JP2003212075A - Tear-line structure of airbag door - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately tear an airbag between holes of a tear line when the airbag is inflated. <P>SOLUTION: The tear line 7 structure of the airbag 5 comprises a base material 2, an airbag door 5, the tear line 7, and a leakage preventive member 8. The base material 2 is invisibly disposed on an instrument panel 1 of an automobile and comprises two doors with a deploying part 2a to be deployed in upper/lower directions of the instrument panel 1. The airbag door 5 is composed of a foamed resin layer 3 layered on the surface of the base material 2 and a facing 4 layered on the surface of the foamed resin layer 3. The tear line 7 is composed of holes 6 intermittently formed in a broken line from the rear side of the base material 2 along the deploying part 2a in the base material 2 toward the foamed resin layer 3 and the facing 4 by laser beam machining. The leakage preventive member 8 is disposed between the base material 2 and the foamed resin layer 3 on the tear line 7 for preventing the foamed resin of the foamed resin layer 3 from flowing to the airbag 9 side from the deploying part 2a. The leakage preventive member 8 is disposed to cross over the deploying part 2a and connect the deploying part 2a, and the whole or part of the leakage preventive member 8 on the tear line 7 is removed along the tear line 7 by the laser beam machining. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tear line structure for an airbag door which is integrally provided on an instrument panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when an airbag device is provided for a passenger seat of an automobile, the airbag device is attached to the back side of an instrument panel. Therefore, the instrument panel in this case has an airbag door that has the same appearance as the instrument panel so that the airbag can be easily and quickly inflated and deployed from the airbag device to the passenger side. It is equipped as one.

The above-mentioned airbag door has a base material that constitutes two doors having a developing portion that expands in the vertical direction of the instrument panel, a foamed resin layer laminated on the surface of the base material, and a foamed resin. And a skin laminated on the surface of the layer. In addition, in the airbag door, a leak prevention member is connected between the base material and the foamed resin layer so as to prevent the foamed resin of the foamed resin layer from flowing into the airbag side from the expanded portion. In addition, a fragile part called a tear line of a H-shaped, U-shaped, or day-shaped tear line is formed so that the airbag door can be easily opened by the expansion of the airbag. ing.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned tear line is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11
As disclosed in JP-A-43003 and JP-A-11-334490, a hole having a depth reaching from the back side of the instrument panel to the vicinity of the skin of the instrument panel is intermittently formed in a broken line shape by laser processing. It is created by doing. As a result, Tearline, by adopting laser processing, makes it possible to form an appropriate expansion part at low cost without the need for a mold for forming the expansion part for airbag inflation. ing.

[0005]

However, in the above conventional structure, since the holes are intermittently formed in the leakage preventing member in the shape of a broken line, the leakage preventing member is directly exposed to the friction and pressure due to the inflation of the airbag. If this happens, the leak prevention member may not be properly broken between the holes of the tear line, and the portion intervening in a bridge shape between the holes may become a large fragment and scatter into the room. Then, there is a problem that such an abnormal breakage of the leak prevention member causes breakage and scattering of the airbag door component (base material, foam layer, skin). In particular, this problem is remarkable when the spacing between the holes of the tear line is made large or the depth of the holes is made shallow from the viewpoint of appearance design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tear line structure for an air bag door, which is capable of appropriately breaking the leak preventive member between the holes of the tear line when the air bag is inflated.

[0007]

A tear line structure for an airbag door according to claim 1 of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is provided in an instrument panel of an automobile invisibly, and It is composed of a base material that constitutes two doors having a developing portion that expands in the vertical direction, a foamed resin layer laminated on the surface of the base material, and a skin laminated on the surface of the foamed resin layer. A tier composed of an airbag door and a hole intermittently formed in a broken line by laser processing from the back side of the base material toward the foamed resin layer and the skin along a developed portion provided on the base material. The line, the base member on the tear line, and the foamed resin layer are provided between the foamed resin layer, and the leakage prevention member for preventing the foamed resin of the foamed resin layer from flowing into the airbag side from the deployment portion is provided. A tear line structure of an airbag door provided so as to connect the deployable portion across an open portion, wherein the leak-preventing member on the tear line is wholly or partly along the tear line. It has been removed by processing.

