Vehicle Airbag Cover Tether for Volume Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicle collisions, side airbags often protrude from the seat, causing secondary injuries and spoiling the seat exterior due to inadequate storage, and existing solutions fail to effectively minimize occupant injuries and reduce seat package volume.
Innovation Solution
An airbag apparatus featuring a cover tether with a tear line that compresses and secures the airbag cushion to the seat frame, allowing it to deploy while maintaining a reduced volume and preventing external protrusion, comprising a first and second tether connected to the seat frame and airbag cushion, respectively, with locking and fixation structures to ensure secure mounting and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the airbag cushion is deployed to protect occupants, then occupant safety is improved, but the airbag cushion protrudes from the seat causing secondary injuries and spoiling exterior design
Solution Approach 1:
A cover tether is introduced as an intermediary component between the airbag cushion and the external environment. The cover tether covers the airbag cushion in its folded state and includes a tear line that allows it to be torn by the deployment force during airbag deployment, thereby preventing the airbag from protruding externally while allowing safe deployment
2Volume of moving object
If the airbag cushion is compressed to reduce seat package volume, then storage performance is improved, but the airbag cushion may not deploy effectively in collision
Solution Approach 1:
The cover tether is pre-configured with a tear line at a predetermined location. Before collision occurs, the cover tether is positioned to cover the compressed airbag cushion. During deployment, the tear line automatically tears due to deployment force, allowing the airbag to expand effectively without being constrained by the cover tether
Solution Approach 2:
The cover tether's structural parameter changes from an intact covering structure to a torn state during deployment. The tear line is designed with specific material properties and geometric characteristics that allow it to transition from a constraining structure to a non-constraining state when subjected to deployment force, enabling volume reduction during storage while maintaining deployment effectiveness
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag apparatus for a vehicle is proposed. The airbag apparatus is configured to protect an occupant from an impact during a vehicle collision, to restrain the occupant to minimize occupant injuries, and to have improved storage performance to reduce a seat package volume.