GB2340799A - An air bag arrangement for a vehicle engine compartment - Google Patents
An air bag arrangement for a vehicle engine compartment Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2340799A GB2340799A GB9918828A GB9918828A GB2340799A GB 2340799 A GB2340799 A GB 2340799A GB 9918828 A GB9918828 A GB 9918828A GB 9918828 A GB9918828 A GB 9918828A GB 2340799 A GB2340799 A GB 2340799A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- air bag
- engine
- arrangement
- compartment
- vehicle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62C3/00—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places
- A62C3/07—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places in vehicles, e.g. in road vehicles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R2019/007—Means for adjusting or regulating the crash absorption capacity of the vehicle, e.g. when detecting an impending collision
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
- B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
- B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Emergency Management (AREA)
- Air Bags (AREA)
Abstract
An air bag arrangement has an air bag (9) which can be deployed so that it arches over an engine (5) within an engine compartment (3) so that the air bag (9) can stabilise the engine (5) during an impact collision. Upon rupture of the air bag (9) inflation gas is released around the engine (5) to provide fire retardation means. The air bag (9) is normally secured to a bulkhead between the engine compartment (3) and a vehicle cabin (2).
Description
2340799 - 1 AN AIR BAG ARRANGEMENT The present invention relates to an air
bag arrangement and more particularly to an air bag arrangement used in an engine compartment of a motor vehicle.
Use of air bags within motor vehicles has become relatively commonplace over recent years. Typically, these air bags are located within the vehicle cabin in order to protect occupants during violent impact collisions. These air bags, in association with the vehicle structural crumple zones, can provide significant protection during even the most violent impacts. However, there are inherent differences between a large motor vehicle and a small motor vehicle such that there is a potential incompatibility between the available colliding vehicle crumple zones etc.
It will be understood that crumple zones are incorporated within a vehicle structure in order to progressively absorb kinetic energy in a sympathetic manner in order to reduce the potential for occupant injury.
Clearly, the range of deformation crumple is to a certain extent determined by the available length of the vehicle. In such circumstances, it will be readily appreciated that the crumple zones allowable in a small vehicle are generally more limited than in a larger vehicle. Furthermore, relatively hard and incompressible components such as the vehicle engine in a small vehicle will normally have less free space about them into which deformation travel can occur before deformation seizure lock and subsequent impact with a vehicle occupant.
A further consideration with a motor vehicle is the desire to provide at least a degree of fire retardation or prevention. Thus, where the engine of a motor vehicle is radically deformed or displaced, it will be appreciated that the prospects for fuel spillage and subsequent ignition is greatly increased.
It is known from International Patent Application No. PCT/GB95100935 to provide an air bag secured to a vehicle chassis in order to protect an occupant cabin from penetration by an engine or vehicle transmission.
Essentially, the air bag is mounted upon a bulkhead or fire wan between the engine compartment and the vehicle cabin. Thus, upon deployment, the air bag is propelled towards the engine in order to increase the deformation resistance of the gap between the engine and that fire wall during an impact. This increased deformation resistance provides greater kinetic energy loss before engine to bulkhead impact engagement. It will be appreciated that in these circumstances of International Patent Application No. PCT/G1395100935, the air bag merely increases the deformation resistance beyond that normal in order to augment existing limited crumple zone deformation range. Thus, the benefits are limited and still depend upon a reasonable air gap between the engine and the bulkhead.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag arrangement which substantially relieves the above-mentioned problems.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided an air bag arrangement for an engine compartment of a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising inflation means arranged to provide in use inflation gas to inflate an air bag normally stowed within a wall of an engine compartment but deployable in use substantially over an engine within that compartment in order to stabilise that engine relative to a vehicle cabin adjacent the compartment under impact deformation of the compartment and upon rupture of that air bag present at least that inflation gas as a fire retardation means about the engine within the compartment Preferably, the inflation gas is a fully or substantially combusted gas or an inert gas or a mixture thereof.
The air bag may be sectioned or celled or bubbled or otherwise divided.
Furthermore, the air bag may be formed from a sack bag with discrete section bags therein. These section bags may be fixed or free moving within the sack bag. Using a ceHed or bubbled build in a sack bag gives a stepped or progressive reduction in engine crash energy and so more gradually brings the engine to rest as the individual cells crunch and burst one after another. The air bag will typically arch over the engine to substantially surround an upper portion thereof.
Normally, the air bag arrangement is adapted to be secured to a vehicle fire wall or bulkhead.
