Vehicle Side Airbag with Confining Chamber for Occupant Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current side airbags in vehicles fail to effectively protect occupants during side or oblique impacts, particularly in autonomous vehicles where occupants may be in various postures, such as lying down or with seatbelts fastened, leading to inadequate protection against neck injuries and collisions.
Innovation Solution
The airbag design features a plurality of chambers with a tether system that deploys to the front of the seat, limiting the distance between chambers to ensure the middle chamber is bent towards the occupant, and includes a confining chamber that folds to contact the occupant, preventing forward or sideways movement, while a seatbelt is positioned to prevent neck strangulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional side airbag is used, then the airbag can be deployed to protect occupants, but it fails to effectively protect occupants in various postures (lying down, reclined, or with seatbelt fastened) during side or oblique impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag cushion is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) with different deployment characteristics. The first chamber deploys to the front of the seat, the second chamber bends toward the occupant, and the third chamber extends along the seat side, allowing the airbag to adapt to various occupant postures and provide reliable protection in side and oblique impacts
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag chambers are designed with dynamic deployment patterns where the second chamber is configured to bend toward the occupant and the third chamber extends along the seat side. This dynamic configuration allows the airbag to automatically adapt its shape and position based on the impact type and occupant posture, ensuring reliable protection whether the occupant is sitting upright, reclined, or lying down
2Reliability
If the airbag cushion includes multiple chambers with tether connections, then the middle chamber can be bent toward the occupant for better protection, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple airbag chambers are merged into a single integrated cushion structure with continuous material construction. The chambers are connected through tethers that are integrated into the overall airbag assembly, allowing the middle chamber to bend toward the occupant while maintaining a unified structure that reduces manufacturing complexity compared to separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag chambers are constructed using flexible material that allows the middle chamber to bend and conform to the occupant's body shape. This flexibility is achieved through the material properties and chamber design, enabling reliable protection without requiring complex mechanical articulation mechanisms
3Reliability
If the confining chamber is pressed by the normal chamber or tether to fold toward the occupant, then contact with the occupant is improved for better protection, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The confining chamber is designed to dynamically fold toward the occupant during deployment through the action of normal chambers or tethers. This dynamic folding mechanism allows the chamber to automatically contact the occupant's body without requiring pre-configured folding structures, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while ensuring reliable contact for protection
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the confining chamber changes from a flat configuration during storage to a folded configuration during deployment. This parameter change is achieved through controlled inflation pressure and tether tension, allowing the chamber to contact the occupant effectively without requiring high manufacturing precision for pre-formed shapes
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag for a vehicle includes an airbag cushion and a tether. The airbag cushion is installed on one side of a seat and is composed of multiple chambers. When the airbag is deployed, the airbag cushion extends to a front side of the seat and the chambers are consecutively arranged in a superior-inferior direction of the seat. The tether connects the chambers to each other or connects one chamber to a vehicle body. The multiple chambers include a normal chamber deployed to the front side of the seat and a confining chamber bent toward an occupant when being deployed. The confining chamber is pressed by the adjacent normal chamber, or pulled or pressed by the tether. Thus, a front half portion of the confining chamber is folded toward a rear half portion of the confining chamber, thereby coming into tight contact with the occupant.