Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
39 OF 1970
&
THE PATENT RULES 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTIONS 10 & RULE 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION

“A ROOF SIDE INNER PANEL OF A VEHICLE”
2. APPLICANTS (S)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LIMITED

Indian
1, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi - 110070
India
3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

A ROOF SIDE INNER PANEL OF A VEHICLE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a roof side inner panel of a vehicle. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a bead structure present in the roof side inner panel of the vehicle, where the bead structure is capable to guide a roof side airbag towards cabin of the vehicle without unsettling deployment of the roof side airbag.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In recent times, owing to an increase in number of vehicles on roads, safety has become a foremost concern and therefore, automobile manufacturers are coming up with first-hand safety features in the vehicle that can protect an occupant of the vehicle from fatal damages.
[0003] In this regard, roof side airbags have been proven to have drastic effects in increasing the safety of both driver and passengers in the event of a traffic accident. A roof side air bag module is typically mounted in a side body inner panel of a vehicle and may get inflated in clockwise or anticlockwise after being triggered by a side airbag sensing unit. However, in case the roof side airbag is intended to be deployed towards cabin side i.e., when seen from front of the vehicle, the RH side Airbag deploys in clockwise direction and LH side airbag deploys towards anti clockwise direction, both deploying towards cabin side. The roof side airbag as a result, tends to encounter with sharp projections in the vicinity. Consequently, this may unsettle the roof side airbag during deployment thereby causing disturbance to the roof side airbag and hampering safety of the passengers.
[0004] Towards this direction, in order to circumvent the above-mentioned limitations and enable safe deployment of the roof side airbag, automobile manufacturers are coming with an improved roof side inner panel capable of addressing the issue suitably.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[0006] It is an object of the present subject matter to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks existing in the prior art systems and methods.
[0007] It is a significant object of the present disclosure to design and develop a roof side inner panel of a vehicle such that the structure is capable of guiding roof side airbag from sharp projections formed at the roof side inner panel.
[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to design and develop a bead structure in the roof side inner panel, such that the bead structure can guide deployment of the roof side airbag in suitable direction.
[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to design and develop the bead structure in the roof side inner panel such that the bead structure is able to facilitate drainage of paint or remnants of electrodeposition or water outside the roof side airbag.
[0010] It is another object of the present disclosure to develop the bead structure that is rigid and robust in nature.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter, will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description, taken into consideration with accompanied drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a roof side inner panel of a vehicle. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present subject matter, there is provided a roof side inner panel to mount a roof side airbag in a vehicle.
[0014] In an aspect, the roof side inner panel comprises a bead structure positioned along longitudinal direction in vicinity of the roof side airbag, where the bead structure is configured to guide deployment of the roof side airbag in clockwise direction on deployment towards cabin of the vehicle, away from one or more sharp edge of projections formed at the roof side inner panel.
[0015] In an aspect, the bead structure is having a base, a first face extending from an ending point of the base at an angle ranging from 15° to 25° , where the first face extends along the roof side airbag to guide the roof side airbag above the one or more sharp edge of projections formed at the roof side inner panel.
[0016] In an aspect, there is provided a second face extending from an ending point of the first face at an angle ranging from 110° to 135° with reference to the first face in rearward direction upto ending point and extend in parallel direction with the base.
[0017] In an aspect, the first face and the second face are connected to each other forming a dip like bead structure.
[0018] In an aspect, the base and the first face are angularly oriented to each other forming an angle ranging from 15° to 25°
[0019] In an aspect, height of the bead structure is around two-third (2/3rd) of the height of the one or more sharp edge of projections for small projections up to 5mm intrusion, for larger projections, the height of bead needs to be fine-tuned based on deployment speed of the airbag which can be predicted through simulation, the overall height is however less than the sharp edge projection formed at the roof side inner panel.
[0020] In an aspect, the first face of the roof side inner panel is tangential to the roof side airbag.
[0021] To further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit the scope of the present subject matter.
[0022] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING(S)
[0023] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which
[0024] Figure 1 (a-b) depicts a roof side inner panel along with a bead structure and an airbag in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] Figure 2 (a-b) depicts sectional view of the bead structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0026] Figure 3 (a-b) depicts sectional layouts of the proposed bead structure on deployment of RH and LH roof side airbags towards cabin side of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] A few aspects of the present disclosure are explained in detail below with reference to the various figures. Example implementations are described to illustrate the disclosed subject matter, not to limit its scope, which is defined by the claims. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a number of equivalent variations of the various features provided in the description that follows.
[0029] While the embodiments of the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof have been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
[0030] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, system, assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.
[0031] The present disclosure is related to a roof side inner panel of a vehicle. Herein, the present subject matter relates to a bead structure designed in the roof side inner panel of the vehicle, so as to guide the airbag suitably away from the sharp projections formed along the roof side inner panel. The structural attributes of the bead structure are discussed in the subsequent sections.
[0032] Figure 1 (a-b) depicts a roof side inner panel (100) along with a bead structure (104) and a roof side airbag (102) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It may be observed from the figure that the bead structure (104) is positioned along longitudinal direction in the vicinity of the roof side airbag (102).
[0033] In an aspect, the bead structure (104) is aligned with direction of deployment of the roof side airbag (102) and is further configured to guide deployment of the roof side airbag (102) in clockwise direction towards cabin of the vehicle i.e. away from one or more sharp edge of projections formed at the roof side inner panel (100) without interfering with the pattern of deployment of the roof side airbag (102).
[0034] Figure 2 (a-b) depicts sectional view of the bead structure (104) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the bead structure (104) is having a base (104-1), a first face (104-2) and a second face (104-3).
[0035] In an aspect, the first face (104-2) is extending from an ending point (104-1E) of the base (104-1) forming an angle ranging from 15° to 25°. Herein, the first face (104-2) is tangential to the roof side airbag (102) and is extending tangentially along the roof side airbag (102) so as to guide the roof side airbag (102) above the one or more sharp edge of projections (108) formed at the roof side inner panel (100) in clockwise direction as shown by the arrow in Figure 2 (b). The base (104-1) and the first face (104-2) are angularly oriented to each other forming an angle ranging from 0º to 90º.
[0036] In an aspect, herein, since the first face (104-2) is aligned tangentially to the roof side airbag (102), the cabin space of the vehicle is not reduced as the airbag is not pushed inside. This is specifically important for small segment vehicles where there is space constraint.
[0037] In an aspect, the second face (104-3) is extending from an ending point (104-2E) of the first face (104-2) in rearward direction up to an ending point (104-3E). Herein, the second face (104-3) forms an angle ranging from 110° to 135° with that of the first face (104-2) and is extending in parallel direction with the base (104-1).
[0038] In an aspect, moreover, it can be witnessed from Figure 2 (b) that the first face (104-2) and the second face (104-3) are connected to each other forming a dip like bead structure (106).
[0039] In an aspect, height of the bead structure ranges from about two-third (2/3rd) of the height of one or more sharp edge for projections smaller than 5mm (108) in order to facilitate hassle free deployment of the roof side airbag (102). Moreover, such height also enables drainage of paint as pursued by the second face (104-3) of the bead structure (104).
[0040] In a preferred embodiment, height of the bead structure (104) may be kept around two-third (2/3rd) of the height of one or more sharp edge of projections (108) for smaller projections of height less than approximately 5 mm. However, height of bead for larger projections is to be finalized based on deployment speed of airbag by virtue of simulation.
[0041] In this manner, the shape of the bead structure (104) disclosed in the instant subject matter is helping to guide the roof side airbag (102) towards cabin of the vehicle without intruding into cabin space of the vehicle.
[0042] It may be mentioned in this context, that the afore mentioned design can be used for airbags deploying towards cabin side, i.e. when viewed from front, RH side airbag deploying in clockwise direction (also depicted in Figure 3 (a)) and LH side airbag deploying in an anti-clockwise direction, as depicted in Figure 3 (b).
[0043] Technical advantages
All in all, the invention disclosed in the present disclosure is having the following advantages:
i) facilitates guidance of the roof side airbag (102) away from sharp projections of the roof side inner panel (100) without unsettling deployment of the roof side airbag
ii) prevents intrusion of the roof side airbag (102) into the cabin space of the vehicle
iii) rigid and robust
[0044] Equivalents
[0045] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various systems that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the above-mentioned description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
[0046] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to package features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/device of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.
[0047] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0048] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present invention contemplates all these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.

