Vehicle Seat Side Airbag Layout With Deflector-Guided Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seats with side airbags often fail to effectively deploy the airbag between the occupant and the side walls during lateral collisions, as the bearing structure and upholstery are pre-weakened along guided breaking lines, which can lead to inadequate protection and potential damage from airbag expansion.
Innovation Solution
A seat design featuring a frame, elastically deformable polyurethane foam bearing structure, and a plastic covering shell with a deflector plate that guides the side airbag's expansion forward, preventing it from pushing against the shell and ensuring the airbag deploys between the occupant and side walls, while the bearing structure deforms rather than breaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bearing structure and upholstery are pre-weakened along guided breaking lines, then the side airbag can break through to deploy, but the structural integrity is compromised and potential damage occurs during expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The covering shell is divided into a front part and a rear part that can move relative to each other along a breaking line. This segmentation allows the rear part to detach and move forward during airbag deployment, creating a clear path for the airbag to expand between the occupant and side walls without compromising the overall structural integrity of the seat frame and front part of the covering shell.
Solution Approach 2:
A deflector plate is introduced as an intermediary element between the side airbag and the covering shell. The deflector plate guides the expansion of the airbag cushion forward and prevents the airbag from pushing against the covering shell, ensuring ideal deployment while protecting the shell from damage.
2Reliability
If the side airbag pushes against the covering shell during expansion, then the airbag can deploy, but the covering shell may be damaged and deployment effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector plate serves as a mediator that redirects the force of airbag expansion. It is positioned to receive the expanding airbag cushion and guide it forward between the occupant and side walls, preventing direct contact between the airbag and the covering shell, thus avoiding shell damage while maintaining deployment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The breaking line is pre-configured in the covering shell to facilitate controlled detachment of the rear part. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when the airbag inflates, the rear part of the covering shell can smoothly detach and move forward without resistance, preventing the airbag from pushing against the shell and causing damage.
3Reliability
If the rear part of the covering shell remains fixed, then structural stability is maintained, but the airbag cannot deploy ideally between the occupant and side walls
Solution Approach 1:
The covering shell is segmented into a fixed front part and a movable rear part connected by a breaking line. The front part maintains structural stability and remains fixed to the seat frame, while the rear part is designed to detach and move forward during airbag deployment. This segmentation allows the airbag to deploy ideally between the occupant and side walls without compromising the overall stability of the covering shell structure.
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
Enhances passenger safety by ensuring the side airbag expands ideally between the occupant and side walls, providing greater protection without damaging the seat's components, and simplifies manufacturing with a cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
a bearing structure (typically made of polyurethane foam), which is mounted on the frame 5 and is elastically deformable (yielding) so as to elastically deform following the thrust of a body of an occupant of the seat 1
Data Source
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AI summary
A seat (1) for a vehicle and having: a frame (5); a bearing structure (6), which is mounted on the frame (5), is elastically deformable and is divided into a seat (2), a backrest (3) and a headrest (4); an upholstery (7), which covers the bearing structure (16); a covering shell (8), which is mounted on a rear wall of the frame (5) and has a rear wall (9) and two side walls (10), which come into contact with the bearing structure (6); a side airbag (11), which is directly fixed to the frame (5) and is arranged in a containing space (13) laterally delimited by an outer side wall (10) of the covering shell (8) and is delimited at the front by an outer portion (14) of the bearing structure (6); and a deflector plate (12), which is rigid, is directly mounted on the frame (5) and is arranged behind the side airbag (11) so as to be located between the side airbag (11) and the covering shell (8).