and a narrower hose portion for sealing. This local quality variation allows the aperture to remain large for rapid gas flow while the narrow hose portion provides effective sealing when pulled by the tether, reducing the overall force required to maintain closure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the closure element is kept in the closed position by tether tension during deployment, then controlled gas escape is achieved, but the tether must withstand high tensile forces
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the closure element into a main body and a narrow hose portion, the tether only needs to pull the narrow hose to achieve closure. This reduces the tether's tensile force requirement compared to pulling the entire closure element, while still enabling controlled gas escape by adjusting when and how the tether is released.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides dynamic control over gas escape by allowing the tether to be released at different times or partially released. This adaptability enables controlled ventilation scenarios where the aperture can transition from closed to open states based on deployment conditions, achieving versatile gas flow control without requiring the tether to continuously withstand maximum tensile forces.
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
Enables rapid ventilation and controlled gas release, ensuring optimal airbag deployment and absorption characteristics based on occupant and vehicle parameters, enhancing vehicle occupant protection.
Implementation Method 1
a tether by which the closure element can be maintained in the closed position acts on the closure element
Implementation Method 2
Gas will escape only when the closure element adopts an opened position. The amount of gas flow can be influenced in this way by the cross-sectional area of the aperture
Data Source
AI summary
In an airbag comprising at least one aperture (14) which is provided in an airbag shell (12) and to which a closure element (16) is attached a tether (34) via which the closure element (16) can be maintained in a closed position acts on the closure element (16). The invention moreover relates to a method of operating a vehicle occupant protection system.