Airbag Restriction Member for Stable Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airbag devices often burst out towards occupants during deployment, leading to increased impact and instability, and require high-strength joint reinforcements, increasing manufacturing efforts and costs.
Innovation Solution
An airbag device with an inner bag and an outer bag that inflates with gas, featuring a restriction member connected to the outer bag's front surface to prevent movement in the occupant direction, ensuring stable deployment and reducing the risk of bursting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the inner panel is made longer to increase airbag thickness for occupant reception, then the airbag can better receive the occupant, but the airbag projects further increasing the risk to the occupant and may bounce due to sudden stopping
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into multiple independent chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) separated by separation panels. This segmentation allows different regions to inflate at different rates and prevents the entire airbag from projecting suddenly as a single unit, reducing the bouncing effect while maintaining sufficient thickness for occupant reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag inflation process is made dynamic and controlled through the restriction member that selectively restricts the first chamber while allowing the second and third chambers to inflate. This creates a staged inflation sequence where the airbag thickness increases gradually rather than suddenly, preventing harmful projection and bouncing while achieving the required thickness for safe occupant reception.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the inner panel is made shorter to reduce airbag projection risk, then the airbag projects less towards the occupant, but the airbag becomes too thin to properly receive the occupant
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the airbag into multiple chambers, the invention achieves sufficient total thickness for occupant reception without requiring a single long inner panel. The segmented structure allows the airbag to maintain adequate thickness through cumulative chamber volume while keeping each individual panel segment short enough to minimize projection risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic staged inflation process allows the airbag to achieve its full thickness gradually. The restriction member controls the inflation sequence so that chambers inflate in a controlled manner, building up thickness over time rather than projecting suddenly, thus achieving both safety and adequate reception capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the inner panel is suddenly stopped when fully stretched to prevent over-projection, then the airbag projection is limited, but the airbag bounces due to reaction force from sudden stopping
Solution Approach 1:
Segmenting the airbag into multiple chambers with independent inflation control prevents the sudden stopping of a single large panel. Each chamber can be restricted or allowed to inflate independently, distributing the inflation forces and eliminating the sudden reaction force that causes bouncing, while still limiting overall projection through the restriction member.
Solution Approach 2:
The restriction member provides dynamic, staged control of chamber inflation rather than sudden stopping. By allowing chambers to inflate in sequence with controlled restriction, the system manages the inflation forces gradually, preventing both over-projection and the reaction forces that cause bouncing, thus maintaining stability throughout the inflation process.
4Strength
If joint portions are reinforced to withstand high loads during inflation, then the joint strength is increased, but manufacturing efforts and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Segmenting the airbag into multiple smaller chambers reduces the load concentration on any single joint portion. Each joint connects smaller panels rather than supporting the entire large inner panel, naturally distributing and reducing the loads on joints. This eliminates the need for complex reinforcements while maintaining joint strength, simplifying manufacturing.
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 prevents bursting towards occupants, deploys stably, and safely restrains occupants, while reducing the load on joint portions, simplifying manufacturing and lowering costs.
Implementation Method 1
with high-pressure gas generated by an inflator
Data Source
AI summary
An object is to prevent an airbag from bursting out toward an occupant and to inflate and deploy the airbag in a stable manner. An inner bag (30A) inflates with gas supplied from an inflator (3). An outer bag (20) inflates with the gas supplied through a flow port in the inner bag (30A). A restriction member (40A) restricts the movement of a front surface of the outer bag (20) in the occupant direction. An opening (41) in the restriction member (40A) is engaged with the outer circumference of the inflated inner bag (30A) and moves in the occupant direction along the outer circumference of the inner bag (30A) in accordance with the inflation of the outer bag (20). The restriction member (40A) moves the front surface of the outer bag (20) in accordance with the movement of the opening (41).