Side Airbag Retainer Cover Structure to Prevent Seat Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side airbag devices can damage seat outer coverings and pads when the retainer attaching portion contacts the seat during fastening or after installation.
Innovation Solution
A side airbag device design that includes a cover extending from the base member body to cover the retainer attaching portion, preventing contact with the seat and ensuring proper fastening without hindrance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the retainer attaching portion is extended downward to fasten to the car body, then the fastening reliability is improved, but the retainer attaching portion contacts the seat and damages seat outer coverings and pads
Solution Approach 1:
A cover member is introduced as an intermediary component between the retainer attaching portion and the seat. The cover member extends downward from the base member body to cover the retainer attaching portion, preventing direct contact with the seat while allowing fastening to the car body frame, thus resolving the contradiction between fastening reliability and prevention of seat damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member extends in the vertical dimension (downward direction) to create spatial separation between the retainer attaching portion and the seat. By adding this vertical extension, the patent achieves both reliable fastening to the car body frame and protection of the seat from contact damage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cover extends further downward to better cover the retainer attaching portion, then protection of the seat is improved, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is integrated with the base member body as a single unit, merging two components into one. This integration simplifies assembly by eliminating the need for separate attachment operations while maintaining the protective function of covering the retainer attaching portion.
3Strength
If the cover is made thicker to increase strength, then the structural strength is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is constructed using composite material structure, combining different materials or material layers to achieve high strength-to-weight ratio. This allows the cover to have sufficient strength for protection while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and avoiding excessive thickness.
Data Source
AI summary
A side airbag device is provided between a body and a seat of a vehicle. The side airbag device includes an airbag module, a base member, and a retainer member. The base member is disposed between the body and the seat, and includes an airbag housing portion in which the airbag module is contained. The retainer member is a member that supports the airbag housing portion. The retainer member includes a retainer body and a retainer attaching portion extending downward from the retainer body. The base member includes a base member body in which the airbag storage is provided, and a cover extending from the base member body. The retainer attaching portion includes a fastening portion that fastens the retainer member to the body or a frame of the seat. The cover extends at least to a position where the fastening portion is disposed and covers the retainer attaching portion.