JP2008137452A - Airbag system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple airbag system capable of controlling the internal pressure thereof at the time of completing a deployment. <P>SOLUTION: This airbag system M includes an extended part 42 which is extended to an inner peripheral side from a peripheral edge of an inflow opening 36 in an airbag 33 and an opening/closing lid 41 which connects the extended portion to a storing portion 10 by an opening/closing control unit 20. On the opening/closing lid 41, a slit 43 which is continuously and linearly extending from the inflow opening 36 to an area projecting from a storing portion upon deployment of the airbag is arranged. The airbag system is structured so that an opening is formed by producing a difference between a fixed lid 35 including a normal fixed part at a peripheral edge of the slit 43 and the opening/closing lid 41 when the storing portion 10 is released from the extended part 42 by the opening/closing control device 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus provided with an airbag that is inflated from a folded state during storage by allowing an inflating gas to flow in and is set so that an internal pressure during expansion can be suppressed.

Conventionally, in an airbag device, an exhaust hole that allows a part of the inflation gas to be discharged is formed in the airbag, and the opening and closing of the exhaust hole depends on the seating position and physique of the occupant seated on the seat, There existed a thing controlled by an opening-and-closing control device, and the composition which controls the internal pressure at the time of inflation of an airbag (for example, refer to patent documents 1).
US Pat. No. 6,648,371

  However, in the conventional airbag device, a flap material, which is separated from the airbag and has a size capable of closing the exhaust hole, is sewn to the periphery of the exhaust hole and separated from the sewn portion in the exhaust hole. Further, the exhaust hole is opened and closed by connecting the leading end side to the open / close control device and maintaining or releasing the connection with the exhaust hole. Therefore, in the conventional airbag device, a flap material for closing the exhaust hole is required as a separate body from the airbag, and an operation for sewing the flap material around the periphery of the exhaust hole in the airbag is required. Therefore, there is room for improvement in reducing the number of parts of the airbag and reducing the number of manufacturing steps and costs.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can control the internal pressure of an airbag when inflation is completed with a simple configuration.

An airbag device according to the present invention is housed in a housing part, allows an inflation gas to flow into the interior thereof, expands from a folded state at the time of storage, and expands from the folded state at the time of opening. An airbag having an exhaust part capable of discharging the part;
An opening / closing control device capable of controlling the opening / closing of the exhaust part;
An airbag device comprising:
The airbag is configured to include a vehicle body side wall portion disposed on the vehicle body side upon completion of inflation and an occupant side wall portion disposed on the occupant side, and the periphery is fixed to the housing site side on the vehicle body side wall portion. Provided with an inflow opening for allowing the inflation gas to flow into the interior,
The periphery of the inflow opening is
A general fixing part fixed to the storage site side;
An opening / closing lid portion provided with an extending portion extending from the peripheral edge of the inflow opening to the inner peripheral side, and connecting the portion of the extending portion to the storage portion side by the opening / closing control device;
Composed of
The opening / closing lid portion constitutes the exhaust portion, and on one edge side of the extending portion in the direction along the periphery of the inflow opening, from the inflow opening side to a portion protruding from the storage portion when the airbag is inflated, A slit formed by continuously forming a linearly extending cut is provided, and is configured.
When the opening / closing lid is inflated,
At the time of maintaining the connected state to the storage site side of the extended portion by the opening and closing control device, the closed state is maintained,
When releasing the connection state to the storage part side of the extended part by the opening and closing control device, a step is generated between the fixed side lid part composed of the part on the general fixing part side at the periphery of the slit, It is the structure which produces an opening, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the airbag device according to the present invention, when the connection state of the extension portion with the opening / closing control device is released when the airbag is inflated, the opening / closing lid portion released from the connection to the storage site side is placed in the airbag. Pressed by the inflating gas flowing in, moved to the outer peripheral side, exhausted to widen the slit so as to create a step between the fixed lid part fixed by the general fixing part The part opens, and excess inflation gas is discharged from the exhaust part, so that the airbag is inflated in a state in which the internal pressure is suppressed. In addition, when the airbag is inflated in a state where the extended state of the opening / closing lid portion and the opening / closing control device are maintained, the opening / closing lid portion is connected to the storage portion side. Therefore, the slit is not opened wide and the closed state of the exhaust part is maintained, and the exhaust gas is prevented from being discharged from the exhaust part as much as possible. The bag can be inflated while ensuring a sufficient internal pressure.

