Selective deployment of deflectors for an airbag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052855-B2
Application number	US-201916446730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2019
Priority date	Jun 20, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A restraint system for a vehicle includes an instrument panel and an airbag supported by the instrument panel. The restraint system includes a right deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag. The right deflector is deployable between a retracted position and a deployed position. The restraint system includes a left deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag opposite the right deflector in a cross-vehicle direction. The left deflector is deployable between a retracted position and a deployed position. The restraint system includes a first pyrotechnic device coupled to the right deflector and a second pyrotechnic device coupled to the left deflector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A restraint system comprising:
an instrument panel;
an airbag supported by the instrument panel;
a right deflector supported by the instrument panel and being deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position;
a left deflector supported by the instrument panel and being deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position;
the airbag being between the right deflector and the left deflector; and
a first pyrotechnic device operatively coupled to the right deflector to deploy the right deflector from the retracted position toward the deployed position and a second pyrotechnic device operatively coupled to the left deflector to deploy the left deflector from the retracted position toward the deployed position.

2. The restraint system of claim 1 , wherein the right deflector and the left deflector each include a panel movable between the retracted position and the deployed position.

3. The restraint system of claim 2 , wherein the right deflector and the left deflector each include a spring between the panel and the instrument panel, the springs biasing the panels toward the deployed positions.

4. The restraint system of claim 2 , wherein the right deflector and the left deflector each include a pusher rod translatable from the retracted position to the deployed position and the panel is rotatable from the retracted position and the deployed position.

5. The restraint system of claim 4 , further comprising a lock locking the pusher rod in the deployed position.

6. The restraint system of claim 1 , further comprising a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to selectively deploy at least one of the right deflector or the left deflector based on a front-oblique vehicle impact.

7. The restraint system of claim 1 , wherein the airbag is a knee airbag.

8. A restraint system comprising:
an instrument panel;
an airbag supported by the instrument panel;
a deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag, the deflector being translatable relative to the instrument panel between a retracted position and a deployed position;
a second deflector supported by the instrument panel adjacent the airbag opposite the deflector, the second deflector being translatable relative to the instrument panel between a retracted position and a deployed position; and
a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to selectively deploy at least one of the deflector or the second deflector based on a front-oblique vehicle impact.

9. The restraint system of claim 8 , wherein the deflector includes a panel translatable from the retracted position to the deployed position and a spring biasing the panel toward the deployed position.

10. The restraint system of claim 9 , further comprising a pyrotechnic device coupled to the deflector.

11. The restraint system of claim 8 , wherein the deflector includes a pusher rod translatable from the retracted position to the deployed position and a panel rotatable from the retracted position and the deployed position.

12. The restraint system of claim 11 , wherein the deflector includes a pyrotechnic device to deploy the pusher rod to the deployed position.

13. The restraint system of claim 8 , wherein the airbag is a knee airbag.

14. A computer comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
detect a front-oblique vehicle impact;
deploy an airbag supported by an instrument panel of the vehicle in response to the front-oblique vehicle impact; and
selectively deploy at least one of a right deflector adjacent the airbag and supported by the instrument panel or a left deflector adjacent the airbag opposite the right deflector and supported by the instrument panel in response to the front-oblique vehicle impact.

15. The computer of claim 14 , wherein the instructions include instructions to deploy the right deflector in response to a right front-oblique vehicle impact and to deploy the left deflector in response to a left front-oblique vehicle impact.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Malapati Srinivas Reddy
• Kadam Mangesh

Classifications

• B60R21/205 Primary

  in dashboards · CPC title

• B60R21/0136

  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 title

• B60R2021/01286

  Electronic control units · CPC title

• B60R2021/0273

  automatically movable to an operative position, e.g. in case of collision or impending collision · CPC title

• B60R21/206

  in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees · CPC title