, Claims:We Claim:

1. A roof side inner panel (100) to mount a roof side airbag (102) in a vehicle, the roof side inner panel (100) comprising:
a bead structure (104) positioned along longitudinal direction in vicinity of the roof side airbag (102), wherein the bead structure (104) is configured to guide deployment of the roof side airbag (102) in clockwise direction towards cabin of the vehicle, away from one or more sharp edge of projections (108) formed at the roof side inner panel (100).

2. The roof side inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bead structure (104) is having:
a base (104-1);
a first face (104-2) extending from an ending point (104-1E) of the base (104-1) at an angle ranging from 15º to 25º, wherein the first face (104-2) extends along the roof side airbag (102) to guide the roof side airbag (102) above the one or more sharp edge of projections (108) formed at the roof side inner panel (100); and
a second face (104-3) extending from an ending point (104-2E) of the first face (104-2) at an angle ranging from 110º to 135º with reference to the first face (104-2) in rearward direction upto ending point (104-3E) and extend in parallel direction with the base (104-1).

3. The roof side inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first face (104-2) and the second face (104-3) are connected to each other forming a dip like bead structure (106).

4. The roof side inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the base (104-1) and the first face (104-2) are angularly oriented to each other forming an angle ranging from 0º to 90º.

5. The roof side inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein height of the bead structure (104) ranges from one-third (1/3rd) to two-third (2/3rd) of the height of the one or more sharp edge of projections (108) formed at the roof side inner panel (100).

6. The roof side inner panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first face (104-2) is tangential to the roof side airbag (102).

Dated this 7th day of November, 2023

AMIT JAIN
PATENT AGENT
IN/PA – 2189
OF L. S. DAVAR & CO.