  In the airbag device according to the present invention, the opening / closing lid portion constituting the exhaust portion extends a part of the peripheral portion of the opening for inflow to the inner circumferential side and a part of the vehicle body side wall portion constituting the airbag. Since the base fabric that forms the vehicle body side wall portion of the airbag is simply provided with a slit in advance, the extension portion is provided in a part of the inflow opening. If an airbag is manufactured after that, it can be manufactured simultaneously with the airbag. Therefore, an increase in the number of components can be suppressed, and an increase in the number of airbag manufacturing steps and costs can be suppressed. In particular, the site of the extended portion is originally a site that is discarded when the base fabric is cut to form the inflow opening when the airbag is manufactured, and the material is also effectively used. .

  Therefore, in the airbag device of the present invention, the internal pressure of the airbag when the inflation is completed can be controlled with a simple configuration.

  Specifically, in the airbag device of the present invention, if the opening / closing lid is configured to be provided with slits on both edge sides of the extending portion in the direction along the peripheral edge of the inflow opening, the opening / closing lid is slit. Since it can be made to open by making the site | part of the edge part side into a hinge part, the opening area at the time of opening can be enlarged, and it is preferable.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an airbag apparatus M for a steering wheel that is an embodiment of the present invention.

  Note that the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions in the embodiment are based on the straight-ahead steering of the steering wheel W mounted on the vehicle unless otherwise specified, and the steering shaft SS to which the steering wheel W is assembled (FIG. 3). , 4 (refer to the two-dot chain line), the vertical direction is the vertical direction, the front-rear direction of the vehicle that is orthogonal to the steering shaft SS is the front-rear direction, and the left and right sides of the vehicle that are orthogonal to the steering shaft SS As the left-right direction, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions are shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment is configured to be disposed at an upper portion of the boss portion B at the center of the steering wheel W. The steering wheel W includes a ring portion R that is gripped during steering, a boss portion B that is disposed in the center and connected to the steering shaft SS, four spoke portions S that connect the boss portion B and the ring portion R, and It is configured with. In addition, the steering wheel W includes an airbag device M and a steering wheel body 1 on the component parts.

  The steering wheel body 1 includes a cored bar 2 made of an aluminum alloy or the like disposed so as to connect the ring part R, the boss part B, and the spoke part S, and the spoke part S on the ring part R and the ring part R side. The synthetic resin coating layer 3 for covering the core metal 2 and the synthetic resin lower cover 4 disposed on the lower side of the boss B are configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the airbag apparatus M stores and holds the folded airbag 33, the inflator 8 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 33, and the airbag 33 and the inflator 8. A bag holder 10 as a storage part (case), a pad 24 as an airbag cover disposed so as to cover the opening 10a of the bag holder 10, and an opening / closing lid as an exhaust part AD formed in the airbag 33 41 and a locking member 20 as an opening / closing control device that controls the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid portion 41. In the case of the embodiment, the operation of the inflator 8 and the locking member 20 is controlled by the control device 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 60 includes a position detection sensor 61 as an occupant detection sensor capable of detecting the physique of the occupant (driver) MD seated on the seat SE and the distance between the steering wheel W and the occupant MD. A weight sensor 62 serving as an occupant detection sensor capable of detecting the weight of the occupant MD, a collision detection sensor 63 capable of detecting the acceleration, acceleration direction, and the like of the vehicle are electrically connected, and these occupant detection sensors The opening / closing control device is configured to input an electrical signal from the position detection sensor 61, the weight sensor 62, the collision detection sensor 63, or the like to operate the inflator 8 and to inflate the airbag 33 in a suitable inflation mode. The operation of the locking member 20 is controlled.

