JP2985466B2 - Automotive airbag equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile airbag device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional airbag device for a vehicle, there is known an airbag device which is known from Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., October 1989, "New Car Manual (G50-1)", page F-6. , FIG. 3 to FIG. Reference numeral 1 denotes an inflator, which is fixed to a steering wheel 2 on the driver's seat side and an instrument panel 3 on the passenger's seat side at a predetermined upward angle (mounting angle) θ.

[0003] The inflator 1 is made of a metal case, and includes a pellet 4 for generating gas inside, and a squib 5 for igniting the pellet 4. An airbag 8 is attached to the flange 6 of the inflator 1. A plurality of gas discharge holes 10 are formed in the distal end peripheral surface portion 9 of the inflator 1. The pellets 4 in the inflator 1 are ignited and exploded, and the generated nitrogen gas is emitted from the gas discharge holes 10 in a radial direction. The airbag 8, which has been discharged and folded, can be inflated and deployed on the vehicle cabin R side. Therefore, the forward fall of the occupant M at the time of a vehicle collision can be received by the inflated and deployed airbag 8, and the occupant M can be reliably protected.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional technique, the steering wheel 2 and the inflator 1 are provided with a predetermined upward angle .theta. It was fixed in the instrument panel 3. Therefore, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag 8 expands and deploys in a slightly upward direction F corresponding to the upward angle θ, and receives the occupant M. However, various experiments have shown that the lower the position of the inflated and deployed airbag 8 is, the more reliable the protection of the occupant M is, as shown by the imaginary line (two-dot chain line) in FIGS. doing.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a prior art, and an automobile in which the position of an airbag after inflation / deployment is lower than before, while the inflator itself is attached at a predetermined angle. Is provided.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag device for a vehicle, wherein a tip portion of an inflator is formed by a cylindrical portion surrounding a tip peripheral surface of the inflator. And a downwardly directed louver formed at the tip of the cylindrical portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag apparatus for a vehicle, wherein a central portion of an inflator in a vertical direction and gas discharge holes located above the central portion are formed so as to face downward. is there.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gas discharged from the gas discharge hole of the inflator hits the gas discharge direction regulating body, and the direction of the gas is directed downward. The position of the airbag after deployment is lower than before. Therefore, the occupant can be more reliably protected than before.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the gas discharge hole is formed so as to face downward, the gas discharged from the gas discharge hole is discharged downward. As a result, the position of the airbag after inflation and deployment becomes lower than before.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the related art, and overlapping description will be omitted. Further, in the drawings, the mounting angle of the inflator is omitted, and the inflator is illustrated in an upright state.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the distal end of the inflator 1 in which the gas discharge holes 10 are formed is entirely covered with a louver body 14 as a "gas discharge direction restricting body".
The louver body 14 includes a cylindrical portion 15 spaced apart from the distal end peripheral surface 9 of the inflator 1 and a downward louver 16 formed at the distal end of the cylindrical portion 15. Therefore, the gas discharged in the radial direction from the gas discharge hole 10 first hits the cylindrical portion 15 and then passes through the louver 16 so that the discharge direction G of all the gases is lower than the upward angle direction F of the inflator 1. As a result, the position of the airbag after inflation / deployment becomes lower than before. Therefore, the occupant can be more reliably protected than before.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the tip peripheral surface 2 of the inflator 21
The gas discharge holes from 2 to the upper side are eliminated, and the directions of the gas discharge holes 23 in the vicinity of the center in the vertical direction or the lower side are formed to face downward. That is, the lower gas discharge hole 23a is directed downward in the related art, but in this embodiment, the gas discharge hole 23b in the vicinity of the center in the vertical direction is formed so that the direction is particularly directed downward. Therefore, all the gas discharged from the gas discharge holes 23 is directed downward,
As in the previous embodiment, the overall gas discharge direction is lower than the upward angle direction of the inflator 21, and the position of the airbag after inflation / deployment is lower than before.

[0013]

The airbag device for an automobile according to the present invention has the above-described contents, and the direction of the gas discharged from the gas discharge hole is lower than the upward angle direction of the inflator. Since the airbag is oriented, the position of the airbag after inflation and deployment is lower than before. Therefore, the occupant can be more reliably protected than before.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an inflator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing an inflator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an inflator according to a conventional automobile airbag device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a vehicle cabin showing an inflated and deployed state of an airbag on a driver's seat side.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the passenger compartment showing an inflated and deployed state of the airbag on the passenger seat side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 21 inflator 9, 22 distal end peripheral surface 10, 23 gas discharge hole 14 louver body (gas discharge direction regulating body) θ upward angle (predetermined angle)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An airbag for an automobile in which an airbag is attached to an inflator attached to a vehicle body at a predetermined angle, and the airbag is inflated and deployed by discharging gas from a plurality of gas discharge holes in a peripheral surface portion of a tip end of the inflator. In the apparatus, the distal end portion of the inflator is covered with a gas discharge direction restricting body including a cylindrical portion surrounding a distal end peripheral surface portion of the inflator and a downward louver formed at a distal end of the cylindrical portion. Automotive airbag equipment. 2. An airbag for an automobile in which an airbag is attached to an inflator attached to a vehicle body at a predetermined angle, and the airbag is inflated and deployed by discharging gas from a plurality of gas discharge holes in a peripheral surface of a tip end of the inflator. An airbag device for an automobile, wherein a gas discharge hole located above and below the center of the inflator in the vertical direction is formed so as to face downward.