Tether-Guided Inflatable Sail Panel for Side Curtain Airbags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side curtain airbags primarily deploy vertically from the roof rail, lacking an effective mechanism to extend forwardly toward the 'A' pillar for enhanced protection during side impacts.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable sail panel portion of the side curtain airbag is guided by a tether attached to the airbag and a structural pillar, utilizing a Z-shaped fold and eyelets to direct its expansion during inflation, allowing it to extend forwardly and provide additional protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the side curtain airbag deploys only vertically from the roof rail, then the deployment mechanism is simple, but the protective coverage along the inner side surface is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into two functional segments: a curtain portion for vertical deployment and a sail portion for forward extension. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function independently, achieving both vertical and forward protective coverage without requiring a completely complex new deployment mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
A tether is introduced as an intermediary element to guide and control the expansion of the sail portion. The tether acts as a mediator between the inflator and the sail portion, directing the forward extension toward the A-pillar while maintaining control over the deployment process, thus adding minimal complexity while significantly enhancing protective coverage
2Area of stationary object
If the sail portion extends forwardly without guidance, then the protective coverage is enhanced, but the direction of expansion becomes uncontrolled
Solution Approach 1:
The tether serves as a guiding intermediary that constrains the sail portion's expansion direction. By attaching the tether to both the sail portion and the A-pillar, the system ensures the sail portion extends precisely toward the target area (A-pillar) rather than expanding in an uncontrolled manner, thus maintaining manufacturing precision in the deployment geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The tether is pre-positioned and attached to the sail portion before deployment. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when inflation occurs, the sail portion is already guided along the correct trajectory toward the A-pillar, eliminating the need for active control mechanisms during the actual deployment event
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 tether-guided inflatable sail panel effectively deploys forwardly, enhancing the airbag's protective coverage along the inner side surface of the passenger compartment during side impacts by ensuring controlled and directed expansion.
Implementation Method 1
Side airbags can be installed in a stowed condition adjacent a roof rail of a vehicle in order to be inflated to a deployed condition extending downwardly along an inner side surface of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. Front and side airbag modules can be deployed using expanding gases from an explosive charge contained within an inflator, sometimes referred to as a pyrotechnic inflator
Data Source
AI summary
An airbag assembly can include a side curtain airbag having an inflatable curtain portion and an inflatable sail portion, and a first fold of the sail portion with respect to the curtain portion prior to folding the side curtain airbag into a stowed condition for installation in the vehicle. The curtain portion is disposed rearward of the first fold and the sail portion is disposed at least partially forward of the first fold. A tether has a first end attached to the side curtain airbag rearward of the first fold and a second end attachable to a structural pillar of the vehicle for guiding a direction of expansion of the sail portion during inflation.