  The inflator 8 includes a substantially cylindrical main body 8a provided with a plurality of gas discharge ports 8b for discharging inflation gas at an upper portion, a substantially square plate-like flange portion 8c arranged to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 8a, It is configured with. The flange portion 8c is formed with an insertion hole 8d through which a bolt 6a protruding from a retainer 6 described later is inserted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the retainer 6 is made of a substantially quadrangular annular sheet metal, and includes bolts 6 a protruding downward at the four corners. The retainer 6 causes each bolt 6 a to protrude from the flange portion 8 c of the inflator 8 through the general fixing portion 38 that is a peripheral edge 37 of an inflow opening 36 described later of the airbag 33 and the bag holder 10. Then, by fastening the nut 7 to each bolt 6 a protruding from the flange portion 8 c, the airbag 33 and the inflator 8 are attached to the bag holder 10 using the retainer 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bag holder 10 as a storage part (case) is configured to include a holder body 11 made of sheet metal and two holding plates 15, respectively.

  The holder body 11 includes a substantially square plate-like bottom wall portion 12 and a side wall portion 13 that extends upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 12 and that is open at the upper end side. In the vicinity of the center of the bottom wall portion 12, an insertion hole 12 a is formed that opens in a circular shape and allows the main body 8 a of the inflator 8 to be inserted from below to above. Four insertion holes 12b through which the bolts 6a of the retainer 6 are inserted are formed at the periphery of the insertion hole 12a. Further, a through hole 12c through which an extension part 42 (to be described later) of the airbag 33 can be inserted is formed on the front side of the insertion hole 12a in the bottom wall part 12.

  Further, a locking member 20 as an opening / closing control device is disposed at a position on the lower side of the bottom wall portion 12 and in the vicinity of the through hole 12c. The locking member 20 is fixed to the locking pin 21 inserted into the insertion hole 42 a formed in the extending portion 42 of the airbag 33 and the lower surface side of the bottom wall portion 12, and the locking pin 21 can be pulled in. And an actuator 22 that operates in the same manner. When the actuator 22 is operated so as to retract the locking pin 21, the locking pin 21 shifts from a state where the extending portion 42 is locked to a state where the locking is released. If this actuator 22 can move the locking pin 21 by an electrical signal from the control device 60, the piston cylinder uses the fluid pressure including the case where hydraulic pressure, water pressure, air pressure, or inflating gas pressure such as an inflator is generated. A motor utilizing such fluid pressure or electricity, an electromagnetic solenoid, a spring utilizing an urging force at the time of restoration, or the like can be used. In addition, at the periphery of the through-hole 12c on the lower surface side of the bottom wall portion 12 and on the edge portion side facing the actuator 22, the tip of the locking pin 21 of the locking member 20, as shown in FIGS. A support base 12d is provided that prevents the extension portion 42 from coming off from the locking pin 21 during locking.

  The holding plate 15 fixed to the holder main body 11 includes holding portions 15a extending to the vicinity of the portion of the coating layer 3 in the vicinity of the ring portion R in the spoke portions S on the left and right sides, and a horn switch 16 is attached to each holding portion 15a. It has been. Each holding plate 15 is formed with an attachment hole 15b for inserting a rivet 31 described later. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag device M is supported on the connecting plate 18 (see FIG. 4) fixed to the core metal 2 on the lower surface side of the horn switch 16 with the horn switch 16 interposed therebetween. It is attached to the upper part of the boss part B of the steering wheel body 1.

  The pad 24 as an airbag cover is made of a synthetic resin such as an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a ceiling wall portion 25 that covers the upper side of the boss portion B, and a ceiling wall portion 25. The side wall part 28 of the substantially square cylinder shape extended below from the outer periphery of this is comprised. An inner portion of the side wall portion 28 in the ceiling wall portion 25 is configured as a portion that covers the folded airbag 33, and a plurality of door portions 27 </ b> F and 27 </ b> B that are opened when the airbag 33 is inflated are broken around the portion. A scheduled portion 26 is provided and disposed. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the door portions 27F and 27B are arranged side by side along the front-rear direction, and are pressed by the airbag 33 into which the inflating gas is introduced, The substantially H-shaped rupture scheduled portion 26 is ruptured and opened back and forth. A plurality of mounting holes 29 penetrating in the horizontal direction are formed in the side wall portion 28. In these mounting holes 29, rivets 31 are inserted as fixing means for holding the pad 24 to the bag holder 10.

