Airbag Contact Portion for Out-of-Position Occupant Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airbags for front passenger seats face challenges in protecting occupants seated excessively proximate the dashboard, as they may unduly press the occupant due to the airbag's design, and require complex structures to maintain raised regions for proper protection.
Innovation Solution
An airbag with a simple structure that includes a contact portion formed by inner panel pressure at full inflation, preventing undue pressure on occupants seated close to the dashboard, while maintaining effective protection for normally seated occupants by deploying raised regions to arrest shoulders and a recess to receive the head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the airbag includes raised regions that project rearward to arrest shoulders of occupants, then protection for normally seated occupants is improved, but the risk of unduly pressing occupants seated excessively proximate the dashboard increases
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag structure transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic one where the raised regions can change position. The inner panels are designed to be movable relative to the outer panels, allowing the raised regions to project rearward during normal deployment to arrest shoulders, while retracting when an occupant is seated too close to the dashboard, thus adapting to different occupancy scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag modifies its geometric parameters based on deployment conditions. The inner panels can change their relative position to the outer panels, altering the projection distance of the raised regions. This parameter change allows the airbag to optimize its protective function for normally seated occupants while minimizing harmful pressure on out-of-position occupants.
2Reliability
If the airbag structure includes means for keeping raised regions closed (such as a wrapping member), then protection for normally seated occupants is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag structure utilizes the inflation pressure itself to control the position of the inner panels. The differential pressure between the interior and exterior of the airbag automatically keeps the inner panels (and thus the raised regions) in the retracted position during normal storage, eliminating the need for separate wrapping members or active control mechanisms. The system serves itself by using its own operational parameter (pressure) to maintain the desired configuration.
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
The airbag effectively reduces the risk of undue pressure on out-of-position occupants and ensures proper protection for normally seated individuals by controlling the deployment and inflation to prevent engagement with the dashboard and objects like child seats.
Implementation Method 1
when fed with inflation gas in such a manner as to fill in a space between a top plane of the instrument panel and a windshield
Implementation Method 2
The contact portion is created and maintained proximate the circumferential edge of the communication port by an inner pressure of the airbag at full inflation that acts on the outer panels and inner panels
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag for a front passenger's seat internally includes a communication port defined by an inner joint that joins inner circumferential edges of a pair of inner panels. The airbag includes at a rear side a recess and a pair of raised regions. The airbag further includes a contact portion where outer surfaces of the inner panels are in face-to-face contact proximate the circumference of the communication port at full inflation. The contact portion is created and maintained by an inner pressure of the airbag at full inflation that acts on the panels of the airbag, and is not formed if the inner pressure is less than that at full inflation of the airbag.