Airbag Housing Load Distributing Plate Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable airbag systems face damage and potential failure due to forces exerted during deployment and inflation, which can also damage the vehicle structure to which they are mounted, as these forces are often localized and cause significant stress on specific components of the airbag housing.
Innovation Solution
A load distributing plate is coupled to the airbag housing to redistribute and delocalize these forces, preventing damage and failure by distributing them across a larger area of the housing, thereby enhancing its structural integrity and reducing the risk of cracking or deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the airbag housing is made from lighter or thinner materials, then the weight and material cost are reduced, but the structural integrity and resistance to deployment forces deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a main housing body and a separate load distributing plate. The plate is attached to the exterior surface of the housing at the mounting region, segmenting the load-bearing function from the housing structure itself. This allows the housing to be made of lighter materials while the plate provides the necessary strength to distribute deployment forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The load distributing plate acts as an intermediary element between the mounting hardware and the housing. It mediates the transmission of deployment forces, distributing them across a larger area of the housing's exterior surface. This intermediary structure protects the housing from concentrated stresses while allowing the housing to remain lightweight.
2Device complexity
If the mounting hardware is directly attached to the housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the stress concentration and risk of housing failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load distributing plate is pre-positioned and attached to the housing at the mounting region before the airbag deployment occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the force-distributing structure is already in place to handle the upcoming deployment forces, preventing stress concentration and housing failure without adding complex mounting procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The load distributing plate extends in a direction away from the interior void of the housing, utilizing the exterior dimension of the housing surface. This dimensional extension allows the plate to distribute forces across a larger area without interfering with the internal airbag structure or requiring modifications to the housing interior.
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag assembly can include an inflator that may exert forces on an airbag housing during deployment of an airbag from the housing. The airbag assembly can include a load distributing plate to distribute or delocalize the forces. In some arrangements, the load distributing plate can be attached to the inflator.