Airbag Throat Liner Leak Reducing Panels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Inflatable curtain airbags face challenges in retaining inflation gas for extended periods, especially during rollover events, where longer gas retention is necessary to prevent occupant ejection and provide sustained cushioning, while existing designs often suffer from gas egress issues due to material stretching and stitching holes.

Innovation Solution

The use of a throat liner coupled with the inflatable airbag, featuring specific coupling sites and stitching configurations that prevent inflation gas egress by maintaining a seal, even when the airbag is compressed, allowing for longer retention of inflation gas and improved cushioning performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional stitching methods are used to assemble airbag panels, then manufacturing is simpler and easier, but inflation gas egress occurs due to stitching holes and material stretching

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegas retentionVSAvoidcoupling site structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A leak reducing panel is introduced as an intermediary component between the airbag panels and stitching. This panel features a reinforced stitching channel that captures and contains the stitching holes, preventing gas egress through the stitching points while maintaining the simplicity of stitched assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The leak reducing panel utilizes a flexible membrane structure with a reinforced stitching channel that can accommodate material stretching during inflation while maintaining seal integrity. The panel's design allows it to flex with the airbag expansion without compromising the gas retention at coupling sites.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Duration of action of moving object

If material stretching is allowed during airbag inflation, then the airbag can expand properly, but stitching holes enlarge and cause gas egress

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegas retention timeVSAvoidmaterial deformation

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The reinforced stitching channel is designed to accommodate and redirect the material stretching that occurs during inflation. Instead of preventing stretching entirely, the channel captures and contains it, converting the potentially harmful stretching into a controlled deformation that maintains seal integrity while allowing necessary expansion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Strength

If more stitching is used to secure panels, then structural integrity improves, but gas egress through stitching holes increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepanel connectionVSAvoidgas egress

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The leak reducing panel serves as an intermediary that decouples the structural function of stitching from the sealing function. Multiple stitching points can be used to ensure strong panel connection, while the reinforced stitching channel simultaneously prevents gas egress through all stitching holes, allowing both strong connection and gas retention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8851507B1Airbags with sewn leak reducing panels

Publication Date: 2014.10.07 AUTOLIV ASP INC

AI summary

An airbag, or inflatable cushion assembly, can include an inflatable cushion and a throat liner. The throat liner can be coupled to an interior surface of the inflatable cushion at one or more coupling sites. The one or more coupling sites can include one or more panels that can be coupled to at least a portion of both of the inflatable cushion and the throat liner. The one or more panels can be configured to control or inhibit egress of an inflation gas at the one or more coupling sites.