JP2002200956A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leakage of gas from an inflator to the outside, and to prevent damage of an air bag by heat of the gas in an air bag device for locking the air bag in a case by a cylindrical diffuser. SOLUTION: In this air bag device 10 having the air bag 14, the almost columnar inflator 16 having a gas blowoff part 40 in one end part, the case 12 for housing the air bag and the inflator, and the cylindrical diffuser 18 for surrounding the outer periphery of the inflator, and constituted so that the diffuser 18 is arranged inside the port side part 34 of the air bag 14, and is arranged between opposed side walls 24 and 26 of the case 12, and the air bag 14 is locked in the case 12 by this diffuser 18, the periphery of the gas blowoff part 40 of the inflator 16 is covered with a gas regulating wall 58 projecting between the gas blowoff part 40 and the diffuser 18 from the first side wall 24 of the case 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device which is a device for protecting a passenger in a vehicle or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an airbag device is provided with a case disposed on a front portion of a vehicle body such as an instrument panel and a center portion of a steering wheel, and is folded inside the case. An airbag that is stored in a state, and an inflator that is a gas generator, is configured such that, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag expands and deploys to the occupant side by gas generated by the inflator, thereby receiving the occupant's body. Have been.

In recent years, with the demand for cost reduction of vehicles,
Airbag devices are also required to reduce assembly man-hours. However, in the conventional general airbag device, the rectangular mouth portion of the airbag is fixed to the inner wall surface of the peripheral portion of the opening of the case with a bag retainer or the like, so that it is difficult to reduce the number of assembly steps. is there.

As a structure for solving such a problem, a diffuser for rectifying the flow of gas generated by the inflator is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the inflator, and the cylindrical diffuser is arranged inside a mouth portion of the airbag. There is an airbag in which an airbag is locked in a case by a diffuser disposed inside the airbag.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of this type of airbag device. A substantially columnar inflator 102 and a folded airbag 103 are housed in the case 101. The inflator 102 is a cylindrical diffuser 10.
4, and is fixed to opposite side walls of the case 101 with bolts 106 and nuts 107 via caps 105. The airbag 103 has a mouth portion 108.
Are attached so as to surround the outer periphery of the diffuser 104, thereby being locked in the case 101. The airbag 103 has left and right openings, and the opening edges 109 and 110 are sandwiched in the gap X between the end face of the diffuser 104 and the side wall of the case 101, and the bolt 1
The gap X is reduced by fixing the inflator 102 with the nut 06 and the nut 107 to prevent gas leakage.

However, in the structure shown in FIG.
Gas blowing section 1 provided at one end of inflator 102
Since the gas from 11 is directly blown into the gap X, it is difficult to reliably prevent gas leakage. The gas blown out from the gas blowing unit 111 is
And the airbag 103 may be damaged by the heat of the gas.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of another airbag device of this type. In this case, the opening edge 1 of the airbag 103
09 and 110 are not sandwiched in the gap X between the diffuser 104 and the side wall of the case 101, and the gap X is closed by pressing the end face of the diffuser 104 with the cap 105.

However, even in the structure shown in FIG.
The diffuser 10 is actuated by the gas pressure from the gas outlet 111.
The end of 4 may be deformed and gas may leak,
Since the opening edge 109 of the airbag 103 is not sandwiched, gas may leak from a gap between the opening edge 109 and the peripheral surface of the diffuser 104.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in an airbag device in which an airbag is locked in a case by a cylindrical member such as a diffuser, it is possible to prevent gas from leaking from an inflator to the outside. It is another object of the present invention to prevent the airbag from being damaged by heat of the gas.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An airbag device according to the present invention includes an airbag, an inflator having a substantially cylindrical shape and having a gas blowing portion at one end in an axial direction, and an airbag and an inflator. An airbag comprising: a case having an opening for bag inflation; and a cylindrical member having a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the inflator and having a hole on a peripheral surface for blowing gas generated by the inflator into the airbag. The device, wherein the tubular member is disposed inside a mouth portion of an airbag, is disposed between first and second side walls facing each other of the case, and is charged in the tubular member. The inflator has an end on the side of the gas blowing portion, which is one end, fixed to the first side wall, and the other end fixed to the second side wall, and the airbag is disposed inside the second side wall. Said cylindrical The gas blowing portion of the inflator is covered with a gas regulating wall protruding from the first side wall between the gas blowing portion and the tubular member. Things.

