JPH0641255B2 - Air bag device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an airbag device in which a folded airbag is covered with a module cover capable of emergency break deployment.

[Prior Art] In order to protect an occupant of a vehicle or the like from the risk of a secondary collision (the body of the occupant colliding with the vehicle body due to inertia), a console box in front of a seated occupant, a vehicle body fixed portion such as a back of a seat back, or driving An air bag device attached to a central portion of a steering wheel in front of a seat is well known. As this air bag device, usually, an air bag which is attached in a folded state so as to cover an inflator and covered with a cover member called a module cover capable of emergency break deployment is often used.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional air bag device. A mounting plate 3 is fixed to a spoke root portion 2 at the center of a steering wheel 1 so as to face the upper half of the body of a seated occupant. An inflator 5 for generating an inflation gas is fitted in a hole 4 in the center of the mounting plate 3. A mounting end of the air bag 7 is fixed between the outer peripheral flange portion 6 of the inflator 5 and the front surface 3a of the mounting plate 3 in a state of being sandwiched therebetween. The air bag 7 is stored in the apparatus in a folded state, and the gas injection hole 8 of the inflator 5 is provided.
It is developed by the gas injected from. Air bag 7
Is covered with a module cover 9, and the base end portion of the module cover 9 is fixed to the front surface 3a of the mounting plate 3 by a locking member 10 such as a screw or a rivet.

FIG. 6 shows a module cover mounting structure of an air bag device according to another conventional example. In FIG. 6, an erected portion 3b erected toward the occupant side is provided at the edge of the mounting plate 3, and the base end portion of the module cover 9 is fixed to the erected portion 3 by a fixing means 10A such as a rivet or a bolt. It is installed by. Reference numeral 5 is an inflator, and 7 is an air bag.

As described above, in the air bag device, the air bag 7 is stored in the module cover 9 in a folded state.
In an emergency such as a vehicle collision, the inflation gas is injected from the inflator 5 so that the air bag 7 starts to inflate, and the module cover 9 breaks from the break portion into a petal-like break opening to allow the air bag 7 to enter the vehicle compartment. Inflate and expand.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional airbag apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the base end portion of the module cover 9 is fixed to a portion of the front surface 3a of the mounting plate 3 closer to the center than the peripheral edge. Therefore, the width W of the occupant facing mounting surface of the mounting plate 3 is large, and the width of the entire airbag device is large. Further, when the air bag device of FIG. 5 is mounted as shown in FIG. 5, a space for mounting the large air bag device is required in the central portion of the steering wheel,
The steering wheel also had to be large in diameter.

Further, in any of the conventional examples shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,
There is a problem that the opening end deployment distance corresponding to the bending angle of the base end portion of the module cover 9 at the time of deployment is short and the restoring force to the closed side becomes strong, which hinders free inflation and deployment of the airbag 7.

That is, for example, as shown by the two-dot chain lines 7 '(air bag 7 at the time of deployment) and 9' (module cover 9 at the time of deployment) in FIG. 6, with the mounting plate 3 at the base end of the module cover 9. The connecting portion (the portion indicated by B in the conventional example of FIG. 6) is rigidly fixed to the mounting plate 3. Therefore, when the module cover 9 is broken, torn and deployed, the portion closer to the occupant than the connecting portion is mainly deformed and opened, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. As a result, the airbag 7 is mainly deployed in the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the mounting plate 3, that is, toward the occupant in the initial stage of deployment, and then is deployed to the side of the occupant.

Such a non-uniform deployment of the airbag 7 is also enhanced by a phenomenon in which the direction in which gas is ejected from the inflator 5 is changed to the occupant direction by the base end portion of the module cover 9.

