JP2007091007A - Hood airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an airbag body to be developed with reliability by making the airbag body and a door brought into contact with each other favorably at the time of deployment of the airbag body. <P>SOLUTION: An engagement member 24 is used for engaging the door 22 with a hood 16. Since the airbag body side is not directly brought into contact with the end edge part 24A of the engagement member 24 or the edge 22E of the door 22 at the time of deployment of the airbag body 20, the airbag body 20 is not influenced by the end edge part 24A or by the edge 22E. Because of this, since the contact between the airbag body 20 and the door 22 is brought into good condition at the time of development of the airbag body 20, the airbag body 20 can be deployed with reliability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hood airbag device including an airbag bag body that is deployed to the outside of a hood.

As a hood airbag device in which an airbag bag body expands outside the vehicle body, a lid (door) pushed open by the airbag bag body serves as a flap to cover the rear edge of the hood and the wiper, respectively. There has been disclosed a bag body that is inflated smoothly without being caught by a hood rear edge or a wiper (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-200800 A

  However, in the conventional example described above, when the airbag bag body is deployed, the flaps are inserted between the airbag bag body, the rear end portion of the hood, and the wiper, respectively. The contact between the airbag bag body and the flap (door) does not take into account the influence of the airbag bag body on the deployment of the airbag bag body. For this reason, when an engagement member for locking the flap to the hood is provided on the flap, the engagement member comes into contact with the airbag bag body, so the thickness and strength of the bag cloth are required. Will be.

  In consideration of the above facts, the present invention allows the airbag bag body and the door to be in good contact with each other at the time of deployment of the airbag bag body, without requiring the special characteristics of the airbag bag body. The object is to make the bag bag body unfoldable.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, an airbag bag body disposed in a hood and inflated by a gas pressure of a gas supplied from an inflator and deployed outside the vehicle body through the opening portion of the hood, and the opening portion is covered. And a door disposed on the hood so as to be opened when the airbag bag body is pressed from within the hood due to the expansion of the airbag bag body, and provided on the door, and when the door is closed, And an engaging member that is configured to be engageable and is covered so that the end edge portion is not exposed to the airbag bag body side.

  In the hood airbag device according to claim 1, when the airbag bag body is deployed, the engagement state between the door engagement member and the hood is forcibly released by the inflation pressure of the airbag bag body. Is released. The engagement member of the door faces the airbag bag body side while the airbag bag body is deployed and when the deployment is completed.

  However, since the edge portion of the engagement member of the door is covered so as not to be exposed to the airbag bag body side, even if the airbag bag body contacts the engagement member, the edge portion is the airbag bag. There is no direct contact with the body, and the airbag bag body is not affected by the edge. For this reason, since the contact between the airbag bag body and the door is improved when the airbag bag body is deployed, the airbag bag body can be reliably deployed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the hood airbag device according to the first aspect, the engagement member is a side edge portion of the door, and an edge of the side edge portion is provided at a position where the engagement member is attached. It covers so that it may not be exposed to the said airbag bag body side.

  In the hood airbag device according to claim 2, the engaging member covers the edge of the door so that the edge of the edge is not exposed to the airbag body at the position where the engaging member is attached. Therefore, when the airbag bag body is deployed, the airbag bag body does not directly contact the edge of the edge of the door at the position of the engagement member. The contact state between the bag bag body and the engaging member becomes good.

  In addition, since the engagement member covers the edge of the edge portion at the position of the engagement member, there is no need to add extra cost to finish the edge, and the airbag bag body and the door can be contacted at low cost. A state can be made favorable and it becomes possible to expand an airbag bag body reliably.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the hood airbag device according to the second aspect, the extension portion constituting the edge is joined to the side edge portion so as to overlap the inside of the engagement member. It is a feature.

  In the hood airbag device according to claim 3, the extension part constituting the edge is joined in a state of being overlapped with the inner side of the engagement member, and the engagement member is reinforced by the extension part. It has become. For this reason, normally, the hood and the engaging member are stably engaged, and the closed state of the door is stable. When the engagement state between the hood and the engagement member is stable, the force necessary to open the door, that is, the force necessary to release the engagement between the hood and the engagement member is accurately grasped. This makes it possible to optimally design the engaging member. For this reason, it is possible to accurately set the opening timing of the door when the hood airbag device is activated.

