Steering Wheel Airbag with Tilted Surface and Arm Restraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steering wheel airbags do not adequately protect drivers during oblique or offset collisions, as they are primarily designed for vertical impacts and fail to effectively restrain the driver's movement in various collision directions.
Innovation Solution
A steering wheel airbag design featuring a front-collision receiving surface tilted vertically to absorb head-on impacts and arm restraining parts on both sides to prevent movement during oblique collisions, combined with tethers to regulate the airbag's inflation shape and ensure proper deployment, even in narrow spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driver-side wall part is arranged substantially along the vertical direction to confront the upper body of the driver, then the airbag can effectively protect the driver during head-on collision, but the driver is not adequately protected during oblique or offset collision where impact is applied from an obliquely front side
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into functionally distinct segments: a front-collision receiving surface for head-on collisions and arm restraining parts for oblique collisions. This segmentation allows each part to specialize in restraining driver movement for specific collision types, thereby resolving the contradiction between optimizing for head-on collision protection and adapting to various collision directions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the airbag are given different spatial orientations and functions: the front-collision receiving surface is tilted vertically to optimize for head-on impacts, while the arm restraining parts extend horizontally to address oblique collisions. This local differentiation enables the airbag to provide direction-specific protection, resolving the contradiction between specialized head-on protection and versatile multi-directional coverage.
2Reliability
If the front-collision receiving surface is arranged substantially along the vertical direction to be tilted with respect to the ring surface of the steering wheel, then the upper body of the driver is restrained effectively during head-on collision, but the airbag structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag utilizes the dynamic inflation process to achieve its protective function. The front-collision receiving surface is configured to inflate in a tilted vertical orientation that naturally conforms to the driver's upper body position, allowing effective restraint without requiring complex mechanical structures. The inflation dynamics enable the airbag to adapt its shape and orientation automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag employs a flexible thin-film structure that can be molded into the required tilted vertical configuration for the front-collision receiving surface. This flexible membrane approach allows complex spatial orientations and surface geometries to be achieved through material properties and inflation pressure rather than rigid structural components, thereby maintaining relative simplicity while achieving effective upper body restraint.
3Adaptability or versatility
If arm restraining parts are arranged near the arms of the driver on both sides of the front-collision receiving surface, then the driver's movement to the obliquely front side is prevented during oblique collision, but the airbag requires more space for proper deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The arm restraining parts serve multiple functions: they restrain driver arms during oblique collisions, provide additional structural support for the airbag, and help define the inflation chamber boundaries. This multi-functionality allows the airbag to achieve extended protection coverage for oblique collisions without proportionally increasing the required deployment space, as the same structural elements perform multiple protective roles.
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 airbag effectively protects drivers by restraining their movement during various collision directions, including oblique and offset impacts, while ensuring stable and rapid inflation to cover the steering wheel area.
Implementation Method 1
a steering wheel airbag which is inflated by allowing inflation gas to flow therein
Data Source
AI summary
A steering wheel airbag, arranged to cover a steering wheel when inflation is completed, includes: a front-collision receiving surface which is arranged on a side of a driver when inflation is completed, so as to receive the driver moving forward during a head-on collision of a vehicle, the front-collision receiving surface being arranged substantially along a vertical direction to be tilted with respect to a ring surface of the steering wheel when inflation is completed; and arm restraining parts which are arranged near arms of the driver steering a ring part of the steering wheel on both right and left sides of the front-collision receiving surface when inflation is completed, the arm restraining parts coming into contact with the arms during an oblique collision or an offset collision of the vehicle, so as to prevent a movement of the driver to an obliquely front side.