JP2002337652A - Air bag device for protecting knee - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bag device for protecting a knee enabling to easily perform mounting work to a vehicle. SOLUTION: The air bag device M for protecting the knee includes a case 19 for housing an air bag 26 and an inflator 21 arranged on a vehicle front side of a driver or occupant, and the air bag 26 develops and expands while projecting to a vehicle back side from an opening 19e of the case 19 to protect a knee of the driver or occupant. A holding member 12 for holding the case 19 including an attaching part in mounting the air bag device M for protecting the knee on the vehicle is provided. The holding member 12 includes a connecting hole 12b connected to the opening 19e of the case 19 and capable of protecting the air bag 26 which develops and expands, and a supporting surface 12c arranged on a peripheral edge of the connecting hole 12b capable of supporting a surface on a vehicle front side of the developed and expanded air bag 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knee protection airbag device in which an inflation gas is allowed to flow to deploy and inflate an airbag, which can protect a driver or occupant's knee.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for protecting a driver's or occupant's knee, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-123862, a device below a steering column to protect the driver's knee is disclosed. An airbag that is arranged at a position and expands and inflates toward the lower surface side of the upper portion of the column cover when activated, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, and a case that houses the airbag and the inflator. Airbag device.

In the airbag apparatus having such a configuration, when the inflation gas flows from the inflator and the airbag is deployed and inflated, a large reaction force acts on the case to press the case toward the front of the vehicle. . Therefore, it is necessary to attach and fix the case to a highly rigid structural member of the vehicle such as a steering column so that the case does not move under the reaction force.

However, in addition to the steering column, a tilt mechanism, a telescopic mechanism, a parking brake device, and the like are arranged close to a position below the steering column in which the airbag device having the above structure is arranged. Since the space for arranging the airbag device is narrow, the work space for mounting and fixing the case to the steering column is narrow, and the mounting work is troublesome.

[0005] Also, when a knee-protecting airbag device is arranged to protect the knees of an occupant seated in the passenger seat, a windshield is provided on the front side of the passenger seat where the airbag device is arranged. The airbag device for the passenger seat, which is equipped with an airbag that expands and inflates between the occupant and protects the occupant, and the air conditioner duct, glove box, etc., are placed close to each other, so there is no space for the airbag device. ,
The work space for mounting and fixing the case was narrow, as in the case of the driver's seat.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a knee-protecting airbag device that can be easily attached to a vehicle.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to the present invention is operated by housing a folded airbag, an inflator for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag, and an airbag and an inflator. And a case disposed on the front side of the vehicle of the occupant or occupant, the airbag into which the inflation gas has flowed in is deployed and inflated while protruding from the opening of the case to the rear side of the vehicle. Or a knee protection airbag device capable of protecting the occupant's knee, comprising a holding member having a mounting portion when holding the case and mounting the knee protection airbag device on a vehicle,
The holding member has a communication hole communicating with the opening of the case and capable of protruding the airbag that expands and inflates, and a support that is disposed at a periphery of the communication hole and that can support a front surface of the expanded and inflated airbag on the vehicle front side. And a surface is formed.

Further, it is preferable that a case accommodating the folded airbag and the inflator is previously assembled to a holding member to be assembled.

[0009]

According to the knee-protecting airbag apparatus of the present invention, the case for accommodating the folded airbag and the inflator is held by the holding member, and the mounting portion formed on the holding member is used. This is a configuration in which the knee protection airbag device is mounted on a vehicle. Therefore, when the knee protection airbag device is mounted on the vehicle, the mounting portion of the holding member holding the case is fixed to the rigid mounting portion of the vehicle to mount the knee protection airbag device on the vehicle. can do. At this time, since the mounting operation of the mounting portion to the mounted portion can be performed at a position distant from side to side or up and down of the vehicle from the position of the case, the mounting position of the mounting portion can be easily secured. By setting, the operation of attaching the knee-protecting airbag device to the vehicle is easier than in the case where the case is directly attached and fixed to the attached portion of the vehicle.