  The airbag 33 is formed from a flexible woven fabric made of polyamide yarn, polyester yarn, or the like. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. The vehicle body side wall portion 34 disposed on the side and the occupant side wall portion 55 that becomes the occupant (driver) side when the inflation is completed are configured. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 33 has substantially the same circular outer shape, and includes a vehicle body side base fabric 57 constituting the vehicle body side wall portion 34 and an occupant side base fabric 58 constituting the occupant side wall portion 55. The flat bag is formed by sewing the peripheral edges together.

  At the center of the vehicle body side wall portion 34, the airbag 33 is fixed to the bottom wall portion 12 of the bag holder 10 as a storage part (case) using the retainer 6, and the inflation gas is caused to flow into the airbag 33. An inflow opening 36 for this purpose is formed. The inflow opening 36 is formed so as to open in a substantially circular shape except for a front edge side on which an extended portion 42 of the opening / closing lid 41 described later is formed. The inflow opening 36 is for inserting the main body 8 a of the inflator 8 from below and allowing the inflation gas discharged from the gas discharge port 8 b of the inflator 8 to flow into the airbag 33. In the case of the embodiment, the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 is from a general fixing portion 38 that is fixed to the peripheral edge of the insertion hole 12 a in the bottom wall portion 12 of the bag holder 10 and a portion on the front edge 37 a side of the inflow opening 36. An openable / closable lid portion 41 is provided. Four attachment holes 39 through which the bolts 6 a formed in the retainer 6 are inserted are formed in the general fixing portion 38 at the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36.

  The opening / closing lid 41 constitutes the exhaust part AD, and is provided with slits 43, 43 on both left and right edges (both edges of the extended part 42 in the direction along the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36). The side wall portion 34 is partitioned from the general side wall portion 35 on the side of the general fixing portion 38 (see FIG. 6). The slits 43 are parallel to each other, and are formed so as to be continuously formed substantially along the front-rear direction of cuts extending linearly forward from the inflow opening 36. That is, in the case of the embodiment, the opening / closing lid portion 41 is configured to be partitioned by the general side wall portion 35 of the vehicle body side wall portion 34 on the side of the surrounding general fixing portion 38 and the slits 43, 43. A substantially fixed portion in the inflow opening 36 is formed in a belt-like shape extending forward from the front edge 37a side of the inflow opening 36 at a substantially center in the left-right direction of the bag 33, and at a rear end side portion on the inflow opening 36 side. 38, a rectangular plate-like extending portion 42 is provided so as to extend from the peripheral edge of the portion 38 to the inner peripheral side. And the slits 43 and 43 which comprise the periphery which will partition with the general fixing | fixed part 38 side in the opening-and-closing lid part 41 are the direction sides along the periphery 37 of the inflow opening 36 in the extension part 42 (in the case of embodiment). It is formed so as to extend forward from an edge that is configured to extend in the front-rear direction. In the embodiment, the opening / closing lid portion 41 (slits 43, 43) is formed from the front end of the open door portion 27F in the pad 24 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It arrange | positions so that it may extend ahead. And the site | part (refer the dashed-two dotted line of FIG. 6) which tied the front end side of the slits 43 and 43 linearly comprises the hinge part 44 at the time of opening of the opening-and-closing lid part 41 (refer FIG. 6, 7). ).

  The extending portion 42 is formed with an insertion hole 42 a through which the locking pin 21 of the locking member 20 can be inserted. In the embodiment, when the airbag 33 is folded and stored, the extending portion 42 is inserted into the insertion hole 42 a in a state of protruding from the through hole 12 c and is locked to the locking member 20. Will be. That is, the extended portion 42 is configured to be connected to the bottom wall portion 12 of the bag holder 10 at a position on the front side of the inflator 8 (the front side of the insertion hole 12a). Further, in the embodiment, the protrusion amount L (the distance from the edge portion of the general fixing portion 38 to the insertion hole 42a, see FIG. 6) of the extending portion 42 toward the inner peripheral side is the air as shown in FIG. When the bag 33 completes expansion in a state where the extended portion 42 is locked to the locking member 20, the film length of the portion protruding from the bag holder 10 in the opening / closing lid portion 41 is set to the bag holder of the general side wall portion 35. 10 is set to a dimension that suppresses the opening of the slit 43 and prevents a step between the opening / closing lid 41 and the general side wall 35 as much as possible.

