CN114734948A

CN114734948A - Airbag system and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN114734948A
Application number: CN202210438332.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卞红波; 朱磊; 刘健
Original assignee: Weilai Automobile Technology Anhui Co Ltd
Current assignee: Weilai Automobile Technology Anhui Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-25
Filing date: 2022-04-25
Publication date: 2022-07-12

Abstract

The invention provides an airbag system and a vehicle, wherein the airbag system comprises a bag and a gas generator for inflating the bag, the bag is provided with a main exhaust hole, a lining cloth for covering the main exhaust hole is fixed on the outer surface of the bag, the lining cloth and the bag form a plurality of auxiliary exhaust holes spaced from each other, the plurality of auxiliary exhaust holes are communicated with the main exhaust hole and are arranged in a manner that a part of the plurality of auxiliary exhaust holes is pressed against parts of the vehicle during the inflation of the bag. The airbag system according to the present disclosure can ensure a rapid build-up of pressure within the bag during the inflation phase by optionally partially covering the secondary vent hole.

Description

Airbag system and vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an airbag system and a vehicle having such an airbag system.

Background

As an important component for passive safety of vehicles, airbag systems are generally constructed as a frontal impact airbag arranged in front of the driver, in particular on the steering wheel, or as a side airbag arranged to the side of the driver or other passenger. In the event of a side impact on the vehicle, the side body is deformed and causes an intrusion into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, for example an intrusion of the body or a pillar into the passenger compartment. In this case, the side airbag is required to quickly and highly build up the bag internal pressure for preventing the driver or passenger from being injured.

Side airbags are known from the prior art which have a main vent opening which is always open, i.e. which remains open both in the following unloading phase and also in the filling phase of the airbag with the aid of a gas generator, which can influence the build-up of high pressure in the airbag to a certain extent. For an airbag, it should be ensured as quickly as possible that the pressure in the bag builds up during the inflation phase.

Disclosure of Invention

According to various aspects, it is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag system with adjustable vent openings during the inflation phase and the unloading phase and a vehicle having such an airbag system.

Furthermore, the present invention is also directed to solve or alleviate other technical problems of the prior art.

The present invention solves the above problems by providing an airbag system, specifically comprising a bladder provided with a primary vent hole and a gas generator for inflating the bladder, wherein a lining cloth for covering the primary vent hole is fixed on an outer surface of the bladder, the lining cloth and the bladder form a plurality of secondary vent holes spaced apart from each other, the plurality of secondary vent holes communicating with the primary vent hole and being arranged such that a part of the plurality of secondary vent holes is pressed against a component of a vehicle during inflation of the bladder.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag system in which the gusset is fixed to the bag in stages by stitches and forms a plurality of closed regions, and the plurality of closed regions and the plurality of auxiliary vent holes are arranged in sequence in a circumferential direction extending around the main vent hole.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag system in which the plurality of closed regions and the plurality of auxiliary vent holes are uniformly arranged in a circumferential direction extending around the main vent hole.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag system in which the strength of the stitches is set in accordance with a preset threshold value of the pressure inside the bag, and when the pressure inside the bag reaches the threshold value, the stitches are broken and the gas inside the bag is allowed to flow out through the closed region.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the airbag system further includes a drawstring, one end of the drawstring is fixed to the lining cloth and the other end of the drawstring is fixed to the bag, and the drawstring removes the lining cloth from the bag when a pressure in the bag reaches a threshold value or a predetermined time elapses.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag system in which the lining is fixed to the bag in a segmented manner by means of an adhesive.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided the airbag system, wherein the auxiliary vent hole has a trapezoidal shape and gradually widens in a direction away from a center of the main vent hole.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle is provided having such an airbag system according to the invention.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is proposed, the airbag system of which is arranged in the vehicle seat or at the vehicle body close to the vehicle seat.

The airbag system according to the present disclosure can ensure a rapid build-up of pressure within the bag during the inflation phase by optionally partially covering the secondary vent hole.

Drawings

The above and other features of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

figure 1 shows a schematic view of an airbag system according to an embodiment of the invention,

fig. 2 shows the structure of the main venting opening from fig. 1 in an enlarged view.

Detailed Description

It is easily understood that according to the technical solution of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can propose various alternative structures and implementation ways without changing the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of the technical aspects of the present invention, and should not be construed as all of the present invention or as limitations or limitations on the technical aspects of the present invention.