Of course, since the holding member holding the case is attached to the rigid attachment portion of the vehicle using the attachment portion, the case containing the airbag or the inflator is also stably held. Becomes

Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the front surface of the inflated and inflated airbag is supported by the support surface of the holding member, when the inflated and inflated airbag interferes with a driver's knee or the like. Also, the airbag does not move to the front of the vehicle, so that the knees of the driver and the like can be protected accurately and stably.

Therefore, in the knee-protecting airbag device of the present invention, it is possible to secure the stable support of the case and the deployed and inflated airbag, thereby facilitating the work of attaching the knee-protecting airbag device to the vehicle. .

[0013] Further, if the case accommodating the folded airbag and the inflator is assembled to the holding member and assembled, if the airbag, the inflator, the case and the holding member are assembled. , And can be easily handled until each member is attached to the vehicle.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a knee protecting airbag device (hereinafter abbreviated as "airbag device") M according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, in this specification, up and down, left and right
The front and rear correspond to the up, down, left, right, front and rear of the vehicle when the knee protection airbag device is mounted on the vehicle.

The airbag device M is disposed below the steering column 3 on the vehicle front side of the driver D to protect the knee K of the driver D. Airbag device M
Is a folded airbag 26, an inflator 21 for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag 26, and a case 19 for accommodating the airbag 26 and the inflator 21.
, An airbag cover 13 that covers the folded airbag 26, and the holding member 12 that holds the case 19. In the airbag device M of the embodiment, the case 19 accommodating the airbag 26 is held by the holding member 12, and the mounting portions 12a formed at the left and right ends of the holding member 12 are arranged as shown in FIG. , Rigid frame part FC / FR as part to be attached to vehicle
It is attached and fixed. The folded airbag 26 is disposed below the steering column 3 and in front of the seated driver D's knee K (KL / KR).

In the case of the embodiment, the frame portion FR is a front body pillar in the vehicle body, and the frame portion FC is a center brace in the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steering column 3 includes a main shaft 4 connected to the steering wheel 1 and a column tube 5 covering the periphery of the main shaft 4. A tilt mechanism (not shown) that can adjust the angle of the ring surface of the steering wheel 1,
A telescopic mechanism (not shown) that can stop the steering wheel 1 by moving the steering wheel 1 in the axial direction of the shaft is provided.

The column cover 8 is made of a synthetic resin having a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape or the like, and is disposed along the axial direction of the steering column 3 so as to cover the steering column 3 below the steering wheel 1. That is, the column cover 8
Are arranged to be inclined rearward upward such that the front side of the vehicle is located below and the rear side of the vehicle is located above. The lower surface 8a of the column cover 8 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is formed in a curved shape that rises rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The holding member 12 is, as shown in FIGS.
The lower end of the instrument panel (hereinafter abbreviated as “instrument panel”) 10 including the lower side of the column cover 8 covering the periphery of the steering column 3 as a sheet metal plate, and the upper end side of the vehicle It is located on the rear side, the lower end side is located on the front side of the vehicle, and is arranged to be inclined upward and rearward. At both left and right ends of the holding member 12, mounting portions 12a, 12a each having mounting holes (not shown) for inserting the bolts 41 are formed.
a is the frame FC / FR of the vehicle arranged on the left and right
Are connected and fixed by bolts 41 and the like at a plurality of locations. In addition, the holding member 12 uses a bolt, a nut, a rivet, welding, or the like to attach and fix the case 19 to a front surface of the vehicle. In the embodiment, the case 19 is fixed by fixing a bolt 17 protruding from the rear surface of the holding member 12 to the vehicle front side with a nut (see FIG. 3). Then, the case 1 in the holding member 12
9 are attached to the airbag 2 stored in the case 19.
The case 19 is provided so as to be able to protrude into the vehicle inside, which is the vehicle rear side.
A communication hole 12b communicating with an opening 19e described later is formed. The communication hole 12b is opened in a substantially rectangular shape so as to correspond to the opening 19e of the case 19. The periphery of the communication hole 12b has a planar shape, and constitutes a support surface 12c that can support the front surface of the airbag 26 that is deployed and inflated.

