Patent Application
20230129738
The present disclosure relates generally to an A-Pillar airbag system for a vehicle. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an A-Pillar airbag system for properly deploying a side curtain airbag.
One embodiment relates to an interior trim system of a front pillar of a vehicle. The interior trim system can include a panel. The panel can include a user-facing surface and an interior surface. The interior surface is located opposite the user-facing surface. The interior surface can define a volume of space to house a portion of a curtain air bag in an attached position. The panel can include a boss extending from the interior surface of the panel. The panel can include an aperture extending from the user-facing surface through the boss. The interior trim system can include a shoulder bolt. The shoulder bolt can have a head portion, a flange, a smooth portion, and a threaded portion. The panel can move relative to the shoulder bolt by a predetermined threshold distance in a deployed position such that the curtain air bag can deploy through an opening created by movement of the panel.
One embodiment relates to a vehicle. The vehicle can include an exterior and an interior. The vehicle can include a front pillar disposed adjacent a portion of the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle can include an interior trim system of the front pillar. The interior trim system can include a panel. The panel can include a user-facing surface and an interior surface. The interior surface is located opposite the user-facing surface. The interior surface can define a volume of space to house a portion of a curtain air bag in an attached position. The panel can include a boss extending from the interior surface of the panel. The panel can include an aperture extending from the user-facing surface through the boss. The interior trim system can include a shoulder bolt. The shoulder bolt can have a head portion, a flange, a smooth portion, and a threaded portion. The panel can move relative to the shoulder bolt by a predetermined threshold distance in a deployed position such that the curtain air bag can deploy through an opening created by movement of the panel.
This summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the devices or processes described herein will become apparent in the detailed description set forth herein, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements.
Before turning to the figures, which illustrate certain exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle can include an exterior and an interior. The vehicle can include a front pillar disposed adjacent a portion of the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle can include an interior trim system of the front pillar. The interior trim system can include a panel. The panel can include a user-facing surface and an interior surface. The interior surface is located opposite the user-facing surface. The interior surface can define a volume of space to house a portion of a curtain air bag in an attached position. The panel can include a boss extending from the interior surface of the panel. The panel can include an aperture extending from the user-facing surface through the boss. The interior trim system can include a shoulder bolt. The shoulder bolt can have a head portion, a flange, a smooth portion, and a threaded portion. The panel can move relative to the shoulder bolt by a predetermined threshold distance in a deployed position such that the curtain air bag can deploy through an opening created by movement of the panel.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 is configured as an on-road vehicle such as a sedan, a sport utility vehicle (“SUV”), a pickup truck, a van, and/or still another type of passenger vehicle. In other embodiments, the vehicle 100 is configured as another type of on-road vehicle such as a semi-truck, a bus, or the like. In still other embodiments, the vehicle 100 is configured as an off-road vehicle such as construction machinery, farming machinery, or the like. The vehicle 100 can be any electric vehicle (e.g., EV, BEV, HEV, PHEV, etc.), an internal combustion engine vehicle, or another similar vehicle.
The vehicle 100 can include a plurality of supports. For example, the vehicle 100 may include one or more pillars, such as a front-end pillar 130. The front-end pillar 130, commonly known as an A-pillar, is generally a vertical or nearly vertical support disposed towards the front end 105 of the vehicle 100. Generally, one or more side curtain airbags (e.g., the airbag 525 shown in
The panel 235 can include a top end 215 and a bottom end 220. For example, the top end 215 can be the end of the panel 235 that is closest to a highest point of the vehicle 100 in a normal operating condition (e.g., furthest point away from the wheels 120 while the wheels 120 are positioned on ground). The bottom end 220 can be an end of the panel 235 that is closest to a lowest point of the vehicle 100 in a normal operating condition (e.g., near the wheels 120). The panel 235 may include a first side 240 portion and a second side 245 portion. In various embodiments, the first side 240 portion at least partially opposes the second side 245 portion, as shown in
The panel 235 can define a volume of space to house a portion of a curtain airbag, for example. In various embodiments, one or more curtain airbags may be disposed proximate, adjacent, or within the interior surface 210 (e.g., within a volume of space surrounded by the interior surface 210) of the interior trim system 230. For example, the interior trim system 230 may include a space, pocket, opening, or the like to house a portion of a curtain airbag disposed between the panel 235 and a portion of an interior surface 210 of the front-end pillar 130 in an attached position, as discussed in greater detail below.
In some embodiments, the panel 235 may include a unitary structure (e.g., formed via additive manufacturing). In some embodiments, the panel 235 may include one or more structures coupled together to form the panel 235 (e.g., via fasteners, welding, adhesives, etc.). For example, in various embodiments, one or more portions of the panel 235, such as the boss 305 of the panel 235, may be manufactured simultaneously with the rest of the panel 235 (e.g., via injection molding, 3D printing, etc.). In various embodiments, one or more portions of the panel 235, such as the boss 305 of the panel 235 may be manufactured or formed with the panel 235 separately via welding, fasteners, adhesives, or the like.
In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be formed of various non-metallic materials. For example, the panel 235 may be formed of various plastics, resins, carbon fibers, rubbers, or the like. In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be formed of various metallic materials. For example, the panel 235 may be formed of various metals including, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, copper, brass, cast iron, or bronze. In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be formed of a combination of metallic and non-metallic materials. For example, one portion of the panel 235 may be made of a metallic material, while a second portion of the panel 235 may be made of a non-metallic material.