That is, in the inflator 5, the gas ejection holes 8 are provided in the side peripheral surface so that the gas ejection direction is the lateral direction of the inflator 5, so that the uneven deployment of the airbag is attempted. However, the mounting plate 3 may be provided with the standing portion 3b so as to stand up toward the occupant (6th
In the case where the base end of the module cover 9 is rigidly arranged in front of the mounting surface 3a of the mounting plate 3 (Fig. 5),
The direction of the gas flow ejected from the gas injection hole 8 of the inflator 5 in the radial direction depends on the rising portion 3b and the module cover 9
Therefore, the air bag 7 is changed toward the occupant due to the base end portion thereof, so that the airbag 7 can be easily deployed toward the occupant at the initial stage of its deployment.

Such uneven deployment of the air bag causes excessive stress on the stitching portion of the air bag, which is disadvantageous in that the cost of stitching the air bag increases and the weight of the air bag increases due to the increase in the stitching portion. Be invited. That is, when the airbag 7 is isotropically deployed, the inflation inertial force applied at the completion of the deployment (when the airbag is deployed to the deployment limit and the airbag is in a so-called taut state) is equal to that of the airbag 7. Since it will be dispersed throughout, the stress applied to the stitching part of the air bag is small. However, when the deployment of the air bag is extremely uneven, the inflation inertial force is concentrated on the site where the deployment is the latest and the large stress is locally applied to the air bag. Then, in order to counter the local heavy load, it is necessary to take measures such as increasing the stitching strength of the airbag.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made by paying attention to the problems that the conventional air bag attaching device has, and a seated occupant is attached to the periphery of the attachment plate for attaching the air bag. A standing portion having a shape that is bent substantially at a right angle as viewed from the rear is provided, and the base end portion of the module cover is fixed to the standing portion with a connecting member to increase the bending allowance when the module cover is broken and to be mounted. The area of the occupant facing mounting surface of the plate is reduced, further, the mesh-like insertion is embedded in the module cover, and the metal fitting engaged with the insertion is embedded in the base end portion of the module cover, The connecting member is penetrated to solve the above problems.

The structure of the present invention will be schematically described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

The airbag device according to the present invention is provided with a console box located in front of a seated occupant, a vehicle body fixing portion such as a front seat back of a seat, or a spoke root portion 1 of a steering wheel 11.
The inflator 14 is attached to substantially the center of the occupant facing attachment surface 17 of the attachment plate 12 fixed to the attachment plate 3, the air bag 16 is fixed to the attachment plate 12, and the air bag 16 is ruptured and expanded by the module cover 25. The mounting plate 12 has an upright portion 31 that stands upright in the opposite direction to the occupant side, and the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25 is attached to the upright portion 31. The base end portion 32 and the standing portion 31 are connected by a connecting member 35 such as a rivet. A mesh-like insertion 27 is embedded in the module cover 25, metal fittings 28 and 29 are embedded in the base end portion 32 in a state of being engaged with the insertion 27, and a connecting member 35 is connected to the metal fitting 2.
It penetrates 8 and 29.

[Operation] In the airbag device of the present invention having the above configuration, the actual width of the mounting surface 17 is small, and the steering wheel 11
The installation space required for is small.

Further, when the inflation gas is ejected from the inflator 14 and the airbag 16 is inflated and the module cover 25 is ruptured and deployed in an emergency such as a vehicle collision, the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25 is located near the mounting surface 17 side. It deforms so as to bend in one direction. Therefore, the air bag 16
Will quickly deploy not only to the occupant but also to the side.

Further, since the insertion 27 is included, the strength of the module cover 25 is high, and the module cover 25 is prevented from scattering when the airbag 16 is deployed.

Metal fittings 28 and 29 are attached to this insertion 27,
Since the metal fittings 28, 29 are connected to the upright portion 31 by the connecting member 35, the module cover 25 has a high attachment strength.

The metal fittings 28 and 29 are the base end portion 3 of the module cover 25.
It is embedded only in 2, so that when the module cover 25 is torn, the fissure is inserted until it reaches the base end 32 of the module cover. Therefore, the module cover 25 opens greatly.

The metal fittings 28 and 29 are provided only on the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25.
The module cover 25 is not pierced and protruded at the time of unfolding 5, and there is no possibility of damaging the airbag 26.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag device.

