JP2001030862A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device whose manufacturing is easy and which can control the expansion state of an air bag simply. SOLUTION: In this air bag device 1, an inflator and air bag 2 are internally equipped in a retainer case and the inflator is ignited at the vehicular collision time and the gas is blown out in the air bag 2 and doors 12 (12a, 12b, 12c) are opened by the expansion of this air bag 2 and the air bag is expanded. Plural doors 12 (12a, 12b, 12c) are provided to control the expansion state of the air bag 2 and out of plural doors 12 (12a, 12b, 12c), a delay time is provided between the opening start time of one door 12b and the opening start time of the other doors 12a, 12c.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device for protecting an occupant by deploying an airbag in the event of a vehicle collision, and more particularly to an airbag device for facilitating control of the deployment state of an airbag.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An airbag device for protecting an occupant by deploying an airbag when a vehicle collides is already known.
The airbag device is generally provided in a steering wheel or an instrument panel, and protects a driver and a passenger in a passenger seat. In addition, there are some which are provided on the side of the seat back or above the side door to ensure the protection of the driver and the like.

The basic structure of these airbag devices is common and includes a folded airbag, a retainer case containing an inflator, a sensor for detecting a vehicle collision, and the like. That is, when a collision of the vehicle is detected by this sensor, the igniting agent in the inflator is ignited, and the gas generating agent in the inflator burns. Then, gas is blown out from the inflator into the airbag, and the airbag is deployed by the filling of the gas.

[0004]

By the way, the deployment direction of the airbag or the order and time of the deployment direction (hereinafter referred to as the deployment state) affect the restraint and safety for protecting the occupant. Specifically, rather than deploying in a straight line direction (hereinafter referred to as a frontal direction) from the airbag device to the occupant, first deploy in the horizontal direction, that is, in the diffusion direction, and finally deploy the entire airbag. It is thought that the better the intention is, the more restrictive the occupant is. In addition, there may be a case where the deployment state of the airbag needs to be controlled in relation to the occupant in consideration of the arrangement position of the airbag device and the like.

In the conventional airbag apparatus, in order to control the deployment state of the airbag, for example, the way of folding the airbag is devised, or a specific member or the like is provided in the airbag to deploy the airbag. Had controlled the state. Specifically, the airbag is folded in a bellows shape so as to be parallel to the gas blowing direction, or a base cloth is additionally formed in the airbag, and the deployment direction is controlled by controlling the gas flow. is there.

[0006] However, with such conventional general means, it is difficult to manufacture the airbag due to the difficulty of additional formation of the base cloth or the like, or the folding method becomes complicated, so that the deployment state of the airbag is optimized. It was often difficult to control the state. An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can easily control the deployment state of an airbag and that is easy to manufacture.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inflator and an airbag are provided in a retainer case, and when the vehicle collides, the inflator is ignited to discharge gas into the airbag. An airbag device in which a door portion is opened by inflation of the airbag and the airbag is deployed, and a plurality of the door portions are provided in order to control a deployment state of the airbag. The airbag device is characterized in that a delay time is provided between the opening start time of some doors and the opening start time of other doors. Some doors or other doors in the present invention, and the delay time provided between the opening start times of these doors affects the deployment state of the airbag. Therefore, the deployment state of the airbag can be controlled by adjusting the plurality of doors and the delay time.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
This will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. The airbag device according to each of the following embodiments shows an airbag device on the passenger seat side, that is, an assistant airbag device, for convenience of explanation. However, the airbag device according to the present invention is not limited to this assistant airbag device. That is, an airbag device on the driver side provided in the handlebar, a side airbag device provided on the side of the seatbag, and an airbag provided above the side door and in which the airbag deploys downward. Widely includes curtain devices and the like.

First, the basic structure of the assistant airbag device will be outlined with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in a vehicle interior in which an airbag is deployed when an assistant airbag device or the like is operated. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1 and shows the inside of a retainer case of the assistant airbag device. Incidentally, the device denoted by reference numeral 1 is an assistant airbag device, and the device denoted by reference numeral 1 'is an airbag device for protecting the driver D.

