Frontal airbag systems for oblique crash protection

• US 9,676,355 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated), Autoliv Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kruse, Dion
• Primary Examiner(s): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US14/880,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20170101071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0004 Frontal collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0009 Oblique collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01013 Means for detecting collision, impending collision or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01238 control of expansion shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• 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 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams

Abstract

An inflatable airbag system can be configured to be mounted to a frontal region of a vehicle. The inflatable airbag system includes an airbag and an active control mechanism, and is configured to deploy in various configurations in response to frontal and oblique collision events. An active portion of the inflatable airbag deploys to an expanded configuration when a collision event is an oblique collision event and deploys to a less expanded configuration when the collision event is a frontal collision event. The active control mechanism can include one or more tethers or an inflatable member.

Claims

1. An inflatable airbag system that is configured to be mounted to a steering wheel of a vehicle, the inflatable airbag system comprising:

an airbag cushion comprising a base cushion portion and an active cushion portion, the base cushion portion and the active cushion portion forming separate chambers in fluid communication, the base cushion portion to receive inflation gas to deploy in an expanded state to provide cushioning restraint to an occupant during a collision event, the active cushion portion disposed on a surface of the base cushion portion that faces an occupant seating position of the vehicle;

an active control mechanism to cause the airbag cushion to deploy in a first configuration if the collision event is a frontal collision event and to cause the airbag cushion to deploy in a second configuration if the collision event is an oblique collision event,

wherein the active cushion portion is in an expanded state in the second configuration; and

a tear seam disposed in a panel of the airbag cushion at the active cushion portion of the airbag, the tear seam configured to burst in response to the active control mechanism deploying the airbag cushion in the second configuration to allow the active cushion portion of the airbag to conform to the second configuration.

2. The inflatable airbag system of claim 1, wherein the active control mechanism is configured to receive input indicating a type of the collision event and to operate, based on the type of the collision event, to cause the active cushion portion of the airbag cushion to deploy in the first configuration if the input indicates the type of the collision event is a frontal collision event and to cause the active cushion portion of the airbag cushion to deploy in the second configuration if the input indicates the type of the collision event is an oblique collision event.

3. The inflatable airbag system of claim 2, wherein the active control mechanism activates to cause the airbag cushion to deploy in a second configuration and the active portion to assume the expanded state, if the input indicates the type of the collision event is an oblique collision event.

4. The inflatable airbag system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more impact angle detection sensors to detect an angle of impact of the collision event;

a control unit to receive sensor data from the one or more impact angle detection sensors and to provide input to the active control mechanism as to the angle of impact of the collision event.

5. The inflatable airbag system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more impact angle detection sensors to detect an angle of impact of the collision event and provide the angle of impact to the active control mechanism.

6. The inflatable airbag system of claim 1, further comprising one or more impact angle detection sensors to detect an angle of impact of the collision event and provide the angle of impact to the active control mechanism.

7. The inflatable airbag system of claim 1, wherein the active control mechanism comprises at least one tether.

8. The inflatable airbag system of claim 7, wherein at least one tether is in an uncoupled state when the airbag cushion is in the second configuration and a coupled state when the airbag cushion is in the first configuration.

9. The inflatable airbag system of claim 7, wherein the active control mechanism is configured to, when activated, adjust a length of at least one tether.

10. The inflatable airbag system of claim 7, wherein the active control mechanism comprises a tether cutter that, when activated, cuts at least one tether to allow the active cushion portion of the airbag to expand.

11. The inflatable airbag system of claim 10, wherein the tear seam is configured to burst in response to cutting of the at least one tether to allow the active cushion portion of the airbag to conform to the second configuration.

12. The inflatable airbag system of claim 1, wherein the active cushion portion comprises a plurality of cushion portions disposed at an outer edge of the surface of the base cushion portion that faces the occupant seating position of the vehicle.

13. The inflatable airbag system of claim 1, wherein, in the second configuration, the active cushion portion prevents the head of the vehicle occupant from disengaging from the airbag.

14. An inflatable airbag system that is configured to be mounted at a frontal region of a vehicle, the inflatable airbag system comprising:

an airbag cushion comprising a base cushion portion and an active cushion portion disposed on an occupant-facing surface of the base cushion portion, the airbag configured to receive inflation gas from the inflator to expand and deploy from the housing to provide occupant crash protection during a collision event;

an active control mechanism to receive input indicating a type of collision event and to cause the active cushion portion of the airbag cushion to deploy in a first configuration if the type of collision event is a frontal collision event and to cause the active cushion portion of the airbag cushion to deploy in a second configuration if the type of collision event is an oblique collision event,

wherein the active cushion portion of the airbag cushion is expanded in the second configuration and less expanded in the first configuration; and

a tear seam disposed in a panel of the airbag cushion at the active cushion portion of the airbag, the tear seam configured to burst in response to the active control mechanism deploying the airbag cushion in the second configuration to allow the active cushion portion of the airbag to conform to the second configuration.

15. The inflatable airbag system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more impact angle detection sensors to detect an angle of impact of a collision event of the vehicle; and

a control unit to receive the sensor data from the one or more impact angle detection sensors and relay an indication of the type of collision event as input to the active control mechanism.

16. The inflatable airbag system of claim 15, wherein the control unit determines an angle of impact of the collision event based on the sensor data from the one or more impact angle detection sensors and relays the angle of impact to the active control mechanism.

17. The inflatable airbag system of claim 16, wherein the active control mechanism is configured to receive the angle of impact and operate, based on the angle of impact, to cause the airbag cushion to deploy in the first configuration or the second configuration.

18. The inflatable airbag system of claim 14, further comprising one or more impact detection sensors to detect an angle of impact of the collision event and provide the angle of impact to the active control mechanism.

19. The inflatable airbag system of claim 14, wherein the active control mechanism comprises one or more of a tether cutter, a motor, and a pyrotechnic.

20. The inflatable airbag system of claim 14, wherein the active control mechanism comprises one or more tethers coupled to internal surfaces of the airbag cushion,

wherein one or more tethers are adjusted to cause the airbag cushion to deploy in the second configuration, and

wherein adjusting the one or more tethers changes a state of the active cushion portion when the inflatable chamber fills with inflation gas to expand the active cushion to an expanded state.

21. The inflatable airbag system of claim 14, wherein the active cushion portion comprises a plurality of cushion portions disposed at an outer edge of the occupant-facing surface of the base cushion portion.