ITS, A New Restraint System for Side Impact Protection 961018
The Inflatable Tubular Structure (ITS) is a safety system intended to provide head protection during side-impact car accidents.
The ITS is an inflatable device fixed at two points; at the front end, to the A-pillar, and at the aft end, to the roof rail behind the B-pillar. It is stowed over the side window under the trim of the A-pillar and the headliner. At one end, a gas generator is electrically connected to the side-impact crash-sensing system which inflates the ITS when needed.
The ITS is fabricated in a unique way so that, upon inflation, its diameter greatly increases and its length correspondingly decreases. This causes the ITS to pull itself out of its stored location over the side window into a straight line between its anchor points. The ITS thereby forms a taut semi-rigid structural member across the window opening. The ITS is brought to a pressure higher than an air bag, and is unvented so that, even upon the cooling of the gas, it retains its position independent of window glass support to provide protection in secondary collisions and rollovers.
Citation: Yaniv, G., Romeo, D., Kompass, K., and Mayer, J., "ITS, A New Restraint System for Side Impact Protection," SAE Technical Paper 961018, 1996, https://doi.org/10.4271/961018. Download Citation
Author(s):
Gershon Yaniv, David Romeo, Klaus Kompass, Josef Mayer
Pages: 6
Event:
International Congress & Exposition
ISSN:
0148-7191
e-ISSN:
2688-3627
Also in:
Advances in Side Airbag Systems-PT-120, SAE 1996 Transactions - Journal of Passenger Cars-V105-6
Related Topics:
Side impact crashes
Airbag systems
Restraint systems
Vehicle front ends
Windows and windshields
Glass
Cooling
Rollover accidents
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