KR102625020B1 - Airbag cover assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

It relates to an airbag cover assembly, comprising an airbag cover coupled to a steering wheel and a lighting emblem module installed inside the airbag cover and illuminating the outside of the airbag cover with light, wherein the lighting emblem module includes a plurality of LEDs. It includes a printed circuit board on which is installed and a housing for fixing the printed circuit board to the front plate of the airbag cover, wherein the housing is configured to be integrally molded with the airbag cover, and the housing of the lighting emblem module is attached to the airbag cover. can be molded into one piece and firmly fixed by combining the printed circuit board with the housing.

Description

Airbag cover assembly{AIRBAG COVER ASSEMBLY}

The present invention relates to an airbag cover assembly, and more specifically, to an airbag cover assembly coupled to a steering wheel of a vehicle and having an emblem installed on its upper surface.

Driver's seat airbag devices applied to automobiles are widely used to protect passengers in the driver's seat from shock that occurs during a car collision.

Such a driver's seat airbag device is generally mounted on a steering wheel and includes an inflator, an airbag cushion, a housing that accommodates the airbag cushion in a folded state, and a cover that covers an opening of the housing.

When a car crashes, the airbag cushion expands as gas is injected from the inflator, and the cover made of soft resin ruptures due to the inflation force of the airbag cushion, forming an opening in the cover, which is inflated toward the vehicle's passengers through the opening.

This driver's seat airbag device may be equipped with a cover having a decorative plate, so-called emblem.

For example, patent document 1 and patent document 2 below disclose airbag cover technology.

Meanwhile, emblems are generally made with a company's design or mark, and have the function of giving value to the vehicle represented by the emblem rather than simply indicating the manufacturing company.

Emblems are installed throughout the exterior and interior of a vehicle to reveal the credit value accumulated in the emblem. The location where these emblems are installed varies depending on the company that manufactures the vehicle, but most are installed on the rear of the vehicle and the front of the steering wheel.

That is, it is installed on the airbag cover that covers the armature installed in the center of the steering wheel steered by the passenger driving the vehicle.

Generally, an emblem without an illumination function is applied to an airbag cover according to the prior art.

Accordingly, the airbag cover according to the prior art can be identified by natural light during the day, but at night, as the amount of light becomes insufficient, identification becomes difficult, so there is a problem in that it does not function properly due to difficulty in identification.

In order to solve this problem, technology for applying lighting to the emblem has been developed in Patent Documents 3 to 5 above, but the structure has become complicated due to the addition of new components such as LEDs, substrates, housings, and diffusion plates, and manufacturing There was a problem with costs rising unnecessarily.

Additionally, the airbag cover according to the prior art had a structure in which the emblem and the lighting module were combined on both sides around the airbag cover, making assembly work difficult and workability deteriorating.

Meanwhile, the driver's seat airbag device deploys the airbag cushion using nitrogen gas generated by instantaneously burning a gas generator such as sodium nitrite by an inflator during a car collision.

However, when manufacturing the emblem using a metal material, there was a problem in that the emblem attached to the airbag cover detached from the airbag cover when the airbag cushion was deployed, causing injury to the driver.

In other words, the emblem made of metal material requires additional riveting work, etc. to remain firmly attached to the airbag cushion, which reduces workability and increases work time and manufacturing cost, and the airbag with the emblem installed There was a problem of increasing the weight of the cover.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1718689 (announced on March 22, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-2005738 (announced on July 31, 2019) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1076195 (announced on October 26, 2011) US Patent No. US 8,925,959 (January 6, 2015) US Patent No. US 8,061,861 (November 22, 2011)