In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the airbag cover 13 is mounted and fixed to the rear surface of the holding member 12 using bolts, nuts, rivets and the like. The airbag 26 covers the rear side of the folded airbag 26 and also serves as an interior material that covers the inner surface of the holding member 12. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag cover 13 is fixed to the holding member 12 using the clip 13a and an adhesive (see FIG. 3). A substantially rectangular plate-like door portion 15 is formed in the airbag cover 13 at the position of the communication hole 12b in the holding member 12 so as to be pushed by the deploying and inflating airbag 26 and open inside the vehicle. I have. The door portion 15 is configured by arranging a thin portion to be broken 14 having an inverted U shape as viewed from the inside of the vehicle, and a hinge portion 16 made of an integral hinge at a lower edge. I have. When the airbag 26 is deployed and inflated, the door portion 15 is pushed by the airbag 26 to break the breakable portion 14, and the hinge portion 16 is opened downward to the inside of the vehicle with the hinge portion 16 as a rotation center at the time of opening.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the case 19 has a substantially rectangular box shape made of sheet metal,
It is arranged as a storage part for storing, in the case of the embodiment,
The airbag 26 is stored together with the inflator 21. The case 19 includes a substantially rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall portion 19a having an opening 19e on the vehicle rear side, and a substantially rectangular bottom wall portion 19d for closing the vehicle front side of the peripheral wall portion 19a. A flange 19b connected to the holding member 12 is formed on the periphery of the opening 19e in the portion 19a. A plurality of (two in the embodiment) mounting holes 19c for mounting and fixing the inflator 21 and the airbag 26 are provided on the upper surface on the vehicle front side of the peripheral wall portion 19a.
Are formed. The axial direction O of the peripheral wall portion 19a of the case 19 is, as shown in FIG.
(Along the axial direction of the steering column 3).

The inflator 21 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus is provided with a cylinder-type main body 22 configured to be able to discharge an inflation gas G by inputting an electric signal, and two brackets 23.
The main body 22 has a gas discharge port 22 for discharging the inflation gas G.
In the case of the embodiment, an electric signal from a control device for operating an airbag device (not shown) mounted on the steering wheel 1 is input simultaneously with the airbag device for the steering wheel, so that the steering wheel 1 is operated. .
Each bracket 23 is formed of a sheet metal holding ring 23a attached to the main body 22 by plastically deforming the main body 22 so as to make the outer diameter of the bracket 23 smaller, and a bolt 23b protruding from the holding ring 23a. . The inflator 21 is disposed in the airbag 26, and projects each bolt 23 b from a mounting hole 29, which will be described later, of the airbag 26, and further projects these bolts 23 b from each mounting hole 19 c of the case 19, and nuts By fixing the air bag 24, the air bag 26 and the case 19 are attached and fixed to the case 19. Further, a lead wire (not shown) is connected to the main body 22.

The case 19 may be integrally formed with the holding member 12 by pressing or welding using a metal material such as a sheet metal, or by die casting using a light alloy material such as aluminum. Good. In this case, the flange 19b of the case 19 is formed to be large, and the mounting portion 12a is formed on the large flange 19b.

The airbag 26 is made of a flexible woven fabric such as polyester or polyamide.
As shown in (1), the shape at the time of completion of deployment and inflation is configured as a substantially rectangular plate. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 2
Numeral 6 is composed of two woven fabrics of a wall 27 on the column cover 8 side and a wall 28 on the driver D side, each of which has a substantially rectangular shape, and formed by sewing together the peripheral edges of the walls 27 and 28. Have been. A mounting hole 29 through which each bolt 23b of the inflator 21 is inserted is formed on the lower side of the column cover side wall 27. In addition, the driver side wall portion 28 includes a lower central portion 28b corresponding to a position on the rear side of the vehicle at the arrangement position of the inflator 21, and is flatly deployed with a central portion 28a near the center in the left-right direction of the airbag 26. Left and right edges 26a of the airbag 26 in the state
The left and right connecting portions 28c near the central portion 28a which is on the center side of 26b and which is continuous with the central portion 28a.
And is provided.