According to the above construction, the leak-preventing member on the tear line is wholly or partly removed along the tear line by laser processing. Therefore, when the airbag is inflated, the leak-preventing member is moved to the tear line. It will be completely separated at the part along the line, and it will be in an appropriate fracture condition. As a result, scattering of debris due to abnormal breakage outside the tear line of the leak prevention member is prevented, and breakage and scattering of the airbag door component (base material, foam layer, skin) due to the breakage of the leak prevention member are also prevented. Can be prevented. Further, the holes that are appropriately broken between the airbag bulges are lined up in an invisible state without increasing the distance between the holes provided by the laser processing and increasing the depth of the holes. A tear line can be formed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tear line structure for an airbag door according to the first aspect, the leak preventing member on the tear line is completely removed, and the expanding portion is not connected by the leak preventing member. Is.

With the above arrangement, when the airbag is inflated, the airbag door is completely separated at the portion along the tear line.

In the tear line structure for an airbag door according to a third aspect of the present invention, the laser processing according to the first or second aspect is performed by the operation of a robot arm.

According to the above-mentioned structure, the laser processing of the leak-proof member is performed along the same trajectory as the tear line,
Since it can be performed only by changing the output of the laser, accurate processing can be performed on the leak prevention member,
Processing work can be performed easily and in a short time. The laser processing may be performed by attaching a laser generator to the robot arm, or by attaching an instrument panel to the robot arm, and further, both the laser generator and the instrument panel may be used. You may attach it to each robot arm of a stand.

In the tear line structure for an airbag door according to a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the operation of the robot arm is performed by attaching the instrument panel to the robot arm.

According to the above construction, since the laser generator is heavier than the instrument panel, the load on the robot arm can be reduced as compared with the case where the laser generator is attached to the robot arm and laser processing is performed. You can As a result, the robot arm can be positioned with high accuracy, so that the desired tear line can be reliably formed. Further, the processing depth of the hole of the tear line is usually oscillated from a laser, and the amount of infrared rays passing through the instrument panel is obtained through a sensor to measure the residual thickness of the product. Therefore, when attaching the laser generator to the robot arm, it is necessary to move the sensor together with the robot arm so that the positional relationship between the laser generator and the sensor is constant. If attached and operated, the laser generator and the sensor can be fixed, so that laser processing can be performed easily.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, a tear line 7 is provided on the back side of the passenger panel side of the instrument panel 1 integrated with the airbag door 5. In FIG. 2, the airbag door 5 is laminated on the base material 2 having the expanding portion 2a provided invisible from the passenger seat, the foamed resin layer 3 laminated on the surface of the base material 2, and the foamed resin layer 3. And an epidermis 4. The expansion part 2a is an opening provided in the base material 2 and forms two doors for expanding the instrument panel 1 in the vertical direction.

A leak preventing member 8 is provided between the base material 2 and the foamed resin layer 3 so as to connect the expanded portion 2a across the expanded portion 2a. The leak prevention member 8 prevents the foamed resin of the foamed resin layer 3 from flowing into the airbag 9 side from the expansion portion 2a.

The airbag door 5 has a deployment portion 2a.
4, holes 6 are intermittently formed in a broken line shape by laser processing from the back side of the base material 2 toward the foamed resin layer 3 and the skin 4. The formed hole 6 constitutes a tear line 7. And
The leak prevention member 8 along the tear line 7 is removed by laser processing.

A laser processing apparatus 31 for performing the above-mentioned laser processing is shown in FIG. 6 in which a robot arm 32 and a laser generator 33 attached to the robot arm 32 are provided.
And the sensor 3 installed at a position capable of receiving the laser beam 33B generated from the laser generator 33.
4 and. The central computer controller 36 is connected to the sensor 34, the robot arm 32 is connected to the central computer controller 36 via the robot controller 37, and the laser generator 33 is connected to the central computer controller 36 via the laser controller 38.

The central computer controller 36 is programmed with the array of holes 6 to be machined in the irradiated body 35 and the depth thereof. The arrangement of the holes 6 is set so as to be provided along the developing portion 2a.
The depth of the expansion portion 2 is appropriate when the airbag 9 swells.
a is set to expand. The central computer controller 36 can be set arbitrarily, and the setting can be changed depending on the irradiation target 35. Further, even for the same irradiation target 35, the setting may be changed depending on the case.

