Airbag Fold Bracket Positioning for Deployment Trajectory Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing airbag deployment systems face challenges in ensuring consistent and accurate folding and storage of airbags, which affects their deployment speed and direction, and there is a need to maintain the configuration of the airbag cushion throughout the vehicle's life.

Innovation Solution

The use of airbag fold brackets with fold retainer clips and windows ensures correct alignment and positioning of the airbag folds, utilizing break-away tapes for secure attachment and controlled deployment, allowing for fine-tuning of deployment angle, direction, and timing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If airbag is folded and stored in vehicle, then deployment speed and direction are affected, but fold consistency and configuration maintenance are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment consistencyVSAvoidfold location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag is pre-folded at specific fold locations and pre-positioned within the fold bracket before vehicle installation. The fold bracket includes positioning features that maintain the airbag's folded configuration and ensure correct alignment during storage and deployment, eliminating the need for adjustment at deployment time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The fold bracket serves as an intermediary component between the airbag and the vehicle interior. It provides a structured framework with positioning features that guide and constrain the airbag's fold locations and deployment trajectory, ensuring consistent and accurate deployment without direct attachment of the airbag to the vehicle structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If fold bracket with positioning features is used, then fold location accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefold location accuracyVSAvoidbracket structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fold bracket is divided into multiple segments or features, each responsible for maintaining a specific fold location or alignment aspect. This segmentation allows each feature to be simple in design while collectively providing precise overall positioning and configuration maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If break-away tapes are used for attachment, then deployment control is improved, but attachment reliability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment controlVSAvoidattachment strength

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The break-away tapes are designed with specific material properties and structural parameters that allow them to maintain strong attachment under normal vehicle conditions (storage, vibration, temperature variations) but to fail at a controlled, predetermined force level during airbag deployment. This parameter optimization ensures both secure storage and reliable deployment control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS7641220B2Airbag fold bracket

Publication Date: 2010.01.05 AUTOLIV ASP INC

AI summary

An airbag system in a motor vehicle including one or more inflatable airbags and at least one airbag fold bracket configured to indicate the location of at least one airbag fold of the inflatable airbag. The airbag fold bracket may also be configured to maintain the position and shape of the airbag fold of the inflatable airbag while in the undeployed state. Furthermore, the airbag fold bracket may be configured to adjust and tune the deployment of the inflatable airbag.