Curtain Airbag Tether Guide Member Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional curtain airbag systems face a challenge in achieving optimal tether tension upon deployment, which affects the positioning of the airbag for effective protection during lateral impacts and rollovers.
Innovation Solution
The airbag assembly incorporates a tether with fixed length between its ends and at least one guide member that slidably receives the tether, allowing for adjustable length portions at non-zero angles, enabling controlled positioning of the airbag upon deployment by adjusting the tether's length and reducing the distance between its ends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a continuous curved tether is stowed in the headliner, then the tether tension upon deployment is reduced, but the airbag positioning control is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The tether is divided into multiple segments with different configurations. The first tether portion is stowed in a folded configuration within the headliner, while the second tether portion extends through a guide member. This segmentation allows the tether to achieve optimal tension characteristics upon deployment without requiring a completely complex reconfiguration system.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether system incorporates a guide member that allows dynamic adjustment of the tether path. The guide member can be positioned at different locations along the headliner, enabling the tether configuration to adapt dynamically to different deployment scenarios and optimize tension characteristics for various airbag positions.
2Force
If the tether length is fixed, then the tether tension upon deployment can be optimized, but the airbag positioning flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as an intermediary element between the fixed-length tether and the airbag. By routing the tether through the guide member, the system maintains the tension benefits of a fixed-length tether while gaining positioning flexibility through the guide member's ability to be relocated along the headliner, effectively mediating between these two requirements.
3Volume of stationary object
If the tether is stowed in a folded configuration, then the headliner space is efficiently utilized, but the tether tension upon deployment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tether is segmented into a first portion that is folded within the headliner for compact storage, and a second portion that extends through a guide member to maintain tension. This segmentation allows the folded configuration to efficiently utilize headliner space while the extended second portion ensures adequate tether tension is maintained upon deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag assembly for a motor vehicle includes an inflatable airbag, a tether, and at least one guide member. The tether controls deployment of the inflatable airbag. The tether has a fixed length between a first end and a second end. The at least one guide member slidably receives the tether such that the tether has a first adjustable length portion between the first end and the at least one guide member and the tether has a second adjustable length portion between the second end and the at least one guide member.