Frontal airbag assemblies for reducing rotational velocity of a head of an occupant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10293775-B2
Application number	US-201615331257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

Airbag assemblies are disclosed that can reduce rotational velocity of an occupant's head during a collision event and thereby mitigate traumatic brain injury/head injury to an occupant. An airbag includes a pair of lobes or protrusions to deploy and extend from the rear face of the airbag on either side of the occupant's head to limit rotation of the head. A pair of vertical tethers within an interior of the airbag configure the lobes and contour the rear face to form one or more low fabric tension zones or bubbles. The lobes maintain high fabric tension, similar to a pressurization of a main inflatable chamber of the airbag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
an occupant-facing surface to be positioned forward of a vehicle seating position for receiving a head of an occupant during a collision event, the occupant-facing surface including:
a convexly shaped central receiving area to provide an impact surface configured to receive the head of the occupant during the collision event, and
a pair of lobes disposed on opposing sides of the central receiving area, the pair of lobes configured to inflate to extend rearward to engage opposing sides of a head of the occupant to reduce a rotational velocity of the head of the occupant during the collision event, wherein the pair of lobes is configured to extend rearward over the shoulders of the occupant during the collision event; and

a plurality of lateral surfaces adjoining the occupant-facing surface and extending forward from the occupant-facing surface to define an inflatable chamber to receive inflation gas.

2. The inflatable airbag of claim 1 , wherein a pair of opposing lateral surfaces of the plurality of surfaces taper together to provide a symmetric tapering cross-section at a forward portion of the inflatable airbag.

3. The inflatable airbag of claim 2 , wherein the pair of opposing lateral surfaces curve at a forward portion to form rounded corners that define the symmetric taper and form the forward portion of the inflatable airbag to have a semi-circular horizontal cross-section.

4. The inflatable airbag of claim 2 , wherein the symmetric taper configures the forward portion of the inflatable airbag to have a triangular cross-section.

5. The inflatable airbag of claim 1 , further comprising a tether to draw the central receiving area of the occupant-facing surface to at least partially form the pair of lobes.

6. The inflatable airbag of claim 5 , wherein the tether is disposed internal to the inflatable airbag cushion and coupled to internal surfaces to draw the central receiving area of the occupant-facing surface to form a low fabric tension area at the impact surface between the pair of lobes.

7. The inflatable airbag of claim 5 , wherein the tether is a zero-length tether disposed in the occupant-facing surface to draw the central receiving area of the occupant-facing surface to form a low fabric tension area at the impact surface between the pair of lobes.

8. The inflatable airbag of claim 7 , wherein the zero-length tether comprises a seam formed by one of stitching, RF welding, ultrasonic welding, or gluing.

9. The inflatable airbag of claim 1 , wherein the central receiving area and pair of lobes together comprise a lobe chamber that is a secondary inflatable chamber disposed on and coupled to the occupant-facing surface and in fluid communication through the occupant-facing surface with the inflatable chamber, the central receiving area at least partially defining a central portion of the lobe chamber and the pair of lobes each defining an end of the lobe chamber.

10. The inflatable airbag of claim 9 , wherein the ends of the lobe chamber are configured to pivot relative to the central portion to fold into engagement with the head of the occupant to support and reduce head rotation, upon the lobe chamber receiving an occupant.

11. The inflatable airbag of claim 9 , wherein the lobe chamber is configured to receive inflation gas from the inflatable chamber and inflate to a lower pressurization than the inflatable chamber.

12. The inflatable airbag of claim 9 , wherein the lobe chamber comprises pinch seams to position each of the pair of lobes at an angle relative to the central portion, each of the pinch seams having a vertical orientation and disposed between a lobe of the pair of lobes and the central portion.

13. The inflatable airbag of claim 9 , wherein the lobe chamber comprises a central area flatness control stitch having a horizontal orientation.

14. The inflatable airbag of claim 1 , wherein the pair of lobes are formed by distinct lobe chambers positioned on opposing sides of a central chamber.

15. The inflatable airbag of claim 14 , wherein the lobe chambers are in fluid communication with the central chamber to provide inflation gas to the central chamber.

16. The inflatable airbag of claim 1 , wherein the pair of lobes are asymmetric, each lobe having a different depth dimension front to back.

17. An inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
an occupant-facing surface to be positioned forward of a vehicle seating position for receiving a head of an occupant during a collision event, the occupant-facing surface including:
a central receiving area to provide an impact surface configured to receive the head of the occupant during the collision event, and
a pair of lobes disposed on opposing sides of the central receiving area, the pair of lobes inflating to extend rearward to engage a head of the occupant to reduce a rotational velocity of the head of the occupant during the collision event, wherein the pair of lobes is configured to extend rearward over the shoulders of the occupant during the collision event;

a pair of lateral sides that taper together to provide a symmetric taper at a forward portion of the inflatable airbag; and
a plurality of vertical tethers disposed internal to the inflatable airbag cushion and coupled to internal surfaces to draw the central receiving area of the occupant-facing surface to configure the impact surface to form a low fabric tension bubble that extends between the pair of lobes, wherein each of the plurality of vertical tethers is horizontally offset from an adjacent tether of the plurality of vertical tethers.

18. The inflatable airbag of claim 17 , wherein a pair of lateral sides curve at a forward portion to form rounded corners that define the symmetric taper and form the forward portion of the inflatable airbag to have a semi-circular horizontal cross-section.

19. The inflatable airbag of claim 17 , wherein the symmetric taper configures the forward portion of the inflatable airbag to have a triangular cross-section.

20. The inflatable airbag of claim 17 , wherein the pair of lobes are asymmetric, each having a different depth dimension front to back.

21. An inflatable airbag cushion comprising:
an occupant-facing surface to be positioned forward of a vehicle seating position for receiving a head of an occupant during a collision event, the occupant-facing surface including:
a convexly shaped central receiving area to provide an impact surface configured to receive the head of the occupant during the collision event, and
a pair of lobes disposed on opposing sides of the central receiving area, the pair of lobes to inflate to extend rearward to engage opposing sides of a head of the occupant to reduce a rotational velocity of the head of the occupant during the collision event, wherein the pair of lobes is configured to extend rearward over the shoulders of the occupant during the collision event; and

a plurality of lateral surfaces adjoining the occupant-facing surface and extending forward from the occupant-facing surface to define an inflatable chamber to receive inflation gas,
wherein a pair of opposing lateral surfaces of the plurality of surfaces taper together to provide a symmetric tapering cross-section at a forward portion of the inflatable airbag, and
wherein the symmetric taper configures the forward portion of the inflatable airbag to have a triangular cross-section.

Assignees

• Autoliv Asp Inc

Inventors

• Wang Xiaohong
• Choi Changsoo
• Williams Jeffrey D

Classifications

• B60R2021/23324

  Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents · CPC title

• B60R21/231 Primary

  characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration · CPC title

• B60R2021/23332

  using independent bags, one within the other · CPC title

• B60R21/233

  comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other (B60R21/232 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R21/205 Primary

  in dashboards · CPC title