  As described above, according to the hood airbag device of the first aspect of the present invention, the contact between the airbag bag body and the door at the time of deployment of the airbag bag body becomes good, and the airbag bag body It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the airbag bag body can be reliably deployed without requiring special characteristics.

  According to the hood airbag device of the second aspect, the contact state between the airbag bag body and the door can be improved at low cost, and the airbag bag body can be reliably deployed. Effect is obtained.

  According to the hood airbag device of the third aspect, since the engaging member is reinforced by the extension of the edge portion of the door, the engaged state between the hood and the engaging member can be stabilized. An excellent effect is obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, a hood airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment is close to, for example, a front windshield glass 18 (FIG. 4) of a hood 16 mainly composed of a hood outer panel 12 and a hood inner panel 14. The airbag device is provided in the vicinity of the rear end, and includes an airbag bag body 20, a door 22, and an engagement member 24.

  In FIG. 1, the airbag bag body 20 is disposed in a case 48 that opens in the hood 16, for example, toward the opening 12 </ b> A side of the hood outer panel 12, and is inflated by the gas pressure of the gas supplied from the inflator 26. Then, the door 22 is opened and deployed to the outside of the vehicle body through the opening 12A of the hood outer panel 12, and is connected to the gas outlet 26A (FIG. 4) of the inflator 26 and folded and stored in the case 48. Has been. In the illustrated example, the inflator 26 is installed in the airbag bag body 20.

  The case 48 is fixed on a mounting member 40 that is attached to the lower surface of the hood inner panel 14 using bolts 36 and nuts 38, for example, and is inserted into the hood 16 through insertion holes 14A provided on the lower surface of the hood inner panel 14. Is arranged. An insertion hole similar to the insertion hole 14 </ b> A is also formed in the reinforcement 30 provided in the hood 16.

  In FIG. 1, a door 22 is provided on a hood outer panel 12 that is an outer plate of the hood 16, and a collision body (not shown) is placed on a front bumper of a vehicle 50 to which the hood airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment is applied. The airbag bag body 20 is inflated and deployed, and is opened when the airbag bag body 20 is pressed from within the hood 16 by the airbag bag body 20. 12A is formed of, for example, a metal lid, and is attached to the hood outer panel 12 as an inner portion of a frame-like portion 12B that is recessed on the hood outer panel 12 side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the door 22 is formed long in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and is formed to have a substantially equal width over the entire length thereof. The door 22 may have a curved shape with a central portion in the longitudinal direction convex toward the front of the vehicle body, for example. Further, the door 22 is not limited to a separate body from the hood outer panel 12, and the door 22 is provided integrally with the hood outer panel 12 and is broken at a position corresponding to the frame-shaped portion 12 </ b> B when the airbag bag body 20 is inflated. You may make it open. The door 22 is not limited to a long one in the vehicle width direction, and may be a relatively short one for a small-capacity airbag bag (not shown).

  Furthermore, the rear edge portion 22R of the door 22 is provided with, for example, three attachment hinges 28 in total at the center and both ends. When the airbag bag 20 is inflated, the door 22 is opened in a predetermined direction, for example, rearward of the vehicle body. Thus, the door 22 is connected to the hood 16. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, one end 28 </ b> A of a mounting hinge 28 is provided with a bolt 32 and a nut on a longitudinal wall portion 30 </ b> B on the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction of the reinforcement 30 disposed as reinforcement in the hood 16. The other end is connected to the door 22 as a connecting portion 28C. The reinforcement 30 is fixed to the hood inner panel 14 together with the mounting member 40 using bolts 36 and nuts 38, and is joined to the hood outer panel 12 via a seal material 42, for example.

  Further, the mounting hinge 28 has a deformable portion 28B that can be plastically deformed when the door 22 is opened. The deformable portion 28B can obtain a necessary deformation stroke amount when the door 22 is opened. For example, it is formed by bending. Specifically, the deformable portion 28B has a drooping portion 28E that extends long downward from the connecting portion 28C with the door 22, and an intermediate portion 28D that is bent rearward therefrom. The rear end of the intermediate portion 28D is bent and extends obliquely downward, and this portion serves as one end 28A of the mounting hinge 28. As shown in FIG. 1, when the door 22 is curved forward of the vehicle body and the central mounting hinge 28 has a deformable portion 28B, the door 22 opens evenly. In addition, it is desirable to ensure that the deformation allowance of the deformable portion 28B is larger than the attachment hinges 28 at both ends.

