Seat-Mounted Side Airbag Venting for Fast Stable Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side airbag devices face challenges in compactness, deployment speed, and stabilization, which affect their ability to effectively restrain occupants during lateral collisions.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a side airbag device with a sub-chamber and main chamber, where the sub-chamber deploys to overlap the frame side wall, providing initial restraint, and the main chamber deploys without obstruction, utilizing an internal vent hole for gas flow and a tether for stabilization, housed within a vehicle seat's side support portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the side airbag device is made compact to fit restricted regions, then device compactness is improved, but deployment speed and stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into a main chamber and a sub-chamber that deploy in different directions. The sub-chamber deploys toward the vehicle width direction outer side to provide initial restraint, while the main chamber deploys toward the vehicle width direction inner side for primary protection. This segmentation allows each chamber to be optimized for its specific deployment path, improving overall deployment speed and stability within a compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes three-dimensional deployment space by having the sub-chamber extend in the vehicle width direction (lateral dimension) while the main chamber extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction (front-rear dimension). This multi-dimensional deployment approach allows the airbag system to provide comprehensive protection without requiring a large single-chamber volume, thus maintaining compactness while ensuring rapid and stable deployment.
2Reliability
If the sub-chamber deploys to overlap the frame side wall for initial restraint, then occupant restraint effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag device is integrated with the existing seat frame structure, where the sub-chamber is positioned to work in conjunction with the frame side wall. The partition between the main chamber and sub-chamber is integrated into the airbag assembly, and the inflator is mounted on the frame side wall inner side. This merging of the airbag system with the seat frame structure provides effective restraint without requiring separate complex supporting structures.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the main chamber deploys without overlapping the frame side wall for smooth deployment, then deployment stability is improved, but the restraining coverage area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into a main chamber and a sub-chamber that deploy in different directions. The sub-chamber deploys toward the vehicle width direction outer side to provide initial restraint, while the main chamber deploys toward the vehicle width direction inner side for primary protection. This segmentation allows each chamber to be optimized for its specific deployment path, improving overall deployment speed and stability within a compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes three-dimensional deployment space by having the sub-chamber extend in the vehicle width direction (lateral dimension) while the main chamber extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction (front-rear dimension). This multi-dimensional deployment approach allows the airbag system to provide comprehensive protection without requiring a large single-chamber volume, thus maintaining compactness while ensuring rapid and stable deployment.
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
This configuration enables quick and effective occupant restraint, minimizing diagonal force and preventing seatbelt withdrawal, while ensuring smooth and stable deployment of the main chamber, enhancing overall protection performance.
Implementation Method 1
an inflator provided on a vehicle width direction inner side of the frame side wall in order to supply inflation gas to the airbag
Implementation Method 2
An internal vent hole through which the inflation gas flows from a sub-chamber into a main chamber is provided in a partition between the main chamber and the sub-chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an occupant protection device having a side airbag device (20) capable of restraining an occupant quickly and appropriately at an initial stage of airbag deployment. The side airbag device is housed on a vehicle width direction inner side of the seat frame side wall. An internal vent hole through which the inflation gas flows from a sub-chamber (36) into a main chamber (34) is provided in a partition between the main chamber and the sub-chamber. The sub-chamber deploys so as to overlap the frame side wall when seen from the side of the vehicle. The main chamber, on the other hand, deploys without overlapping the frame side wall when seen from the side of the vehicle.