Classifications

• • 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
  • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
  • B60R21/201—Packaging straps or envelopes for inflatable members
• • 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
  • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
  • B60R21/205—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components in dashboards
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
  • B60J1/00—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor
  • B60J1/02—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at the vehicle front, e.g. structure of the glazing, mounting of the glazing
• • 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
  • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
  • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
  • B60R21/2334—Expansion control features
• • 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
  • B60R2021/161—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• • 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
  • B60R21/23—Inflatable members
  • B60R21/231—Inflatable members characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
  • B60R21/2334—Expansion control features
  • B60R21/2338—Tethers
  • B60R2021/23386—External tether means

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to airbags and more specifically to an apparatus for changing the trajectory of an inflating airbag to reduce the impact force of the airbag upon the windshield.
• FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a typical passenger compartment 20 of a vehicle showing opposing A-pillars 22, a windshield 24 and instrument panel 26. Situated on the top 28 surface of the instrument panel is a deployment door 30. The windshield is oriented relative to the top surface at an angle A which varies from about 20 degrees to 60 degrees. The door 30 is part of an instrument panel. Situated below the instrument panel is an airbag module 40 of known variety comprising: an airbag 42, an inflator 44 and a housing 46. The door 30 is capable of being separated from the rest of the instrument panel 26 upon deployment inflation of airbag 42. Typically a plurality of stress risers or a weakened portion or tear seam 56 is fabricated in the instrument panel about the door 30.
• stress risers/weakened portion/tear seam 56 are designed to rupture permitting the door to rotate toward the instrument panel, as illustrated in figure 2. As the door moves, the airbag 42 continues to inflate. This operation is designed to occur at the modest level of airbag internal pressure. The stress risers or tear seam 56 are designed to break at a modest internal airbag pressure to prevent propellant of the deployment for forcefully against the windshield.
• Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates a typical windshield and instrument panel of the vehicle.
• Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an inflating passenger side airbag.
• Figure 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 4 illustrates a close-up view of the external tether.
• Figures 5A - 5D show various ways of connecting the external tether to the airbag module housing.
• Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken through section 6-6 of figure 3.
• Figure 7 diagrammatically illustrates an external deflector.
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a deflector, airbag and inflator.
• Figure 9 is a plan view of the component parts of an external deflector.
• Figure 10 is a top view showing an external deflector in an operative relationship to the folded airbag within the housing.
• Figure 1 1 shows the operation of the present invention.
• Figure 12 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 13 shows a further embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 14 shows a further embodiment of the invention.
• FIGS. 15 and 16 show the comparative improvement in performance created by the present invention Detailed Description of the Drawings
• FIG 3 illustrates an airbag module 400 of the present invention comprising a housing 402, airbag 404 and inflator 406.
• Module 400 further includes a deflector mechanism 420 which provides a barrier or guide as well as a reaction hood or surface to modify the trajectory of the inflating airbag so the airbag tends to inflate at a lower expanding trajectory than without the barrier or guide. This trajectory correction discourages the airbag from impacting the windshield at the lower portions of the windshield thereby lessening the applied force to the windshield and reducing the risk of windshield damage.
• a deflector mechanism 420 which provides a barrier or guide as well as a reaction hood or surface to modify the trajectory of the inflating airbag so the airbag tends to inflate at a lower expanding trajectory than without the barrier or guide. This trajectory correction discourages the airbag from impacting the windshield at the lower portions of the windshield thereby lessening the applied force to the windshield and reducing the risk of windshield damage.
• the deflector mechanism comprises a tensioning member 430, which in the first illustrated embodiment is configured as a length of seat belt webbing, or similar band, 430a secured to a reaction hood 401 .
• the tensioning member is formed by overlapping layers of the reaction hood or alternatively by wires or ropes secured to the reaction hood.
• the reaction hood 401 partially covers the folded airbag 404 preventing the airbag from deploying forward of the tensioning member 430 (that is closer to the windshield), for example see figures 3, 7 and 8.
• the tensioning member 430 includes opposing ends at 432 and 434 that are secured to housing 402. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 3, for example, the ends 432 and 434 are secured to sides 436 of the housing. Only one side 436 of the housing is visible in figure 4.
• the tensioning member 430 is secured to a top portion of the reaction hood 401 by a suitable means. In the illustrated embodiment the tensioning belt 430a is secured by stitches to the reaction hood 401 .
• each end of the webbing 432,434 is formed into a loop 450 with an extending member or arm 452.
• the end of the webbing is folded onto itself and sewn together to form the loop.
• Numeral 454 shows the sewing threads.
• the webbing loop is pulled through a hole 460 formed on the housing at any convenient location, for example, on the side or on a horizontal lip.
• the center portion 431 of tensioning member 430 and the extending member 452 provide a barrier to keep the webbing in place.
• Figure 5B shows an alternate method of securing the webbing 430 to the housing 402.
• housing 402 is plastic the webbing can be sewn to the plastic housing, for example, at its sides.
• the webbing 430 is secured to the housing by rivets 466.
• the ends of the webbing are formed into a loop 471 ; a pin 472 is inserted within the loop. The diameter of the loop, with the pin in place, is designed to be wider than the hole 460 in the housing.
