Airbag Cushion Protector for Chute Edge Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airbag cushions often suffer damage during deployment due to sharp edges of deployment doors or materials, leading to reduced effectiveness and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
An airbag cushion protector is designed to be placed in the airbag chute, featuring a line of weakness that allows it to tear and extend beyond the edges of the deployment door, interposing itself between the airbag cushion and the door to prevent damage, and includes slots for locking tabs to secure it to the chute during deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the airbag cushion is deployed directly through the deployment door, then the deployment speed is fast, but the sharp edges of the deployment door cause damage to the airbag cushion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a deployment door liner as an intermediary component between the deployment door and the airbag cushion. This liner covers the sharp edges of the deployment door and is positioned to protect the airbag cushion during deployment, eliminating direct contact between the cushion and harmful sharp edges while maintaining the fast deployment speed through the same door mechanism.
2Reliability
If the deployment door liner is designed to cover the sharp edges, then the protection effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment door liner is designed as a thin, flexible protective component that can be easily attached to the deployment door. This thin-film approach provides effective edge coverage and protection without adding significant structural complexity or bulk to the existing deployment door assembly, maintaining simplicity while improving reliability.
3Reliability
If the airbag cushion protector extends beyond the deployment door edges, then the protection coverage is improved, but the loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment door liner is designed with varying coverage areas: it extends beyond the deployment door edges at locations where sharp edges pose a greater risk to the airbag cushion, while maintaining a more compact form where less protection is needed. This localized extension approach ensures comprehensive protection coverage in critical areas while minimizing unnecessary material usage overall.
Data Source
AI summary
A number of variations may include a product comprising an airbag cushion protector constructed and arranged to be place in an airbag chute and so that a first portion of the airbag cushion protector covers the edges of an airbag door during deployment of an airbag cushion and so that the first portion of the protector is interposed between the edges of the airbag door and the airbag cushion throughout deployment of the airbag.