Vehicle Roof Deployable Shield Containment System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle rollover events often result in occupant ejection, leading to high fatality rates, as existing technologies fail to effectively contain occupants within the vehicle during rollover crashes.
Innovation Solution
A deployable containment system for vehicle roof panels, featuring guide channels, housings, shields, and actuators that deploy upon rollover sensing, using locking mechanisms such as inflatable tubes and pyrotechnics to secure the shields over openings, preventing ejection and debris entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a deployable containment system with shields and actuators is implemented, then occupant containment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The containment system is divided into multiple independent shield sections that can deploy separately along guide channels. Each shield is controlled by its own actuator, allowing modular deployment and simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining high containment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The shields are pre-positioned in a retracted state within the vehicle interior, ready for rapid deployment. The guide channels are pre-installed along the roof openings, and the actuators are pre-configured to deploy the shields along predetermined paths when a rollover event is detected.
2Reliability
If locking mechanisms such as inflatable tubes are used to secure shields, then containment reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Inflatable tubes are used as locking mechanisms to secure the shields in place after deployment. These tubes can be inflated with gas or liquid to create a reliable mechanical lock between the shield and the guide channel structure, providing simple yet effective containment without complex mechanical locking systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism utilizes changes in the physical state of the inflatable tube material. When inflated, the tube expands and changes its dimensional parameters to engage with locking surfaces on the guide channels, providing a reliable mechanical interlock that is simple to manufacture and deploy.
3Speed
If multiple actuators are deployed simultaneously upon rollover sensing, then response speed is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuators are designed to deploy in a coordinated sequence rather than all simultaneously. The rollover sensing system triggers the first actuator, which deploys its shield, followed by subsequent actuators in sequence. This periodic deployment reduces peak energy demands while maintaining rapid overall response time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic control of actuator activation based on the severity and progression of the detected rollover event. actuators are activated dynamically as needed, with their operation timed to match the vehicle's motion characteristics during the rollover, optimizing energy usage while ensuring rapid containment.
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 system significantly reduces the risk of occupant ejection and fatality by ensuring occupants remain inside the vehicle during rollovers, with a 64% decrease in fatality risk associated with complete ejection prevention.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator includes a spring to deploy the shield from the housing
Implementation Method 2
The actuator includes pyrotechnics to deploy the shield from the housing
Implementation Method 3
one of the one or more locking mechanisms includes an inflatable tube
Data Source
AI summary
One general aspect includes a deployable containment system for a vehicle roof panel, the system including: a pair of guide channels proximate to an opening through the vehicle roof panel, each guide channel of the pair having a first end and a second end; a housing mounted to the first end of the pair of guide channels. The deployable containment system also includes a shield configured to deploy from the housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover at least a portion of the opening. The deployable containment system also includes an actuator disposed proximate to the pair of guide channels, the actuator configured to deploy the shield from the housing after a deployment event.