• Other attachment mechanisms are within the spirit of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of module 400 taken through section line 6-6 of figure 3.
• inflator 406 has been placed within airbag 400 in a conventional manner and then the airbag is folded into a compact configuration.
• the folded airbag is kept in this configuration by enveloping the airbag with a lightweight, tearable cover 405 which covers all of the multiple sides and ends of the folded airbag.
• Figure 7 shows the tensioning member 430 secured to the reaction hood 431 , the folded airbag, with its cover 405 protectively enveloping the airbag, with its inflator 406 positioned therein, and is slid partially into the reaction hood 431 .
• This configuration is shown in figure 7 with a portion of the folded airbag 404 and its hood 405 extending outwardly from the tensioning member 430, which in essence defines the outward edge of the reaction hood 431 .
• figure 8 which is a cross-sectional view taken through section line 8-8 of figure 7. The relationship amongst the airbag 404, cover 405, reaction hood 431 and the tensioning member 430 is illustrated.
• Figure 9 is an isolated view of deflector 420 illustrating the tensioning member 430 and the reaction hood 431 laid flat.
• the reaction hood includes a plurality of opposing extending legs 460, each of which includes a mounting hole 461 .
• An edge portion 462 of hood 431 is positioned below the tensioning member or belt which forms the front of the deflector 420.
• Located opposite edge portion 462 is a generally rectangular shaped portion 464 having mounting holes 461 .
• portion 464 of the hood is moved downwardly so that mounting holes 461 can also be secured to the studs 470.
• This motion moves the hood 431 into a covering condition over the rear of the top of the airbag, the rear side or surface of the folded airbag, and the rear portions of the bottom section of the folded airbag.
• FIG. 10 Reference is briefly made to the phantom region 600 of figure 9 which identifies an alternate embodiment of the invention.
• This region 600 is an extension of the material used to form the reaction hood 431 and is used to replace the belt 430a used in the earlier embodiment. With the belt 430a removed from hood 431 , the material of region 600 is folded back upon itself to create a number of folds 602 as illustrated in figure 12. This process creates an alternate tensioning member with sides 432 and 434.
• FIG 13 illustrates a further embodiment in which the tensioning member 430 is formed by a plurality of wires or ropes 700 secured to a portion of hood 431 .
• wires or ropes can be terminated at a loop 704 which can be secured to the module housing or alternatively wrapped about the airbag and secured to the inflator mounting fasteners 470.
• This alternate mounting of the tensioning member is true of the belt 430a and the folded material 602.
• FIG 10 illustrates with phantom lines 484 and 482 to show the tensioning member 430 can be moved rearward, in relation to figure 10, to align with phantom line 484 or moved forward, in relation to figure 10, to align with phantom line 482.
• the width of the tensioning member 430 is shown by W; the width of the opening in the airbag housing is shown as W1 .
• Dimension S1 is the distance between the rear surface of the tensioning strap and the rear of the mouth or opening of the housing while dimension S2 is the distance between the forward edge of the tensioning strap 430 and forward edge of the mouth of the housing 402.
• Figure 1 1 shows the present invention mounted in a typical instrument panel 26, the top of which is at an angle of A relative to windshield 24.
• Instrument panel 26 includes a recessed portion or chute 27 under which housing 402 is mounted. This mounting can be accomplished in any conventional matter.
• a signal is generated which in turn causes inflator 406 to generate inflation gas which is communicated to the folded airbag 404.
• the airbag inflates it breaks its cover 405 and creates a tension T across the tensioning belt 430 which stiffens the forward edge of the reaction hood 431 .
• the reaction hood as previously described, is also affixed to the inflator 406 and with the tensioning member in tension, the reaction hood acts as a reaction surface, which prevents forward movement of the air bag 404 in the forward direction of 550, that is toward the windshield.
• the inflating airbag 404 reacts against the reaction hood and exits from the instrument panel with a component of rearward momentum adding more tangential angle to the windshield, lessening impact with the windshield.
• the tensioned tensioning member 430 prevents the air bag from exiting the housing and instrument panel in a general upward direction further lessening impact with the windshield.
• the material characteristics and in particular the material characteristics of the tensioning member 430 and deflector 420 control the trajectory of the inflating airbag.
• FIG 14 illustrates an alternate exterior deflector 500 is constructed substantially of the tensioning member 430 which is sufficiently wide to prevent the airbag from exiting side 406 of this webbing which is located toward the front of the vehicle. Additionally this tensioning member can be formed with a molded or raised center portion 502 which will encourage the airbag to move outward along arrow 504.
• Figures 15 and 16 show the result of a dynamic test in which a reactive film 800 was placed upon the inside surface of the windshield.
• FIG 15 shows the performance of a base system without the external deflector.
• the color pattern and intensity of colors shows the force of the airbag against the windshield.
• the dimension X1 shows the location of the force profiles relative to the windshield.
• Figure 16 illustrates the operation of the similarly sized airbag but one which is guided by the external deflector 420.
• the reactive film left a substantially lower or lessened profile on the inner surface of the windshield indicating improved performance resulting from the present invention.
• the intensity of the force profiles upon the film are so reduced that for the purpose of printing and visualization outlines have been placed about these force profiles shown.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=48877582

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (18)

• 2013
  • 2013-07-18 BR BR112015001189A patent/BR112015001189A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2013-07-18 CN CN201380035021.0A patent/CN104507759B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2013-07-18 WO PCT/US2013/051021 patent/WO2014015108A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-07-18 IN IN11178DEN2014 patent/IN2014DN11178A/en unknown
  • 2013-07-18 EP EP13742368.7A patent/EP2874852B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2013-07-18 US US14/414,935 patent/US9371052B2/en active Active
  • 2013-07-18 KR KR1020147036910A patent/KR102105731B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (2)

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