Side Curtain Airbag Stopper Chamber Head Ejection Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Side curtain airbags fail to effectively prevent an occupant's head from being ejected towards the front of a vehicle during impacts, leading to potential injury from the instrument panel, and the manufacturing process is complex.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a stopper chamber with an overlapped portion that protrudes inward during non-inflation, coupled with a strength reinforcement member and a tether system, to enhance deployment and stopping force, reducing the risk of head ejection and simplifying manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional side curtain airbag is used, then the airbag can be deployed to protect occupants, but the head of the occupant can still be ejected toward the front side and collide with the instrument panel
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into multiple functional chambers including a stopper chamber specifically designed to prevent head ejection. The stopper chamber is separated from other chambers and positioned to protrude toward the instrument panel, creating a dedicated protective barrier that segments the protection function from the general cushioning function.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper chamber is pre-configured with an overlapped portion that protrudes toward the instrument panel before deployment. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the airbag deploys, the stopper chamber is already in the correct position to immediately prevent head ejection and collision with the instrument panel.
2Force
If the airbag structure is enhanced to improve stopping force, then head ejection prevention is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper chamber is formed using flexible airbag material that is overlapped and sewn to create the protruding structure. This approach uses flexible shells rather than rigid components, maintaining the inflatable nature of the airbag while creating the necessary structural complexity for enhanced stopping force without significantly increasing manufacturing difficulty.
3Reliability
If the stopper chamber is designed to protrude toward the interior of the vehicle, then the stopping function is enhanced, but the structural complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper chamber is integrated into the existing airbag structure by overlapping and sewing a portion of the airbag material itself, rather than adding a separate component. This merging approach creates the protruding stopper structure while utilizing the same manufacturing processes and materials already required for the main airbag, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
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 stopper chamber effectively prevents head ejection towards the front, enhancing occupant safety and reducing manufacturing complexity by improving deployment characteristics and stopping function.
Implementation Method 1
When an inflator is operated according to an impact signal, gas generated from the inflator is introduced into the curtain airbag to inflate the curtain airbag
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4a~4c
Figure 5~7
AI summary
Provided is a side curtain airbag for a vehicle. The airbag includes an inner panel facing an interior of the vehicle, an outer panel facing the inner panel, a stopper chamber configured to prevent a head of an occupant seated on the vehicle from being moved toward a front side of the vehicle, a forward chamber arranged at a front side of the stopper chamber, and a rearward chamber arranged at a rear side of the stopper chamber. The forward chamber and the rearward chamber are arranged to be adjacent to each other such that in a non-inflation state of the airbag, a portion in which the stopper chamber is located is folded at least once to form an overlapped portion.