Front Center Airbag Deployment for Side-Specific Occupant Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional front center airbag devices do not adequately consider side collisions on either the driver's seat or passenger seat side, necessitating an increase in size to provide appropriate protection, which is constrained by their installation space.
Innovation Solution
The airbag is configured to adjust its deployment region and internal pressure based on the side of the collision, expanding in the vehicle front-rear direction with reduced internal pressure for driver seat collisions and increasing thickness in the vehicle width direction for passenger seat collisions, using a cord member to manage size and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the size of the front center airbag is increased to provide appropriate protection during side collisions, then the protection capability is improved, but the installation space constraint is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag incorporates a cord member that can change its restraint state dynamically based on collision conditions. During driver's seat side collisions, the cord member is released to allow the airbag to expand in the vehicle front-rear direction. During passenger seat side collisions, the cord member maintains restraint to control expansion in the vehicle width direction. This dynamic adjustment enables the airbag to adapt its protection characteristics without permanently increasing its size.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag system changes its deployment parameters (deployment region and internal pressure) based on the type of side collision detected. For driver's seat side collisions, the airbag achieves larger deployment region with smaller internal pressure. For passenger seat side collisions, the airbag achieves smaller deployment region with larger internal pressure. This parameter adjustment allows the same airbag structure to provide appropriate protection for different collision scenarios without increasing overall size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the front center airbag is configured to protect occupants during both driver's seat side and passenger seat side collisions, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The front center airbag is designed as a universal protection device that can effectively protect occupants during both driver's seat side collisions and passenger seat side collisions. By incorporating the cord member mechanism and control system, a single airbag structure achieves multiple protection functions that would otherwise require different airbag configurations, thereby avoiding the need for separate airbag systems for different collision scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The cord member acts as an intermediary element between the airbag and the restraint system. It mediates the airbag's expansion behavior by being released under specific conditions (driver's seat side collision) while maintaining restraint under other conditions (passenger seat side collision). This intermediary mechanism enables the airbag to adapt to different collision scenarios without requiring complex independent control systems for each scenario.
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 the airbag to protect occupants effectively without increasing its size, using a low-output inflator and maintaining seatback mountability, regardless of the collision side.
Implementation Method 1
configured to be inflated and deployed when a gas is supplied from an inflator
Data Source
AI summary
The front center airbag device for a vehicle includes a front center airbag mounted on an inner side in a vehicle width direction in a seatback of a vehicle seat serving as a driver's seat and inflated and deployed by supplying gas from the inflator, wherein the front center airbag is configured such that when a side collision of the vehicle is on the driver's seat side, a deployment region in the vehicle front-rear direction is larger and an internal pressure is smaller than when a side collision of the vehicle is on the passenger's seat side.