Pressure-Sensed Side Airbag Deployment for Carriage-Style Seating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle occupant protection systems, particularly airbag systems, face challenges in deploying airbags quickly enough to adequately protect occupants in vehicles with carriage-style seating arrangements, where the airbag may deploy from a center roof area close to the occupant, leading to inadequate protection during collisions.
Innovation Solution
An airtight, deformable container with a pressure sensor is integrated into the vehicle, which generates a collision signal upon deformation during a crash, triggering a deployment control system to rapidly inflate the airbag, ensuring quick deployment even when the occupant is seated close to the deployment area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If airbag deploys from center roof area in carriage-style seating, then device complexity is reduced, but deployment speed becomes insufficient to protect occupants seated close to deployment area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the airbag system into multiple deployment zones with separate airbags positioned at different locations (center roof area and side areas). This segmentation allows each airbag to serve specific occupancy zones, enabling faster deployment to occupants seated close to side areas while maintaining overall system simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multiple collision sensors positioned at different locations throughout the vehicle, including side collision sensors near the airbag deployment areas. These sensors are pre-positioned to detect collisions from various directions, enabling the system to determine the optimal airbag to deploy first and initiate inflation before the occupant reaches the dangerous zone.
2Reliability
If airbag deploys rapidly to protect occupants seated close to deployment area, then occupant protection is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic control system that receives signals from multiple collision sensors and automatically determines which airbag(s) to deploy based on the collision location and severity. This dynamic decision-making capability ensures optimal occupant protection by selecting the most appropriate airbag configuration, while the automated control logic maintains system manageability through integrated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control unit that acts as an intermediary between the collision sensors and the airbag inflators. This intermediary processes sensor signals, determines the appropriate deployment strategy, and activates the corresponding airbag(s). The control unit simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the decision-making function and providing a clear interface between detection and execution components.
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 solution enables airbag deployment within 5 milliseconds or less, meeting safety standards and enhancing occupant protection by ensuring the airbag deploys swiftly and effectively, even in challenging seating configurations.
Implementation Method 1
The container comprises a pressure sensor configured to generate the vehicle collision signal
Implementation Method 2
The container is constructed and arranged to deform without rupturing from the impact of the vehicle collision
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant protection system may comprise an airtight, deformable container having a pressure sensor configured to generate a vehicle collision signal. A side airbag may be configured to expand between a stowed state and a deployed state. A deployment control system may be configured to receive the vehicle collision signal from the pressure sensor, and based upon the vehicle collision signal, cause an inflator to provide a gas to the airbag to thereby cause the side airbag to expand from the stowed state to the deployed state.