Folded Airbag Nesting for Compact Housing Mounting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing passenger seat airbag apparatuses face challenges in mounting in regions with limited upward-downward space due to the increased thickness of the airbag and housing-forming member, which restricts deployment and inflation efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The airbag is folded using front-to-back reduction folding to minimize thickness, with the housing-forming member designed to accommodate this folding, ensuring the airbag can be deployed and inflated effectively even in constrained spaces while maintaining structural integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of moving object

If the airbag is folded to reduce lateral and front-to-back size, then the airbag can be accommodated in the housing-forming member, but the thickness in the upward-downward direction increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelateral size and front-to-back size of airbagVSAvoidthickness of folding completed body

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag is folded in a nested manner where the passenger side panel section is placed on the vehicle body side panel section, and then the folded body is further folded to nest within itself, achieving compact lateral and front-to-back dimensions while managing thickness through the housing structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing-forming member is designed with a door section that can be pushed and opened in the upward-downward direction, allowing the airbag to deploy vertically when needed, thus resolving the thickness constraint by utilizing vertical space for deployment while maintaining compact horizontal dimensions when folded

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Volume of stationary object

If the housing-forming member thickness is increased to accommodate the folded airbag, then the airbag can be stored, but it becomes difficult to mount in regions with small upward-downward space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccommodation space for folded airbagVSAvoidmountability in constrained spaces

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The housing-forming member is segmented into a housing body part and a door section that can move independently. The door section is designed to be pushed and opened, allowing the inflated airbag to exit without requiring the entire housing to be thick, thus enabling mounting in spaces with limited upward-downward clearance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The door section is made dynamic by designing it to be pushable and openable, transforming the static housing structure into a dynamic system that can adapt its configuration during airbag deployment, allowing compact mounting while maintaining deployment functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Area of moving object

If the airbag is folded centrally in the lateral direction, then the lateral and front-to-back size is reduced, but the deployment efficiency is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefolded airbag footprintVSAvoiddeployment and inflation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag is pre-folded with the passenger side panel section placed on the vehicle body side panel section in a specific configuration that preserves the inlet opening position and orientation, enabling efficient gas flow and rapid deployment while maintaining compact folded dimensions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The folding configuration is designed to maintain specific local qualities: the inlet opening remains accessible and properly oriented for efficient gas injection, while only specific regions (lateral and front-to-back dimensions) are compressed, preserving the structural integrity and deployment characteristics of critical areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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

This configuration allows for efficient deployment and inflation of the airbag in small spaces, providing adequate protection to passengers and reducing the weight and resource usage of the airbag apparatus.

Implementation Method 1

an inflator that supplies an inflation gas into the airbag

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas flow:

Implementation Method 2

the airbag that is being inflated

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure increase: Pressure Increase

Data Source

PatentUS9278664B2Passenger seat airbag apparatus and a folded airbag used therein

Publication Date: 2016.03.08 TOYODA GOSEI CO LTD

AI summary

A folded airbag includes an outer circumferential wall which has a passenger side panel section disposed at a passenger side when inflation of the folded airbag is completed and a vehicle body side panel section extending forward from the passenger side panel section when the inflation of the folded airbag is completed, and an inlet opening which is positioned at a front lower side of the vehicle body side panel section when the inflation of the folded airbag is completed. The folded airbag is formed by folding an unfolded airbag body through front-to-back reduction folding that reduces a size of the unfolded folded body in a front-to-back direction so that a length of the folded airbag in a lateral direction is greater than a length of the folded airbag in a front-to-back direction.