Deployable roof containment system and method

• US 10,427,637 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Raikar, Sadanand N., Schultz, Jeffrey J., Ronne, Jeffrey W., Cassatta, Stephen J., Campbell, Louis S., Amin, Mukesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Karen
• Application Number:
  US15/813,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0015 roller blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0023 flexible and foldable
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/02 of sliding type , e.g. comprising guide shoes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01204 Actuation parameters of safety arrangents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23192 Roof bags, i.e. protecting the occupant in a roll-over situation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/264 using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic B60R21/268 takes precedence

Abstract

One general aspect includes a deployable containment system for a vehicle roof panel, the system including: a pair of guide channels proximate to an opening through the vehicle roof panel, each guide channel of the pair having a first end and a second end; a housing mounted to the first end of the pair of guide channels. The deployable containment system also includes a shield configured to deploy from the housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover at least a portion of the opening. The deployable containment system also includes an actuator disposed proximate to the pair of guide channels, the actuator configured to deploy the shield from the housing after a deployment event.

Claims

1. A deployable containment system for a vehicle roof panel, the system comprising:

a pair of guide channels installed along two parallel edges of an opening through the vehicle roof panel, each guide channel of the pair having a first end and a second end;

a housing mounted to the first end of the pair of guide channels;

a shield configured to deploy from the housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover at least a portion of the opening; and

an actuator disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to both an external side of one guide channel of the pair and externally along one edge of the parallel edges of the opening, wherein one end of the actuator is in proximity to the first end of the one guide channel of the pair and a second end of the actuator is in proximity to a point along the external side of the one guide channel of the pair, wherein the actuator is outside the perimeter of the opening, and wherein the actuator is configured to deploy the shield from the housing such that the shield moves parallel to the elongated length of the actuator after a deployment event.

2. The deployable containment system of claim 1, further comprising one or more locking mechanisms configured to lock the shield after having traveled a distance along the pair of guide channels.

3. The deployable containment system of claim 2, wherein one of the one or more locking mechanisms comprises an inflatable tube, inflator device, and anchor point.

4. The deployable containment system of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a spring to deploy the shield from the housing.

5. The deployable containment system of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises pyrotechnics to deploy the shield from the housing.

6. The deployable containment system of claim 1, wherein the shield is wound into a roll shape around a winding shaft while in the housing and, upon deployment, the shield is drawn from the winding shaft to travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover at least the portion of the opening.

7. The deployable containment system of claim 1, wherein the deployment event is an indication that the vehicle rollover sensing system has predicted a rollover event.

8. A deployable containment system for a vehicle roof panel, the system comprising:

a pair of guide channels installed along two parallel edges of an opening through the vehicle roof panel, each guide channel of the pair having a first end and a second end;

a first housing mounted to the first end of the pair of guide channels;

a second housing mounted to the second end of the pair of guide channels;

a first shield configured to deploy from the first housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover a first portion of the opening;

a second shield configured to deploy from the second housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover a second portion of the opening;

a first actuator disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to both an external side of a corresponding guide channel of the pair and externally along a corresponding edge of the parallel edges of the opening, wherein a first end of the first actuator is in proximity to the first end of the corresponding guide channel of the pair and a second end of the first actuator is in proximity to a point along the external side of the corresponding guide channel of the pair, wherein the first actuator is located outside the perimeter of the opening, and wherein the first actuator is configured to deploy the first shield from the first housing such that the first shield moves parallel to the elongated length of the first actuator after a deployment event; and

a second actuator disposed in parallel to both an external side of a corresponding guide channel of the pair and externally along a corresponding edge of the parallel edges of the opening, wherein a first end of the second actuator is in proximity to the first end of the corresponding guide channel of the pair and a second end of the second actuator is in proximity to a point along the external side of the corresponding guide channel of the pair, wherein the second actuator is located outside the perimeter of the opening, and wherein the second actuator is configured to deploy the second shield from the second housing such that the second shield moves parallel to the elongated length of the second actuator after a deployment event.

9. The deployable containment system of claim 8, further comprising one or more locking mechanisms configured to lock the first and second shields after each of the first and second shields has traveled a distance along the pair of guide channels.

10. The deployable containment system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more locking mechanisms comprises an inflatable tube, inflator device, and anchor point.

11. The deployable containment system of claim 8, further comprising:

a first scissor lever mechanism disposed between the pair of guide channels proximate to the first end, the first scissor lever mechanism connected to the first shield, the first scissor lever mechanism configured to extend along the pair of guide channels so as to support travel of the first shield along the pair of guide channels to cover the first portion of the opening; and

a second scissor lever mechanism disposed between the pair of guide channels proximate to the second end, the second scissor lever mechanism connected to the second shield, the second scissor lever mechanism configured to extend along the pair of guide channels so as to support travel of the second shield along the pair of guide channels to cover the second portion of the opening.

12. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein:

the first actuator comprises a spring to deploy the first shield from the first housing; and

the second actuator comprises a spring to deploy the second shield from the second housing.

13. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein:

the first actuator comprises pyrotechnics to deploy the first shield from the first housing; and

the second actuator comprises pyrotechnics to deploy the second shield from the second housing.

14. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein the deployment event is an indication that the vehicle rollover sensing system has predicted a rollover event.

15. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein:

the first shield is a plurality of flap sections that overlap while in the first housing and, upon deployment, travel along the pair of guide channels so as to spread out in a shingled manner to cover the first portion of the opening; and

the second shield is a plurality of flap sections that overlap while in the second housing and, upon deployment, travel along the pair of guide channels so as to spread out in a shingled manner to cover the second portion of the opening.

16. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein:

the first shield is folded in a Z-type configuration while in the first housing and, upon deployment, the first shield folds travel along the pair of guide channels so as to spread out in a planar manner to cover the first portion of the opening; and

the second shield is folded in a Z-type configuration while in the second housing and, upon deployment, the second shield folds travel along the pair of guide channels so as to spread out in a planar manner to cover the second portion of the opening.

17. The deployable containment system of claim 8, wherein:

the first shield is wound into a roll shape around a first winding shaft while in the first housing and, upon deployment, the first shield is drawn from the winding shaft to travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover the first portion of the opening; and

the second shield is wound into a roll shape around a second winding shaft while in the second housing and, upon deployment, the second shield is drawn from the second winding shaft to travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover the second portion of the opening.