Curtain Airbag Bracket Hooking Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current curtain airbag systems face challenges in maintaining the accommodated form of the cushion portion reliably and efficiently connecting it to brackets, often requiring complex adhesive tape operations that are prone to misalignment and increased complexity.

Innovation Solution

A curtain airbag device featuring a bracket with a base portion, vehicle fixable portion, and protruding elements, combined with a wrapping member that hooks onto these elements, allowing for a simple and stable connection of the cushion portion to the bracket, preventing sagging and interference, and facilitating smooth deployment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If adhesive tape is used to connect the cushion portion and bracket, then the cushion portion can be connected to the bracket, but misalignment occurs and the attachment operation becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment operation simplicityVSAvoidalignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The connection system is divided into separate functional components: the bracket with protruding portions provides positioning, the wrapping member provides connection, and the tape provides securing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without interfering with others, enabling simple operation while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The wrapping member acts as an intermediary element between the bracket and the cushion portion. It connects to the protruding portions of the bracket and then wraps around the cushion portion, mediating the connection process to ensure both alignment precision and operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Strength

If the wrapping member is hooked on the vehicle fixable portion, then the connection is strong, but the wrapping member interferes with the vehicle fixable portion and causes sagging

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidwrapped form stability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The bracket is designed with different local qualities: the vehicle fixable portion extends upward to contact the vehicle body for strong connection, while the protruding portions are positioned at lower heights to provide hooking points that do not interfere with the wrapping operation. This local differentiation resolves the conflict between connection strength and wrapped form stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the wrapping member is made long to avoid interference, then interference is prevented, but the diameter of the wrapped portion increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterference preventionVSAvoidwrapped diameter
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of extending the wrapping member in one dimension (length) to avoid interference, the solution moves the protruding portions to a different spatial dimension (lower height position). This dimensional change allows the wrapping member to be shorter while still preventing interference with the vehicle fixable portion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2910432B1Curtain airbag device
Publication Date: 2018.12.12 AUTOLIV DEV AB
  • EP2910432B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)~1(b)
  • EP2910432B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(b)
  • EP2910432B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a curtain airbag device capable of connecting a cushion portion and a bracket with a simple structure and a simple operation. An airbag (100) includes a cushion portion (102) that accommodated in a long and narrow form, a bracket (112) attached to a wall of a vehicle cabin, and a wrapping member (114) wrapped around the cushion portion (102) and the bracket (112). The bracket (112) includes a base portion (122) having an insertion hole (124), a vehicle fixing portion (126) extending upward from the base portion (122), and protruding portions (118a and 118b) that are formed on both sides in the width direction of the vehicle fixing portion (126) and are lower in height than the vehicle fixing portion (126). The wrapping member (114) has a root portion (115) connected to the cushion portion (102) and has hooking holes (116a and 116b) formed in a distal end thereof. The wrapping member (114) is inserted into the insertion hole (124) from the vehicle interior side, folded back downward, and wrapped around the cushion portion (102) toward the interior side, and the hooking holes (116a and 116b) are hooked on the protruding portions (118a and 118b), respectively.