Rotating Airbag Mounting Board for Autonomous Driving Postures

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Airbag apparatuses in vehicles are ineffective in restraining riders when they are in autonomous driving mode, as the airbag cushions are designed for forward-facing postures, leading to increased injury risk due to the gap between the airbag and the rider.

Innovation Solution

An airbag apparatus with a mounting board installed on the vehicle's inner side surface, which can rotate and expand an airbag cushion towards the rider from the center and inner side, compensating for the gap and providing protection by inflating and expanding between the frontal airbag and the rider, and preventing secondary accidents from objects on the mounting board.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the airbag cushion is designed for forward-facing rider posture, then the airbag structure is simple and cost-effective, but the airbag cannot effectively restrain the rider when the rider is in autonomous driving mode with increased gap distance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverider protection effectivenessVSAvoidairbag system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The airbag cushion is divided into multiple independent airbag modules that can be selectively deployed. Instead of using a single large airbag system designed for forward-facing posture, the patent segments the protection system into multiple smaller airbag units positioned at different locations (center, inner side, outer side of the mounting board), allowing targeted deployment based on rider posture and collision type, thus improving protection effectiveness without requiring complete system redesign

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The airbag system transitions from a static, fixed-position design to a dynamic, adjustable configuration. The mounting board can rotate between horizontal and vertical positions, and airbag modules can be selectively deployed based on detected rider posture. This dynamic adaptability allows the same airbag system to effectively protect riders in both forward-facing and autonomous driving postures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the mounting board is made rotatable to adjust airbag orientation, then the airbag can adapt to different rider postures, but the device complexity and control difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairbag adaptability to rider postureVSAvoidmounting board mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting board is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a structural support for the airbag modules and as a rotatable positioning mechanism. By integrating the rotation function into the existing mounting board structure rather than adding separate adjustment mechanisms, the patent achieves adaptability to different rider postures while minimizing additional complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of rider posture before collision occurs, allowing the mounting board to be pre-positioned in the optimal orientation. This preliminary action ensures that when deployment occurs, the airbag is already oriented correctly for the detected posture, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustment mechanisms during the collision event

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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

Effectively restrains the rider by minimizing injury risk and preventing secondary accidents by inflating and expanding the airbag cushion from the mounting board during collisions, ensuring safe protection in autonomous driving scenarios.

Implementation Method 1

rapidly inflating an airbag by injecting a gas into the airbag

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGas injection:

Data Source

PatentEP3786003B1Airbag apparatus for vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.07.24 AUTOLIV DEV AB
  • EP3786003B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3(c)
  • EP3786003B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~6(c)
  • EP3786003B1 patent drawingFigure 7

AI summary

The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus for a vehicle. In order to attain the purpose, the airbag apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a mounting board positioned in front of a rider; and an airbag module which is installed on the mounting board and, when a vehicle collides, restrains and protects the rider by means of inflating and expanding an airbag cushion toward the rider. Therefore, when the vehicle collides, the airbag cushion is inflated and expanded from the mounting board and thus the rider can safely be protected.