The assistant airbag device 1 (hereinafter, referred to as the airbag device 1) is provided above the instrument panel 5 and includes a retainer case 11 in which an inflator 13 and the airbag 2 are housed, as shown in FIG. The retainer case 11 includes a lower case portion 11a and an upper case portion 11b. A substantially cylindrical inflator 13 is provided in the lower case portion 11a, and the folded airbag 2 is provided in the upper case portion 11b. Lower case part 11
The mid retainer 15 is mounted between the upper case 11a and the upper case 11b. The mid retainer 15 is a rectangular flat plate, and has a blast hole 15a. Further, both end edges 15b, 15 along the longitudinal direction of the mid retainer 15.
b is bent obliquely downward, and both end edges 1
The opening 21 of the airbag 2 is sandwiched between the retainers 11 and 5b, 15b. That is, the opening 21 of the airbag 2 is fixed by fastening both ends 15 b of the mid retainer 15 and the retainer case 11 with the bolts 18. Hook members 17, 17 are fixed to the front and rear of the upper case portion. This hook member 1
7, 17 are elastic engagement pieces 1 formed on the inner surface of the door portion 12.
The long holes 16a engage with the long holes 16a. By this engagement, the door portion 12 is fixed at a predetermined position.

When a vehicle collides, for example, an acceleration sensor reacts to detect the collision. Then, the inflator 13
Is ignited, and the gas generating agent in the inflator 13 burns. The generated gas G is blown out from the gas blowout ports 14 of the inflator 13 and reaches the inside of the airbag 2 through the blowout hole 15a of the mid retainer. The airbag 2 inflated by the gas G is filled with the door portion 12.
Press. The door portion 12 is opened outward by pressing the airbag 2 (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). When the door portion 12 is opened, the airbag 2 is deployed outward from the opened portion to protect the occupant P (see FIG. 1).

An airbag device 1 according to a first embodiment
In the example, the door portion 12 is formed by a plurality of tear lines 31 and the like, hinge lines 41 and the like. The door 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view mainly showing a door portion of the airbag device 1,
(A) is a state before the airbag is inflated, (b) is an initial state where some doors are opened, and the airbag starts to deploy in the left-right direction, (c) is all doors are opened, This shows a state where the airbag is completely deployed.

The door unit 12 according to the present embodiment includes a left door unit 12a, a center door unit 12b, and a right door unit 12 that are adjacent in the left-right direction.
c, and each of the doors 12a, 12b, 12c (hereinafter, each of the doors 12a to 12c) forms a quadrilateral. When each of the doors 12a to 12c is opened, hinge lines 41 and 42 are formed on a side serving as a rotation axis of each of the doors 12a to 12c. In addition, tear lines 31 and 32 that are broken by the inflation of the airbag 2 are formed on the other sides.

The groove depth of the tear line 31 is deeper than the groove depth of the tear line 32. Therefore, Tier Line 3
The thickness of the portion where 1 is formed is smaller than the thickness of the portion where the tear line 32 is formed, and the tear line 31 is more easily broken than the tear line 32. as a result,
When the same pressing force is applied to each tier line 31, 32,
First, the tear line 31 breaks, and then the tear line 32 breaks. In other words, in the present embodiment, by making the groove depths of the tear lines 31 and 32 different, a time difference is generated between the opening start times of the door portions 12a to 12c. This time difference corresponds to the delay time. Incidentally, the opening start time refers to the time when each of the doors 12a is released after the gas G (see FIG. 2) is blown into the airbag 2.
12c means each time until it starts to open.

In the case of the present embodiment, the left door portion 12a is supposed to open leftward, and the right door portion 12c is supposed to open rightward. Therefore, hinge lines 42 and 42 are formed on the left side of the left door part 12a and the right side of the right door part 12b, and the tear line 31 is formed on the other sides. Also, the central door 12
Since b is expected to open forward, a hinge line 41 is formed on the front side of the central door 12b, and a tear line 32 is formed on the rear side of the central door 12b. I have. The left door 12a and the right door 12
c (hereinafter referred to as left and right door portions 12a and 12c) and the central door portion 1
2b is adjacent. Therefore, both sides of the central door portion 12b overlap with the side edges of the left and right door portions 12a and 12c, and become the tear line 31.

As described above, the tear line 32 is harder to break than the tear line 31. Therefore, the central door 1
The opening start time of 2b is later than the opening start time of the left and right door portions 12a and 12c. In other words, in the case of the present embodiment, the inflated airbag 2 firstly includes the left and right door portions 12a, 1a.
2c is opened and expanded from the opened portion to the outside. As a result, the airbag 2 starts to deploy first in the left-right direction, that is, in the direction in which the airbag 2 diffuses toward the occupant P (see FIG. 1). When the deployment of the airbag 2 proceeds to some extent, the central door portion 12b
Is increased, and the tear line 32 is broken. Then, the central door portion 12b opens, and the airbag 2
Start deployment in front of you. As a result, the airbag 2
Fully deploy to restrain the occupant P (see FIG. 1).