The laser generator 33 is also preferably of the "diffusion cooled" type. According to this, the gas line connection (h
It does not require ookups) and can be easily attached to the robot arm 32. Therefore, the optical system
The laser beam 33B is simplified so that it is directed by the movement of the robot arm 32, and cost reduction and performance improvement can be achieved. In addition, a robust and reliable device can be obtained.

A method of manufacturing the tear line 7 structure of the airbag door 5 having the above structure will be described.

In the airbag door 5 shown in FIG. 2, first, the base material 2 is molded by injection molding of resin or metal molding such as iron plate, and the skin 4 is molded by vacuum molding or the like. Then, the foam material is injected between the base material 2 and the skin 4, and the foam resin layer 3 is formed. It should be noted that the base material 2 is provided with an opening portion 2a that forms two doors that are opened in the vertical direction of the instrument panel 1 in advance.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, laser processing is performed along the developed portion 2a provided on the base material 2 to form holes 6 '.
Are intermittently provided in the shape of a broken line. The hole 6 ′ is provided at a depth that penetrates the leak-proof member 8 and the foamed resin layer 3 and reaches the skin 4.

The above laser processing is carried out by the laser beam 33 generated from the laser generator 33 in FIG.
It is performed by B. First, the irradiation target 35 on the sensor 34
As a result, the instrument panel 1 integrated with the airbag door 5 is placed with the side of the laser generator 33 facing the leak preventing member 8 as the upper surface. Based on the program control stored in the central computer controller 38, the central computer controller 36 instructs the robot controller 37 to operate the robot arm 32 and the laser controller 38 to the laser generator 33.
The operation of the laser beam 33B and the power level instruction are transmitted.

As a result, the laser beam 33B is intermittently generated from the laser generator 33 as the robot arm 32 moves, and the hole 6'is formed in the airbag door 5. At this time, the laser beam 33B from the sensor 34
A signal corresponding to the thickness of the airbag door 5 remaining after the processing of the hole 6 ′ made by is emitted, and a feedback signal is sent to the central computer controller 36. The central computer controller 36 analyzes this feedback signal, changes the position and power level of the laser beam 33B, and accurately controls the thickness of the airbag door 5 that remains after processing the hole 6 '. Thus
The holes 6'are machined to have a preset arrangement and depth.
By the above operation, the hole 6 ′ is formed in a broken line shape along the expanding portion 2a.
Is formed.

Further, the airbag door 5 provided with the hole 6'as described above is continuously placed on the sensor 34. Then, along the laser-processed tear line 7, the laser beam 33B output weaker in the same locus is continuously laser-processed. As shown in FIG. 4, the removal portion 11 is removed to form the hole 6, and the leak preventing member 8 is formed with the processed hole 8 a.

Since the removal portion 11 is removed, the airbag door constituent member (base material 2) is made invisible in appearance without increasing the distance between the holes 6'and increasing the depth of the holes 6 '. The resistance when the foamed resin layer 3 / skin 4) is cleaved can be reduced, and the holes 6 can be appropriately broken between each other when the airbag 9 is inflated.

The height of the removed portion 11 to be removed can be adjusted and set in advance. The height of the removing portion 11 may be set so that the holes 6 of the tear line 7 can be appropriately broken between each other and the resistance when the airbag door 5 is torn can be reduced.

The laser processing of the leak-proof member 8 is performed by forming the hole 6 '.
Laser beam 3 following the same trajectory as when forming
Since it can be performed only by changing the output of 3B, the programming of the central computer controller 36 can be simplified. Since the loci are set by the same setting, the loci when the holes 6 ′ are formed and when the removal portion 11 is removed can trace exactly the same loci.

Next, the operation of the tear line 7 of the airbag door 5 manufactured as described above will be described.

In FIG. 2, the instrument panel 1
When an impact is applied to the airbag device, the airbag device is activated and the airbag 9 in the airbag case 10 is inflated. Then, a large pushing force is applied to the airbag door 5 from the surface of the base material 2 due to the inflation force of the airbag 9, and the pushing force acts to break the tear line 7 formed on the airbag door 5. To do.

At this time, the leakage preventing member 8 on the tear line 7 is completely removed as shown in FIG. 4, and the leakage preventing member 8 on the tear line 7 is
Some have been removed. Therefore, the tear line 7 is in a state of being more easily broken than in the case where the leak prevention member 8 is formed in a broken line shape. As a result, tear line 7
Is easily broken by the above-mentioned pushing force of the airbag 9, and is surely broken at the shortest distance between the adjacent holes 6. As a result, scattering of debris due to abnormal breakage of the leak-proof member 8 from the tear line 7 is prevented. The scattering of 4) can also be prevented.

