Side Airbag Sub-Chamber Tethering for Head Rotation Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicular side airbag devices face challenges in improving occupant restraint performance without increasing complexity or cost, as methods like enlarging the airbag cushion or raising pressure are constrained by installation and cost factors.
Innovation Solution
A vehicular side airbag device with a bag-shaped airbag cushion featuring a main chamber, a sub chamber, an upper tether, and a lower tether, which controls the sub chamber's orientation and contact timing to efficiently absorb energy and reduce rotational head movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the airbag cushion dimensions are increased to improve restraint performance, then occupant protection is enhanced, but installation space and device complexity are constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag cushion is divided into a main chamber and a sub chamber that protrudes from the main chamber. This segmentation allows the sub chamber to specifically target head restraint while the main chamber provides overall occupant protection, achieving enhanced restraint performance without requiring a uniformly larger airbag structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub chamber protrudes from the main chamber in a direction toward the occupant's head, creating a three-dimensional structure that provides targeted protection. This dimensional extension allows the airbag to reach the head area without significantly increasing the overall footprint or complexity of the device.
2Reliability
If the airbag cushion pressure is raised to improve restraint performance, then occupant protection is enhanced, but the risk of injury and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sub chamber is designed with different structural characteristics than the main chamber, specifically protruding toward the head area. This local differentiation allows the airbag to provide targeted support where needed without requiring high pressure across the entire cushion, thereby reducing injury risk while maintaining restraint effectiveness.
3Reliability
If tethers are added to control airbag orientation to improve restraint performance, then head protection is enhanced, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The upper tether and lower tether are integrated with the main chamber and sub chamber structure, forming a unified system where the tethers serve dual purposes: controlling the orientation of the sub chamber and providing structural support. This merging reduces the need for separate control mechanisms and simplifies the overall device configuration.
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
The device enhances occupant restraint performance by suppressing rotational head movement with a simple configuration, effectively lowering injury values through controlled expansion and deployment of the sub chamber.
Implementation Method 1
an airbag cushion which expands and deploys based on gas pressure
Implementation Method 2
pulling by the upper tether and lower tether enables retaining orientation thereof
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag module includes an airbag cushion in a bag shape and in a prescribed rolled or folded storage configuration and an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag cushion. The airbag cushion includes: a main chamber that expands and deploys from a side frame to a side of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat, a sub chamber that expands and deploys protruding from the main chamber to the side of the occupant, an upper tether that stretches from a portion of the main chamber above the sub chamber to the sub chamber, and a lower tether that stretches from a portion of the main chamber below the sub chamber to the sub chamber.