Flexible Airbag Mounting Bracket for Gap Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inflatable airbag systems face challenges in maintaining a consistent cosmetic appearance and secure attachment to the steering wheel, particularly in minimizing the variance of gaps between the airbag cover and the steering wheel, while ensuring proper deployment and inflation during collisions.
Innovation Solution
The airbag assembly incorporates a cosmetic cover with a tear seam and a fin-nest coupling mechanism, along with a flexible mounting bracket, to maintain a consistent gap width and secure attachment, allowing for seamless integration with the steering wheel and ensuring consistent deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid mounting bracket is used to securely attach the airbag housing to the steering wheel, then the attachment strength is improved, but the ability to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and maintain consistent gap width deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is designed with flexible properties that allow it to change its physical state or characteristics. Specifically, the bracket can flex or deform elastically to accommodate variations in steering wheel diameter and manufacturing tolerances, thereby maintaining consistent gap width between the airbag cover and steering wheel while still providing secure attachment.
2Manufacturing precision
If the airbag housing is tightly coupled to the steering wheel to minimize gap variance, then the cosmetic appearance is improved, but the deployment reliability may deteriorate due to restricted movement
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to transition from a constrained state during normal operation (maintaining cosmetic appearance) to a deployed state during airbag inflation. The flexible bracket can expand or deform to accommodate the rapid deployment motion, ensuring reliable airbag deployment while maintaining consistent gap width during normal vehicle operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible mounting bracket is used to accommodate steering wheel variations, then the adaptability is improved, but the attachment strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is designed as a flexible component that can bend or deform to accommodate variations in steering wheel diameter and manufacturing tolerances. This flexible bracket maintains secure attachment through elastic deformation rather than rigid connection, allowing it to adapt to different steering wheel specifications while providing sufficient attachment strength to hold the airbag housing in place.
Data Source
AI summary
Inflatable airbag assemblies can be mounted on a driver's side of a vehicle within a steering wheel. A gap is formed between the airbag assembly cover and the steering wheel. Maintaining a consistent width of the gap can be accomplished with an airbag assembly that is bolted to the steering wheel by minimizing the number of components used to attach the airbag assembly to the steering wheel. A flexible airbag housing mounting bracket can be used to allow the housing and cover to be positioned and oriented within the steering wheel so that the gap between the airbag cover and the steering wheel is maintained.