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems described above and to provide an airbag cover assembly that can improve visibility by illuminating an emblem installed on the airbag cover.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag cover assembly that can firmly couple an airbag cover and a lighting emblem so that the lighting emblem module is not separated from the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is inflated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag cover assembly that can shorten work time and improve workability by improving the combined structure of the airbag cover and lighting emblem module.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag cover assembly that can provide various information transmission functions by selectively lighting or flashing a plurality of LEDs.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the airbag cover assembly according to the present invention includes an airbag cover coupled to the steering wheel and a lighting emblem module installed inside the airbag cover and illuminating the outside of the airbag cover with light. The lighting emblem module includes a printed circuit board on which a plurality of LEDs are installed and a housing for fixing the printed circuit board to the front plate of the airbag cover, wherein the housing is integrally molded with the airbag cover. Do it as

As described above, according to the airbag cover assembly and its manufacturing method according to the present invention, the assembly structure of the lighting emblem module is simplified by combining the substrate with the housing integrally formed on the rear of the airbag cover, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work. The effect of being able to do it is achieved.

And according to the present invention, the effect of being able to be firmly fixed by coupling the substrate to the coupling space formed in the housing using an interference fit method is obtained.

Alternatively, according to the present invention, the rear portion of the housing is provided to be rotatable about one end connected to the front portion to open or close the coupling space where the substrate is coupled, and a hook portion and a hanging portion are provided at the edges of the front and rear portions of the housing, respectively. The effect of being able to firmly fix the substrate is obtained by combining the front and rear portions with the substrate installed in the internal coupling space.

In this way, according to the present invention, by firmly combining the airbag cover and the lighting emblem module to prevent the lighting emblem module from being separated from the airbag cover when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed, injury to the occupants caused by the lighting emblem module can be prevented in advance. You can.

That is, according to the present invention, the lighting emblem module is manufactured from a synthetic resin material and the housing is molded as an integrated airbag to minimize the load on the lighting emblem module, thereby preventing separation and separation of the lighting emblem module coupled to the airbag cover. The effect of prevention is achieved.

In addition, according to the present invention, the effect of maximizing the lighting effect is obtained by lighting or blinking a plurality of LEDs installed on the rear of the airbag cover in various colors.

In addition, according to the present invention, the effect of being able to provide various information transmission functions by selectively lighting or blinking a plurality of LEDs is obtained.

1 is a front view of an airbag cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a rear view of the airbag cover shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting emblem module shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' shown in Figure 1;
5 is a perspective view of an airbag cover assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a view showing a state in which the housing cover shown in Figure 5 is rotated to close the coupling space;
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the lighting emblem module shown in Figure 5;
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the lighting emblem module shown in Figure 6;
Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the diffuser and substrate applied to the lighting emblem module.

Hereinafter, an airbag cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an airbag cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the airbag cover shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting emblem module shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, the direction toward the hub of the steering wheel based on the airbag cover 11 is referred to as 'rear', and the opposite direction is referred to as 'forward'. And terms indicating directions such as 'left', 'right', 'upward' and 'downward' refer to each direction based on the 'front' and 'rear' as shown in each drawing. define.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the airbag cover assembly 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed inside the airbag cover 11 and the airbag cover 11 coupled to the steering wheel, and includes an airbag cover ( It includes a lighting emblem module (hereinafter abbreviated as 'lighting module') 12 that irradiates light to the outside of 11) and illuminates the emblem.

The airbag cover 11 shields the side wall 21 and the top of the side wall 21 coupled to the airbag housing installed on the steering wheel (not shown) and covers the airbag module (not shown) disposed on the armature of the steering wheel. ) includes a front plate 22 covering the

The side wall portion 21 is coupled to the airbag housing and modularized into an airbag module, and the airbag module can be combined into a structure disposed on a steering wheel.

That is, the side wall portion 21 may be formed in a cylindrical shape with a cross-section of various shapes such as a circular shape, an oval shape, or a square shape, so as to correspond to the coupling space formed in the airbag housing. A lower cover (not shown) that shields the lower surface of the side wall portion 21 may be coupled to the lower portion of the side wall portion 21.

