Vehicle Airbag Pocket Portion Early Inflation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle airbag systems fail to effectively deploy and inflate the extension portion in time to receive an occupant's head during oblique collisions, as it relies solely on gas pressure within the airbag body, which may not be sufficient for early inflation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle airbag apparatus with an airbag, an outer tether, an inflator, and an actuator, where the outer tether is pulled by the actuator to extract a pocket portion for early inflation when an oblique collision is detected, ensuring the head of a falling occupant is received by the airbag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the extension is deployed and inflated solely by the pressure of gas supplied through the interior of the airbag body, then the airbag structure remains simple, but the extension cannot be inflated at an early stage and may not be able to receive the occupant's head
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket portion is pre-positioned and connected to the airbag body via an inner tether. When the inflator operates, the pocket portion is pulled outward by the expanding airbag body through the inner tether, enabling it to inflate and deploy in advance of the main airbag body. This preliminary action ensures the pocket portion is ready to receive the occupant's head at the critical early moment of collision
Solution Approach 2:
The inner tether acts as an intermediary mechanism that transfers the expansion force from the airbag body to the pocket portion. This intermediary allows the pocket portion to be inflated by the gas pressure indirectly, enabling synchronized and timely deployment without requiring a separate inflation system
2Loss of time
If the pocket portion is extracted using an outer tether pulled by an actuator, then the pocket portion can be extracted and inflated at an early stage, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner tether and outer tether systems are merged into a coordinated deployment mechanism. The inner tether connects the pocket portion to the airbag body, while the outer tether connects the pocket portion to the actuator. When deployed, these tethers work together to pull the pocket portion outward, combining the forces of gas pressure and actuator movement to achieve timely inflation without requiring overly complex separate systems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables the airbag to receive the occupant's head during oblique collisions by inflating the pocket portion at an early stage, providing enhanced protection by expanding the deployment area and ensuring timely engagement with the occupant's upper body.
Implementation Method 1
the extension is deployed and inflated solely by the pressure of gas supplied through the interior of the airbag body
Implementation Method 2
the actuator pulls the outer tether to extract the pocket portion
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag apparatus includes an airbag, which is configured to be supplied with gas to be deployed and inflated in front of one of a driver's seat and a front passenger seat. The airbag includes an airbag body and a pocket portion provided on a side of the airbag body. The airbag apparatus includes an outer tether, an inflator, and an actuator. The outer tether is located outside the airbag and is joined to the pocket portion. The inflator supplies gas to the airbag. When a movement of the vehicle in an oblique direction due to a collision is detected, the actuator pulls the outer tether to extract the pocket portion.