Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Kaitlin M Cischke

Nicholas Andrew Mazzocchi

Stacey H Raines

Tyler Cohoon

Peter Joseph Bejin

Robert A Chanko

Raffi B Manoukian

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic-molded front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. The pleated baffle forms a plurality of at least five vent openings including at least one stress relief vent juxtaposed to a peak stress region of the hot weld seam and a plurality of tuning vents which are concentrated at a lowest restraint-force region of the inflatable bladder.

Active bolster vent distribution for stress and load management

An active glove box door includes a bladder member joined along an outer perimeter with a front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes a circumferential pleat for unfolding in response to an inflation gas during a crash event. A door inner liner is joined to a central region of the bladder member and forms a generally continuous plate behind the bladder member. The door inner liner interfaces with the instrument panel to provide a reaction surface for expansion of the bladder. The pleat has a peak disposed proximate to the door inner liner, wherein the peak includes a vent opening that delineates a collision region on the door inner liner. The door inner liner includes a plurality of perforations in the collision region permitting flow of inflation gas from the vent opening through the door inner liner.

Active glove box door with ventilated reaction plate

An active bolster includes a plastic trim wall that deploys toward a passenger compartment and a plastic-molded bladder member joined with the trim wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleat for unfolding in response to an inflation gas. A reaction member is joined to a central region of the bladder member to provide a reaction surface. The pleat has a peak disposed proximate to the reaction member and an outer band between the peak and the weld seam at least a portion of which extends perpendicularly to the reaction member. A buffer zone is formed circumjacent the outer band between the trim wall and the reaction member. The pleat has a vent opening formed in the outer band providing an unobstructed path for inflation gas from the inflatable bladder to the buffer zone.

Active bolster with directional vent into concealed buffer zone

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic expandable bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a weld seam to form a bladder. The weld seam has a nominal separation pressure. An inflator couples an inflation gas to inflate the bladder in response to a crash event. The bladder member includes a plurality of vent openings configured to regulate an inflation pressure of the inflation gas during an impact according to a passenger restraint profile. The bladder member further includes at least one stress relief vent comprising a frangible tear seam partially cut into the bladder member configured to tear open at a predetermined pressure between the passenger restraint profile and the nominal separation pressure.

Active bolster stress relief vents for failsafe weld protection

An active bolster for an automotive vehicle includes a plastic-molded trim wall that deploys outwardly during a crash. A plastic-molded reaction plate is mounted as a deployment base. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined around a substantially sealed perimeter with the trim wall to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle around a central attachment region. The central attachment region includes an attachment boss projecting toward an attachment pad on the reaction plate to form a hot weld. The attachment boss has an arched cross section defining a weld surface with an apex. The weld surface is hot welded to the attachment pad such that the apex makes first contact with the attachment pad, wherein compression of the bladder member with the reaction plate creates a contact edge moving radially outward from the apex to expel gas from the hot weld.

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Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Kaitlin M Cischke