  Next, mounting of the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment on a vehicle will be described. First, the retainer 6 is inserted into the airbag 33 through the inflow opening 36, and each bolt 6 a is protruded from the mounting hole 39. At this time, the extending portion 42 of the opening / closing lid portion 41 is disposed on the outer side of the retainer 6 so that the tip side is directed downward and protrudes downward from the opening surface of the inflow opening 36. Thereafter, the airbag 33 is folded so that it can be accommodated in the bag holder 10 while maintaining the protruding state of the extending portion 42.

  Next, each of the bolts 6a is protruded from the insertion hole 12b of the bottom wall portion 12 and the extended portion 42 is protruded from the through hole 12c. The connecting plate 18 is housed in the attached bag holder 10. Then, the locking pin 21 of the locking member 20 is inserted into the insertion hole 42a of the extending portion 42, and the distal end side of the locking pin 21 is supported by the support base 12d so that the extending portion 42 is locked to the locking member. 20, the extended portion 42 is connected to the bottom wall portion 12 side of the bag holder 10. Thereafter, the main body 8a of the inflator 8 is inserted into the insertion hole 12a of the bottom wall portion 12 from below, and each bolt 6a is protruded from the insertion hole 8d of the flange portion 8c. Then, the nut 7 is fastened to each bolt 6a, and the portion of the general fixing portion 38 in the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 of the airbag 33 and the inflator 8 are connected to the peripheral portion of the insertion hole 12a in the bag holder 10. Hold.

  Thereafter, the airbag 24 is covered with the pad 24, the locking claw 13 a of the bag holder 10 is locked to the stepped portion 28 a of the side wall 28, and the bag holder 10 and the side wall 28 are fastened by the rivet 31. The airbag apparatus M can be assembled.

  The airbag apparatus M assembled in this manner can be obtained by connecting the connecting plate 18 to a mounting seat (not shown) of the steering wheel main body 1 already attached to the vehicle by using a predetermined bolt. At this time, the assembly of the steering wheel W and the mounting of the steering wheel W on the vehicle are completed. When the airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle, a lead wire (not shown) for inputting an operation signal extending from the control device 60 is connected to the inflator 8 and the locking member (opening / closing control device) 20.

  If the traveling vehicle collides after the airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle, the control device 60 outputs an operation signal to the inflator 8, and the inflator 8 supplies the inflation gas from the gas discharge port 8b. The air bag 33 is discharged and the inflation gas is caused to flow into the inside to inflate, the doors 27F and 27B of the pad 24 are opened on both the front and rear sides, and the airbag 33 protrudes toward the occupant MD side to complete the inflation.

  In the airbag device M of the embodiment, the opening / closing lid 41 (exhaust portion AD) provided on the vehicle body side wall 34 of the airbag 33 is opened and closed, and the extended portion 42 of the opening / closing lid 41 is used as a storage part. The structure is controlled by maintaining or releasing the connection with the locking member 20 as an opening / closing control device connected to the holder 10 side.

  Specifically, in the airbag device M of the embodiment, when the control device 60 that receives signals from the predetermined sensors 61, 62, and 63 detects the seating of the small passenger MD1, for example, the inflator After the inflation gas is discharged from 8 and the airbag 33 is substantially completely inflated, the control device 60 outputs an actuation signal to the actuator 22 so as to pull in the locking pin 21 of the locking member 20. Thus, the airbag 33 is completely inflated in a state where the locking between the extending portion 42 and the locking pin 21 is released. In this case, the opening / closing lid portion 41 released from the locked state of the extending portion 42 and the locking pin 21 and released from the connection to the bag holder 10 side is inflated into the airbag 33. Will be moved to the outer peripheral side. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a step S is generated between the opened opening / closing lid 41 and the surrounding general side wall (fixed side lid) 35 fixed by the general fixing portion 38. Then, the exhaust part AD opens so as to open the slits 43 and 43 wide, and the excess inflation gas G is discharged from the exhaust part AD, so that the airbag 33 is inflated with the internal pressure suppressed. Will be. As a result, it is possible to appropriately protect the small occupant MD1 by restraining the airbag 33 that has been inflated from being pressed more than necessary (see FIG. 1).