In the airbag 26 of the embodiment,
The lower inflation portion 30 on the side where the inflator 21 is housed is divided into upper and lower portions at the arrangement position of a tether 32 described later.
And an upper inflatable portion 31 extending above the lower inflatable portion 30. The lower inflation portion 30 is provided with an inflation gas G.
The support surface protrudes from the communication hole 12b formed in the holding member 12 to the vehicle rear side as the upstream side of the vehicle, and is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the communication hole 12b in the holding member 12 and the entire periphery of the communication hole 12b. The lower part of the rear side of the vehicle 12c is covered and the driver K's knee K (KL · KR)
To cover the front side. In addition, the upper inflatable portion 31
Is the lower inflation portion 30 as a downstream portion of the inflation gas G.
And protrudes upward from the lower inflatable portion 30 along the lower surface 8a of the column cover 8 to form the communication hole 12.
b The upper end 8 of at least the column cover lower surface 8a side from the upper side on the vehicle rear side of the support surface 12c arranged on the peripheral edge
The area up to near b can be covered. In the case of the embodiment, the lower inflation portion 30 at the time of deployment and inflation is provided with the communication hole 12 so that the knees KL and KR of the driver D can be protected with a margin.
It is set so that the width dimension in the left-right direction is larger than b.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the airbag 26 has a column cover side and a driver's side wall 27, 28.
The thickness of the lower inflatable portion 30 and the upper inflatable portion 31 at the time of deployment and inflation is fixed, and the knee K of the driver D is fixed.
A tether 32 as a thickness regulating means for smoothly injecting the airbag 26 between the airbag 26 and the column cover lower surface 8a.
33 are provided. The tethers 32 and 33 are formed of a flexible material and sewn to the walls 27 and 28 in the same manner as the walls 27 and 28 of the airbag 26. On the upper side of the location of the airbag 26, the left and right ends of the airbag 26 are substantially parallel to the left and right directions of the vehicle.
6b. In addition, tether 32
Is arranged as a thickness regulating means, and at the same time, directs the inflation gas G discharged from the inflator 21 toward the left and right edges 26a and 26b of the airbag 26, It also plays a role as a gas flow guiding material to guide the air.

That is, the tether 3 disposed in the left-right direction of the vehicle
2 closes the upper side of the inflator 21 and the tether 3
2, between the left end 32a of the tether 32 and the right edge 26b of the airbag, and between the right end 32b of the tether 32 and the right edge 26b of the airbag.
Are provided, and when the inflation gas G flows through the upper airbag inflation portion 31 as the downstream portion, the gas flow holes 34 are provided in the lower airbag inflation portion 30 as the upstream portion.
The inflation gas G discharged from the inflator 21 is disposed so as to flow upward while flowing in the left-right direction.

Further, in the airbag 26 of the embodiment,
At the initial stage of the expansion and inflation, before the upper inflation portion 31 completes the expansion and inflation, the lower inflation portion 30 is folded so as to widely cover the left and right peripheral edges of the projecting opening 17. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 26 is folded through the following vertical folding process and horizontal folding process.

As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, in the vertical folding step, the left and right edges 26a and 26b are placed on the side of the central portion 28a in a state where the driver's side wall 28 is flattened against the column cover side wall 27. Is folded vertically so as to approach the right side, and is folded to the lateral width B1 that can be stored in the case 19. In particular, the folded portions 37 on both left and right edges of the airbag 26 are connected to the driver side wall. It is characterized in that the airbag 26 is vertically folded so as to be disposed on the side of the column cover side wall portion 27 in the left and right connecting portions 28c of the portion 28, respectively. The folded portions 37 on both left and right edges of the airbag 26 in the vertical folding step can be exemplified to be folded by bellows folding or roll folding for winding both left and right edges 26a and 26b around the column cover side wall 27 side.

