JP5015261B2 - Airbag device mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for mounting, for example, an airbag device installed in a driver's seat of an automobile inside a steering wheel.

  An airbag device for a driver's seat of an automobile is composed of an inflator and an airbag. This airbag device is usually attached to the inside of the steering wheel by being fixed to the core of the steering wheel.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an airbag mounting structure that uses a switch wire to maintain the mounting state in which a pin provided on a base plate is inserted into a guide hole of a mounting portion provided on a steering wheel.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-233159

  In the case of the airbag mounting structure of Patent Document 1, the airbag device is mounted on the steering wheel by inserting the pin into the guide hole in a state where the switch wire is fitted in a notch formed in the mounting portion. Just good.

  However, in the case of the airbag mounting structure of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form a lock groove on the pin and a notch on the mounting portion on the outer peripheral portion. Accordingly, the number of man-hours required for manufacturing the parts to be employed increases.

  In addition, since the lock groove and the notch are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the pin and the mounting portion, the strength is weakened. Accordingly, there is a problem in that a pin or a mounting portion having a size or strength greater than the originally required size or strength is required.

  In the case of the airbag mounting structure of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form a lock groove on the pin and a notch on the mounting portion on the outer peripheral portion. The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the number of man-hours required for manufacturing the pin and the mounting portion is increased and there is a problem of strength.

  The present invention solves the above problem by attaching an airbag device inserted at a positioning position to the steering wheel to a substantially omega-shaped spring member (hereinafter referred to as omega spring) attached to the steering wheel. It is a solution.

That is, the mounting structure of the airbag device of the present invention is as follows.
A structure for mounting an airbag device to a steering wheel for supplying a gas generated by an inflator to deploy a folded airbag,
Positioning members provided at corresponding positions of the airbag device and the cored bar fixed to the steering wheel,
An omega spring that is attached by inserting both ends into the insertion portion formed in the core;
An engagement member that is attached to the airbag device and engages with the omega spring to fix the airbag device to a steering wheel when the airbag device is inserted into a positioning position by the positioning member;
A biasing member that biases the airbag device toward the occupant side relative to the steering wheel when the airbag device is fixed to the steering wheel;
Have
The most important feature is that a convex portion is provided on the side of the omega spring from the intermediate portion to both ends on the side facing the cored bar at the time of insertion.

  In the present invention, simply by pushing the airbag device into a predetermined position against the urging force of the urging member, the engaging member engages with the omega spring and the airbag device is fixed to the steering wheel. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a lock groove or a notch in the positioning member.

  By the way, in order to smoothly insert both ends of the omega spring, the insertion portion of the core metal is formed larger than both ends of the omega spring. Therefore, when the steering wheel vibrates, both ends of the omega spring collide with the insertion portion, and abnormal noise is generated.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a convex portion is provided on the side from the intermediate portion of the omega spring to both end portions on the side facing the cored bar at the time of insertion. Both ends are pressed against the inner wall of the insertion portion by the convex portion, and the generation of the abnormal noise is suppressed.

  In the present invention, when the one end and the other end of the omega spring are made different in size, a narrow portion where the larger one end cannot pass is formed in the insertion portion of the core metal into which the smaller other end is inserted. Does not insert omega springs upside down.

  In the present invention, simply by pushing the airbag device into a predetermined position against the urging force of the urging member, the engagement member can be engaged with the omega spring and the airbag device can be fixed to the steering wheel.

And in the state which attached the airbag apparatus to the steering wheel, even if the steering wheel vibrates, generation | occurrence | production of the noise by the collision of the insertion part of a metal core and the both ends of an omega spring can be suppressed.
Moreover, in this invention, neither a lock groove nor a notch is formed in the positioning member.

It is the figure which looked at the state which attached the metal core and the omega spring to the steering wheel from the passenger | crew side. It is an AA expanded sectional view of FIG. (A) is the figure which took out only the metal core and the omega spring from FIG. 1, and expanded, (b) is the enlarged view which looked at the B section of (a) figure from the side surface. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the attachment structure of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airbag apparatus 2 Inflator 3 Steering wheel 4 Positioning pin 5 Engagement member 7 Coil spring 8 Core metal 8a Fitting hole 8b Insertion part 8ba Narrow part 9 Omega spring 9a One end 9b The other end 9c Convex part 9d Middle part

  In the case of the airbag mounting structure of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form a lock groove on the pin and a notch on the mounting portion on the outer peripheral portion. Therefore, the man-hours required for manufacturing the parts to be used increase, and the strength also decreases.

  According to the present invention, an airbag is attached by engaging an airbag device inserted at a positioning position on the steering wheel with an omega spring attached to the steering wheel. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a lock groove or a notch in the positioning member.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
1 is a view of the steering wheel with a metal core and an omega spring viewed from the occupant side, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3A is a metal core and an omega spring from FIG. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG. 5A as viewed from the side, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting structure of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes an airbag device that deploys a folded airbag by supplying gas generated by the inflator 2. The airbag apparatus 1 is provided with, for example, two positioning pins 4 and mounting pins 6 and four hook-shaped engaging members 5 on the side where the steering wheel 3 is mounted.

