Side Airbag Gas Distributor Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side airbag apparatuses face complexity in adjusting the gas flow to individual chambers, leading to uneven pressure ratios and deployment conditions, requiring a complicated structure to manage the inflator's gas distribution.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrically shaped member with a squeezing portion is used to adjust the gas flow path, allowing for individual control of gas distribution to each chamber, simplifying the structure and enabling easier attachment to existing systems without the need for additional fixing members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a cover with multiple blowing-out holes is provided to cover the periphery of the inflator, then the gas flow amount to each chamber can be adjusted, but the structure becomes complicated and the cover size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gas flow control function from the cover structure and relocates it to a separate gas distributor component. The cover is simplified to only cover the periphery of the inflator, while the gas distributor with flow control holes is positioned at the bottom surface of the inflator. This separation allows the cover structure to be simplified while maintaining precise gas flow adjustment capability through the gas distributor.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas distribution system is segmented into distinct functional components: the cover for peripheral coverage, the inflator for gas generation, and the gas distributor for flow control. The gas distributor is further segmented with multiple holes of different diameters positioned at different locations, allowing independent control of gas flow to different chambers. This segmentation enables precise flow control without requiring a complex integrated cover structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If the cover structure is designed to control gas flow to each chamber, then flow amount adjustment is achieved, but the fixing structure becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The gas flow control function is extracted from the cover and assigned to a separate gas distributor component that is integrated with the inflator. The cover's role is simplified to only providing peripheral coverage and protection. The gas distributor includes a fixing structure that directly attaches to the inflator body, eliminating the need for complex fixing mechanisms in the cover assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas distributor is merged with the inflator assembly through a direct fixing structure. The gas distributor's bottom surface with flow control holes is positioned to face the inflator, and the fixing structure integrates these components into a single unit. This merging simplifies the overall fixing structure while maintaining precise gas flow distribution control capability.
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
This solution allows for precise adjustment of pressure ratios and deployment conditions in each chamber with a simpler construction, enhancing the side airbag's performance and ease of integration with existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
A cylindrically shaped member 40 having a squeezing portion 40a for squeezing a flow path of gas blown out from the inflator
Data Source
AI summary
A side airbag apparatus includes a side airbag having a plurality of partitioned chambers therein to be inflated and deployed in a space between a side wall portion of a body of a motor vehicle and an occupant seated on a seat disposed inside the body. An inflator has an approximately cylindrical shape and blows gas out for inflating and deploying the side airbag from one side in a longitudinal direction of the inflator. A cylindrical member is disposed in a manner so as to cover the one side in the longitudinal direction of the inflator and has a squeezing portion for restricting a flow path of the gas blown out from the inflator.