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DE-102024137785-A1 - SAFETY DEVICE FOR THE GLASS WINDOW OF A VEHICLE

DE102024137785A1DE 102024137785 A1DE102024137785 A1DE 102024137785A1DE-102024137785-A1

Abstract

A safety device (100) for a glass pane (100A) in a vehicle is described. The safety device (100) comprises a fabric body (102) adapted to be detachably configured with the glass pane (100A), wherein at least one side of the fabric body (102) is sewn to form a closed chamber (104) with an opening on the corresponding side. The safety device (100) further comprises a gas generator (106) which is in fluid communication with the closed chamber (104) on the sewn side(s) of the fabric body (102). Accordingly, the gas generator (106) is configured to feed and fill pressurized gas into the closed chamber (104) of the sewn side of the fabric body (102) in the event of an accident or impact on the vehicle, causing the fabric body (102) to move from a folded position to an unfolded position in which the fabric body (102) covers the glass pane (100A).

Inventors

  • Allwin Kunnath

Assignees

  • Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241214
Priority Date
20241111

Claims (10)

  1. Safety device (100) for a glass pane (100A) in a vehicle, wherein the safety device (100) comprises: a fabric body (102) adapted to be configured to be detachable from the glass pane (100A), wherein the fabric body (102) has a surface based on the dimensions of the glass pane (100A), wherein at least one side of the fabric body (102) is sewn to form an enclosed chamber (104) with an opening on the corresponding side; and a gas generator (106) which is fluidically connected to the enclosed chamber (104) on the at least one sewn side of the fabric body (102), wherein the gas generator (106) is configured to feed and fill a predefined volume of pressurized gas into the enclosed chamber (104) of the corresponding sewn side of the fabric body (102) in the event of an impact or collision with the vehicle, causing the fabric body (102) to move from a folded position to an unfolded position in which the fabric body (102) covers the glass pane (100A).
  2. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the glass pane (100A) is connected to a display module of the vehicle.
  3. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the gas generator (106) is a pyrotechnic gas generator.
  4. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the lateral sides of the tissue body (102) are sewn together, so that the enclosed chamber (104) is formed with the opening on the lateral sides of the tissue body (102).
  5. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the gas generator (106) is operationally connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) (110) of the vehicle, the ECU (110) being configured to issue an actuation signal to the gas generator (106) in the event of a collision or impact on the vehicle, causing the gas generator (106) to supply the pressurized gas.
  6. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the safety device (100) comprises a first set of magnetic elements (112) arranged at first predefined positions on the glass plate (100A) and a second set of magnetic elements (114) arranged at second predefined positions on the tissue body (102), wherein the first and second sets of magnetic elements (112, 114) are designed to magnetically interlock and secure or lock the tissue body (102) in the folded position or the unfolded position on the glass plate (100A) accordingly.
  7. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the first set of magnetic elements is arranged on an upper front and a lower front of the glass plate (100A) and the second set of magnetic elements is arranged on a bottom of the tissue body (102),
  8. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the fabric layer is removably arranged on the top or upper front surface of the glass pane (100A) such that a front surface of the glass pane (100A) remains uncovered when the fabric body (102) is in the folded position, and the front surface of the glass pane (100A) remains covered when the fabric body (102) is in the unfolded position.
  9. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the gas generator (106) is detachably attached to a rear side of the glass pane (100A), and wherein a top side of the tissue body (102) is attached to the top side or upper front side of the glass pane (100A).
  10. Safety device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the tissue body (102) is designed such that, after removal of the supplied pressurized gas, it can be manually moved from the unfolded position to the folded position.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The present disclosure relates generally to the field of safety devices for the vehicle interior. In particular, the present disclosure provides a safety device for glass panes in a vehicle that prevents glass shards from flying into the vehicle interior in the event of an impact or accident. BACKGROUND In modern automotive design, infotainment glass displays, IP screen glass, and other glass panels fulfill important functions, providing drivers and passengers with access to information, entertainment, and protection. However, these glass components pose significant safety risks in the event of severe impacts or accidents. Upon impact, the glass panels can deform and shatter, scattering sharp shards throughout the vehicle interior. This creates a hazardous environment for the occupants, as these flying glass fragments can cause serious injuries. While modern vehicle safety systems like airbags are designed to mitigate the effects of collisions, they may not effectively protect occupants from the dangers posed by shattered glass. Airbags primarily serve to cushion and restrain occupants during impact, but they typically deploy only after the initial impact, leaving occupants vulnerable to injury from glass shards in the moments immediately following the collision. Because the airbag's deployment path is quite long, the time it takes for it to fully inflate can be slower. Furthermore, the effectiveness of airbags in protecting against glass shards can vary depending on the type and severity of the accident, such as frontal, rollover, side, or rear-end collisions. Given the increasing number of high-impact accidents and the different types of vehicle accidents, there is a need for improved safety solutions that specifically address the risks associated with glass deformation and shattering. In the field of airbag systems in vehicles, some efforts have already been made in the past. The patent document reveals... US2023234530A1 A device that contributes to the protection of a vehicle occupant. The device comprises an instrument panel and a display screen located behind a surface of the instrument panel facing the occupant and extending vertically over an upper surface of the instrument panel. The device includes an airbag configured to assume a stowed state in which the airbag is rolled up and/or folded and positioned within the instrument panel at a location below the display screen. The airbag is configured to inflate and deploy from the instrument panel when it receives inflation fluid from an inflation fluid source. The airbag is configured to deploy in an upward direction through a space between the occupant and the instrument panel to a position where the airbag is located between the screen and the occupant. However, the longer path required for the airbag to deploy, as described in the cited reference and in general, may result in a slower inflation or deployment rate. This delay can result in occupants being injured by glass shards in the moments immediately following an impact. Furthermore, integrating airbags and existing gas generators into all glass surfaces of vehicles, particularly at the rear, can provide a compact and cost-effective solution for protecting occupants from the dangers of shattered glass. Therefore, the cited reference does not offer an effective and reliable solution to the aforementioned problem. Therefore, there is a need to address the aforementioned shortcomings, limitations, and problems by providing an effective, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective solution for preventing glass fragments from flying in conjunction with glass panes in vehicles during an impact or accident. TASK OF INVENTION A general object of the present invention is to provide a safety mechanism that minimizes the risk of injury to vehicle occupants from shattered glass in the vehicle interior in the event of an impact or accident. The object of the present invention is to improve the integrity of infotainment glass displays and other glass panes of different dimensions and to reduce the probability of glass shards flying around in the event of an impact or accident. The object of the present invention is to protect the occupants from the dangers posed by shattered glass in various types of accidents, including frontal, rollover, side and rear collisions. The object of the present invention is to provide a solution that effectively eliminates the shortcomings of existing safety measures, such as airbags, in protecting against the dangers posed by flying glass fragments from display devices. One object of the present invention is to improve general vehicle safety and occupant protection and to promote safer driving behavior in accidents. SUMMARY Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the field of safety devices for the vehicle interior. In particular, the present disclosure provides a safety device for glass panes in a vehicle that prevents glass shards from flying into the vehicle i