Airbag Head Part Lateral Extension for Side Impact Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing frontal center air-bags do not effectively maintain the occupant's position during a side impact, as they tend to be driven away from the occupant when the shoulder contacts the air-bag, leading to inadequate support and cushioning for the head.
Innovation Solution
The air-bag is designed with a body part divided into three chambers by a first tether arrangement and a head part connected to the body part, allowing gas flow between them, with the front face extending further laterally in the head region than the body region, ensuring the head part remains in position during inflation to provide effective support and cushioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air-bag is designed as a single chamber or with conventional partitions, then the structure is simpler, but the air-bag is driven away from the occupant during side impact, reducing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The air-bag is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) separated by tether arrangements. This segmentation allows independent control of different regions, enabling the head part to maintain position while the body part can deform to absorb impact energy, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and position maintenance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether arrangements extend in multiple directions (vertically and horizontally) to create a three-dimensional constraint system. This multi-dimensional approach prevents the air-bag from being driven away in any direction during impact, improving reliability without requiring overly complex single-direction structures.
2Reliability
If the front face extends equally in all regions, then the structure is more uniform and simpler to manufacture, but the head part cannot provide adequate support during side impact
Solution Approach 1:
The front face is designed with different extension characteristics in different regions: the head part extends further laterally than the body part. This local differentiation allows the head region to provide targeted support where needed most during side impact, while the body region maintains a simpler geometry for manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The air-bag exhibits asymmetric geometry where the head part protrudes further laterally compared to the body part. This asymmetric design optimizes protection for the head region during side impact without requiring symmetric complexity throughout the entire structure, balancing manufacturing ease with protective effectiveness.
3Speed
If gas flow between chambers is restricted, then each chamber can be independently controlled, but the overall inflation response is slower and less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The tether arrangements serving as chamber partitions include integrated gas flow paths that allow automatic gas redistribution between chambers during inflation. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external gas control valves or complex flow regulation systems, achieving fast inflation response without increasing device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6a~8
AI summary
An air-bag comprising: a top side (3); a bottom side (4); a face side (2), extending between the top side and the bottom side; a rear side (34), substantially opposite the face side; a body part (7), defined between the front face and the rear face, and positioned adjacent or close to the bottom side; and a head part (11), defined between the front face and the rear face and adjacent to or close to the top side, wherein: the body part is divided into at least two chambers by a first tether arrangement which extends between the front side and the rear side and is connected both to the front side and the rear side; gas may flow between the two or more chambers; gas may flow between the head part and the body part; and the front face extends further in a lateral direction in the region of the head part than in the region of the body part.