The horizontal folding step is a step performed after the vertical folding step. As shown in FIGS. 7D and 7E, the upper edge 26c of the airbag after the vertical folding step is positioned on the side where the inflator 21 is disposed. This is a step of forming a folded portion 38 by laterally folding so as to approach the vertical direction, and folding it to a vertical width dimension V1 (see FIG. 2) that can be stored in the case 19.

Next, the mounting of the airbag device M on a vehicle will be described. First, the airbag 26 is folded with the inflator 21 built in. The bolts 23b of the inflator 21 are respectively attached to the mounting holes 29.
To protrude. In addition, a lead wire (not shown) extending from the main body 22 is protruded from a predetermined insertion hole (not shown) in the airbag 26.

In the case of the embodiment, folding of the airbag 26 is performed in two steps of the vertical folding step and the horizontal folding step as described above.

Then, in the vertical folding step, as shown in FIG. 7A, the driver side wall 28 is brought into contact with the column cover side wall 27 and is flattened, and as shown in FIG. The left and right edges 2a and 2b are moved closer to the central portion 28a of the driver side wall portion 28 so that the edges 26a and 26b approach each other.
6a and 26b are folded toward the column cover side wall 27, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, both left and right edges 35.3 of the airbag 26 after being folded.
Both edges 35 and 36 are folded toward the column cover side wall 27 side, respectively, so as to make the 6 approach the center part 28a of the driver side wall 28, and the folded parts 37.3
7 is formed. Next, as shown in FIG.
In order to correspond to the storage width dimension B0 (see FIG. 3) in the left-right direction of FIG.
8 are placed on the outer surface (on the vehicle rear side and on the driver side) of the central portion 28a of the driver side wall portion 28 while being arranged on the column cover side wall portion 27 side of the left and right connecting portions 28c. To complete the vertical folding process.

In the horizontal folding process after the vertical folding process, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7E, the airbag 26 after the vertical folding is folded so as to be rolled from the upper edge 26c toward the column cover side wall 27 side to form a folded portion 38, and the case 19 in the vertical direction is formed. The horizontal folding process is completed according to the storage width dimension V0 (see FIG. 2), and the airbag 2
6 is completed.

After folding the airbag 26, the airbag 26 is wrapped with a breakable wrapping film (not shown) for preventing breakage, and each bolt 23b is projected from the wrapping film. Assemble 40. The inflator 21 and the airbag 26 can be housed and fixed in the case 19 by projecting the bolts 23b from the mounting holes 19c of the case 19 and screwing the nuts 24 into the projecting bolts 23b. The inflator body 2
A lead wire (not shown) extending from 2 is drawn out from a wrapping film and through a not-shown insertion hole in case 19. Then, the flange portion 19b of the case 19
Is fixed to the holding member 12 with the bolt 17 and assembled to form the airbag assembly 42.

Attachment portions 12 formed on the left and right ends of the holding member 12 in the formed airbag assembly 42.
a · 12a is connected to the frame portion FC of the vehicle arranged on the left and right.
If the vehicle is equipped with the instrument panel 10 and the like by connecting the lead wires (not shown) to the control circuit by fixing the bolts 41 to the FRs and fixing them to the vehicle, as shown in FIGS. It can be mounted on vehicles.

After a predetermined electric signal is input to the inflator body 22 after the airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle,
The inflation gas G is discharged from the gas discharge port 22a, the airbag 26 is inflated, breaks a wrapping film (not shown), pushes the door portion 15 of the airbag cover 13 open, and protrudes toward the vehicle rear side. While eliminating horizontal folding and vertical folding, it expands and expands upward along the column cover lower surface 8a.