[0011] In the airbag device of the present invention, a gas regulating wall protrudes from the first side wall of the case at one end of the inflator having the gas blowing portion so as to cover the radially outer side of the gas blowing portion. I have. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gas blown radially outward from the gas blowout portion from being directly blown into the gap between the first side wall of the case and the end surface of the cylindrical member, and to prevent gas leakage from the gap. Can be prevented.

Further, the gas regulating wall can prevent the end of the cylindrical member from being deformed by the pressure of the gas blown radially outward from the gas blowing portion, thereby reducing gas leakage. .

In the case where the mouth portion of the airbag is provided with an opening for fixing both ends of the inflator to the side wall of the case, and the opening edge is sandwiched in a gap between the side wall of the case and the end surface of the tubular member. The gas regulating wall can protect the opening edge of the airbag from the heat of the gas.

Further, when a force for moving the tubular member in the deploying direction is exerted on the tubular member due to the deployment of the airbag, the movement is suppressed by the gas regulating wall provided inside the tubular member. it can.

The gas regulating wall is not limited to one provided over the entire circumference of the gas blowing section. For example, the gas regulating wall may be provided only in a region that is substantially half the case opening side in the circumferential direction of the gas blowing portion. From the viewpoint of suppressing the deformation of the case and the cylindrical member during the deployment of the airbag and exerting the above-mentioned effects more sufficiently, the gas regulating wall is provided over the entire area in the circumferential direction of the gas blowing portion. Is preferred.

It is preferable that the gas regulating wall protrudes so as to cover at least half of the gas blowing portion in the axial direction. That is, it is preferable that the plurality of gas outlets provided on the peripheral surface of the gas outlet be protruded so as to cover at least half of the opening area in the axial direction. From the viewpoint that the above-described effect is more sufficiently exhibited, it is more preferable that the gas regulating wall protrudes so as to cover substantially the entire gas blowing portion in the axial direction.

The gas regulating wall may be provided on the first side wall of the case itself, or may be provided separately from the first side wall. When provided separately, for example, on the first side wall, a circular opening, provided with a cap that is attached to close the opening, the one end of the inflator is fixed,
The cap may be provided with a gas regulating wall.

In the airbag device of the present invention, the mouth portion of the airbag has an opening for fixing both ends of the inflator to the corresponding side walls of the case, and the opening edge has a gas regulating wall and a cylindrical member. May be sandwiched between

In this case, gas leakage from the gap between the cylindrical member and the first side wall of the case can be more effectively suppressed, and damage to the edge of the airbag opening due to the heat of the gas can be further reduced. Can be.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an airbag device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag device 10. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device 10 when it is deployed.

The airbag device 10 is a passenger-seat airbag device disposed in an instrument panel 1 in front of a passenger seat of an automobile.
Case 12 which is disposed behind the upper surface of the case and which opens substantially upwards
An airbag 14 housed in a folded state in the case 12, a substantially cylindrical inflator 16, a diffuser 18 which is a cylindrical member for controlling the flow of gas generated by the inflator 16, And a door 20 that covers the upper opening of the upper surface 12. Then, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag 1
4 is deployed to the rear side of the vehicle, thereby receiving the occupant's body.

The case 12 is a metal box-shaped container having a rectangular opening 22 on the upper surface, has a rectangular cross section that is long in the vehicle width direction, has a curved surface at the bottom, and has a substantially vertical cross section. It is U-shaped. The first side wall 24 and the second side wall 26 facing the case 12 in the vehicle width direction are provided with circular openings 28 and 29, respectively. Two bolt holes 30 are provided in the bottom surface of the case 12 in the axial direction.

The airbag 14 is a three-dimensionally sewn bag made of synthetic fiber woven cloth or the like, and includes a main body 32 for receiving an occupant and a mouth 34 for receiving gas from the inflator 16. The case 12 at the mouth 34
The main body 32 is folded and stored above the inflator 16.

Openings 36 and 37 corresponding to the first and second side walls 24 and 26 of the case 12, respectively, are provided on both left and right sides of the mouth portion 34 of the airbag 14. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, both ends of the inflator 16 project outward from these openings 36 and 37 so that they can be fixed to the corresponding side walls 24 and 26. Further, a bolt hole 38 is provided on the bottom surface of the mouth portion 34 at a position corresponding to the two bolt holes 30 of the case 12.

The inflator 16 is housed at the bottom of the case 12 with its axial direction oriented in the vehicle width direction. The inflator 16 is a small-sized hybrid inflator. A gas blowing portion 40 having a small diameter with respect to the body is provided at one end in the axial direction, and a bolt 42 is protrudingly provided at a tip end surface thereof. The gas outlet 40 is provided with a plurality of gas outlets 41 on the peripheral surface. A circular flange 44 closing the opening 29 of the second side wall 26 is provided on the other end side in the axial direction.
Is provided.

