Airbag Apparatus with Movable Steering Wheel and Dynamic Tether Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airbag apparatuses struggle to maintain optimal deployment states when the distance between the airbag and the passenger changes, such as when the driver's seat is adjusted, leading to inadequate impact absorption during collisions, especially in scenarios like braking and turning.
Innovation Solution
An airbag apparatus with a movable member that can adjust the size of the airbag deployment based on the position of the steering wheel, using a position acquisition unit and an airbag controller to control the deployment size by activating or cutting internal tethers, ensuring the airbag is deployed in an optimal size corresponding to the distance between the steering wheel and the passenger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the driver's seat is moved in the front-to-back direction, then the distance between the airbag and the passenger changes, but the deployment state of the airbag becomes non-optimal for receiving the passenger
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag apparatus employs internal tethers that can be dynamically cut or retained based on the detected seat position. When the seat is moved forward, the controller cuts the internal tethers to allow full airbag deployment; when the seat is in the original position, the tethers are retained to limit deployment size. This dynamic adjustment ensures optimal airbag reception for the passenger regardless of seat position.
2Device complexity
If the airbag deployment size is fixed, then the structure is simple, but the airbag cannot adapt to different seat positions and collision scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into multiple deployment zones by internal tethers that segment the airbag into a first deployment area (when tethers are intact) and a second deployment area (when tethers are cut). This segmentation allows the airbag to provide different deployment sizes suitable for various seat positions and collision types, including side collisions where limited deployment is preferable.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag deployment parameter (deployment size) is changed based on the detected seat position and collision type. The controller adjusts the deployment state by controlling the cutting of internal tethers, thereby changing the effective deployment volume of the airbag to match the distance between the airbag and passenger, ensuring optimal protection.
3Reliability
If internal tethers are used to control airbag deployment size, then deployment can be optimized for different positions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal tethers are designed to be automatically cut or retained by the controller based on pre-programmed logic that detects seat position and collision characteristics. The system self-adjusts the airbag deployment configuration without requiring manual intervention or complex real-time calculations, thereby achieving deployment optimization while keeping the control mechanism relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag apparatus includes an airbag and an airbag controller. The airbag is disposed in a movable member and configured to be able to deploy in different sizes in a front-to-back direction of an automobile. The movable member can move in the front-to-back direction in front of a passenger in the automobile. The airbag controller is configured to control a size of the airbag to be deployed, according to a position to which the movable member is moved.