  Conversely, when the control device 60 detects the seating of the large occupant MD2 or detects that the occupant MD is seated at a position away from the steering wheel W, the control device 60 moves the actuator 22 to the actuator 22. The operation signal is not output, and the airbag 33 completes inflating in a state in which the extension portion 42 and the locking pin 21 are kept locked. In this case, since the opening / closing lid portion 41 connects the extending portion 42 to the bag holder 10 side, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening / closing lid portion 41 is prevented from moving to the outer peripheral side, and the slits 43, 43 are wide. The exhaust part AD is kept closed, the inflation gas is prevented from being discharged from the exhaust part AD as much as possible, and the airbag 33 is inflated with a sufficient internal pressure. Can do. Therefore, the occupant MD seated away from the steering wheel W and the large occupant MD2 can be accurately protected while suppressing bottoming (see FIG. 1).

  In the airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, the opening / closing lid part 41 constituting the exhaust part AD extends a part of the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 toward the inner circumference side, and the vehicle body constituting the airbag 33. Since the slits 43 and 43 are provided in a part of the side wall portion 34, the vehicle body side base fabric 57 constituting the vehicle body side wall portion 34 of the airbag 33 is simply provided with the slits 43 and 43 in advance. If the air bag 33 is manufactured after cutting into a shape in which the extended portion 42 is provided in a part of the inflow opening 36, the air bag 33 can be manufactured at the same time. Therefore, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and an increase in the number of manufacturing steps and costs of the airbag 33 can be suppressed. In particular, the part of the extended portion 42 is originally a part that is discarded when the airbag is manufactured and the base cloth is cut to form the inflow opening, and the material is effectively used. Become.

  Therefore, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the internal pressure of the airbag 33 when the inflation is completed can be controlled with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the opening / closing lid portion 41 (slits 43, 43) is forward (away from the door portion 27F) from the front end of the open door portion 27F in the pad 24 when the inflation of the airbag 33 is completed. It is arranged so as to extend outward. That is, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, since the opening / closing lid portion 41 of the airbag 33 is disposed over an area that becomes a free space away from the opened door portion 27F when the inflation is completed, the extending portion When the airbag 33 is inflated in a state where the engagement between the engagement pin 42 and the engagement pin 21 is released, the opening / closing lid portion 41 can be reliably opened in an area away from the door portion 27F, which is preferable.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the opening / closing lid portion 41 is provided with slits 43 and 43 on both left and right edge sides, which are both edge sides of the extending portion 42 in the direction along the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36, in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the opening / closing lid portion 41 is opened by using the front end side portion of the opening / closing lid portion 41 (the front end side portion of the slits 43, 43) as the hinge portion 44. The opening area at the time of opening can be increased. In the embodiment, the slits 43, 43 are formed so as to be substantially along the front-rear direction, and the opening / closing lid 41 is formed in a strip shape. However, like the opening / closing lid 41A shown in FIG. It is also possible to use a taper that is formed so as to extend radially from the vicinity of the center of the opening 36 and has a narrow width on the extending portion 42A side and a wide width on the hinge 44A side.

  If the above points are not taken into consideration, a slit is formed only on one edge side of the extending portion 42B in the direction along the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 as in the opening / closing lid portion 41B shown in FIG. 43B may be arranged. When the opening / closing lid portion 41B has such a configuration, if the airbag is inflated with the extended portion 42B unlocked from the locking pin, the portion 41a in the vicinity of the slit 43B in the opening / closing lid portion 41B Pressed by the expansion gas, it opens so as to create a step with the surrounding general side wall portion (fixed side wall portion) 35B, and excess expansion gas can be discharged from this opening portion. . When the opening / closing lid portion is configured by providing a slit only on one edge side of the extending portion as described above, the shape is not limited to the opening / closing lid portion 41B shown in FIG. The extending portion and the slit may be shaped such that one slit of the opening / closing lid portions 41 and 41A disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 9 is deleted.