  1 and 2, the engaging member 24 is provided on the door 22, and is configured to be engageable with the hood outer panel 12 of the hood 16 when the door 22 is closed. It is covered so as not to be exposed on the bag body 20 side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the engagement member 24 is provided in a front edge portion 22 </ b> F that is an example of a side edge portion of the door 22. The front edge portion 22F is formed as a portion where the front end of the panel portion 22P of the door 22 is bent downward, and a winding portion 22B which is continuously bent from the lower end of the front edge portion 22F, It has an extension 22D which is bent from the rear end of the winding portion 22B and extends downward and terminates at an edge 22E. As shown in FIG. 4, the extension 22 </ b> D is not formed except for the position of the engagement member 24.

  The engagement member 24 is elastically engaged with the edge 12C of the opening 12A in the closed state of the door 22 shown in FIG. 2, and can be elastically swung in the vehicle front-rear direction around the lower fulcrum 24S. It has a notch 24C. The upper end 24U of the notch portion 24C terminates before reaching the winding portion 22B of the door 22, and a certain gap S is secured between the upper end 24U and the extension portion 22D. The gap S is provided in order to secure a swinging stroke to the rear of the notch portion 24C so that the engaged state between the notch portion 24C and the end edge 12C can be released. The lower side of the notch portion 24C is an inclined portion 24D extending obliquely rearward and continues to the lower fulcrum 24S. The lower fulcrum 24S is preferably not sharp.

  The engagement member 24 is once bent backward from the upper end position of the vertical wall portion 24W extending upward along the rear surface of the extension portion 22D from the lower fulcrum 24S and the vertical wall portion 24W past the extension portion 22D. When it is bent upward again and reaches the back surface of the panel portion 22P of the door 22, it is bent forward along the inner surface of the door 22, and from the panel portion 22P to the front edge portion 22F and the winding portion 22B, A base 24B extending along the inner surface and terminating.

  The terminal position of the base portion 24B is an end edge portion 24A of the engagement member 24. The end edge portion 24A is preferably within the closed cross section 46 formed by the engagement member 24 and the door 22, and is preferably on the airbag bag body 20 side. It is arrange | positioned so that it may not face, and it is covered with the engagement member 24 itself and the door 22 so that it may not be exposed to the airbag body 20 side. As a result, when the airbag bag body 20 is deployed, the end edge portion 24 </ b> A does not directly contact the airbag bag body 20. The edge 22E of the door 22 is also located between the notch portion 24C and the vertical wall portion 24W of the engaging member 24 and is covered with the engaging member 24. The extended portion 22D constituting the edge 22E is joined to the vertical wall portion 24W of the engaging member 24 by welding, for example, by welding, and the vertical wall portion 24W is reinforced by the extended portion 22D. Note that the end edge portion 24A may be covered with either the engagement member 24 or the door 22, or may be covered with another member. Furthermore, the base portion 24 </ b> B may be joined to the door 22 in order to increase the joining position between the engaging member 24 and the door 22.

  In the closed state of the door 22, the front edge portion 22 </ b> F (in this embodiment, the winding portion 22 </ b> B) is in contact with the frame-shaped portion 12 </ b> B via, for example, the elastic body 44, and the door is moved by the elastic force of the elastic body 44. The closed state of 22 can be stabilized. Further, the engaging member 24 is positioned, for example, on the front side of the case 48 so as not to interfere with the case 48.

(Function)
In the hood airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment, the opening 12A of the hood outer panel 12 is covered with the door 22, so that the airbag bag body 20 and the like in the hood 16 are not normally exposed to wind and rain. The airbag bag body 20 and the like can be stably protected until the hood airbag device 10 is operated.

  When the collision object collides with the front bumper of the vehicle 50 to which the hood airbag device 10 is applied, the airbag ECU operates the inflator 26 by a signal from the front collision sensor, and the airbag bag 20 is moved from the inflator 26 into the airbag bag body 20. A large amount of gas is supplied. As a result, the airbag 20 starts to inflate, is guided in the direction of the opening 12A by the case 48, reaches the door 22, and exerts a strong inflation pressure in the direction of opening the door 22.