At this time, in the embodiment, in the initial stage of the deploying and inflating airbag 26, the airbag 26 is pushed by the inflation gas G discharged from the inflator 21, and first, FIGS.
-As shown in 10A, the central portion 2 of the driver side wall portion 28
8a, a lower central portion 28b facing the inflator 21 protrudes toward the driver D side of the vehicle rear side HB, and with the lower central portion 28b protruding, the folded portion 3
8.37.37 moves to the vehicle rear side HB, breaks the scheduled break portion 14 and opens the door portion 15 of the airbag cover 13.

At the same time, the lower connecting portion 28d of the connecting portion 28c connected to the lower central portion 28b also protrudes toward the driver D (see FIG. 9A). Further, with the inflow of the inflation gas G, the folded portions 37 in the vicinity of the lower connecting portion 28d cancel the folding. that time,
The folded portions 37 are located at the side of the driver's side wall 2 during vertical folding.
8 are arranged on the side of the column cover side wall 27 in the left and right connecting portions 28c, 28c, respectively.
The folded portions 37 near the lower connecting portion 28d are
As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9B, the protrusion HL / H is directed to the column cover 8 side (the holding member 12 side) from the lower connecting portion 28 d in the left-right direction HL · H.
The fold is eliminated while being widely deployed in the R, and the airbag lower inflation portion 30 completes the deployment and inflation.

Then, the central portion 28 of the driver side wall portion 28
a to the driver D side is propagated from the lower central portion 28b to the upper VU, and the folded portion 37
The folding of 37 is eliminated from the vicinity of the lower connecting portion 28d toward the upper side VU, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 10B.
As shown in FIG. 5, the folded portion 38 of the horizontal fold is deployed and inflated along the lower surface 8a of the column cover 8 while eliminating the fold, and the upper inflation portion 31 completes the deployment and inflation.

In this embodiment, the front side of the airbag 26 which is deployed and inflated (the column cover side wall 27).
As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10,
Parts 27a, 27b, 27c that expand and expand in the left-right direction
27d is supported via the airbag cover 13 by a support surface 12c arranged on the periphery of the communication hole 12b in the holding member 12. Also, the support surface 12c is
As shown in FIG. 1, the door 15 which is opened by being pushed by the protruding airbag 26 is also supported via the airbag cover 13.

As described above, in the airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, the case 19 for storing the folded airbag 26 and the inflator 21 is held by the holding member 12 disposed below the column cover 8 and held. The configuration is such that the airbag device M is mounted on a vehicle using the mounting portions 12a formed on the member 12. Therefore, when the airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle, the mounting portions 12a formed on the left and right ends of the holding member 12 holding the case 19 are provided.
The airbag device M can be mounted on the vehicle by mounting and fixing the 12a to the frame portions FC and FR of the vehicle, which are structural members having high rigidity in the vehicle and arranged on the left and right. Then, in the airbag device M of the embodiment, the mounting portions 12a of the holding member 12 are, as shown in FIG.
It is formed at a position in the left and right direction from a position below the steering column 3 where the case 19 is disposed. Therefore, the frame portions FC and FR of the mounting portions 12a and 12a
The work of attaching the vehicle to the vehicle can be performed at a position separated from the position below the steering column 3 to the left and right of the vehicle. That is, by setting the arrangement positions of the mounting portions 12a and 12a at a position where the working space can be easily secured, for example, the case 19 can be directly moved at a position below the steering column 3.
The work of attaching the airbag device M to the vehicle is easier than in the case where the airbag device M is attached and fixed to the column tube 5 which is a structural member of the vehicle.

Of course, the holding member 12 holding the case 19
Is mounted on the frame portion FC using the mounting portions 12a.
The case 19 containing the airbag 26 and the inflator 21 is also stably held because it is attached to the FR.

Further, in the embodiment, the front surface (the column cover side wall 2
7) the holding member 12 via the airbag cover 13
Is supported by the support surface 12c, the airbag 26 does not move to the vehicle front side even when the deployed and inflated airbag 26 interferes with the driver's knee K, so that the driving can be performed accurately and stably. The knee K of the person D can be protected.