The directional terms upper, lower, left, right, front, rear, front, back, top, bottom and the like that are or may be mentioned in this specification are defined relative to the configurations shown in the drawings, and are relative concepts that may be changed accordingly depending on the position and the use state of the device. Therefore, these and other directional terms should not be construed as limiting terms. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for descriptive and descriptive purposes only and not for purposes of indication or implication as to the relative importance of the respective components.

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown a schematic view of an airbag system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which has a bladder 100 and a gas generator, not shown, for inflating the bladder in the event of a vehicle collision. The airbag system can be arranged in a seat or adjacent to the body of a vehicle driver or other passenger, for example at a door panel, wherein the airbag 100 and the gas generator can be jointly fixed at the mounting base plate by means of the airbag mounting frame. In the event of a vehicle collision, the airbag system has its bladder 100 ejected and inflated (that is, in an inflation phase) by the inflator, so as to cushion the impact force on the driver caused by the collision. The bladder 100 vents (i.e., is in an unloaded phase) when the pressure in the bladder reaches a preset threshold or after it is maintained for a preset time, so as not to cause secondary injury to the occupant. The airbag system controls the points in time of the inflation phase and the unloading phase by means of its own controller and sensors, which are not described in detail here.

The unloading phase of the airbag system is achieved by means of vent holes, via which the gas in the bag can flow out into the surroundings and thus complete the unloading task. Specifically, the airbag system according to the present invention has a main vent hole 200 (indicated by a dotted line in the drawing) to which a lining cloth 300 for covering the main vent hole is fixed on an area of the outer surface of the pouch 100 corresponding to the main vent hole. In this case, the lining 300 is connected to the outer surface of the bladder 100 in sections and in the unconnected regions a plurality of secondary vent holes 400 are formed which communicate with the primary vent holes 200 (for clarity, only one of the five secondary vent holes is provided with a reference numeral in fig. 2), via which the gas in the bladder can escape to the surroundings during unloading or optionally also during the inflation phase.

According to the present invention, the plurality of secondary vent holes 400 are arranged or configured such that, during inflation of the bladder 100 or in a state in which the bladder 100 is partially inflated, at least a portion of the secondary vent holes 400 is pressed against a component of the vehicle (e.g., a body panel) and gas in the bladder 100 cannot flow out through the portion of the secondary vent holes 400. In this case, at least a part of the secondary vent opening can rest against a flat region of the body panel located below the armrest. Instead of the prior art solution in which the main vent opening 200 is fully open during inflation, the airbag system according to the invention enables a reduction in the effective flow cross-sectional area of the vent opening during the inflation phase in a relatively simple manner, so that the pressure in the airbag can build up rapidly and the crash load can be cushioned thereby.

It is first noted that the material of the backing cloth 300 can be consistent with the bladder 100, and can be made of a nylon material (e.g., PA66, which can also be referred to as nylon 66), for example. Of course, the material of the lining can also be selected differently from the bladder, as long as it meets the respective strength requirements.

Here, the interlining 300 may be configured in a circular shape, the diameter of which is greater than that of the main exhaust holes 200 and the secondary exhaust holes 400 extend from the outer edge of the main exhaust holes 200 to the outer edge of the interlining 300 in a radial direction. In one embodiment, the secondary vent 400 can substantially exhibit a circular aperture shape of uniform size, as shown in the drawings. Alternatively, the individual secondary venting holes can also be substantially trapezoidal, which widens in a direction away from the center of the main venting hole in order to facilitate the outflow of the gas in the pocket and to reduce the formation of vortices at the outlet.

Here, a closed region adjacent to the secondary vent hole 400 (the closed region is formed by connection between the interlining and the pouch thereat) is configured in a shape matching the shape of the secondary vent hole. The closed region and the secondary vent holes are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction around the vent hole (or in the circumferential direction of the interlining in the case of a circular interlining construction). Alternatively, the interlining 300 may be attached to the pouch in a sewing manner, in which the stitches 500 are formed in the above-mentioned plurality of closed regions. The stitches 500 can be sewn singly, or doubly or multiply, which can be selected according to the desired strength of attachment. The stitches 500 can optionally be arc-shaped in consideration of the shapes of the primary and secondary vent holes and the flow direction of the gas. Furthermore, the stitches can also be distributed in a multi-point manner in order to be easier to snap and facilitate the subsequent unloading process, which will be explained in more detail later.

Alternatively, the secondary vent 400 and the closed area may be configured with the same dimensions, that is, a plurality of secondary vents 400 and a plurality of closed areas equally divide a circle around the primary vent. Of course, the secondary vent hole 400 and the closed area can also be configured differently in size as shown in the drawings, depending on the desired strength of the connection of the bladder 100 and the insert 300.