As described above, the structure of the tear line 7 of the airbag door 5 of this embodiment is invisiblely provided on the instrument panel 1 of the automobile and is expanded in the vertical direction of the instrument panel 1. An air bag door composed of a base material 2 constituting two doors each having a sheet, a foamed resin layer 3 laminated on the surface of the base material 2, and a skin 4 laminated on the foamed resin layer 3. 5 and holes 6 which are intermittently formed in a broken line shape by laser processing from the back side of the base material 2 toward the foamed resin layer 3 and the skin 4 along the expanded portion 2a provided on the base material 2. The tear line 7 and the leak preventive member 8 provided between the base material 2 on the tear line 7 and the foamed resin layer 3 for preventing the foamed resin of the foamed resin layer 3 from flowing into the airbag 9 side from the expansion portion 2a. Straddles the expansion section 2a A structure of a tear line 7 of an airbag door 5 provided so as to connect the expanding portions 2a, wherein a leak preventive member 8 on the tear line 7 is wholly or partially laser-machined along the tear line 7. Have been removed by.

As a result, when the airbag 9 is inflated, the airbag door 5 is completely separated at the portion along the tear line 7 and becomes in an appropriate breakage state, and the airbag door constituent member (deployment portion 2a / foamed resin). The scattering of the layer 3 and the skin 4) can be prevented, and the airbag door constituent member (deployment portion 2a)
-The resistance at the time of splitting the foamed resin layer 3 / skin 4) can also be reduced. In addition, the holes 6 that are appropriately ruptured when the airbag 9 is inflated in an outwardly invisible state without increasing the distance between the holes 6 provided by laser processing or increasing the depth of the holes 6 are provided. It is possible to form a row of tear lines 7.

In this embodiment, the case where all the holes 6 are provided at the same depth has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as shown in FIG.
6 may have deep holes 16a and shallow holes 16b alternately provided. With such a configuration, the inflatable airbag door 5 in which the tear line 7 cannot be seen from the surface of the instrument panel 1 can be provided without impairing the deployability of the airbag. Further, in the present embodiment, the tear line 7 is processed and then the leak preventer 8 is removed. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the leak preventer 8 is not limited thereto.
The tear line 7 may be processed after the removal.

Further, in this embodiment, the leak-preventing member 8 on the tear line 7 is completely removed, and the expanding portion 2a is not connected by the leak-preventing member 8. As a result, when the airbag 9 is inflated, the airbag door 5 is completely separated at the portion along the tear line 7.

In the present embodiment, the case has been described in which the leak-preventing member 8 on the tear line 7 is completely removed and the expanding portion 2a is not connected by the leak-preventing member 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. is not. That is, the leak preventing member 8 on the tear line 7 may be partially removed. Further, a part may be entirely removed, and a part may be partially removed. The leak-preventing member 8 may be removed depending on the state of tearing of the airbag door 5 when the airbag 9 is inflated.

Further, in this embodiment, laser processing is performed by mounting the instrument panel 1 on the robot arm 32. As a result, the laser processing of the leak preventive member 8 can be performed by following the same trajectory as the tear line 7 and only changing the laser output, so that the leak preventive member 8 is accurately processed on the tear line 7. In addition, the work can be easily performed in a short time. The laser processing may be performed by attaching the instrument panel 1 to the robot arm 32, by attaching the laser generator 33 to the robot arm 32, or by attaching the instrument panel to the robot arm. . Further, both the laser generator and the instrument panel may be attached to two robot arms, respectively.

However, as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to attach the instrument panel 1 to the robot arm 32 and perform laser processing. This is because the laser generator 33 is a heavier item than the instrument panel 1, so that the laser generator 33 can be installed in the robot arm 32.
It is possible to reduce the load on the robot arm 32 as compared with the case where the robot arm 32 is mounted on the laser and processed by laser. This is because the robot arm 32 can be positioned with high accuracy, and the desired tear line 7 can be reliably formed. Further, the processing depth of the hole of the tear line 7 is normally oscillated from the laser 33B, and the amount of infrared rays passing through the instrument panel 1 is obtained through the sensor 34 to measure the residual thickness of the product. Therefore, when the laser generator 33 is attached to the robot arm 32, it is necessary to move the sensor 33 together with the robot arm 32 so that the positional relationship between the laser generator 33 and the sensor 34 is constant. If the operation panel 1 is attached to the robot arm 32 and operated, the laser generator 33
Since the sensor 34 and the sensor 34 can be fixed to each other, laser processing can be easily performed.

