Ceiling-Mounted Airbag Layout for Vehicles Without Interior Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airbag systems face challenges in protecting occupants in vehicle designs without interior structures, such as those with carriage-style seating, where there are limited or no structures to support airbag deployment, and occupy space and weight within the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
An occupant protection system featuring expandable curtains and bladders that deploy from a stowed state to a deployed state, using inflators and ceiling trim panels to create openings for deployment, providing a reaction surface to arrest occupant motion during collisions, and can be independently or concurrently deployed to optimize space and energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional airbag systems are used in vehicles without interior structures (e.g., carriage-style seating), then occupant protection is provided, but the airbags require interior structures for support and occupy space and weight within the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag system is divided into multiple separate airbags, each deployed from its own inflator at a specific location. Each airbag can be independently deployed to provide protection in different zones of the vehicle interior, eliminating the need for a single complex support structure while maintaining occupant protection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbags are deployed in three-dimensional space from ceiling-mounted inflators, expanding downward and outward to create protective cushions. This spatial deployment approach eliminates the need for traditional interior support structures by utilizing the vertical and lateral dimensions of the vehicle interior.
2Reliability
If conventional airbag systems are used, then occupant protection is provided, but the system occupies space and weight within the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag system components (inflators and airbags) are extracted from traditional interior locations and mounted on the vehicle ceiling. This redistribution eliminates the need for heavy interior support structures while maintaining protection functionality, reducing overall vehicle weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbags are constructed from lightweight flexible materials that can rapidly expand to provide protection. These thin-film structures provide the necessary protective function with minimal weight compared to rigid interior support structures.
3Reliability
If multiple airbags are deployed simultaneously, then comprehensive occupant protection is provided, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system includes a controller that evaluates collision parameters and pre-determines which airbags should be deployed based on the specific collision scenario. This selective deployment approach provides comprehensive protection coverage while minimizing energy consumption by activating only the necessary airbags.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to deploy one or more airbags selectively based on collision severity and location. Rather than always deploying all airbags, the system uses partial deployment when sufficient, and excessive deployment only when necessary for severe collisions, optimizing the balance between protection coverage and energy consumption.
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 protects occupants by creating a cushion between them and vehicle interior structures, reducing injury risk and optimizing space and energy efficiency, even in designs without traditional support structures.
Implementation Method 1
An airbag system may often include an airbag and an inflator for providing the airbag with a gas to inflate the airbag. Upon involvement in a collision, the airbag may be rapidly inflated to create a cushion between the occupant and interior surfaces of the vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant protection system for a vehicle may include an expandable curtain and/or an expandable bladder configured to be expanded from a stowed state to a deployed state. The system may also include a transverse ceiling trim panel and one or more side ceiling trim panels configured to be coupled to a ceiling of the vehicle, with the transverse ceiling trim panel extending substantially transversely with respect to the one or more side ceiling trim panels. Portions of the ceiling trim panels may be configured to deflect and allow expansion of the expandable curtain and/or the expandable bladder to the deployed state. The system may also include a deployment controller and one or more inflators configured to cause deployment of the expandable curtain at a first time and deployment of the expandable bladder at a second time after the first time.