Continuous further development in all safety areas is necessary to meet the steadily increasing requirements of consumer protection and legislation in various countries. The basic requirement for a well designed airbag system is a high restraint potential for in-position occupants. Therefore, the airbag has to be positioned in time. In addition to these safety goals the vision of the vehicle stylists have to be considered. The focus of any vehicle design process is the creation of a high quality steering wheel with good haptic characteristics. This results in various requirements regarding the airbag's surface. For the new Audi A8 two measures had to be taken to achieve the development goals of vehicle safety and fulfil the wishes of the stylists: A large styling area in the centre of the airbag module was created, making it difficult to fulfil the OoP (Out-of-Position) criteria with the traditional cover technique. Therefore a new airbag concept with a fixed centre covered by the airbag when fully inflated had to be found. The Ringairbag system was designed. A large centre fixed by bolts at the diffuser was constructed for the airbag module. This has been designed with filigree trim elements and the manufacturer's emblem both of visual and haptic high quality. The centre was additionally provided with sloping shoulders in the module's inner area to support the radial unfolding. The diffuser creates a space between the airbag fabric and the inflator which can be used for the damper function of a rubber-mounted inflator. Small radially arranged opening flaps designed in the bottom-hinge technology improve the deployment mechanism and thus the OoP performance. A constant radial unfolding was achieved by introduction of a further developed TRW star folding. The effect of retaining tethers is created by the inner part of the ring. The Ringairbag concept offers new attractive options for the interior styling due to the fixed central area.
Ringairbag - Smart driver airbag concept
Intelligentes Fahrer-Airbag-Konzept
9 Seiten, 5 Bilder
Conference paper
English
Ringairbag - smart driver airbag concept
Automotive engineering | 2002
|Ringairbag - Smart Driver Airbag Concept
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2002
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