Airbag Locking Inflatable Portion for Steering Wheel Rim Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airbag devices for driver's seats on odd-shaped steering wheels with smaller front-to-back dimensions face issues with slippage during deployment, potentially causing injury due to the airbag's inability to maintain proper positioning and support the driver effectively.
Innovation Solution
An airbag device with a vehicle-side wall supported by the steering wheel's rim portion, featuring a locking inflatable portion that protrudes downward to prevent forward slippage, and a driver-side wall with a greater thickness at the front to ensure vertical deployment and secure the driver, utilizing tethers and specific fabric configurations to maintain position and prevent abdomen engagement with the rim.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the airbag is configured with greater front portion thickness to ensure vertical deployment on an odd-shaped steering wheel, then the driver-side wall can receive the driver smoothly, but the airbag may slip forward along the rim portion
Solution Approach 1:
The locking inflatable portion is pre-configured in the airbag structure before deployment. When the airbag inflates, this portion automatically engages with the rear surface of the rim portion, preventing forward slippage before it can occur. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that the airbag maintains its intended position without requiring active control during the critical deployment phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking inflatable portion acts as an intermediary element between the airbag and the rim portion. It provides a dedicated locking interface that mediates the interaction between these two components, ensuring stable positioning while allowing the main body of the airbag to maintain its required thickness distribution for proper driver reception.
2Reliability
If the airbag slips forward during deployment, then the front support surface separates from the rim portion and the rear support surface reveals the rim portion, but the driver may still be protected
Solution Approach 1:
The locking inflatable portion provides preliminary anti-action by preventing the forward slippage that would lead to harmful effects. By engaging with the rear surface of the rim portion before any slippage can occur, it counteracts the tendency of the airbag to move forward, thereby preventing the chain of events that would result in head contact with the rim and potential neck injury.
Solution Approach 2:
The design acknowledges the forward slippage tendency as a potential harmful factor and converts it into a benefit by using the inflation pressure that causes slippage to instead inflate the locking portion, which then engages with the rim portion to prevent harmful slippage. The same inflation force that could cause problems is harnessed to create the locking mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the airbag is designed to deploy vertically with even force distribution, then driver protection is improved, but the airbag requires additional structural components to prevent slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is segmented into functional regions: the main body for driver reception with optimized thickness distribution, and the separate locking inflatable portion for positioning stability. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function independently, achieving both easy driver reception and slippage prevention without requiring complex integration.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the airbag have different local qualities: the front portion has greater thickness for vertical deployment and smooth driver reception, while the locking inflatable portion has a specific configuration for engaging with the rim portion. This local differentiation of properties allows the airbag to achieve multiple functions with relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag device includes a steering wheel a rim portion of which has a longer length in a left and right direction than in a front and back direction, and an airbag mounted on a boss section of the steering wheel. An outer shell of the airbag includes a vehicle-side wall that is configured to be supported by an upper surface of the rim portion when deployed, and a driver-side wall a central region of which is configured to deploy generally vertically for receiving the driver. The airbag as deployed includes, in a rear portion of the vehicle-side wall, a locking inflatable portion that protrudes downward from a vicinity of the upper surface of the rim portion of the steering wheel to be locked by a rear surface of the rim portion and prevent a front portion of the airbag from slipping forward.