In these figures, 11 is a steering wheel, 1
2 is a spoke root portion 13 of the steering wheel 11.
A mounting plate attached to the upper body of the seated occupant,
Reference numeral 14 denotes an inflator for generating an inflation gas, which is inserted from the back surface into a through hole 15 formed at the center of the mounting plate 12, and 16 denotes an air bag. The air bag 16 has a mounting end reinforced with an annular cloth. This air bag 1
6 is a mounting end 1 on the occupant facing mounting surface 17 of the mounting plate 12.
Mounting 1 with 8 attached
The rivet 24 is attached to the mounting plate 12 by inserting a rivet 24 into the hole 20 of the mounting plate 12, the hole 21 of the mounting plate 12, and the hole 23 formed in the peripheral flange portion 22 of the inflator 14 and swaging. The air bag 16 is folded and disposed so as to surround the gas injection hole 26 of the inflator 14. The airbag 16 is covered with a module cover 25.

The module cover 25 is, for example, one in which a flat metal fitting 28 having a plurality of hooks is hooked on the end portion of a mesh-like insertion 27 made of synthetic fiber yarn as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, a metal fitting made of eyelets 29 is fitted in the peripheral mesh and is embedded in a rubber or synthetic resin cover member and molded into a rectangular lid shape. An inner wall surface of the occupant facing portion of the module cover 25 is formed with a recess groove 30 having an appropriate shape such as an H shape or a radial shape, which is easy to break, and a thin portion formed by the recess groove 30 expands the airbag 16. At times, it breaks and the entire module cover 25 expands outward in a petal shape.

The mounting plate 12 is attached to the mounting end 1 of the air bag 16.
The peripheral portion of the occupant facing attachment surface 17 that fastens 8 is bent substantially at right angles in the direction opposite to the occupant side, that is, in the direction away from the seated occupant (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as rear), and the standing portion 31 is formed. It is provided. The base end portion 32 of the module cover 25 is attached to the upright portion 31 from the side surface, and the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25 has a plurality of rivets 35 penetrating through holes 34 formed therein. It is fixed by caulking.

In the figure, reference numeral 36 denotes a bracket which extends further rearward from the upright portion 31 of the mounting plate 12, and is fixed by a bolt (not shown) inserted into a hole 37 of the bracket 36. Further, 38 is an under cover mounted so as to cover a gap formed on the base end side of the module cover 25.

The operation of the airbag device will be described below.

In normal times, the module cover 25 covers the air bag 16 from the outside to protect the air bag 16. The module cover 25 is fixed to the standing portion 31 standing upright from the side, and the outer width of the mounting plate 12 is small. Therefore, the airbag device can be compactly housed in the central portion of the steering wheel 11. be able to.

When the inflator 14 generates inflation gas and the air bag 16 inflates due to a collision of a vehicle or the like due to a vehicle collision or the like, the module cover 25 is broken along the concave groove 30 by being pressed by the air bag 16. Then
The air bag 16 is largely expanded in a petal shape to allow expansion and expansion of the airbag 16 into the vehicle interior. When the module cover is broken or torn, the supporting point of the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25 (the portion of the rivet 35) is located rearward of the occupant facing mounting surface 17 of the mounting plate 12, and therefore, at the time of deployment. , The module cover 25 has the mounting surface 17
Open so that it bends to the side from the vicinity of. Also,
As a result, the gas ejected from the inflator 14 in the radial direction does not have its flow direction extremely changed to the occupant direction, and the inflation gas pressure is sufficiently applied to the lateral direction of the airbag 16. In this way, the air bag 16 isotropically deploys rapidly.

Moreover, since the insertion 27 is included, the strength of the module cover 25 is high and the module cover 25 is prevented from scattering when the airbag 16 is deployed.

This insertion 27, flat metal fittings and eyelets 28,
29 is attached, and the metal fittings 28, 29 are connected to the rising portion 31 by the connecting member 35.
The mounting strength of is high.