A leather cover may be installed on the upper surface of the front plate 22.

In addition, the front plate 22 has a tear line 23 that breaks as the airbag cushion expands and deploys, and a plurality of transmission holes 24 that transmit the light emitted from the plurality of LEDs 31 provided in the lighting module 12. This can be formed.

The tear line 23 may be formed in an approximately 'H' shape along the central portion of the front plate 22 and both side walls 21.

The lighting module 12 is a printed circuit board (hereinafter abbreviated as 'board') 30 on which a plurality of LEDs 31 are installed and the board 30 is fixed to the bottom of the front plate 22 of the airbag cover 11. It includes a housing 50 that does.

The substrate 30 is formed in a substantially plate shape, and a plurality of LEDs 31, for example, four, may be installed on the front surface of the substrate 30. Of course, the number of LEDs 31 is not limited to four, and one to three, or five or more may be provided, and may be arranged on the substrate 30 according to various conditions such as the shape and size of the lighting module 12. The number, location, and shape of LEDs 31 can be changed in various ways.

This substrate 30 can be coupled to the coupling space 51 formed in the housing 50 in a sliding manner.

A connector 32 may be provided on the back of the board 30 to transmit power and control signals to each LED 31.

The housing 50 may be molded integrally with the front plate 22 when manufacturing the airbag cover 11.

To explain in detail, the housing 50 functions to fix the substrate 30 coupled by sliding in the coupling space 51 formed therein.

This housing 50 may be formed in a substantially hexahedral shape with one side, for example, a bottom side, open so that a coupling space 51 is formed therein.

And the coupling space 51 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the substrate 30, the plurality of LEDs 31, and the connector 32 so that the substrate 30 can be coupled.

That is, the light emitted from the plurality of LEDs 31 is directed to the front part 53 centered on the coupling space 51 in the housing 50 so that the light is emitted forward through the front plate 22 of the airbag cover 11. , a plurality of, for example, four path providing units 52 that provide movement paths may be provided.

And in the rear portion 54 of the housing 50 centered on the coupling space 51, a connector coupling space 55 where the connector 32 provided on the rear of the substrate 30 is coupled is formed in communication with the coupling space 51. It can be.

Here, both sides 56 of the coupling space 51 can be firmly and fixed by combining both ends of the substrate 30 in an interference fit manner. To this end, each side portion 56 of the coupling space 51 may be formed to have a height slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate 30 .

The path providing unit 52 can block the light emitted from each LED 31 from scattering to the surroundings, that is, up, down, left and right, and from mixing with each other.

This path providing portion 52 may extend from each LED 31 at the front portion 53 of the housing 50 to each transmission hole 24 formed in the front plate 22.

As such, the present invention can provide a lighting emblem effect by installing a lighting emblem module including a plurality of LEDs on an airbag cover and lighting or flashing the plurality of LEDs in various colors.

Next, a method for manufacturing an airbag cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the worker molds the airbag cover 11 and the housing 50 by injection molding by injecting raw materials into the mold for forming the airbag cover 11 and the housing 50. At this time, the housing 50 is formed integrally with the rear of the front plate 22 of the airbag cover 11.

Inside the housing 50, a coupling space 51 where the substrate 30 is coupled and a connector coupling space 55 are formed in communication with each other.

Next, the operator places the substrate 30 on one open side, that is, the lower side, of the coupling space 51 formed in the housing 50, and slides the substrate 30 upward toward the inside of the coupling space 51 to form the substrate. Combine (30) and housing (50).

At this time, since both side portions 56 of the coupling space 51 are formed to have a height slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate 30, the substrate 30 is coupled to the coupling space 51 in an interference fit manner. Therefore, the substrate 30 can be firmly fixed to the housing 50.

Through this process, the present invention simplifies the assembly structure of the lighting emblem module by combining the substrate with the housing formed integrally with the rear of the airbag cover, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work.