Therefore, in the airbag device M of the embodiment, it is possible to secure the stable support of the case 19 and the deployed and inflated airbag 26, and to facilitate the work of attaching the airbag device M to the vehicle. .

In the embodiment, the case 19 containing the folded airbag 26 and the inflator 21 is provided.
Is assembled into the holding member 12 to form an assembly, and the airbag assembly 42 is formed.
6. Inflator 21, case 19 and holding member 12
Can be transported and stored in an assembled state, and the handling of each member such as the airbag 26 and the inflator 21 until the vehicle is attached to the vehicle becomes easy.

In the airbag device M, the holding member 12 is mounted and fixed to the frame portions FC and FR of the vehicle. However, the mounting portion of the vehicle for mounting and fixing the holding member is not limited to this. Absent. As long as the holding member can be stably supported, the instrument panel 43 is composed of an upper panel 43a and a lower panel 43b as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 without directly connecting and fixing to a structural member such as a frame portion of a vehicle. As a configuration, the holding member 45 may be configured to be mounted and fixed to the lower panel 43b as a mounted portion. Specifically, a plurality of bolts (8 in the illustrated example) are provided at predetermined positions of the lower panel 43b so as to project rearward of the vehicle.
In this configuration, mounting portions 45a, 45a formed on both left and right ends of the holding member 45 are fixed to the lower panel 43b with bolts 44. Holding member 45
The communication hole 45b communicating with the opening 19e of the case 19 is similar to the holding member 12 in the airbag device M described above.
And a support surface 4 that is arranged on the periphery of the communication hole 45b and that can support the surface on the vehicle front side of the airbag 26 that is deployed and inflated.
5c. The support surface 45c supports the front surface of the airbag 26 on the vehicle front side as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the width in the left-right direction is larger than that of the airbag 26 that has been deployed and inflated. The door part 15 is formed integrally with the lower panel 43b with the inverted U-shaped scheduled break part 14 and the hinge part 16 arranged on the lower edge around the door part 15.
The mounting portions 45a of the holding member 45 are shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the case 19 is formed at a position in the left and right direction from a position below the steering column 3 where the case 19 is disposed. Therefore, even when the holding member 45 is attached to the lower panel 43b as described above, the attaching operation of the attaching portions 45a to the lower panel 43b is performed at a position left and right away from the position below the steering column 3. That is, the mounting work is easy.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, an instrument panel reinforcement 48 as a vehicle structural member may be used as a mounting portion of the vehicle to which the holding member 50 is mounted. The instrument panel reinforcement 48 has a pipe shape and is disposed below the steering column 3 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the steering column 3. A plurality of (two in the illustrated example) plate-like mounting portions 50a projecting toward the vehicle rear side are formed on the holding member 50, and each mounting portion 5
0a is fixed to a mounting plate portion 49 fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 48 with a bolt 51, and the holding member 50 is attached to the instrument panel reinforcement 48.
It is configured to be attached and fixed. As shown in FIG. 14, the holding member 50 is formed integrally with the case 19 by die casting. Further, the holding member 50 includes a support surface 50c arranged on the periphery of the opening 50b, similarly to the above-described holding members 12 and 45. And the support surface 50c
As shown in FIG. 15, similarly to the support surface 45c of the holding member 45,
The width in the left-right direction is larger than that in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the mounting portions 50a of the holding member 50
Is formed at a position distant in the left-right direction from a position below. Therefore, even when the holding member 50 is configured to be mounted on the instrument panel reinforcement 48 as described above, the mounting operation of the mounting portions 50a and 50a to the instrument panel reinforcement 48 is performed by separating the mounting member 50a from the lower position of the steering column 3 left and right. The mounting operation is easy.

In this configuration, the airbag 26 and the inflator 21 are housed in the case 19 integrally formed with the holding member 50, and the airbag cover 13 is attached and fixed to the holding member 50 to form an assembly. An assembly is formed, and the airbag assembly is attached to the mounting portion 50a.
-It will be attached to the vehicle using 50a.

