Vehicle Seat Armrest Airbag for Far-Side Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current airbag systems fail to effectively control the kinematics of occupants during side impacts, particularly in far-side collisions, where the airbag's deployment does not adequately manage the occupant's movement between the seat and the vehicle door, leading to potential injury from cross-vehicle contact.
Innovation Solution
An airbag assembly integrated with a movable armrest and pyrotechnic device, where the armrest extends upwardly and the airbag inflates to offset positions, with the upper portion controlling the occupant's head and the lower portion managing the hip, using a computer-controlled system to initiate deployment in response to vehicle impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the airbag is deployed in conventional positions, then the airbag can provide basic side impact protection, but it fails to effectively control the kinematics of occupants during side impacts, particularly in far-side collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into multiple distinct portions: a first portion that contacts the occupant's head region and a second portion that contacts the occupant's torso/hip region. This segmentation allows each portion to independently control the kinematics of different body parts during side impacts, significantly improving occupant protection effectiveness by addressing the limitation of conventional single-position airbag deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag system transitions from conventional two-dimensional deployment (within the side impact plane) to three-dimensional spatial control by extending portions in multiple directions. The first portion extends toward the head region while the second portion extends toward the torso, creating a three-dimensional protective envelope that effectively controls occupant kinematics and prevents cross-vehicle contact injuries in far-side collisions.
2Reliability
If the armrest is made movable to support airbag deployment, then the airbag can be positioned more effectively, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is designed as a movable rather than fixed structure, capable of moving between a stowed position and a deployed position. This dynamic configuration allows the armrest to adapt its position based on deployment needs, enabling more effective airbag positioning while maintaining a compact form when not in use. The movable armrest resolves the contradiction by providing positioning accuracy only when needed, rather than requiring complex permanent positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest is pre-positioned in a stowed configuration during normal operation, and only moves to the deployed position when side impact detection triggers airbag deployment. This preliminary positioning strategy allows the system to maintain simplicity during normal use while providing enhanced positioning capability when protection is needed, effectively resolving the complexity versus accuracy contradiction.
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 system effectively controls the kinematics of occupants during side impacts by limiting contact between the occupant and other vehicle occupants and the vehicle structure, enhancing safety by strategically positioning the airbag to absorb and distribute impact forces.
Implementation Method 1
The upright portion may include a piston elongated along the axis, the arm support portion being movable along the axis by the piston. The assembly may include a pyrotechnic device operatively coupled to the piston.
Implementation Method 2
The airbag, for example, may be inflatable between the occupant and a vehicle door or other components of the vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly includes a vehicle seat. The assembly includes an armrest supported by the vehicle seat. The armrest includes an upright portion elongated along an axis and an arm support portion supported by the upright portion. The assembly includes an airbag supported by the arm support portion of the armrest. The airbag inflatable to an inflated position. The airbag includes an upper portion extending upwardly from the arm support portion when the airbag is in the inflated position and a lower portion extending downwardly from the arm support portion when the airbag is in the inflated position. The upper portion is vehicle-inboard of the axis and the lower portion being vehicle-outboard of the axis.