In addition, the present invention can be firmly fixed by coupling the substrate to the coupling space formed in the housing using an interference fit method.

Accordingly, the present invention firmly combines the airbag cover and the lighting emblem module to prevent the lighting emblem module from being separated from the airbag cover when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed, thereby preventing injury to occupants caused by the lighting emblem module in advance. .

That is, the present invention manufactures the lighting emblem module with a synthetic resin material to minimize the load on the lighting emblem module, thereby preventing separation and separation of the lighting emblem module coupled to the airbag cover, thereby preventing injury to the occupants due to the lighting emblem module. can be prevented.

Additionally, the present invention can maximize the lighting effect by lighting or flashing a plurality of LEDs installed on the rear of the airbag cover in various colors.

In addition, the present invention can provide various information transmission functions by selectively lighting or blinking a plurality of LEDs.

For example, if a fault condition is diagnosed as a result of the diagnosis of devices installed in the vehicle, the control unit provided in the vehicle may provide a warning function by lighting or flashing all or part of the LEDs in a specific color, such as red.

In addition, when the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle, the control unit may display the charging state by lighting or flashing some or all of the plurality of LEDs in a specific color, for example, green, to correspond to the charging state of the battery.

Of course, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and sets a scenario in which a plurality of LEDs are lit or flashed in various colors, and selectively lights or flashes to correspond to the set scenario according to the actual operating state of the car to convey various information. Functions may also be provided.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, it has been described that the substrate is coupled by sliding it into the coupling space formed in the housing, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this.

Next, the configuration of an airbag cover assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an airbag cover assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the housing cover shown in Figure 5 is rotated to close the coupling space. And FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the lighting emblem module shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the lighting emblem module shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the configuration is the same as the airbag cover assembly 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, except that the rear portion 54 of the housing 50 Rotate and combine with the front part 53 to firmly fix the board 30.

In detail, the front portion 53 and the rear portion 54 of the housing 50 may be provided to be coupled to or separable from each other.

That is, the rear part 54 of the housing 50 can rotate around one end connected to the front part 53, the lower end as seen in FIG. 5, to open or close the coupling space 51.

Here, the portion where the rear portion 54 and the front portion 53 of the housing 50 are connected may function as an axis around which the rear portion 54 of the housing 50 rotates.

A plurality of hook parts 57 are provided at the edge of the front part 53 for fixing the rear part 54, and a plurality of hook parts (57) are provided at the edge of the rear part 54 at positions corresponding to each hook part 57 ( 58) can be provided.

A locking protrusion is formed at the tip of each hook portion 57, and the locking protrusion is hooked on each hook portion 580 of the rear portion 54 coupled to the front portion 53 and firmly fixed so that the rear portion 54 is not separated. can do.

Each hook 58 may be formed to protrude from the outer surface of the rear portion 54 to have a cross-section of approximately '┏┓' shape.

One or more of the plurality of hook parts 57 and hangers 58 may be provided on the surfaces other than the lower surfaces of the front part 53 and the rear part 54, that is, the upper surface and both sides, respectively, which are connected to each other.

In this way, the present invention provides the rear portion of the housing to be rotatable about one end connected to the front portion, so that the coupling space where the substrate is coupled can be opened or closed.

In addition, the present invention provides a hook portion and a hanging portion at the edges of the front and rear portions of the housing, respectively, and can firmly fix the substrate by combining the front portion and the rear portion with the substrate installed in the internal coupling space.

Accordingly, the present invention firmly combines the airbag cover and the lighting emblem module to prevent the lighting emblem module from being separated from the airbag cover when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed, thereby preventing injury to occupants caused by the lighting emblem module in advance. .

Of course, the present invention provides a plurality of hook parts 58 on the front part 53 of the housing 50 and a plurality of hook parts 57 on the rear part 54 of the housing 50 to couple them to each other. It may be changed.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiments, it has been described that the path providing portion 52 is provided in the housing 50, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

For example, Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of a diffuser and a substrate applied to a lighting emblem module.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lighting module 12 is disposed between the substrate 30 and the front plate 22 of the airbag cover 11, spreads the light emitted from each LED 31, and intersects each other. It may further include a diffuser 60 that limits the movement path to prevent mixing.

The diffuser 60 is coupled to the front of the substrate 30 or the rear of the front part 53 of the housing 50, and ensures that the light irradiated forward from each LED 31 is scattered at various angles and crosses and mixes with each other. It has a preventive function.

For this purpose, the diffuser 60 is manufactured to be opaque or translucent using a synthetic resin material, and the diffuser 60 has a light movement path so that the light emitted from each LED 31 is transmitted only forward. A plurality of path providing units 61, for example, four, may be formed.

The path providing unit 61 may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to block the light emitted from each LED 31 from scattering to the surroundings, that is, up, down, left and right. This path providing portion 61 protrudes forward from the front of each LED 31 and may extend to each transmission hole 24 formed in the front plate 22.

When the diffuser 60 is coupled to the substrate 30, one or more coupling holes and coupling protrusions may be formed in the diffuser 60 and the substrate 30 so that the diffuser 60 and the substrate 30 can be coupled to each other.

Alternatively, when the diffuser 60 is coupled to the front part 53 of the housing 50, one or more coupling holes and coupling protrusions may be formed on the diffuser 60 and the front part 53 so that they can be coupled to each other.

As such, in the present invention, a diffuser having a path providing portion that provides a path for light irradiated from an LED to move is provided separately from the housing, and the diffuser can be coupled to the housing while being coupled to the front of the substrate or the front of the housing.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described in detail according to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and, of course, can be changed in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

The present invention is applied to an airbag cover assembly technology that illuminates with an emblem by installing a lighting emblem module with a plurality of LEDs on the lower part of the airbag cover.

10: Airbag cover assembly
11: Airbag cover 12: Lighting emblem module
21: side wall 22: front plate
23: tear line 24: through hole
30: substrate 31: LED
32: connector
50: Housing 51: Combination space
52: path providing part 53: front part
54: Rear part 55: Connector coupling space
56: Both sides of joining space
57: hook part 58: hanging part
60: diffuser 61: path providing unit

Claims (9)

Airbag cover attached to the steering wheel and
It includes a lighting emblem module installed inside the airbag cover and illuminating the outside of the airbag cover by emitting light,
The lighting emblem module includes a printed circuit board on which a plurality of LEDs are installed and
It includes a housing that secures the printed circuit board to the front plate of the airbag cover,
The housing is molded integrally with the airbag cover,
The housing is provided with a coupling space where the substrate is coupled,
The housing includes a front portion connected to the front plate centered on the coupling space,
It includes a rear portion provided at the rear of the coupling space,
An airbag cover assembly, wherein the rear portion of the housing rotates around one end connected to the front portion of the housing to open or close the coupling space. delete delete delete delete According to paragraph 1,
An airbag cover assembly, characterized in that a plurality of hooks and hangers are provided on the edges of the front and rear portions of the housing so as to be caught by each other when the rear portion and the front portion are combined. According to claim 1 or 6,
An airbag cover assembly, characterized in that the housing is provided with a plurality of path providing parts that provide a movement path so that the light emitted from each LED passes through the front plate of the airbag cover and is emitted to the outside. According to claim 1 or 6,
The lighting emblem module is disposed between the printed circuit board and the front plate of the airbag cover, and further includes a diffuser that diffuses the light emitted from each LED and limits the movement path to prevent them from crossing and mixing with each other. Features an airbag cover assembly. According to clause 8,
An airbag cover assembly, characterized in that the diffuser is formed with a plurality of path providing parts that provide a movement path for light so that the light emitted from each LED passes through the airbag cover and is transmitted to the outside.

Images