Further, in the above embodiment, the airbag device M arranged on the front side of the driver D to protect the knees of the driver D has been described as an example. However, as shown in FIG. , To protect the knees of the occupant P sitting in the passenger seat,
The airbag device M may be arranged at a position on the front side of the vehicle of the occupant P seated on the passenger seat. In the illustrated example, mounting portions 12a, 12a formed on both left and right ends of the holding member 12 for holding the case are respectively provided at a plurality of positions on the frame portions FL, FC serving as mounted portions of the vehicle disposed on the left and right. The bolts 41 are fixed and connected. The frame portion FL is a front body pillar in the vehicle body, and the frame portion FC is a center brace in the vehicle body.

The holding member 12, 45, 50 according to the present invention.
Is not limited to the above, and for example, a column tube 5 or the like may be used. Further, in the holding members 12, 45, and 50, the mounting portions 12a
Although 45a and 50a are formed, the position where the mounting portion is formed is not limited to this, and the mounting portion may be formed at a position vertically separated from the position where the case 19 is disposed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in a vehicle front-rear direction showing a use state of an airbag device for knee protection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view in the vehicle front-rear direction of a knee protecting airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a use state of the knee protecting airbag device of the embodiment as viewed from the vehicle rear side.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view when the airbag used in the embodiment is deployed and inflated by itself.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing folding of the airbag of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view illustrating a state along the vehicle longitudinal direction when the airbag of the embodiment is deployed and inflated.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state along the vehicle longitudinal direction when the airbag of the embodiment is deployed and inflated.

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view illustrating the deployment and inflation of the airbag of the embodiment as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle.

FIG. 11 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a state along the vehicle front-rear direction showing a state where the airbag of the embodiment has been deployed and inflated.

FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a knee protecting airbag device according to another embodiment of the present invention in a vehicle front-rear direction.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing a use state of the knee-protecting airbag device of the embodiment as viewed from the vehicle rear side.

FIG. 14 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a knee protecting airbag device according to still another embodiment of the present invention in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

FIG. 15 is a schematic front view showing the use state of the knee protecting airbag device of the embodiment, as viewed from the vehicle rear side.

FIG. 16 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the knee-protecting airbag device according to one embodiment of the present invention is disposed on the front side of the passenger seat in the vehicle, as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 3 steering column 8 column cover 8a lower surface 10 inner panel 12 holding member 12a mounting portion 12b communication hole 12c support surface 13 airbag cover 17 projecting opening 19 case 19b flange portion 21 inflator 26 airbag 43 inner panel 43a upper panel 43b lower panel 45 holding Member 45a Mounting portion 45b Communication hole 45c Support surface 48 Instrument panel reinforcement 49 Mounting plate 50 Holding member 50a Mounting portion 50b Communication hole 50c Support surface FC / FL / FR frame M knee protection airbag device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3D054 AA02 AA03 AA08 AA12 AA14 BB23 BB30 CC04 CC10 CC11 CC29 DD15 DD28 FF17

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A folded airbag, an inflator for supplying an inflation gas to the airbag, and a case which accommodates the airbag and the inflator and is disposed on a vehicle front side of a driver or an occupant. The airbag into which the inflation gas has flowed in is deployed and inflated while protruding from the opening of the case toward the rear of the vehicle to protect the knee of the driver or occupant. An airbag device, comprising: a holding member having a mounting portion for holding the case and mounting the knee protecting airbag device on a vehicle, the holding member communicating with an opening of the case. A communication hole capable of projecting the airbag that is expanded and inflated and expanded, and a support surface that is arranged on a periphery of the communication hole and that can support a front surface of the expanded and inflated airbag on a vehicle front side are formed. An airbag device for knee protection. 2. The knee protecting air according to claim 1, wherein the case accommodating the folded airbag and the inflator is assembled in advance by being assembled to the holding member. Bag device.