The metal fittings 28 and 29 are the base end portion 3 of the module cover 25.
It is embedded only in 2, so that when the module cover 25 is torn, the fissure is inserted until it reaches the base end 32 of the module cover. Therefore, the module cover 25 opens greatly.

The metal fittings 28 and 29 are provided only on the base end portion 32 of the module cover 25.
When deploying 5, the module cover 25 is not pierced and projected, and there is no possibility of damaging the airbag 16.

In the above embodiment, the case where the air bag 16 is attached to the center of the steering wheel 11 in front of the driver's seat has been described, but the air bag device of the present invention can also be installed in the console box in front of the passenger seat or in the front seat back. It is also applicable when mounted on the back.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the peripheral edge of the mounting plate 12 is about 2
The width of about 3 cm is bent rearward at a substantially right angle to form the upright portion 31 so that the thickness of the entire airbag device does not increase so much. Since it is possible to make it considerably large in the thickness direction, the width of the upright portion 31 in the upright direction is designed to be large, and the support point of the module cover 25 is further displaced to improve lateral flexibility at the time of fracture development. You can also let it. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the standing portion 31 is formed by deeply bending it with respect to the occupant facing mounting surface 17, and the standing portion 31 is formed.
May be folded back toward the center of the mounting plate 12. The module cover 25 is attached to the standing portion 31.
If the base end portion 32 is attached, the module cover 25 can more easily flex in the lateral direction at the time of break development.
In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same members and the same portions, respectively.

In the present invention, the standing portion 31 that stands rearward from the mounting surface 17 of the mounting plate 12 may be provided on the entire circumference of the mounting plate 12, and a part of the side portion (for example, the upper side when mounted on a vehicle). The upright portion 31 may be provided on the portion and the lower side).

[Effect] As described above, the air bag device of the present invention has a small occupant facing surface of the mounting plate and is compact when the air bag device is attached to a narrow space such as the center of the steering wheel or the back of the front seat back. Therefore, the mounting space is small, and the steering wheel and the like can be prevented from becoming large. In addition, since the module cover can be isotropically deployed, an excellent effect is obtained in that the airbag can reliably protect the occupant's body without hindering the free inflation and deployment of the airbag.

In the present invention, by embedding the insertion, the strength of the module cover is improved and the module cover is prevented from scattering when the airbag is deployed.
Furthermore, the mounting strength of the module cover is high and the opening angle of the module cover is large. Furthermore, there is no damage to the air bag during deployment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an example of an airbag device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag device, and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are insertions embedded in a module cover. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a mounting portion, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing another embodiment of the airbag device of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a conventional airbag device. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another conventional example. 11 ... Steering wheel, 12 ... Mounting plate, 13 ... Steering wheel base, 14 ... Inflator, 16 ... Air bag, 17 ... Occupant facing mounting surface, 18 ... Air bag mounting end, 25 ... Module cover, 26 ... Gas injection hole, 27 ... Insertion, 28, 29 ... Mounting bracket, 31 ... Standing portion, 32 ... Base end portion.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A mounting plate attached to a vehicle body fixing portion in front of a seated occupant or a spoke root portion of a steering wheel, an inflator attached to a substantially central portion of a mounting surface of the mounting plate facing an occupant, and a fixing plate attached to the mounting plate. In the air bag device, which has an air bag that is inflated by the gas ejected from the inflator, and an emergency rupturable deployable module cover that covers the air bag and has a base end attached to the attachment plate, An upright portion that stands upright in the direction opposite to the occupant side is provided on the peripheral edge of the mounting plate, the base end of the module cover is attached to the upright portion, and the base end and the upright portion are connected by a connecting member. An airbag device, wherein a mesh-like insertion is embedded in the module cover, and the insertion end is provided at a base end portion of the module cover. And engaged fitting is embedded in an air bag device characterized by said connecting member in gold tool penetrates. 2. The airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a rivet and the metal fitting is an eyelet.