The air bag may have an enclosed fixed volume or include vent means operable after a particular volume of inflation gas has been injected into the air bag or that air bag has achieved a predetermined level of inflation pressure.
The air bag will typically be designed to rupture under impact load in order to present the inflation gas along with the air bag to the engine in order to retard or prevent fire propagation or initiation.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which a schematic pictorial perspective view of a motor vehicle including an air bag arrangement is depicted.
A motor vehicle typically includes effectively three structural sections, namely, the engine compartment, the occupant cabin and the luggage compartment. The present invention relates to particularly the engine compartment of a motor vehicle but with reference to protection of occupants within the vehicle cabin adjacent to that engine compartment. As indicated above, during a severe vehicle collision impact, the engine located within the engine compartment may be brought into juxtaposed contact with a bulkhead or fire wall between the engine compartment and the passenger cabin. The possibility of such engagement by the engine and subsequent penetration of the engine into the vehicle cabin is significantly greater in small vehicles where the potential crumple deformation range of body structures is inherently limited.
1 Clearly, one way to reduce the potential damage of engine penetration into the vehicle cabin is to reduce that engine's kinetic energy. In such circumstances, and as illustrated in International Patent Application No. PCT/GB95100935, it is possible to incorporate an air bag in the gap between a vehicle engine and the dividing bulkhead between the engine compartment and the vehicle cabin. Unfortunately, such an air bag merely stiffens deformation resistance in the normal gap between the engine and the bulkhead in order to augment existing structural crumple zone deformation in the vehicle structure. There is no control of engine direction or reduction of engine crash energy in a controlled manner or care taken with regard to fire prevention.
In the present invention as depicted in the drawing, a motor vehicle 1 includes a vehicle cabin 2 and an engine compartment 3. The cabin 2 and compartment 3 are divided by a bulkhead wall 4 which can act as a fire wall to protect occupants within the cabin 2. An engine 5 is located within the 5 engine compartment 3 in a conventional manner.
In accordance with the invention, an air bag is secured across the width of the bulkhead 4 such that it deploys substantially over the engine 5. In such circumstances, the air bag stabilises the engine within the 1 compartment 3 under an impact load in the direction of arrow head A. It 10 will be appreciated that typically under an impact load and in the direction of arrow head A, body panels 6, 7 along the front facia panels 8 will crumple in order to absorb the kinetic energy associated with the impact in the direction of arrow head A. However, it will be understood eventually despite buckling and crumpling of these panels 6, 7, 8, the impact force in the direction of arrow head A will be presented to the engine 5 and it will be forced rearward towards the bulkhead 4. Clearly, the engine 5 constitutes a potential injurious hazard to occupants of the cabin 2 along with a significant fire hazard. Thus, the air bag deployed between the bulkhead 4 and the engine 5 presents additional energy absorption before that engine 5 contacts and potentially penetrates the bulkhead 4. In such circumstances, the air bag stabilises the engine 5 during the relative violence of collision impacts.
In the drawing, a deployed air bag is illustrated in broken line with a reference 9. It will be appreciated that being a relatively compliant bag of inflated gas, the air bag 9 adopts the contact surface configuration of the engine 5 but nevertheless embraces at least the contact front of the engine 5 and over the top of the engine 5 to a significant extent. Such engagement between the engine 5 and the air bag 9 is necessary in accordance with the present invention in order to provide engine stabilisation during impact load and fire inhibition/retardation.
i It will be appreciated that by arching the air bag 9 over the engine 5 10 that in addition to providing increased deformation resistance, in association with panel 6 to 8, the air bag resists upward movement of the engine 5 both through its own inflation pressure and reinforcement by the vehicle bonnet above the engine compartment 3.
Upward and lateral movement of the engine 5 during a severe impact 15 collision is generally not preferred in that the engine will thereby be presented towards the torso and lower leg of any occupants in the cabin 2. Furthermore, and potentially more significantly, the engine 5 will thereby be angled towards the less resistive windscreen and scuttle cross member rather than the more significant structural chassis components of the vehicle 1 with less protection thereby to occupants of the cabin 2.
By ensuring the air bag 9 is at least partially located over the engine 5, when the airbag 9 is ruptured through the excessive pressure, presented by continued vehicle I crumple deformation under impact load in the direction of arrow head A, the inflation gas within the air bag 9 washes over and 5 through the engine compartment 3. Thus, as substantially completely combusted inflation gas is presented within the air bag 9, the effect of such inflation gas washing over the engine 5 within the compartment 3 is to create a combustion inert environment. This inert environment, at least transiently, inhibits ignition of any fuel within the compartment 3 as a result of the collision impact rupturing fuel supply lines, etc. In such circumstances, any occupants of the cabin 2, or rescuers of those occupants, may have a few additional seconds of time before the vehicle is engulfed with flames, etc.
