Airbag Tether Bracket Mechanism for Rotation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional side airbag apparatuses fail to sufficiently suppress the rotation of deployed airbags away from the seat due to increased rotational force moments, and require additional components like support plates and brackets, increasing installation time.
Innovation Solution
An airbag apparatus with a tether supported by a bracket attached to the seat back frame, where the tether's other end is attached to the airbag, reducing the rotational force moment and simplifying installation by integrating the bracket with the seat back frame during airbag module attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the side airbag apparatus is installed on the far side distant from the side door, then the airbag deployment space is improved, but the airbag rotation away from the seat increases due to lack of pressure wall
Solution Approach 1:
A tether is introduced as an intermediary component to connect the airbag to the seat back frame. The tether acts as a mediator that transmits restraining force from the seat structure to the airbag, preventing rotation away from the seat while allowing the airbag to be installed on the far side for optimal deployment space.
2Device complexity
If a tether is coupled only to the airbag and seat without intermediate support, then the device complexity is reduced, but the rotation suppression effectiveness decreases due to increased moment of force
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves as an intermediary support structure positioned between the seat back frame and the tether coupling point. This intermediate support reduces the moment arm length, thereby decreasing the moment of force that causes rotation, while maintaining relative simplicity in the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is pre-installed on the seat back frame at an optimized position before airbag deployment. This preliminary positioning ensures that the tether has the correct attachment geometry to effectively counteract rotational forces during collision, improving reliability without adding complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If a support plate and rotatable bracket are added to catch the airbag, then the rotation suppression is improved, but the installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of the support plate and rotatable bracket mechanism, retaining only the bracket as a fixed support element. The complex rotatable catching mechanism is removed, keeping only the necessary bracket structure that provides adequate rotation suppression while significantly reducing installation complexity and time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a movable support plate that rotates to catch the airbag, the invention inverts the approach by using a fixed bracket that passively provides support. The bracket's fixed position and geometry inherently provide the rotation suppression function without requiring active movement or complex catching mechanisms.
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
Effectively suppresses airbag rotation away from the seat, improving passenger protection without increasing installation time by using a tether supported by a bracket that acts as the fulcrum, reducing the moment of rotary force.
Implementation Method 1
an inflator provided inside the airbag, which generates gas so as to deploy the airbag
Implementation Method 2
the tether is supported by the front end of the bracket... the moment of force for rotating the tip side of the airbag in the direction away from the seat increases
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
To effectively retain a deployed airbag without increasing installation man hours, in addition to suppressing rotation of this airbag in a direction away from a seat. For example, a side airbag apparatus 1 installed inside a backrest SB of the seat S includes: an airbag 2; an inflator 3 provided inside the airbag 2; a tether 4; and a bracket 5. The airbag 2 is deployed in a first direction in which a base end side 2a thereof is attached to a seat back frame SBF and the tip side thereof is distant from the backrest SB. The tether 4 includes: one end 4a attached to the seat back frame SBF; and the other end which extends in the first direction on the outer surface of the airbag 2 in the deployed state so as to be attached to the part on the tip side 2b of the airbag 2. A bracket 5 is attached to the seat back frame SBF and provided in the direction in which the tether 4 extends. The tether 4 is supported by the front end of the bracket 5.