The diffuser 18 is a cylindrical metal member surrounding the entire periphery of the inflator 16, and has a plurality of blowout holes 5 on its peripheral surface for blowing gas blown from the inflator 16 into the airbag 14.
0 is provided.

The diffuser 18 is fixed between the first and second side walls 24 and 26 of the case 12. In this embodiment, a plurality of fixing bolts 46 are fixed to the bottom of the diffuser 18 so as to project downward, and these fixing bolts 46 are inserted into the corresponding bolt holes 30 and 38 of the airbag 14 and the case 12. Then, by tightening the nut 48 from the outside of the case 12, the diffuser 18
Is fixed to the bottom surface of the case 12.

The diffuser 18 is disposed inside the mouth 34 so that the outer periphery of the diffuser 18 is covered by the mouth 34 of the airbag 14 from above. And
The airbag 14 is provided with a diffuser 1 disposed inside the airbag 14.
8 locks in the case 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the opening edges of the left and right openings 36 and 37 provided at the mouth 34 of the airbag 14 are sandwiched between the side walls 24 and 26 of the case 12 and the end face of the diffuser 18. Thus, gas leakage from the gap is reduced.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a metal circular cap for closing the opening 28 provided in the first side wall 24 of the case 12. A bolt hole 54 is provided at the center of the cap 52.
Are provided in the bolt holes 54 and the inflator 1
6, the end of the inflator 16 on the side of the gas outlet 40 is fixed to the first side wall 24 via the cap 52, and the end of the inflator 16 on the side of the flange 44 is fixed. Second side wall 26
Fixed to.

The cap 52 is provided with a gas regulating wall 58 projecting between the gas blowout portion 40 of the inflator 16 and the diffuser 18 and covering the outer periphery of the gas blowout portion 40. In detail, the gas regulating wall 58 covers the gas blowing portion 40 with a gap between the gas blowing portion 40 and the peripheral surface of the gas blowing portion 40 so that gas is blown from the peripheral surface.

In this embodiment, the gas regulating wall 58 is formed in a ring shape so as to cover the gas blowing portion 40 over the entire circumference. The gas regulating wall 58 is provided integrally with the cap 52 by drawing, and is formed so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross section and protrude inside the diffuser 18. Further, the gas regulating wall 58 is provided in the gas blowing section 40.
Is projected so as to cover substantially the entirety in the axial direction. More specifically, the tip of the gas regulating wall 58 is attached to the gas outlet 41 so as to completely cover the gas outlet 41 in the axial direction.
Projecting inward beyond.

As shown in FIG. 2, the gap a between the gas regulating wall 58 and the inner peripheral surface of the diffuser 18 is
About the same as the thickness of the opening edge portion 36 (for example, 0.5 to
2.0 mm), and the opening a of the airbag 14 is sandwiched by the gap a.

[0034] As shown in FIG.
To assemble the airbag 14, the diffuser 18 is placed in the mouth portion 34 of the airbag 14, inserted into the case 12 from the upper opening 22, and the diffuser 18 is bolted to the case 12 with nuts 48. Fix to 12.
Next, the inflator 16 is inserted through the opening 29 of the second side wall 26 of the case 12, the cap 52 is covered over the opening 28 of the first side wall 24, and the bolt 42 of the inflator 16 may be tightened with the nut 56. .

In the airbag device 10 of the present embodiment having the above configuration, the ring-shaped gas regulating wall 58 protruding from the first side wall 24 of the case 12 around the gas blowing portion 40 at one end of the inflator 16. Fig. 2
As shown in (2), gas blown radially outward from the peripheral surface of the gas blowing portion 40 can be prevented from being directly blown into the gap between the first side wall 24 of the case 12 and the end surface of the diffuser 18. Gas leakage from the gap can be prevented.

Further, by providing the gas regulating wall 58, deformation of the end of the diffuser 18 due to the gas pressure blown radially outward from the gas blowing portion 40 can be suppressed, and gas leakage is reduced. You.