Normally, the air bag 9 is stowed across bulkhead 4 as a flat pack with appropriate gas inflation means secured either about the engine compartment 3 or within the bulkhead 4. It will be appreciated that the air bag 9 has a relatively large volume and so normally several gas inflation devices or canisters will be provided to independently present inflation gas to the air bag upon deployment. Such deployment being upon detection of an impact using existing known impact detection means -used with regard to the interior air bag arrangements located within the cabin 2.
" 9 - As indicated above, the present invention in addition to stabilising the engine during collision impacts provides a fire retardation function. Thus, the inflation gas presented to the air bag will typically be of an inert nature. This inert nature can be achieved through ensuring that the inflation gas is either a fully or substantially combusted gas produced from a pyrotechnic gas inflation mechanism or by presenting the inflation gas from gas canisters containing an inert gas such as a halide or helium. Alternatively, the air b"ag 9 may be inflated using a combination of pyrotechnic gas generating means to produce fully or substantially fully combusted inflation gas and inert gas from pressurised gas canisters at the same time. Thus, the combination of combusted inflation gas and inert gas upon rupture of the air bag 9 achieves the transient inert environment about the engine 5 as described above.
The air bag 9 can comprise a single volume air bag which may be enclosed and of a ffixed size in order to facilitate rupture at the most desired point of impact collision. It will also be understood, as with conventional air bag arrangements, the air bag 9 may include appropriate vent means operable when the air bag 9 has achieved a desired level of inflation or a desired volume of inflation gas has been presented to the air bag 9.
Alternatively, the air bag 9 could be divided into discrete sections or cells or bubbles which are consecutively or simultaneously inflated by the inflation gas means in order to unite into the air bag 9 presented to the engine 5. In such circumstances, the discrete sections or cells or bubbles of the air bag 9 may be located within a containment sack bag in order to define the consolidated air bag 9 as presented to the engine 5. These discrete sections or cells or bubbles may be fixed within that sack bag or free moving as required.
By providing discrete sections or cells or bubbles within the air bag 9 t differential rupture of these discrete sections or cells or a bubble can be 1 provided. Thus, some engine 5 kinetic energy absorption, ie. stabilisation is 10 retained by those parts of the air bag still inflated whilst the ruptured discrete sections or bubbles wash the engine 5 with inflation gas in order to inhibit fire initiation or propagation within the engine compartment 3.
Typically, the air bag 9 arches over and embraces the engine 5. Thus, where space and speed of deployment allow, a front portion of the air bag 9 may extend to the other side of the engine 5 from the bulkhead 4. In such circumstances, engine 5 stabilisation and kinetic energy absorption by the air bag 9 is a combination of compressions about the engine 5 i.e. between the engine 5 and the bulkhead 4 and between the top of the engine 5 and the engine compartment bonnet and between the front of the engine 5 and the rear of the front facia panel 8. Furthermore, a larger volume of inert inflation gas is then available to wash over the engine 5 in order to inhibit fire initiation, etc.
Although illustrated with the air bag 9 secured to the bulkhead 4 both during storage and deployment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the air bag 9 could be located within the side panels 6, 7 or the facia panel 9 in order to present the air bag to the engine 5. Furthermore, a combination of several air bags could be used within the engine compartment 3 to act in co-ordinated stabilisation of the engine 5 along with 1 presentation of a fire retardation environment about the engine.
Claims (15)
1. An air bag arrangement for an engine compartment of a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising inflation means arranged to provide in use inflation gas to inflate an air bag normally stowed within a wall of an engine compartment but deployable in use substantially over an engine within that compartment in order to stabilise that engine relative to a vehicle cabin adjacent the compartment under impact deformation of the compartment and upon rupture of that air bag present at least that infltion gas as a fire retardation means about the engine within the compartment.
2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the inflation gas within the air bag prior to rupture is constituted by fully or substantially combusted inflation gas or an inert gas or a combination thereof.
3. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the air bag is formed from a plurality of discrete sections or cells or-bubbles.
4. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 3, wherein each section or cell or bubble is simultaneously inflated upon deployment of the air bag within the engine compartment.
5. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 3, wherein each section or cell or bubble is sequentially inflated in accordance with a predetermined regime.
6. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 3 or 4 or 5, wherein the air bag includes a sack bag within which the discrete sections or cells or bubbles are located for presentation to the engine.
7. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 6, wherein each discrete section or cell or bubble is securely fixed within the sack bag.
8. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 6, wherein each discrete section or cell or bubble of the air bag is allowed to freely move within the sack bag.
9. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 3 and any claim dependent thereon, wherein each discrete section or cell or bubble of the air bag is independently rupturable.
10. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the air bag is arranged to arch over the engine in order to stabilise an engine relative to the vehicle cabin adjacent to that compartment.
11. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement is adapted to be secured to a vehicle bulkhead or fire wall between the engine compartment and the vehicle cabin.
12. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the air bag is enclosed and has a fixed volume.
13. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the air bag includes vent means arranged to be operable when the air bag has reached a predetermined level of inflation.
14. An air bag arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
15. A vehicle including an air bag arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB9817983.1A GB9817983D0 (en) | 1998-08-19 | 1998-08-19 | An air bag arrangement |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9918828D0 GB9918828D0 (en) | 1999-10-13 |
| GB2340799A true GB2340799A (en) | 2000-03-01 |
Family
ID=10837444
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB9817983.1A Ceased GB9817983D0 (en) | 1998-08-19 | 1998-08-19 | An air bag arrangement |
| GB9918828A Withdrawn GB2340799A (en) | 1998-08-19 | 1999-08-11 | An air bag arrangement for a vehicle engine compartment |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB9817983.1A Ceased GB9817983D0 (en) | 1998-08-19 | 1998-08-19 | An air bag arrangement |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB9817983D0 (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2001026934A1 (en) * | 1999-10-09 | 2001-04-19 | Ford Global Technologies, Inc. | Vehicle with inflatable device |
| DE10126457A1 (en) * | 2001-05-31 | 2002-12-12 | Daimler Chrysler Ag | System for protecting pedestrians in collision with front of car comprises airbag mounted under bonnet, between it and engine |
| GB2400828A (en) * | 2003-04-26 | 2004-10-27 | Ronan Cronin | Inflatable bulkhead/tunnel airbag |
| FR2890354A1 (en) * | 2005-09-02 | 2007-03-09 | Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa | Shock-absorbing system for protecting interior of vehicle in collision comprises air bag mounted between bulkhead and engine block |
| US20210283437A1 (en) * | 2020-03-11 | 2021-09-16 | Hyundai Motor Company | Fire suppression system for vehicle |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112206438A (en) * | 2020-09-23 | 2021-01-12 | 林朋 | Domestic fire extinguisher based on expend with heat and contract with cold |
| CN117141219B (en) * | 2023-10-24 | 2024-01-26 | 康硕(德阳)智能制造有限公司 | Shock-absorbing automobile engine support |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1995029078A1 (en) * | 1994-04-27 | 1995-11-02 | Ford Motor Company Limited | Vehicle chassis having an occupant cell |
-
1998
- 1998-08-19 GB GBGB9817983.1A patent/GB9817983D0/en not_active Ceased
-
1999
- 1999-08-11 GB GB9918828A patent/GB2340799A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1995029078A1 (en) * | 1994-04-27 | 1995-11-02 | Ford Motor Company Limited | Vehicle chassis having an occupant cell |
Cited By (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2001026934A1 (en) * | 1999-10-09 | 2001-04-19 | Ford Global Technologies, Inc. | Vehicle with inflatable device |
| DE10126457A1 (en) * | 2001-05-31 | 2002-12-12 | Daimler Chrysler Ag | System for protecting pedestrians in collision with front of car comprises airbag mounted under bonnet, between it and engine |
| DE10126457C2 (en) * | 2001-05-31 | 2003-07-24 | Daimler Chrysler Ag | safety device |
| GB2400828A (en) * | 2003-04-26 | 2004-10-27 | Ronan Cronin | Inflatable bulkhead/tunnel airbag |
| FR2890354A1 (en) * | 2005-09-02 | 2007-03-09 | Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa | Shock-absorbing system for protecting interior of vehicle in collision comprises air bag mounted between bulkhead and engine block |
| US20210283437A1 (en) * | 2020-03-11 | 2021-09-16 | Hyundai Motor Company | Fire suppression system for vehicle |
| US11602650B2 (en) * | 2020-03-11 | 2023-03-14 | Hyundai Motor Company | Fire suppression system for vehicle |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9817983D0 (en) | 1998-10-14 |
| GB9918828D0 (en) | 1999-10-13 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |