FR2863570A1 - Motor vehicle`s interior fittings, have extraction trap with reinforcement shutter including retention part connected to frame through hook that is connected with complementary retaining wall of frame during triggering of airbag module - Google Patents

Abstract

The fittings have a dashboard part (3) with an extraction trap (13) being open under inflation of airbag. A frame (23) is fixed to the part to form a guiding path (65) for deployment of the airbag. The trap has a reinforcement shutter (25) with a retention part (93) connected to the frame through a retention hook (95). The hook is connected with a complementary retaining wall of the frame, during triggering of an airbag module (21). An independent claim is also included for a method of assembling an equipment part.

Description

The present invention relates to a room

  motor vehicle equipment comprising: - an airbag safety device, comprising a housing and an air bag contained in said housing, - a dashboard portion formed with an extraction hatch adapted to open under the effect of the swelling of the bag during the triggering of the device, a frame fixed to the dashboard portion, and arranged between the housing and the hatch, so as to form a guide channel for the deployment of the bag, and a reinforcement flap of the hatch, a part of which is pressed against one side of the hatch and is fixed thereto, and a holding portion of which is connected to the frame by means of at least one retaining hook acting on the against an ejection of the flap when triggering the device.

  It is known in the state of the art, in particular from document EP 1 302 373, an arrangement in which the retaining portions of the reinforcing flap are connected to the frame by means of hooks. These hooks are secured to the housing of the safety device (or air-bag module), and are engaged in corresponding openings of the frame on the one hand, and the retaining portion of the flap on the other hand.

  Such an arrangement is not entirely satisfactory, because in the first place it imposes the existence of fasteners between the airbag module housing and the frame, but also that it imposes the same position for the connections between the shutter. and the frame on the one hand, and for the connections between the housing and the frame on the other hand. Thus, this arrangement poses some problems of adaptation to the different architectures of dashboards.

  In addition, this arrangement makes assembly of the piece of equipment complex, since it imposes precise positioning and holding in position of the shutter retaining parts on the frame, prior to the introduction of the air bag module. .

  According to other arrangements of the state of the art, used more commonly, the reinforcing flap is connected to the frame by screwing or riveting. This technique is not satisfactory, since the attachment of the flap on the frame involves additional fasteners, and additional mounting time.

  The object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages set out above.

  This object is achieved thanks to the invention, in that the hook is formed integrally with the flap, and cooperates, when triggering the device, with a complementary shoulder formed with the frame.

  According to other optional features of the invention: said shoulder is defined by a window formed in the frame, and the dashboard portion has at least one rib which protrudes into the window, so as to close at the less partially the latter and maintain the hook engaged in said window; the hook has a T-shape, the window being of corresponding shape; the frame has an attachment flange at the dashboard portion, having a plated face and attached to a complementary face of the dashboard portion, and an adjacent substantially orthogonal wall, and in that each window comprises a portion introducing the respective hook, formed in said flange, and a retaining portion forming a shoulder for the hook, formed in said adjacent wall, the insertion portion being at least partially closed by the respective ribs of the dashboard portion ; the shutter comprises a plate of complementary shape to the trapdoor and fixed thereto, and in that the retaining part comprises at least one strip formed integrally with said plate from an edge of the latter, and said hook, formed on the free edge side of said strip; and - the band has a ripple, so that said band can be stretched, thereby allowing the hatch to come off completely and be ejected from the dashboard portion, when triggering the device; and the flap comprises at least two such strips arranged symmetrically from one edge of the plate, and each formed with a hook.

  The invention also relates to a method of assembling a piece of equipment as described above, in which the following successive operations are carried out: the shutter is fixed on the corresponding face of the hatch; the frame is presented for attachment to the dashboard portion, and the hooks are engaged in the respective windows; and - the frame is fixed to the dashboard portion. According to other optional features of the method of the invention: the safety device is then fixed with respect to the frame; - Fixing the flap to the hatch is made by welding; and fixing the frame to the dashboard portion is performed by welding.

  A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a partial exploded perspective view of a piece of interior equipment of a motor vehicle conforming to the invention, and a transverse beam structure of the vehicle; Figure 2 is a sectional view in the direction 2-2, on a larger scale, of the equipment piece of Figure 1, in assembled configuration; and - Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 1, showing the elements involved in the connection between the reinforcement flap and the frame.

  In the figures, there is shown a piece of equipment 1 of a motor vehicle, which comprises a portion of the dashboard 3, and an air bag safety assembly 5.

  The dashboard portion 3, in the example shown, consists of a dashboard facade portion located on the passenger side, the safety assembly 5 being of the type called passenger air bag. The dashboard portion 3 comprises a wall 7 made of plastic, covered, in the example shown, with a layer 9 of appearance coating. In the wall 7 is formed a weakening line 11 delimiting a hatch 13, detachable from the wall 7 during the swelling of the bag of the safety assembly 5.

  The safety assembly 5 essentially comprises an airbag device (or module) 21, a frame 23 for guiding the deployment of the bag, and a reinforcing flap 25.

  In Figure 1 in particular, there is also shown a transverse beam 27, forming a structural part of the vehicle, on which is fixed the module 21.

  For the sake of clarity of the drawings, and for convenience in the description which follows, the Figures have been oriented in a system of orthogonal axes X, Y, Z, different from the axis system generally used to define the orientation of a vehicle, and in which: - Z axis represents the main axis of deployment of the air bag, directed substantially from the dashboard portion to the intended location of the head of a passenger, which is intended for the security device ; - The X axis is a transverse axis, substantially horizontal, corresponding to a transverse axis of the vehicle oriented here from the left to the right of the vehicle; and - the Y axis is the orthogonal axis to the two axes mentioned above, directed substantially back to front of the vehicle.

  For simplicity of description, the Z axis, which is actually substantially inclined relative to the vertical, will be assumed vertical, the XY plane is therefore assumed horizontal. All the terms of position and direction, such as high, low, upper, lower, will be understood with respect to this axis Z. The axial term will also be understood with respect to the Z axis, that is to say say according to the main axis of deployment of the airbag.

  Still with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the safety assembly 5 will now be described in greater detail.

  The module 21 comprises an airbag (not shown in the figures), a housing 31 in which the airbag is housed, an inflation gas generator (not shown), also contained in the housing 31, and a breakable diaphragm 35. temporary closure of the housing.

  The housing 31 has a bottom 37, so that the housing 31 is closed in its lower part, and an opening 39 on the upper side of the housing, this opening being of substantially rectangular shape. The opening 39 extends substantially in the plane XY, and is elongated along the axis X. The opening 39 thus defines two sides of larger dimension and two sides of smaller dimension, the housing 31.

  The casing 31 is furthermore provided with a bracket 41 fastened to a complementary lug 43 integral with the beam 27. The lug 41 is provided on the bottom 37 of the casing, and fixed rigidly to the complementary tab 43, for example by means of a bolt 45.

  On the side of the opening 39, the housing 31 is formed with a rim 49, on each side of smaller size of the housing, each rim 49 being provided with two fixing holes 50 offset along the Y axis. The frame 23 is essentially formed of a peripheral rim 61, internally defining an opening 63 for releasing the bag, of generally rectangular shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the opening 39 of the housing, and an axial channel 65 of section corresponding to the opening 63. In the example shown, the peripheral flange 61 is made of a plastic part with the channel 65, but the latter could be attached to the peripheral flange 61, and rigidly fixed thereto.

  In its fixing position shown in Figure 2, the housing 31 of the module 21 opens through its opening 39 in the channel 65, the latter therefore extending between the module 21 and the opening 63 of release of the bag.

  The upper face of the peripheral flange 61 is inscribed in a slightly curved surface, substantially flat and substantially horizontal, corresponding to the region peripheral to the line of weakness 11 of the lower face of the wall 7 of the dashboard. The peripheral flange 61 is fixed, by its upper face, preferably by welding, to this region of the dashboard wall 7.

  The frame 23 is furthermore formed with two projecting lug strips 71 on each smaller side of the peripheral flange 61 with which they are integral. These lugs 71 each comprise a substantially horizontal face, on which are provided two fixing holes 73 corresponding to the holes 50.

  The lugs 71 are fixed rigidly to the flanges 49, each by means of a bolt, whose screw, substantially axial Z, is engaged in the respective holes 50, 73.

  Thus, the housing 31 is here fixed to the frame 23 by screwing on two opposite sides of the peripheral flange 61.

  Nevertheless, the direct connection of the housing to the frame could, in other embodiments, be provided in another region, or even be deleted.

  In addition, the frame 23 has two opposite walls 77, 78 projecting downwards from the peripheral rim 61, forming liners substantially parallel or slightly inclined with respect to the walls of the channel 65 located on the longer sides. . The walls 77, 78 extend outwardly from the corresponding walls of the channel 65, over a greater height, so that they reach a lower level along the Z axis. As can be seen in FIG. 2, one of the lining walls 77 is connected to the peripheral flange 61 via a recess 81. The latter is formed of a substantially vertical wall 82, adjacent to the flange 61, and a horizontal wall 83 adjacent the vertical wall 82 on the one hand and the wall 77 on the other hand.

  It will be noted that right-angled stiffening ribs 85 connect the walls 77 and 83. Likewise, similar angular ribs 86 connect the flange 61 to the wall 78.

  As is also shown in the figures, the frame 23 is provided on one of its large sides, windows 87, here two in number, arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical median plane YZ. Each window 87 has a general T-shape, cut in the horizontal rim 61 and the vertical wall 82: as illustrated in particular in FIG. 3, the central bar 87A of the T is cut partly vertically in the wall 82, and horizontally in the flange 61, and this continuously, while the upper bar 87B of the T extends horizontally, along the axis X, in the flange 61.

  The flap 25 comprises a metal plate 91, shapes and dimensions substantially corresponding to those of the release opening 63 and the hatch 13, and retaining portions 93 formed integrally with the plate 91.

  The metal plate 91 is fixed, for example by welding, on the underside of the hatch 13 of the dashboard portion 3.

  The retaining portions 93, which are provided to cooperate with the windows 87 of the frame 23, are also two in number in the example shown, and are correspondingly arranged on the same side of the flap 25.

  Each retaining portion 93 comprises a strip or strip 94, which projects laterally along the Y axis from a longer side of the plate 91, and a hook 95 integral with the strip 94 at its free end. In the example shown, the hook 95 is formed of a single piece of metal with the band 94 and the plate 91.

  The hook 95 has a shape corresponding to that of the respective window 87. Thus, starting from the band 94 which extends laterally along the Y axis, the hook 95 2863570 9 has, on the side of the free end of the strip 94, a bar 96 elongated transversely along the axis X, designed to engage in the portion 87B of the window 87, by insertion along the vertical axis Z. The hook 95, at the bar 96, is stiffened by an end fold, which gives the bar 96 a double thickness vis-à-vis the band 94.

  The width of the band 94 is provided so that the latter can slide freely in the vertical direction Z, inside the portion 87A of the window 87.

  It is understood that the bar 96, cooperating with the wall portions 82 adjacent the window 87, prevents the withdrawal of the hook 95 from the window 87. The vertical wall 82 thus defines a complementary shoulder for the hook 95.

  The window portion 87B will be said hook introduction portion 95, while the window portion 87A will be said retaining portion of the same hook.

  Note that the band 94 has a corrugation 97, provided to give the band the ability to be stretched under a tensile force. Such an effort occurs when the safety device is triggered. By stretching, the band 94 allows the hatch 13 to be completely detached from the rest of the dashboard portion 3, and to be ejected while being secured to the latter.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the underside of the dashboard wall 7 is formed with ribs 101 which engage the introduction portion 87B to hold the hook 95 inside. of the latter. After engagement of the hook in the window 87, the bar 96 can not be extracted from the window 87, due to the closure at least partially of the latter made by the ribs 101.

  These ribs 101 are formed as vertical strips YZ, which each extend over most of the width Y of the insertion portion 87B of the window, and most of the thickness Z of the flange 61. ribs 101, five in number in the example shown (Figure 3), are distributed along the X axis over most of the length of the introduction portion 87B.

  It is understood that, when triggering the device, from the assembled configuration shown in Figure 2, the swelling of the bag causes the rupture of the membrane 35 and the opening of the flap 25 under the impact of the bag around the parts 93. The hatch 13 then detaches from the rest of the dashboard portion 3, breaking at the level of the weakening lines 11. The hinges 93 stretch at the same time as the hatch 13 is ejected from the surface of the dashboard. Thanks to the locking of the hooks 95 in the windows 87, the hinges 93 hold the metal plate 91, and integrally the door 13 to the frame 23. In this way, it avoids the ejection of fragments of the dashboard to the passenger.

  We will now briefly describe a method of assembling the piece of equipment 1 which has been described above, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

  In a first step, the flap 25 is fixed on the corresponding face of the hatch 13, by welding the upper face of the metal plate 91 to the lower face of the hatch 13.

  The hooks 95 are then free, in a vacuum, waiting for commitment.

  In a second step of the method, the frame 23 is presented under the dashboard portion 3, for attachment to the latter. By approaching the wall 7, the hooks 95 are engaged in the respective windows 87, the insertion being carried out substantially along the Z axis by the introduction portion 87B, substantially flat. This means that the bar 96 is held in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the flange 61, when it engages in the window 87.

  Simultaneously, the ribs 101 engage in the introduction portions 87B, and block the extraction of the bars 96 by the introduction portions 87B.

  In a subsequent step of the method, the frame 23 is held in contact with the wall 7 and is fixed thereto, for example by welding the flange 61 on the lower face of the wall 7.

  In a subsequent assembly step, the air-bag module 21 is fixed relative to the assembly thus obtained, in particular with respect to the frame 23. In particular, the tabs 41, 43 are fixed by means of the bolt 45, and in the example shown, one fixes the rims 49 of the air-bag module to the ears 71 of the frame, by screwing or by riveting.

  As indicated above, in other embodiments of the invention, it is possible to omit such direct attachment of the housing 31 to the frame 23, or possibly make this attachment to other locations and / or by different means.

  The invention just described provides a great simplicity, as well as a high reliability, of the connection between the shutter and the frame, and allows an assembly of the piece of equipment by relatively fast operations, which require less tooling than the assembly methods of the state of the art.

2863570 12

Claims (11)

  1. Motor vehicle equipment part comprising.   an airbag safety device (21) comprising a housing (31) and an air bag contained in said housing, a dashboard portion (3) formed with an extraction hatch (13) adapted for opening under the effect of the swelling of the bag when triggering the device, - a frame (23) fixed to the dashboard portion (3), and arranged between the housing (31) and the hatch (13), way to form a channel (65) for guiding the deployment of the bag, and - a flap (25) for reinforcing the hatch (13), part of which (91) is pressed against one face of the hatch (13) and is fixed to the latter, and a retaining portion (93) is connected to the frame (23) via at least one retaining hook (95) acting against an ejection of the flap (25) when triggering the device, characterized in that said hook (95) is formed integrally with the flap (25), and cooperates, when triggering the device, with a shoulder complementary t (87A) formed with the frame (23).   2. Equipment part according to claim 1, characterized in that said shoulder (87A) is defined by a window (87) formed in the frame (23), and the dashboard portion (3) has at least one rib (101) which protrudes into the window (87), so as to close at least partially the latter and maintain the hook (95) engaged in said window (87).   3. piece of equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that the hook (95) has a T-shape, the window (87) being of corresponding shape.   4. piece of equipment according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the frame (23) has a flange (61) for attachment to the dashboard portion (3) having a face plated and fixed on one side complementary to the dashboard portion (3), and an adjacent substantially orthogonal wall (82), and in that each window (87) comprises a respective hook introduction portion (87B) formed in said flange (61), and a retaining portion (87A) forming a shoulder for the hook (95), formed in said adjacent wall (82), the insertion portion (87B) being at least partially occluded by the respective ribs (101). ) of the dashboard part (3).   5. piece of equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the flap (25) comprises a plate (91) of complementary shape of the hatch (13) and fixed thereto, and in that the retaining portion (93) comprises at least one strip (94) formed integrally with said plate (91) from an edge thereof, and said hook (95) formed on the free edge side said band (94).   6. piece of equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that the strip (94) has a corrugation (97), so that said strip (94) can be stretched, thereby allowing the hatch (13) to detach completely and to be ejected from the dashboard portion (3) when the device (21) is triggered.   7. Equipment according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the flap (25) comprises at least two such strips (94) arranged symmetrically from an edge of the plate (91), and formed each with a hook (95).   8. A method of assembling a piece of equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the shoulder (87A) is defined by a window (87) formed in the frame (23), method in which the following successive operations are carried out: the shutter (25) is fixed on the corresponding face of the hatch (13); - the frame (23) is presented for attachment to the dashboard portion (3), and the hooks (95) are engaged in the respective windows (87); and - the frame (23) is fixed to the dashboard portion (3).   9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that then secures the safety device (21) with respect to the frame (23).   10. A method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the fastening of the flap (25) to the hatch (13) is performed by welding.   11. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the attachment of the frame (23) to the dashboard portion (3) is made by welding.