  Further, in the embodiment, the width dimension of the opening / closing lid portion 41 is constant. However, like the opening / closing lid portion 41C shown in FIG. 11, the front end sides of the slits 43C, 43C are partially curved, You may use what constituted the part 41b of the front end side which opens greatly, when expanding in the state where latching was canceled partially made wide. In such a configuration, when the extended portion 42C expands in a state where the locking with the locking pin is released, the left and right edge portions 41c and 41c of the widened portion 41b are used for expansion. The opening / closing lid 41C can be opened more greatly by pressing the gas and opening outward.

  Although not provided in the airbag 33 of the embodiment, a vent hole for exhausting excess inflation gas flowing into the interior of the vehicle body side wall portion of the airbag may be separately provided.

  In the embodiment, the airbag apparatus for the steering wheel is described as an example of the airbag apparatus. However, the airbag apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this, for example, a passenger seat. The present invention can also be applied to an air bag device or the like.

It is the schematic which shows the steering wheel vicinity of the vehicle carrying the airbag apparatus for steering wheels which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial enlarged plan view of a steering wheel in which the airbag device of the embodiment is used. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the steering wheel of the embodiment, and is a figure corresponding to the III-III part of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the steering wheel of the embodiment, and is a figure corresponding to the IV-IV part of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which show the site | part vicinity of a locking member in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. It is a bottom view of the airbag used for the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the completion state of expansion | swelling of the airbag in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment, and is a figure of the state which opened the exhaust part. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the inflation completion state of the airbag in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment, and is a figure of the state which obstruct | occluded the exhaust part. It is a partial expanded bottom view of the airbag which shows the opening-and-closing lid part of other embodiment. It is a partial expanded bottom view of the airbag which shows the opening-and-closing lid part of other embodiment. It is a partial expanded bottom view of the airbag which shows the opening-and-closing lid part of other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

6 ... Retainer,
8 ... Inflator,
10 ... Bag holder (storage part),
20: Locking member (opening / closing control device),
33 ... Airbag,
34 ... the side wall of the vehicle body,
35 ... General side wall (fixed side lid),
36 ... inflow opening,
37 ... Rim,
38 ... General fixing part,
41, 41A, 41B, 41C ... opening and closing lid,
42, 42A, 42B, 42C ... extending portion,
43, 43A, 43B, 43C ... slits,
55. Passenger side wall,
G ... expansion gas,
MD (MD1, MD2) ... Crew,
W ... Steering wheel,
M: Airbag device.

Claims (2)

An exhaust part that is housed in the housing part, allows an inflation gas to flow inside, expands from a folded state during storage, and discharges a portion of the inflation gas that flows into the interior when opened. An airbag having
An opening / closing control device capable of controlling opening / closing of the exhaust part;
An airbag device comprising:
The airbag includes a vehicle body side wall portion disposed on the vehicle body side upon completion of inflation, and an occupant side wall portion disposed on the occupant side. Provided with an inflow opening for allowing the inflation gas to flow inside.
A peripheral edge of the inflow opening is
A general fixing part fixed to the storage part side;
An opening / closing lid portion provided with an extending portion extending from the peripheral edge of the inflow opening to the inner peripheral side, and connecting the portion of the extending portion to the storage portion side by the opening / closing control device;
Composed of
The opening / closing lid portion constitutes the exhaust portion, and is stored on one edge side of the extending portion in a direction along the periphery of the inflow opening from the inflow opening side when the airbag is inflated. A slit formed by continuously forming a cut extending in a straight line from a part to a part protruding from the part is arranged and configured.
When the opening / closing lid portion is inflated,
When maintaining the connected state of the extended portion to the storage site side by the opening / closing control device, the closed state is maintained,
When the open / close control device releases the connected state of the extended part to the storage part side, a step is generated between the peripheral part of the slit and the fixed side cover part constituted by the part on the general fixing part side. The airbag device is configured to generate the opening.   2. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing lid portion is configured to dispose the slits on both edge sides of the extending portion in a direction along the peripheral edge of the inflow opening.

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