Airbag Protruding Section Tether Head Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airbag devices for front passenger seats struggle to smoothly guide and protect a passenger's head during diagonal movements in oblique or offset collisions, as the tether belt configuration can cause the center bag section to bulge outward, hindering effective head guidance into the slit.
Innovation Solution
The airbag device incorporates a main inflatable section, an auxiliary inflatable section, and a protruding inflatable section with an outer tether that connects the main and protruding sections, forming a sectorial contour to prevent the protruding section from moving away and guide the head into an arresting recess, ensuring smooth protection during diagonal movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tether belt is connected to the rear portion of the center bag section, then the airbag can restrain movement of the main inflatable section and center bag section, but the center bag section may bulge outward and fail to guide the passenger's head smoothly into the slit during diagonal movement
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into three distinct inflatable sections: main inflatable section, auxiliary inflatable section, and protruding inflatable section. This segmentation allows each section to perform specific functions - the main section provides overall protection, the auxiliary section supports the protruding section, and the protruding section with its near-side wall creates the oblique-collision arresting face for smooth head guidance during diagonal movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The protruding inflatable section is equipped with a near-side wall that rises rearward to form an oblique-collision arresting face with a specific inclination. This local structural modification provides enhanced guidance capability for diagonal head movement without affecting the overall airbag structure, allowing the head to be smoothly guided into the arresting recess.
2Volume of moving object
If the protruding inflatable section is deployed further rearward than the main inflatable section, then it can provide extended protection, but it may move away from the main inflatable section during deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The outer tether merges the protruding inflatable section and main inflatable section into a unified structure by connecting them at their upper edges. This connection ensures that while the protruding section can deploy further rearward to extend protection volume, it remains positionally stable relative to the main section during deployment, preventing unwanted separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer tether is implemented as a flexible band that connects the upper edge of the protruding inflatable section to the upper edge of the main inflatable section. This flexible connection allows the protruding section to deploy rearward while maintaining structural integrity and preventing excessive movement away from the main section.
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 airbag device effectively catches and protects the passenger's head by preventing the protruding inflatable section from moving away, allowing the oblique-collision arresting face to smoothly guide the head into the arresting recess, providing adequate protection in both frontal and oblique collisions.
Implementation Method 1
The airbag is inflatable with an inflation gas for rearward deployment
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag includes a main inflatable section which includes a front-collision arresting face at the rear plane as deployed, a protruding inflatable section which includes an oblique-collision arresting face, and an arresting recess formed between the front-collision arresting face and oblique-collision arresting face. An outer tether is disposed on the outside of the airbag for preventing the protruding inflatable section from moving away from the main inflatable section at airbag deployment. The outer tether includes a side edge disposed towards the protruding inflatable section and a front edge disposed towards the main inflatable section. The side edge is jointed to an upper edge of the oblique-collision arresting face by a side joint which is formed over a generally entire area in a front and rear direction of the protruding inflatable section. The front edge is jointed to an upper edge of the front-collision arresting face by a front joint.