On the one hand, a rapid build-up of pressure in the bag is achieved by closing a part of the secondary vent opening during inflation by means of a vehicle component, and on the other hand, the airbag system according to the invention can also ensure the achievement of the unloading process by releasing the primary vent opening according to preset conditions, which can be achieved by removing the lining cloth. For example, when the pressure in the bladder reaches a preset threshold, the stitches 500 in the enclosed area break and thereby release the secondary vent 400 that is occluded. The strength of the suture can be set substantially equal to the preset threshold value so that breakage occurs when needed. The strength of the suture depends on the material of the suture, the gauge of the suture and the number of the sutures, for example the material type of the suture can be selected as M20, M30, wherein the numbers "20" and "30" represent the thickness of the suture, the smaller the number the thicker the suture. The rupture of the stitches under certain conditions ensures rapid deflation of the subsequent pouch in a simpler construction solution.

In a possible embodiment, the removal of the padding 300 can be achieved by means of an additionally provided pull strap (not shown) which is arranged outside the pocket 100 and can be accommodated in the assembled state, for example, in the seat frame. Which is connected at one end to the interlining 300 and at the other end to the bladder 100 itself, and which, in the inflation phase, stretches as the bladder 100 expands and, when a preset condition is met, tears the stitches 500 and thereby removes the interlining 300. The predetermined condition can be a value of a predetermined intracapsular pressure or a duration of the intracapsular pressure, wherein the predetermined intracapsular pressure can be designed with reference to the strength of the thread and the intracapsular pressure duration can be controlled by a controller of the airbag system itself.

Furthermore, the pull tape can also be arranged inside the sachet 100 and in this case the pull tape can simultaneously be used to determine the shape of the sachet during the inflation phase. During the inflation phase, the inner drawstring is in a relaxed state and the interlining 300 covers the main vent 200. As the bladder expands, the drawstring enters tension and removes the insert 300 from the bladder 100 by its own resilience, in this way drawing the insert into the bladder and releasing the primary and secondary vents.

In another alternative embodiment, the liner 300 is adhesively attached to the pouch 100 by an adhesive. Also, the bonding of the backing to the bladder can be arcuate or distributed in spots, depending on the strength of the attachment of the backing to the bladder. Reference can be made to the relevant description for the adhesive connection with regard to the sewing connection. .

The invention further relates to a vehicle comprising such an airbag, which can be arranged in particular as a side airbag in a vehicle seat or close to a door panel of a passenger.

In summary, the airbag system according to the invention ensures a rapid build-up of pressure in the bag during the inflation phase by optionally partially covering the secondary vent opening. In a further embodiment of the invention, by removing the interlining by means of stitches or drawstrings and thereby releasing the primary vent, a quick deflation in the unloading phase can be ensured and secondary injuries to the occupant are thereby avoided.

It should be understood that all of the above preferred embodiments are exemplary and not restrictive, and that various modifications and changes in the specific embodiments described above may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An airbag system comprising a bladder and a gas generator for inflating the bladder, the bladder being provided with a primary vent, wherein a lining cloth for covering the primary vent is secured to an outer surface of the bladder, the lining cloth and the bladder forming a plurality of secondary vents spaced apart from one another, the plurality of secondary vents communicating with the primary vent and arranged such that during inflation of the bladder, some of the plurality of secondary vents are pressed against a component of a vehicle.

2. The airbag system of claim 1, wherein the padding is secured to the bladder in sections by stitches and forms a plurality of closed areas, the plurality of closed areas and the plurality of secondary vent holes being arranged in series in a circumferential direction extending around the primary vent hole.

3. The airbag system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of closed areas and the plurality of secondary vent holes are evenly arrayed in a circumferential direction extending around the primary vent hole.

4. An airbag system according to claim 3 wherein the strength of the stitches is set to match a preset threshold value of pressure within the bag at which the stitches break and allow gas in the bag to escape through the enclosed area.

5. The airbag system of claim 3, further comprising a drawstring secured at one end to the padding cloth and at another end to the bladder, the drawstring removing the padding cloth from the bladder when a pressure within the bladder reaches a threshold value or a predetermined time has elapsed.

6. The airbag system of claim 1, wherein the backing is secured to the bladder in sections by an adhesive.

7. The airbag system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the secondary vent hole has a trapezoidal shape and gradually widens in a direction away from the center of the primary vent hole.

8. A vehicle characterized by having an airbag system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that the airbag system is arranged in the vehicle seat or close to the body of the vehicle seat.