Airbag assembly including a deflector

• US 10,457,241 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Weerappuli, Parakrama Valentine
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Application Number:
  US15/337,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20180118151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 2807283
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01211 Expansion of air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21518 comprising a lock unlocked during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21537 characterised by hinges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/264 using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic B60R21/268 takes precedence

Abstract

An airbag assembly for a vehicle that includes a housing, an airbag supported by the housing, a deflector pivotally coupled to the housing, and a lock between the deflector and the housing. The lock is moveable relative to the deflector and the housing from an unlocked position disengaged with at least one of the deflector and the housing to a locked position engaged with both the deflector and the housing. The deflector may allow the airbag to deploy, without deflecting the airbag in response to one type of sensed impact, e.g., a full-width frontal impact, and may deflect the airbag in response to another type of sensed impact, e.g., oblique frontal impact.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing;

an airbag supported by the housing;

a deflector pivotally coupled to the housing;

a lock between the deflector and the housing, the lock being moveable by the airbag relative to the deflector and the housing from an unlocked position disengaged with at least one of the deflector and the housing to a locked position engaged with both the deflector and the housing; and

a hinge coupling the deflector to the housing, wherein the lock is disposed on the hinge.

2. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the deflector and the housing includes a rod of the hinge and the other of the deflector and the housing includes a bore of the hinge rotatably receiving the rod, wherein the lock is supported on one of the rod and the bore.

3. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the other of the bore and the rod includes a cavity receiving the lock in the locked position.

4. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the deflector and the housing includes a cavity receiving the lock in the locked position, the lock being spaced from the cavity in the locked position.

5. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a plug assembly in the cavity, the plug assembly including a plug removeably disposed in the cavity.

6. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 5, wherein the plug assembly includes an activator connected to the plug.

7. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein the activator is a pyrotechnic device.

8. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein the lock includes a plunger moveable relative to the cavity from the unlocked position to the locked position.

9. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein the other of the deflector and the housing includes another cavity housing the plunger in the unlocked position.

10. The airbag assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein the lock includes a spring between the other of the deflector and the housing and the plunger.

11. A restraint system comprising:

an instrument panel;

an airbag supported by the instrument panel;

a deflector pivotally coupled to the instrument panel; and

a lock between the deflector and the instrument panel, the lock being moveable relative to the deflector and the instrument panel from an unlocked position disengaged with at least one of the deflector and the instrument panel to a locked position engaged with both the deflector and the instrument panel.

12. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the deflector is supported directly on the instrument panel.

13. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, wherein one of the deflector and the instrument panel includes a cavity receiving the lock in the locked position, the lock being spaced from the cavity in the unlocked position.

14. The restraint system as set forth in claim 13, further comprising a plug assembly in the cavity, the plug assembly including a plug removeably disposed in the cavity.

15. The restraint system set forth in claim 14, wherein the plug assembly includes an activator connected to the plug.

16. The restraint system set forth in claim 15, further comprising a controller programmed to command the activator to remove the plug from the cavity.

17. The restraint system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the lock includes a plunger moveable relative to the cavity from the unlocked position to the locked position.

18. The restraint system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a controller programmed to provide an instruction to move the lock to the locked position.

19. A restraint system for a vehicle, the restraint system comprising:

an instrument panel;

an airbag supported by the instrument panel and being inflatable to an inflated position;

a deflector pivotally coupled to the instrument panel; and

means for limiting pivoting of the deflector relative to the instrument panel in response to a sensed oblique frontal impact of the vehicle to deflect the airbag in the inflated position by moving relative to the deflector and the instrument panel from an unlocked position disengaged with at least one of the deflector and the instrument panel to a locked position engaged with both the deflector and the instrument panel.