Multi-Chamber Airbag with Interlocking Tethers for Lateral Impact Restraint

Solution Overview

Problem

Current airbag technologies inadequately protect occupants from lateral impacts and fail to effectively restrain them within the seat during vehicle collisions, leading to secondary injuries due to body rotation and collision with seat components.

Innovation Solution

An airbag system with a multi-chambered cushion and operation tether that deploys to wrap around the occupant, utilizing a restraint tether to secure the airbag to the seatback and guide part to manage the tether's path, ensuring the airbag cushions interlock and deform to restrain the occupant from lateral impacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the airbag is designed to wrap around the occupant for restraint, then the occupant is restrained within the seat, but the airbag structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoccupant restraint effectivenessVSAvoidairbag structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) that can deform independently. The first chamber is positioned to protect the head, the second chamber for the body, and the third chamber for the shoulder. This segmentation allows each chamber to provide targeted protection and restraint forces to prevent body rotation while cushioning lateral impact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The airbag utilizes a flexible membrane structure that can naturally wrap around the occupant when deformed. The operation tether mechanism enables this wrapping motion by pulling the flexible airbag material, creating restraint forces without requiring complex rigid mechanical components. The flexible shell design simplifies the overall structure while achieving effective occupant restraint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Reliability

If the airbag uses multiple chambers for targeted protection, then the protection effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetargeted occupant protectionVSAvoidmulti-chamber airbag fabrication

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) that can deform independently. The first chamber is positioned to protect the head, the second chamber for the body, and the third chamber for the shoulder. This segmentation allows each chamber to provide targeted protection and restraint forces to prevent body rotation while cushioning lateral impact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple functional chambers are integrated into a single airbag structure that shares common inflation and deployment mechanisms. The first chamber, second chamber, and third chamber are combined in one continuous structure, allowing them to inflate and deploy simultaneously while maintaining their individual deformation characteristics. This merging approach simplifies manufacturing compared to using separate airbag units for each protection zone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10870405B2Airbag for vehicle

Publication Date: 2020.12.22 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

An airbag for a vehicle is provided. The airbag includes an airbag cushion that has a plurality of chambers and the plurality of chambers are connected to be interlocked with each other by an operation tether. Accordingly, when an occupant presses against a specific chamber due to a vehicle collision, the other chamber is deformed to wrap the occupant, thereby restraining the occupant in a seat and minimizing the occurrence of injury.