Far-Side Airbag Layout for Head Rotation Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing far-side airbag devices do not effectively prevent the rotation of a occupant's head around the neck axis during a side or oblique front impact, limiting their protective performance for the head portion.
Innovation Solution
A far-side airbag device is designed with an upper inflation portion that deploys and inflates on the lateral side of the head, increasing in width towards the front, and includes an upper auxiliary inflation portion that deploys in front of the head to restrict movement and rotation, combined with a lower inflation portion that stabilizes between the console box and occupant, enhancing protection by restricting further movement towards the impact side.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the airbag dimension in the width direction is uniform, then the structure is simple, but the head rotation cannot be effectively restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is designed with asymmetric dimensional distribution in the width direction. Specifically, the upper portion has a larger dimension in the width direction compared to lower portions, creating an asymmetric profile that is optimized for head and neck protection. This asymmetric design enables effective head rotation restriction without requiring complex mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection mechanism transitions from considering only the front-rear dimension to incorporating the width direction dimension. By configuring the airbag's width direction dimensions to increase toward the upper portion, the invention adds a dimensional aspect that specifically addresses head rotation protection while maintaining structural simplicity.
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 airbag device effectively restricts the head's rotation and movement, improving the overall protection of the head portion from impact by utilizing the upper and lower inflation portions to stabilize and absorb the impact forces.
Implementation Method 1
inflation gas is ejected from the gas generator. Due to the inflation gas, the airbag is inflated out of the side portion, and is deployed and inflated between adjacent wheeled vehicle seats
Implementation Method 2
An upper body of an occupant seated in a wheeled vehicle seat farther from the side wall portion to which an impact is applied moves toward the side wall portion due to inertia, but is received by the airbag and protected from the impact
Data Source
AI summary
The far side airbag system has an airbag which is deployed and inflated between adjacent vehicle seats arranged side-by-side in the width direction when an impact is detected against one of a pair of side wall portions of the vehicle. The airbag includes an upper inflation portion having a portion deployed and inflated on a lateral side of a head portion of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat on a side farther from the specific side wall portion, and a lower inflation portion in which a portion including at least a lower end of the lower inflation portion is deployed and inflated between a console box arranged between the adjacent vehicle seats and the occupant. In the upper inflation portion, the portion positioned on the lateral side of the head portion is deployed and inflated such that a dimension in the width direction increases toward a front side.