Each of the door portions 12a to 12c according to the present embodiment
Have the same length A, B, C in the left-right direction. This is to make the deployed state of the airbag 2 left and right uniform, but it is not necessarily required that the dimensions A,
It is not necessary that B and C have an equal length. Therefore, for example, when it is necessary to bias the deployment of the airbag 2 to the left, the dimension A of the left door portion 12a is changed to the other door portions 12b, 1.
It is also possible to make it longer than the dimensions B and C of 2c.

Next, another embodiment mainly having a different door portion 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the respective aspects in the case of three doors, similarly to the first embodiment, and are schematic perspective views of the airbag device 1 mainly showing the doors. It is. In this case, FIG. 4A relates to the second embodiment, and shows a mode in which the left and right doors and the center door are opened forward, and FIG. 4B relates to the third embodiment. The left and right doors open forward, and the central door opens rearward. In the following description, the airbag device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.
The same reference numerals are given to members and the like that are substantially the same as those described above, and detailed description is omitted.

Each of the door portions 22a, 22a according to the second embodiment
2b, 22c (hereinafter, referred to as doors 22a to 22c) and doors 32a, 32b, 3 according to the third embodiment.
The doors 2c (hereinafter, referred to as doors 32a to 32c) are formed from a plurality of tier lines and hinge lines, as in the first embodiment. In addition, the dimension A,
B and C are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the airbag device 1 according to the second and third embodiments, the left and right door portions 22a, 22c, 32 are firstly opened by the inflation of the airbag 2 (see FIG. 2; the same applies hereinafter).
a, 32c are opened (see FIGS. 4 (a), (ii), (b), (ii)), and the airbag 2 is deployed in the left-right direction from this opened position. When the deployment of the airbag 2 proceeds to some extent, the pressing force on the central door portions 22b and 32b increases,
The center doors 22b and 32b open (FIGS. 4A and 3C).
FIG. 4 (a) (iii)). As a result, the airbag 2 is deployed from the opened central door portions 22b and 32b in the frontal direction, and the restraint on the occupant P (see FIG. 1) is increased.

As described above, in the airbag device 1 according to the first to third embodiments, the opening order of the doors 12a, 12b, 12c and the like is the same. However, each door part 12a, 12
The opening directions of b, 12c, etc. are partially different. If the doors 12a, 12b, 12c and the like open in different directions, the shape followed by the airbag 2 until the airbag 2 is completely deployed will be slightly different. That is, such a difference in the shape and the like results in a difference in the deployed state of the airbag 2, and thus each door portion 12 a, 1
By selecting and determining the opening direction such as 2b and 12c, it is possible to control the deployment state of the airbag 2 with higher accuracy. The order in which the doors 22a to 22c and 32a to 32c are opened is not limited to the order described above, that is, the order in which the center door 12b and the like are opened first, and then the left and right doors 12a and 12c and the like are opened simultaneously. . Therefore, each door 22
In order to control the deployment state of the airbag 2, for example, by opening the airbags a to 22c and 32a to 32c in order from the left side, it is sufficient to appropriately select the airbag 2 as needed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view mainly showing a door portion of the airbag device 1 according to the fourth to sixth embodiments.
Each mode in the case where a door part consists only of right and left door parts is shown. In this case, FIG. 5A relates to the fourth embodiment,
The left and right doors are open forward. FIG.
(B) relates to the fifth embodiment, and shows a mode in which a left door part opens forward and a right door part opens rearward. Further, FIG. 5 (c) relates to the sixth embodiment, and shows a mode in which the left door part opens leftward and the right door part opens forward.

Each door part 42 according to the fourth to sixth embodiments
a, 42b, 52a, 52b, 62a, 62b (hereinafter, referred to as
In each of the doors 42a to 62b), first, the left doors 42a, 52a, and 62a are formed so as to open (FIGS. (A) and (i), FIGS. (A) and (ii), and FIG. (A)
(Iii)). When the left doors 42a, 52a, 62a are opened, the airbag 2 is deployed leftward from the opened position. When the deployment of the airbag 2 proceeds to some extent, the right doors 42b, 52b, and 62b open, and the airbag 2 is completely deployed to restrain the occupant P (see FIG. 1).

In each of the doors 42a to 62b according to the fourth to sixth embodiments, the right doors 42b, 52b, 6
The dimension B of 2b is longer than the dimension A of the left door portions 42a, 52a, 62a. Therefore, the airbag 2 does not deploy in the frontal direction at the initial stage, and the occupant P
(See FIG. 1) to the left. Note that, contrary to the present embodiment, the dimension B of the right door portions 42b, 52b, 62b is made shorter than the dimension A of the left door portions 42a, 52a, 62a, and the right door portions 42b, 52b are reduced. , 62b may open first. When formed in this manner, the airbag 2 is deployed rightward of the occupant P (see FIG. 1) at an initial stage. Moreover, each door part 42a-62b
Irrespective of the dimensions A and B, the opening order and opening direction of the doors 42a to 62b may be determined, and the doors 42a to 62b may be formed to correspond to this order and the like. That is, in order to control the deployment state of the airbag 2, if necessary,
It is sufficient to select appropriately.