In various embodiments, the boss 305 may include an aperture 335. For example, the aperture 335 may include any hole, opening, slot, or the like within the boss 305 (e.g., disposed on a surface of the boss 305) to receive a portion of a shoulder bolt 400, as described below. In various embodiment, the aperture 335 can at least partially extend between the user-facing surface 205 and the interior surface 210 within the boss 305. For example, as shown in
In various embodiments, the boss 305 may include one or more tapered regions, such as a countersunk (e.g., counter bore, sunken, etc.) region disposed proximate the user-facing surface 205. In some embodiments, the aperture 335 may only partially extend between the user-facing surface 205 and the interior surface 210. For example, the aperture 335 may only extend along a portion of the length of the boss 305. In various embodiments, the interior trim system 230 may include one or more components configured to cover the aperture 335 from being exposed to a user within the cabin 115. For example, the interior trim system 230 may include a cover, a cap, a portion of the panel 235, or the like to cover a portion of the aperture 335 near the user-facing surface 205. In various embodiments, the interior trim system 230 may not include a cover such that the aperture 335 is exposed (e.g., visible) to a user near the user-facing surface 205.
In various embodiments, the aperture 335 may be configured to receive a portion of a shoulder bolt 400. As depicted in
In various embodiments, the interior trim system 230 may be configured to operate in an attached position during normal operating conditions (e.g., without impact, collision, or the like). In the attached position, an un-deployed curtain airbag may be disposed within the panel 235 (e.g., within the volume of space described above in reference to
As shown in
In various embodiments, the interior trim system 230 may be configured to operate in a deployed position during an impact. By way of example, the vehicle 100 may undergo a collision with another vehicle or object. During such collision, the un-deployed curtain airbag 525 may be configured to deploy. For example, the airbag 525, or other portions of the vehicle 100, may include various sensors to detect collision and subsequently cause chemicals within the airbag 525 to generate inflatable gases within a shortened time period (e.g., 0.001 seconds, 0.01 seconds, 0.1 seconds, 1 second, etc.). Such inflation may cause the airbag 525 to expand and be deployed (e.g., ejected, pushed, expelled) out of the panel 235 and towards another portion of the cabin 115. During such deployment, the panel 235 may be configured to shift, slide, or otherwise move, a predetermined distance and direction relative to the shoulder bolt 400 to properly provide a space for the airbag 525 to expel from within the interior trim system 230. For example, the panel 235 may be configured to move an outward direction (e.g., normal to the interior surface 210, towards the cabin 115, about parallel with the length of the shoulder bolt 400, etc.).
In various embodiments, a portion of the panel 235 may be configured to move relative to (e.g. about, along, etc.) the smooth portion 405 of the shoulder bolt 400 a predetermined threshold distance when transitioning from the attached position to the deployed position. In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be configured to move about 5 millimeters relative to the shoulder bolt 400 (e.g., the gap distance 715 shown throughout the figures). In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be configured to move about 10 millimeters relative to the shoulder bolt 400. In various embodiments, the panel 235 may be configured to move more than 10 millimeters relative to the shoulder bolt 400. The movement of the panel 235 relative to the shoulder bolt 400 may facilitate providing a gap between the panel 235 and the interior portion of the front-end pillar 130. By way of example, the panel 235 may be configured to move about 10 millimeters away from the interior portion of the front-end pillar 130 (e.g., towards a user of the cabin 115) such that a gap of about the same distance (e.g., about 10 millimeters in this example) may form between the panel 235 and the interior portion of the font-end pillar. When the gap is formed, the airbag 525 may be configured to expel out of the gap and towards a user to facilitate preventing injury of the user.
In various embodiments, deployment of the airbag 525 may cause the panel 235 to move relative to the shoulder bolt 400. For example, the force or pressure against the interior surface 210 of the panel 235 due to inflation of the airbag 525 may cause the panel 235 to move relative to the shoulder bolt 400. In some embodiments, the panel 235 may move relative to the shoulder bolt 400 until the flange portion 420 of the shoulder bolt 400 engages with another portion of the panel 235, as described above.
In various embodiments, the panel 235 may include a plurality of ribs 310, as shown in
In various embodiments, the ribs 310 may be integrally formed with the panel 235. For example, the ribs 310 may be manufacturing simultaneously with the panel 235. In various other embodiments, the ribs 310 may couple to one or more portions of the panel 235. For example, the ribs 310 may couple to the panel 235 through fasteners, welding, adhesives, or another similar technique. In some embodiments, the ribs 310 may be the same material as the panel 235. In some embodiments, the material of the ribs 310 may differ from the material of the panel 235.
As shown in at least
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The term “coupled” and variations thereof, as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.
The term “or,” as used herein, is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Language such as the phrases “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are understood to convey that an element may be either X; Y; Z; X and Y; X and Z; Y and Z; or X, Y, and Z (i.e., any combination of X, Y, and Z). Thus, such language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present, unless otherwise indicated.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the vehicle 100 and components thereof (e.g., the panel 235, the wheels 120, etc.) as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Additionally, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be incorporated or utilized with any other embodiment disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/271,879 filed on Oct. 26, 2021.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63271879 | Oct 2021 | US |