In the present embodiment, the case where the robot arm 32 is controlled by the robot controller 37 and the laser generator 33 is controlled by the laser controller 38 by the central computer controller 36 has been described, but the invention is not limited to this. Not something. For example, the laser control device 3 may not be provided, or the robot arm 32 may move only a certain amount. Then, the entire device can be simplified.

[0042]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, according to the above configuration, the leak preventing member on the tear line is entirely or partially removed along the tear line by laser processing. , When the airbag is inflated,
The leak-proof member is completely separated at the portion along the tear line, and the proper breaking condition is achieved. As a result, scattering of debris due to abnormal breakage outside the tear line of the leak prevention member is prevented, and breakage and scattering of the airbag door component (base material, foam layer, skin) due to the breakage of the leak prevention member are also prevented. Can be prevented. Further, the holes that are appropriately broken between the airbag bulges are lined up in an invisible state without increasing the distance between the holes provided by the laser processing and increasing the depth of the holes. A tear line can be formed.

According to the invention of claim 2, when the airbag is inflated, the airbag door is completely separated at the portion along the tear line.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the laser processing of the leak-proof member can be performed only by changing the laser output by following the same trajectory as the tear line, the leak-proof member can be accurately processed. In addition to being able to perform various types of processing, the processing work can be performed easily and in a short time.

According to the invention of claim 4, since the laser generator is heavier than the instrument panel,
The load on the robot arm can be reduced as compared with the case where the laser generator is attached to the robot arm and laser processing is performed. As a result, the robot arm can be positioned with high accuracy, so that the desired tear line can be reliably formed. further,
The processing depth of the tear line hole is usually oscillated from a laser, and the residual thickness of the product is measured by obtaining the amount of infrared rays passing through the instrument panel through a sensor. Therefore, when attaching the laser generator to the robot arm, it is necessary to move the sensor together with the robot arm so that the positional relationship between the laser generator and the sensor is constant. If attached and operated, it is possible to fix the laser generator and the sensor, which facilitates laser processing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the instrument panel of FIG. 1 taken along the line AA.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a tear line during a tear line manufacturing process, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a longitudinal section.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a tear line, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a longitudinal section.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified tear line.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a laser processing apparatus used during laser processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Instrument panel 2 base materials 3 foamed resin layer 4 epidermis 5 airbag door 6 holes 7 Tier Line 8 Leak prevention member 9 airbags 10 airbag case 11 Removal section

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] February 4, 2002 (2002.2.4)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

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[Correction method] Change

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[Figure 3]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

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[Name of item to be corrected] Fig. 4

[Correction method] Change

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[Figure 4]

[Procedure 3]

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[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 5

[Correction method] Change

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[Figure 5]

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A base material which is invisiblely provided on an instrument panel of an automobile and which constitutes two doors having a developing portion which is developed in the vertical direction of the instrument panel, and a base material which is laminated on the surface of the base material. An airbag door including a foamed resin layer and a skin laminated on the surface of the foamed resin layer, and the foamed resin layer and the skin from the back side of the base material along a development portion provided on the base material. Toward the tear line constituted by holes that are intermittently formed in a dashed line by laser processing, the base material on the tear line and the foam resin layer are provided between the foam resin of the foam resin layer A tear line structure for an airbag door, wherein a leak-preventing member for preventing the inflow from the deployment portion to the airbag side is provided so as to connect the deployment portion across the deployment portion, Waterproof member on Iarain is, the tear line structure of the air bag door whole or in part along the tear line is one that is removed by the laser processing. 2. The tear-line structure for an airbag door according to claim 1, wherein the leak-preventing member on the tear line is completely removed, and the expanding portion is not connected by the leak-preventing member. 3. The tear line structure for an airbag door according to claim 1, wherein the laser processing is performed by an operation of a robot arm. 4. The tear line structure for an airbag door according to claim 3, wherein the operation of the robot arm is performed by attaching the instrument panel to the robot arm.