As described above, the airbag apparatus 1 has been specifically described mainly on the basis of each embodiment in which the door portion 12 is different.
However, the airbag device 1, particularly the door 12, is not limited to the case described in each of the above embodiments. That is, the door 12
Is not performed by the combination of the tear line and the hinge line, but a perforation or the like can be formed instead of the tear line, for example. In addition, the tear line according to each of the above embodiments is formed inside the door portion 12. However, it is also possible to form a tear line outside the door portion 12, or to form the tear line on both sides to adjust the thickness of the retainer case 11.

Next, a method of controlling the deployment state of the airbag will be described mainly with reference to FIG. According to the airbag device 1 according to each of the above-described embodiments, the deployment of the airbag 2 is, in the initial stage, in a direction horizontal to the occupant P (see FIG. 1), that is, in a diffusion direction. By adopting such a deployed state, the restraint on the occupant P is improved, and the safety is also improved, which is preferable. However, the deployed state of the airbag 2 is not necessarily limited to such a state. For example, the optimal deployed state may be appropriately changed depending on the arrangement position of the airbag device 1 and the like. .

That is, in order to cope with this optimum deployment state, the shape, size and formation position of each of the plurality of doors are determined.
The deployment state of the airbag 2 is controlled. More specifically,
The position where the tear lines 31 and 32 are formed, the thickness of the door portion 12 at the position where the tear lines 31 and 32 are formed, the dimensions of each perforation when the perforations are formed instead of the tear lines 31 and 32, and the hinge line. In consideration of the positions of 41 and 42, the output of the inflator 13 (see FIG. 2), the timing of ignition, and the like, the respective door portions 12a,
The deployment start time of the airbags 12b and 12c is adjusted to control the deployment state of the airbag 2. In addition, as in the present embodiment,
If the deployment state of the airbag 2 can be controlled by the position and shape of the tear line, there is no need for additional components. Therefore, the workability is good, and mass production is possible by the same mold for manufacturing the retainer case 11, which is preferable in terms of cost.

[0028]

According to the present invention, a plurality of doors are formed, and among these doors, a delay time is provided between the opening start time of some doors and the opening start time of other doors. It is. Therefore, the deployment state of the airbag can be easily controlled by controlling the formation position of the plurality of door portions or the delay time. Therefore, for example, the restraint of the occupant due to the deployment of the airbag can be easily enhanced, and the safety can be easily improved accordingly. Further, according to the present invention, there is no need for additional components for controlling the deployment state of the airbag. For this reason, the production becomes easy, and the cost becomes favorable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in a vehicle compartment in which an airbag is deployed when an assistant airbag device or the like according to a first embodiment is operated.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1, showing the inside of a retainer case of the assistant airbag device.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic perspective views mainly showing a door portion of the assistant airbag device according to the first embodiment, where FIG. 3A shows a state before the airbag inflates, and FIG. (C) shows a state where all the doors are opened and the airbag is completely deployed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view mainly showing a door portion of the assistant airbag device, and FIG. 4A shows a mode in which a left and right door portion and a central door portion open forward according to the second embodiment. (B) relates to the third embodiment and shows a mode in which the left and right doors open forward and the central door opens rearward.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view mainly showing a door portion of an assistant airbag device, wherein FIG. 5 (a) relates to a fourth embodiment and shows a mode in which left and right door portions open forward, and FIG. According to the fifth embodiment, a mode is shown in which the left door part opens forward and the right door part opens rearward, (c) relates to the sixth embodiment,
The left door portion opens leftward, and the right door portion opens forward.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Assistant airbag device (airbag device) 11: Retainer case 13: Inflator 2: Airbag 12: Door portion 12a, 22a, 32a, 42a, 52a, 62a: Left door portion 12b, 22b, 32b: Central door portion 12c, 22c, 32c, 42b, 52b, 62b: right door

Claims (1)

[Claims] An inflator and an airbag are provided in a retainer case. When the vehicle collides, the inflator is ignited and gas is blown into the airbag. Is an airbag device that is deployed, in order to control the deployment state of the airbag, a plurality of the doors are provided, and among the plurality of doors, an opening start time of some of the doors and another door are provided. An airbag device characterized in that a delay time is provided between the airbag and the opening time of the airbag.