VEHICLE AIRBAG INCLUDING HUB AND SEGMENTS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE HUB
An airbag for a vehicle includes a hub, a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment. The first segment extends radially from the hub in a first direction. The second segment extends radially from the hub in a second direction different from the first direction. The third segment extends radially from the hub in a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction. When inflated in response to a sensed impact of the vehicle, the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment may extend from the hub between occupants of the vehicle to separate the occupants during the impact of the vehicle.
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Vehicles may include a variety of airbag assemblies deployable during vehicle impacts to absorb energy from occupants of the vehicles during the impact. The airbag assembly may include an airbag and an inflator in communication with an inflation chamber of the airbag. The airbag may, for example, be formed of fabric. The inflator may inflate the airbag with an inflation medium to inflate the airbag from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The vehicle may include an impact sensing system in communication with the airbag assembly. The impact sensing system may sense a vehicle impact and instruct the inflator to inflate the airbag when a vehicle impact is sensed. There remains an opportunity to design an airbag that decreases the likelihood of occupants of the vehicle from colliding with one another during a vehicle impact.
With reference to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, an airbag 10 for a vehicle 12 includes a hub 14 and a first segment 16, a second segment 18, and a third segment 20 each extending radially from the hub 14. With reference to
As set forth further below, the airbag 10 may be inflated to an inflated position, e.g., in response to a sensed impact of the vehicle 12, and the first segment 16, the second segment 18, and the third segment 20 may extend from the hub 14 between occupants (not shown) of the vehicle 12 when the airbag 10 is in the inflated position to separate the occupants during the impact of the vehicle 12. In other words, the first segment 16, the second segment 18, and/or the third segment 20 may reduce the likelihood of the occupants impacting each other during the impact of the vehicle 12. As set forth further below, the vehicle 12 may be an autonomous vehicle, in which the occupants may face each other during operation of the vehicle 12.
With reference to
With reference to
The first segment 16, the second segment 18, and the third segment 20 may be inflatable between the seats. In other words, in the inflated position, the first segment 16, second segment 18, and third segment 20 may extend from the hub 14 between the seats. Specifically, the first segment 16 may be inflatable between the left front seat 22 and the right front seat 24 to separate occupants of the left front seat 22 and the right front seat 24 during an impact of the vehicle 12. In other words, in the inflated position, the first segment 16 may extend from the hub 14 between the left front seat 22 and the right front seat 24.
The second segment 18 may be inflatable between the front row 26, e.g., the left front seat 22, and the left rear seat 28 to separate occupants of the front row 26, e.g., the left front seat 22, and the left rear seat 28 during an impact of the vehicle 12. In other words, in the inflated position, the second segment 18 may extend from the hub 14 between the front row 26, e.g., the left front seat 22, and the left rear seat 28. Specifically, in the inflated position, the first segment 16 may extend from the hub 14 in the first direction D1, and the second segment 18 may extend from the hub 14 in the second direction D2. The first direction D1 may be substantially perpendicular to the second direction D2 in the uninflated position and/or the inflated position, as shown in
The third segment 20 may be inflatable between the front row 26, e.g., the right front seat 24, and the right rear seat 30 to separate occupants of the front row 26, e.g., the right front seat 24, and the right rear seat 30 during an impact of the vehicle 12. In other words, in the inflated position, the third segment 20 may extend from the hub 14 between the front row 26, e.g., the right front seat 24, and the right rear seat 30. Specifically, in the inflated position, the second segment 18 may extend from the hub 14 in the second direction D2, and the third segment 20 may extend from the hub 14 in the third direction D3. The third direction D3 may be substantially parallel to the second direction D2 of the second segment 18, and may be substantially perpendicular to the first direction of the first segment 16 in the uninflated position and/or the inflated position, as shown in
As shown in
As set forth above, the airbag 10 shown in
The hub 14 may be an intersection of the first segment 16, the second segment 18, the third segment 20, and the fourth segment 34, as shown in the figures. Alternatively, the hub 14 may be have any suitable size and shape from which the first segment 16, the second segment 18, the third segment 20, and the fourth segment 34 radiate. The hub 14, the first segment 16, the second segment 18, the third segment 20, and the fourth segment 34 may be formed by any combination of one or more panels (not numbered) connected in any suitable manner, e.g., stitching.
