Side Airbag Device with Forward-Positioned Communication Hole
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side airbag devices face challenges in stabilizing the position of secondary airbags during inflation and deployment, leading to reduced occupant restraint due to overlapping with the seat back and instability in deployment, which creates a gap between the occupant and the primary airbag.
Innovation Solution
The side airbag device incorporates a primary airbag and a secondary airbag with a communication hole positioned forward of the seat back's front surface, allowing the secondary airbag to deploy inward and contact the seat back, stabilizing its position and enhancing occupant restraint by filling the gap between the occupant and primary airbag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the first communication hole is arranged at the conventional position (overlapping with seat back), then the device structure is simple, but the secondary airbag cannot smoothly enter the front surface side of the seat back and its position becomes unstable during inflation and deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The first communication hole is positioned in the front-and-rear direction (longitudinal dimension) rather than only in the vehicle width direction (lateral dimension). Specifically, the communication hole is arranged such that it is located more forward than the front surface of the outer portion of the seat back when the primary airbag is inflated and deployed, enabling the secondary airbag to smoothly enter the front surface side of the seat back and stabilize its position during inflation and deployment
2Ease of operation
If the secondary airbag overlaps with the seat back during deployment, then the device structure is simple, but a space is formed between the occupant and the primary airbag which lowers the ability to restrain the occupant
Solution Approach 1:
The first communication hole is pre-positioned forward of the seat back front surface, which preliminarily establishes the correct deployment path for the secondary airbag. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when inflation occurs, the secondary airbag automatically follows the correct trajectory to enter the front surface side of the seat back and fill the gap between the occupant and primary airbag, achieving effective occupant restraint without requiring additional active control mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A side airbag device is provided in a seat back of a vehicle seat. The side airbag device includes: a primary airbag configured to be inflated and deployed forward and in an up-and-down direction from an outer portion of the seat back in a vehicle width direction; and a secondary airbag connected to an inner portion of the primary airbag in the vehicle width direction, communicating with the primary airbag through a first communication hole, and configured to be inflated and deployed inward in the vehicle width direction from the primary airbag. The first communication hole is at least partially arranged more forward than a front surface of the outer portion of the seat back in an inflated and deployed state of the primary airbag. The secondary airbag comes in contact with a front surface of the seat back in an inflated and deployed state of the secondary airbag.