Further, the airbag 1 inserted in the gap between the first side wall 24 of the case 12 and the end face of the diffuser 18
4 is protected from the heat of the gas blown out from the gas blowing portion 40 by the gas regulating wall 58, so that the airbag 14 can be prevented from being damaged.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When a force that attempts to move the diffuser 18 in the direction indicated by the arrow F acts on the diffuser 18 due to the expansion of
Thus, this movement can be suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an airbag device 60 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This airbag device 6
0, the cap 52 is attached to the first side wall 24 of the case 12.
The gas regulating wall 58 is provided on the first side wall 24 itself.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an airbag device 70 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In the airbag device 70, the cap 52 is not provided with the gas regulating wall 58. Instead, the opening edge of the first side wall 24 to which the cap 52 is attached is bent so as to protrude into the diffuser 18. Thus, a gas regulating wall 58 is provided. The gas restricting wall 58 does not protrude in a substantially U-shaped cross section as in the above-described embodiment, but protrudes in a mere plate shape.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an airbag device 80 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In the airbag device 80, the left and right opening edges 36, 3 of the airbag 14 are provided.
The gas leakage from the end of the diffuser 18 is prevented by pressing the end face of the diffuser 18 with the cap 52 instead of sandwiching the diffuser 7 between the diffuser 18 and the side wall of the case 12. The gas regulating wall 58 is provided integrally with the cap 52.

In this case, the gas restricting wall 58 suppresses the deformation of the end of the diffuser 18 due to the pressure of the gas blown from the gas blowing section 40.
A gap is hardly generated between the cap 8 and the cap 52. Also,
By suppressing the deformation of the diffuser 18 end,
The generation of a gap between the opening edge 36 of the airbag 14 and the peripheral surface of the diffuser 18 can be suppressed.
As described above, gas leakage is reduced. Further, in this case, since the opening edge 36 of the airbag 14 is not sandwiched inside the diffuser 18, the airbag 1
4 can be eliminated.

[0043]

According to the airbag device of the present invention, since the gas blowing portion of the inflator is covered with the gas regulating wall protruding from the first side wall of the case, the gas blowing portion of the airbag device is radially outward from the gas blowing portion of the inflator. Can be prevented from being directly blown into the gap between the first side wall and the end face of the tubular member, and gas leakage from the gap can be prevented. In addition, since the gas regulating wall suppresses deformation of the end of the tubular member, gas leakage is reduced. Further, since the opening edge of the airbag sandwiched between the first side wall of the case and the end surface of the tubular member can be protected from the heat of gas, damage to the airbag can be eliminated. Further, the movement of the tubular member due to the deployment of the airbag can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the airbag device when the airbag is deployed.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of an airbag device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an airbag device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional airbag device.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of another conventional airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 60, 70, 80 ... airbag device 12 ... case 14 ... airbag 16 ... inflator 18 ... diffuser 24 ... first side wall 26 ... second side wall 28 ... case opening 34 ... ... mouth 36, 37 ... air bag opening 40 ... gas blowing part 50 ... blowing hole 52 ... cap 58 ... gas regulating wall

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshinori Mihara 1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hidehito Soki 1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D054 AA03 AA14 BB10 BB12 BB13 CC09 DD14 DD30 FF17 FF20

Claims (7)

[Claims] An airbag, an inflator having a substantially cylindrical shape and having a gas blowing portion at one end in an axial direction, a case accommodating the airbag and the inflator, and having an opening for inflating the airbag, A tubular member having a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the inflator, and having a hole on a peripheral surface for blowing gas generated by the inflator into the airbag, an airbag apparatus comprising: The inflator disposed inside the mouth of the bag and disposed between the first and second side walls facing each other of the case, and the inflator charged in the tubular member is a gas blowout side which is one end portion. Is fixed to the first side wall, and the other end is fixed to the second side wall. The airbag is locked in the case by the tubular member disposed inside the airbag. And An airbag device in which the gas blowout part of the serial inflator, characterized in that covered by projecting gas regulating wall between said first gas blowout part and the tubular member from the side wall. 2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the gas regulating wall is provided over the entire area in the circumferential direction of the gas blowing portion. 3. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the gas regulating wall is provided only in a substantially half area on the case opening side in the circumferential direction of the gas blowing portion. 4. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the gas regulating wall projects so as to cover at least half of the gas blowing portion in the axial direction. 5. The first side wall is provided with a circular opening and a cap attached to close the opening and fixing the one end of the inflator, wherein the cap is provided with the gas regulating wall. The airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the airbag device is provided. 6. The airbag device according to claim 5, wherein said gas regulating wall is formed integrally with said cap by drawing. 7. The airbag has an opening for fixing both ends of the inflator to corresponding side walls of the case, and an opening edge of the airbag has a gas regulating wall and a cylindrical shape. 7. A member sandwiched between members.
The airbag device according to any one of the above items.