Side Airbag Apparatus with Gas Guide for Rapid Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side airbag apparatuses face challenges in compact design, deployment speed, and stabilization of the deployed shape, which affect their ability to effectively restrain passengers during vehicle collisions.
Innovation Solution
The side airbag apparatus includes a first chamber housing the inflator, a second chamber deployed inside the frame side wall, and a gas guide surrounding the inflator, with strategically placed vents and a strap system to control deployment behavior and position, allowing for simultaneous deployment and increased restraint area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the side airbag apparatus uses a single chamber design, then the structure is simple, but the deployment speed and restraint effectiveness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into a first chamber and a second chamber that deploy in sequence. The first chamber deploys rapidly to provide immediate restraint, while the second chamber follows to enhance the restraint effect. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by improving deployment speed through staged expansion without requiring an overly complex multi-component system.
Solution Approach 2:
The first chamber is designed to deploy before the second chamber, creating a preliminary restraint effect that stabilizes the passenger position. This preliminary action allows the second chamber to then deploy more effectively, achieving rapid overall deployment while maintaining a relatively simple single-airbag structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the airbag deploys without controlled gas flow, then the deployment is fast, but the deployed shape is unstable and restraint effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A gas guide is introduced as an intermediary component to control the flow of expansion gas from the inflator to the airbag chambers. The gas guide directs gas flow to ensure the first chamber deploys rapidly while the second chamber follows in a controlled manner, achieving both fast deployment and stable deployed shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The system controls different parameters of gas flow to different chambers. By adjusting the gas flow distribution through the gas guide and vent holes, the deployment timing and shape stability are optimized - the first chamber receives sufficient gas for rapid deployment while the second chamber receives controlled gas flow for stable expansion.
3Area of moving object
If the airbag structure is expanded to improve restraint area, then the restraint effectiveness increases, but the apparatus size and installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The second chamber is positioned to deploy inside the frame side wall part, while the first chamber deploys outside. This nested arrangement allows both chambers to expand into different spatial zones, effectively increasing the total restraint area without proportionally increasing the installed volume of the apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag system utilizes both the inside and outside dimensions relative to the frame side wall. The first chamber expands outward while the second chamber expands inward, effectively using three-dimensional space efficiently to maximize restraint area without requiring a larger overall apparatus volume.
4Reliability
If the airbag deploys without position control, then the deployment is simple and fast, but the deployed position is unstable reducing restraint effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag system uses its own deployment characteristics to control its position. The sequential deployment of the first and second chambers, combined with the gas guide structure and vent hole positioning, creates self-aligning forces that ensure the airbag reaches and maintains the correct deployed position without requiring external control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The position control function is extracted from complex active control systems and embedded into the passive structural design of the gas guide and chamber arrangement. The geometry of the gas guide and the positioning of vent holes inherently guide the airbag to the correct position during deployment, eliminating the need for additional active control components.
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 ensures rapid and effective passenger restraint by distributing the reaction force across the frame side wall, controlling the deployed shape and position, and minimizing damage in out-of-position scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
an inflator supplying expansion gas to the airbag
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To provide a side airbag apparatus capable of quickly and properly restraining a passenger in the initial stage of deploying an airbag, along with a passenger protection apparatus including this side airbag apparatus. [Resolution means] The airbag employed in the present invention includes: a first chamber (C1) which houses the inflator and is deployed outside in the vehicle width direction of the frame side wall part; a second chamber (C2) which is deployed inside in the vehicle width direction of the frame side wall part; and a gas guide (100) arranged so as to surround the inflator inside the first chamber. In addition, the first chamber (C1) is deployed such that at least a portion thereof, as seen from the vehicle side, overlaps the frame side wall part. A first inner vent is formed at the boundary part between the gas guide and the first chamber, with gas introduced from the gas guide to the first chamber via this first inner vent. Moreover, a second inner vent is formed at the boundary part between the gas guide and the second chamber, with gas introduced from the gas guide to the second chamber via this second inner vent.