With reference to
The airbag 10 may be formed of any suitable type of material, e.g., from a woven polymer. For example, the airbag 10 may be formed of woven nylon yarn, e.g., nylon 6, 6. Other suitable examples include polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), polyester, or any other suitable polymer. The woven polymer may include a coating, such as, for example, silicone, neoprene, urethane, etc. For example, the coating may be polyorgano siloxane.
With reference to
The airbag 10 may be supported on the roof 36, e.g., the cross-members 38, in any suitable manner. For example, the airbag 10 may include clips 62, as shown in
With reference to
As shown in
As shown in
The airbag 10 may include at least one tether 64 fixed to at least any two of the first segment 16, the second segment 18, the third segment 20, and the fourth segment 34. The tether 64 may position the first segment 16, the second segment 18, the third segment 20, and/or the fourth segment 34 relative to each other as the airbag 10 is inflated and/or during impact from an occupant. As one example, as shown in
As set forth above, the vehicle 12 may be an autonomous vehicle. In other words, the vehicle 12 may be autonomously operated such that the vehicle 12 may be driven without constant attention from a driver, i.e., the vehicle 12 may be self-driving without human input. In this instance, for example, the front seats 22, 24 may be supported by the floor 48 of the vehicle 12 and may be rotatable relative to the floor 48 about an axis transverse to the floor 48. Specifically, the front seats 22, 24 may be rotatable to face the rear seats 28, 30, as shown in
As shown in
The inflator 50 may be mounted to the roof 36 and/or the headliner 42. For example, as shown in
With reference to
The controller 58 may be a microprocessor-based processor. The controller 58 may include a processor, memory, etc. The memory of the controller 58 may store instructions executable by the processor. The sensor 56 is in communication with the controller 58 to communicate data to the controller 58. Based on the data communicated by the sensor 56, the controller 58 instructs the inflator 50 to activate.
The restraints system 54 may transmit signals through a communication network 60 (such as a controller area network (CAN) bus), Ethernet, and/or by any other wired or wireless communication network. The controller 58 may use information from the communication network 60 to control the activation of the inflator 50. The inflator 50 may be connected to the controller 58, as shown in
In operation, the airbag 10 is in the uninflated position, as shown in
The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims
1. An airbag inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position, the airbag comprising:
- a hub;
- a first segment extending radially from the hub in a first direction in the uninflated position;
- a second segment extending radially from the hub in a second direction different from the first direction in the uninflated position;
- a third segment extending radially from the hub in a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction in the uninflated position; and
- a tether extending from at least one of the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment for connection to a roof of a vehicle.
2. The airbag as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second direction is substantially parallel to the third direction.
3. The airbag as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.
4. The airbag as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a fourth segment extending radially from the hub in a fourth direction different from the first direction, the second direction and the third direction.
5. The airbag as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second direction is substantially parallel to the third direction.
6. The airbag as set forth in claim 5, wherein the first direction is substantially parallel to the fourth direction.
7. The airbag as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.
8. The airbag as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first segment, the second segment, the third segment, and the hub are inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position and are folded in a common plane in the uninflated position.
9. The airbag as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a tether extending from the first segment to the second segment.
10. A vehicle comprising:
- two front seats arranged in a front row;
- a rear seat and a second rear seat each spaced from the front row;
- a roof and a headliner adjacent the roof;
- an airbag disposed between the roof and the headliner in an uninflated position, the airbag including a first segment, a second segment, and a hub;
- the first segment extending radially from the hub in the uninflated position and inflatable between the front seats;
- the second segment extending radially from the hub in the uninflated position and inflatable between the front row and the rear seat;
- a third segment extending radially from the hub in the uninflated position and inflatable between the front row and the second rear seat; and
- a tether extending from the roof to at least one of the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment.
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. The vehicle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the airbag includes a fourth segment extending radially from the hub in the uninflated position and inflatable between the rear seat and the second rear seat.
14. The vehicle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the first segment and the second segment are folded in a common plane in the uninflated position.
15. (canceled)
16. The vehicle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the roof supports the airbag.
17. The vehicle as set forth in claim 16, wherein the headliner includes a tear seam, and wherein the airbag is disposed between the tear seam and the roof.
18. The vehicle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the airbag includes a tether extending from the first segment to the second segment.
19. The vehicle as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a floor, the front seats being rotatable relative to the floor about an axis transverse to the floor.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 5, 2016
Publication Date: Aug 10, 2017
Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Dearborn, MI)
Inventors: Mohammed Omar Faruque (Ann Arbor, MI), S.M. Iskander Farooq (Novi, MI), Dean M. Jaradi (Macomb, MI)
Application Number: 15/016,622