Airbag Mounting Tab Assembly Bracket Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inflatable vehicle occupant protection devices, such as side airbags, face issues with abrasions and wear on mounting assemblies, leading to potential detachment during deployment, which compromises their effectiveness in side impacts and rollovers.
Innovation Solution
The use of a curtain airbag with integrated mounting tabs and brackets, where the brackets are secured within pockets formed by the airbag material, and fastened with threaded fasteners that extend through apertures to prevent removal and distribute deployment forces, thereby minimizing stress concentration and preventing detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mounting assemblies are used to attach the inflatable curtain to the roof or support structure, then the airbag can be securely mounted for deployment, but abrasions and wear on the mounting assembly can lead to detachment during deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by providing a reinforcement bracket that is positioned in advance within the mounting tab pocket. This bracket serves as a protective barrier that cushions the mounting assembly from abrasion and wear during deployment, preventing the harmful effects that would otherwise lead to detachment. The bracket is installed before deployment occurs, creating a protective structure in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining the airbag material with a separate reinforcement bracket made of durable material. This composite structure integrates the flexible airbag with a rigid or semi-rigid bracket that resists abrasion and wear, creating a hybrid mounting assembly that leverages the advantages of both materials to prevent detachment while maintaining deployment functionality.
2Reliability
If brackets are added to reinforce the mounting assembly and limit abrasion/wear, then durability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the reinforcement bracket directly into the mounting tab structure. The bracket is positioned within the pocket formed by the folded mounting tab and secured with fasteners, combining the airbag mounting function with the reinforcement function in a single integrated assembly. This reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate mounting and reinforcement components.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement bracket serves multiple functions: it reinforces the mounting assembly, limits abrasion and wear, distributes deployment forces, and prevents detachment. By providing a single component that performs all these functions simultaneously, the patent avoids the complexity of multiple separate components while achieving comprehensive mounting durability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. The curtain airbag comprises a mounting tab comprising overlying layers of airbag material that define a pocket and through each of which a mounting tab aperture extends. A bracket comprises a plate with a bracket aperture extending therethrough. The bracket is positioned in the pocket so that the bracket aperture is aligned with the mounting tab apertures. A fastener has a portion extending though the mounting tab apertures and the bracket aperture. The fastener blocks the bracket from removal from the pocket.