  Since the door 22 is supported by the attachment hinge 28 and is opened around the rear edge 22R side, the door 22 is opened with respect to the door 22 by applying a strong expansion pressure to the door 22. A large moment acts in the direction.

  Then, in the engagement member 24 of the door 22, the notch portion 24C elastically swings rearward about the lower fulcrum 24S, gets over the end edge 12C of the opening portion 12A, and the engagement member 24 and the end edge 12C. The engagement state is released. When the door 22 starts to open in this way, the deformable portion 28B of the mounting hinge 28 is plastically deformed in the direction of expanding and extending from the bent state, and accordingly, as shown in FIG. The door 22 is further opened so as to be reversed backward with the rear edge 16R side as the center, and reaches the open position.

  As the door 22 is opened, the airbag bag body 20 is deployed from the opening 12 </ b> A of the hood outer panel 12 to the outside of the hood 16. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, even if the airbag bag body 20 comes into contact with the engaging member 24, the edge 24 </ b> A does not directly contact the airbag bag body 20. The bag bag body 20 is not affected by the edge portion 24A. Further, since the edge 22E of the extension 22D that reinforces the engaging member 24 is also covered with the engaging member 24, the edge 22E does not come into contact with the airbag bag body 20. For this reason, since the contact between the airbag bag body 20 and the door 22 is improved when the airbag bag body 20 is deployed, there is no need to perform a special design on the thickness and strength of the airbag bag body 22. The airbag bag body 20 can be reliably deployed without requiring such special characteristics.

  Further, since the edge 22E is covered with the engaging member 24, it is not necessary to add extra cost to finish the edge 22E, and the contact state between the airbag bag body and the door can be improved at low cost. Can do.

  Further, since the engaging member 24 is reinforced by the extension 22D, the hood 16 and the engaging member 24 are stably engaged in the normal state, that is, when the door 22 is closed, and the closed state of the door 22 is stable. When the engagement state between the hood 16 and the engagement member 24 is stable, a force necessary to open the door 22, that is, a force necessary to release the engagement between the hood 16 and the engagement member 24 is obtained. Therefore, the engagement member 24 can be optimally designed. For this reason, it is possible to accurately set the opening timing of the door 22 when the hood airbag device 10 is operated.

  In the above embodiment, the end edge portion 24A of the engagement member 24 is positioned at the winding portion 22B of the door 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the end edge portion 24A is the airbag bag body. As long as it is not exposed to the 20 side, it may be located, for example, at the front edge portion 22F or the panel portion 22P. Further, the shape of the base portion 24B of the engaging member 24 and the deployed shape of the airbag bag body 20 are not limited to those illustrated. The deployed shape of the airbag bag body 20 may be such that, for example, a tubular developed portion having a circular cross section is formed in a ring or in a plurality of rows in the vehicle front-rear direction. Further, the engaging member 24 may be formed integrally with the door 22.

It is sectional drawing of a food airbag apparatus. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the engagement state of the structure of an engagement member, and the edge of an opening part at the time of closing of a door, and an engagement member. It is sectional drawing which shows the contact state of the engaging member and airbag bag body at the time of expansion | deployment of an airbag bag body. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the door opened and the airbag bag body expand | deployed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Hood airbag apparatus 12 Hood outer panel 12A Opening part 12C End edge 16 Hood 20 Air bag body 22 Door 22D Extension part 22E Edge 22F Front edge part (edge part)
24 engagement member 24A edge 26 inflator

Claims (3)

An airbag bag body disposed in the hood, inflated by the gas pressure of the gas supplied from the inflator, and deployed outside the vehicle body through the opening of the hood;
A door disposed on the hood so as to cover the opening and to be opened when pressed from within the hood by expansion of the airbag bag body;
An engagement member provided on the door and configured to be engageable with the hood when the door is closed, and is covered so that the edge portion is not exposed to the airbag bag body side;
A hood airbag device comprising:   The engagement member covers the edge of the door so that the edge of the edge is not exposed to the airbag bag side at a position where the engagement member is attached. Item 15. The hood airbag device according to Item 1.   The extension part which comprises the said edge in the said edge part is joined in the state which overlapped with the inner side of the said engagement member, The hood airbag apparatus of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.

Images