  Each of these two positioning pins 4 and mounting pins 6 and the four hook-shaped engaging members 5 are in the target position with respect to the center line in the vehicle width direction when mounted on the steering wheel 3. Is provided.

  A coil spring 7 is attached to each of the two positioning pins 4 and the attachment pins 6 of the airbag device 1. The coil spring 7 biases the airbag device 1 toward the occupant side with respect to the steering wheel 3 when the airbag device 1 is fixed to the steering wheel 3.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a metal core fixed integrally with the steering wheel 3. The metal core 8 is provided with a fitting hole 8a at a position corresponding to the positioning pin 4, and an insertion portion 8b into which both ends 9a and 9b of an omega spring 9 described later are inserted on the attachment side of the airbag device 1. Yes. Further, the metal core 8 is opened at a portion having no problem in strength from the viewpoint of weight reduction, and the opening 8c is also provided in the insertion portion 8b.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes, for example, an omega spring in which a metal rod is formed in a substantially omega shape when viewed from the front. The omega spring 9 is attached to the cored bar 8 by holding a state where both ends 9a and 9b are inserted into the insertion part 8b of the cored bar 8 with a holding part 8d formed on the cored bar 8. When a force is applied to the omega spring 9, an elastic force is exerted in a direction opposite to the applied force.

  The omega spring 9 has a convex portion 9c formed by bending, for example, a protruding portion in a portion from the intermediate portion 9d to both ends 9a and 9b, the side facing the cored bar 8 at the time of insertion.

  In the present invention, both ends 9a and 9c of the omega spring 9 are pressed against the inner wall of the insertion portion 8b by the convex portion 9c. Therefore, even if the steering wheel 3 vibrates, both ends 9a and 9b do not collide with the insertion portion 8b, and the generation of abnormal noise is suppressed.

  The omega spring 9 is formed, for example, by bending one end 9a into a U shape so as to be larger than the other end 9b. Corresponding to the different sizes of both ends 9a and 9b, a narrow width portion 8ba is formed in the insertion portion 8b of the other end 9b so that the one end 9a cannot pass through. With such a configuration, the omega spring 9 is not attached to the core metal 8 upside down.

  In the present invention described above, first, the positioning pin 4 is matched with the fitting hole 8a of the cored bar 8. Next, the airbag device 1 is pushed in against the urging force of the coil spring 7. As a result, the engaging member 5 engages with both ends 9a and 9b of the omega spring 9 and the intermediate portion 9d, and the attachment to the steering wheel 3 is completed.

  Further, in the present invention, even if the steering wheel 3 vibrates by the convex portion 9c of the omega spring 9, it is possible to effectively suppress abnormal noise generated by the collision between the insertion portion 8b and the both ends 9a and 9b.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, no lock groove or notch is formed in the positioning pin 4 that is a positioning member or the fitting hole 8a of the cored bar 8.

  The present invention is not limited to the above example, and it goes without saying that the embodiments may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea described in each claim.

  For example, in the above example, the omega spring 9 makes the one end 9a and the other end 9b different in size, while the one end 9a cannot pass through the insertion portion 8b of the core 8 into which the other end 9b is inserted. A narrow width portion 8ba is formed. However, this configuration is not necessarily adopted.

  In the above example, the means for enlarging the one end 9a of the omega spring 9 or forming the convex portion 9c is performed by bending the omega spring 9 in order to facilitate and simplify the configuration. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another member may be attached.

  The airbag apparatus mounting structure described above is a preferred example of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented or performed by various methods. In particular, the present invention is not limited to the detailed shape, size, configuration, and the like of the components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise specified in the present specification. In addition, expressions and terms used in the present specification are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless specifically limited.

  For example, the number of positioning pins 4, the engaging members 5, and the number and arrangement positions of the coil springs 7, the shapes of the engaging members 5 and the omega springs 9 and the like can be used as long as they can perform their respective functions. Not limited to.

  The attachment structure of the airbag device of the present invention is not limited to the attachment of an airbag device for an automobile, but can be applied to the attachment structure of an airbag device for a vehicle such as an aircraft or a ship other than a vehicle. The effect is demonstrated.

Claims (4)

A structure for mounting an airbag device to a steering wheel for supplying a gas generated by an inflator to deploy a folded airbag,
Positioning members provided at corresponding positions of the airbag device and the cored bar fixed to the steering wheel,
A substantially omega-shaped spring member which is attached by inserting both ends into the insertion portion formed in the core metal;
An engaging member that is attached to the airbag device and engages with the spring member to fix the airbag device to a steering wheel when the airbag device is inserted into a positioning position by the positioning member;
A biasing member that biases the airbag device toward the occupant side relative to the steering wheel when the airbag device is fixed to the steering wheel;
Have
A mounting structure for an airbag device, wherein a convex portion is provided on a side of the spring member extending from an intermediate portion to both end portions on the side facing the cored bar at the time of insertion.   2. The airbag apparatus mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion of the spring member is formed by bending. While the spring member makes the size of one end and the other end different,
3. The airbag according to claim 1, wherein a narrow width portion through which the one end of the larger one cannot pass is formed in the insertion portion of the core metal into which the other end of the smaller one is inserted. Equipment mounting structure.   The attachment structure for an airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the one large end of the spring member is formed in a U shape.

Images