Systems and methods for deployable reaction surface for roof rail airbag system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10077020-B2
Application number	US-201715398082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

An occupant restraint system of a vehicle includes a roof rail airbag that is located at a roof rail of the vehicle and above a door of the vehicle and that is configured to deploy in an outboard direction. A deployment device, when triggered, deploys the roof rail airbag. An actuator, when triggered, actuates a deployable reaction surface (i) from a first state where the deployable reaction surface is stowed behind interior door trim and does not block any part of a window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface (ii) to a second state where the deployable reaction surface blocks at least a portion of the window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An occupant restraint system of a vehicle, comprising:
a roof rail airbag that is located at a roof rail of the vehicle and above a door of the vehicle and that is configured to, throughout deployment, deploy in an outboard direction;
a deployment device that, when triggered, deploys the roof rail airbag;
a deployable reaction surface; and
an actuator that, when triggered, actuates the deployable reaction surface (i) from a first state where the deployable reaction surface is stowed behind interior door trim and does not block any part of a window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface (ii) to a second state where the deployable reaction surface blocks at least a portion of the window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface.

2. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes an igniter and a pyrotechnic device, and wherein the igniter ignites the pyrotechnic device when the actuator is triggered.

3. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 further comprising a restraint control module that selectively triggers the actuator and the deployment device.

4. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 wherein the restraint control module triggers the actuator and the deployment device when a vehicle rollover event is detected.

5. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 wherein the restraint control module triggers the actuator at a first time and triggers the deployment device at a second time, wherein the second time is after the first time.

6. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 wherein the restraint control module triggers the actuator and the deployment device concurrently.

7. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 wherein the restraint control module triggers the deployment device at a first time and triggers the actuator at a second time, wherein the second time is after the first time.

8. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 wherein the deployable reaction surface is located inboard of a location for window glass of the door.

9. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 wherein the roof rail airbag contacts the deployable reaction surface during deployment of the roof rail airbag.

10. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 wherein the roof rail airbag directly contacts the deployable reaction surface in response to contact from an object from within the vehicle.

11. An occupant restraint method for a vehicle, comprising:
by a deployment device, selectively deploying a roof rail airbag that is located at a roof rail of the vehicle and above a door of the vehicle and that is configured to, throughout deployment, deploy in an outboard direction; and
by an actuator, selectively actuating a deployable reaction surface (i) from a first state where the deployable reaction surface is stowed behind interior door trim and does not block any part of a window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface (ii) to a second state where the deployable reaction surface blocks at least a portion of the window opening of the door when viewed from inboard of the deployable reaction surface.

12. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein the actuator includes an igniter and a pyrotechnic device.

13. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein selectively actuating the deployable reaction surface includes actuating the deployable reaction surface, by the actuator, in response to a trigger from a restraint control module.

14. The occupant restraint method of claim 13 further comprising, by the restraint control module, triggering the actuator when a vehicle rollover event is detected.

15. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein:
selectively actuating the deployable reaction surface includes, by the actuator, actuating the deployable reaction surface at a first time;
selectively deploying the roof rail includes, by the deployment device, deploying the roof rail airbag at a second time; and
the second time is after the first time.

16. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein selectively deploying the roof rail and selectively actuating the deployable reaction surface includes concurrently (i) deploying the roof rail airbag and (ii) actuating the deployable reaction surface.

17. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein:
selectively deploying the roof rail includes, by the deployment device, deploying the roof rail airbag at a first time;
selectively actuating the deployable reaction surface includes, by the actuator, actuating the deployable reaction surface at a second time; and
the second time is after the first time.

18. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein the deployable reaction surface is located inboard of a location for window glass of the door.

19. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein the roof rail airbag contacts the deployable reaction surface during deployment of the roof rail airbag.

20. The occupant restraint method of claim 11 wherein the roof rail airbag directly contacts the deployable reaction surface in response to contact from an object from within the vehicle.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Raikar Sadanand N
• Amin Mukesh
• Schultz Jeffrey J
• Cassatta Stephen J
• Campbell Louis Shaun
• Mabery Sandy Dean

Classifications

• B60R2021/0018

  Roll-over · CPC title

• B60R21/08

  {automatically} movable from an inoperative to an operative position, e.g. in a collision (electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01) · CPC title

• B60R2021/161

  characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory · CPC title

• B60R21/213 Primary

  in vehicle roof frames or pillars · CPC title

• B60R21/232 Primary

  Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge · CPC title