JP2010023783A - Vehicular air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular airbag device, having a very simple structure and capable of reducing manufacturing costs in an airbag device covered with a cover formed of a leather material. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular air bag device includes a cover body 3 that covers the air bag 2, opening along with the inflation and expansion of the airbag and a cover 4 that is formed of a split leather material and that breaks by the opening action of the cover body without forming an expected rupture part, to cover the surface of the cover body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device covered with a leather material cover.

  Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 is known as an interior of a vehicle covered with a leather material cover.

In Patent Document 1, as a cover for leather material, an elastic polyurethane molded thin film is adhered to the surface of leather floor skin, and a coating layer is further applied to the surface, providing excellent soft touch and durability against aging. An outer lining is used, and the outer lining is shown on elements such as the steering wheel rim and shift lever grip (inner interior).
Special Table 2002-542987

  In the above prior art, the interior interior is covered with a three-layer leather cover made of a three-layer structure with the leather floor skin having aged deterioration durability. On the other hand, when installing an airbag device on a vehicle that uses a leather interior, it is formed with a leather silver surface on the airbag device along with the interior to provide a design that is consistent with the interior. In some cases, the covered cover was covered. However, the silver surface of the leather has high durability, and if it is in an innocuous state where the portion to be cleaved is not formed, a load is applied to the cover body at the time of cleaving, which may cause problems in the cleaving state. Therefore, in order to reduce the load that the silver surface cover puts on the cover body, the silver surface cover is cut along the tear line of the cover body, or the silver surface is cut into multiple sheets according to the tear line. However, it had to be processed to form a fragile planned portion such as a cover with a silver surface sewn on the tear line. Further, when covering the cover body with a silver surface, it was necessary to align the portion to be cleaved on the tear line. For this reason, there existed a problem that a manufacturing process was complicated and manufacturing cost started.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle airbag device that has an extremely simple structure and can be reduced in manufacturing cost.

  The vehicle airbag apparatus according to the present invention covers an airbag and opens the cover body as the airbag is inflated and deployed. A cover is formed of a split leather material to be cleaved, and covers a surface of the cover body.

  It is preferable that a tear line for assisting the opening operation is formed in the cover body.

  It is preferable that the airbag is a driver's seat airbag mounted on a steering wheel of a vehicle.

  It is preferable that the airbag is a passenger seat airbag mounted on an instrument panel.

  It is desirable that the airbag is a side airbag installed inside the seat.

  The airbag is preferably a knee airbag mounted on a dashboard.

  In the vehicle airbag device according to the present invention, the structure is extremely simple, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, a first preferred embodiment of a vehicle airbag apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The vehicle airbag device 1 according to the present embodiment basically covers the airbag 2 without forming the cover main body 3 to be opened and the portion to be opened as the airbag 2 is inflated and deployed. And a cover 4 that is formed of a split leather material that is cleaved by the opening operation of the cover body 3 and covers the surface of the cover body 3. The airbag 2 is a driver's seat airbag that is mounted on the steering handle 5 of the vehicle.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the steering handle 5, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the vehicle airbag device 1 mounted on the steering handle 5.

  A vehicle airbag device 1 is provided in the approximate center of the steering handle 5. The vehicle airbag device 1 mainly includes an airbag 2, a cover body 3, and a cover 4.

  The airbag 2 is accommodated in the housing 6. An inflator 7 is connected to the airbag 2 and is inflated and deployed by introducing high-pressure gas from the inflator 7.

  An opening 6 a is formed in the housing 6. A cover body 3 is provided at the opening 6a so as to cover the opening 6a.

  The cover body 3 is fixed to the housing 6. The cover body 3 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material. The cover body 3 is formed with a tear line 3a at an appropriate position for assisting the opening operation. In the illustrated example, the tear line 3 a is formed in the cover body 3 by cutting it into a substantially Y-shaped perforation along the emblem mounting position 11. When the airbag 2 is inflated and deployed, the cover body 3 is opened by tearing the tear line 3a.

  On the surface of the cover main body 3, a solid cover 4 that does not form a portion to be cleaved is covered. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 4 is attached to the cover body 3 with an adhesive or the like so as to wrap the entire cover body 3. In order to prevent the cover 4 from peeling off from the cover body 3, the cover 4 is formed with an engaging part 4 b in which a part or all of the peripheral part 4 a is folded inside the peripheral part 3 b of the cover body 3. Is done.

  The cover 4 is formed of a split leather material. The split leather material is made from the skins of animals such as cows, pigs, crocodiles and snakes. As shown in FIG. 3, the split leather material is formed by using a floor surface b below the silver surface a in the dermis layer d located below the skin epidermis c and punching it. The floor surface b has a characteristic that the fibers are rough and easy to tear compared to the silver surface a.

  By using the split leather material having the above characteristics, the cover 4 is formed to be sufficiently fragile without forming a portion to be cleaved. Thereby, the cover 4 is torn together with the opening operation of the cover body 3 when the airbag 2 is deployed and inflated. In this case, that the portion to be cleaved is not formed means that a groove or a slit is formed in the cover 4 in accordance with the tear line 3a of the cover body 3 or a split leather material cut into a plurality of pieces is sewn. This means that it is an innocent state that does not form a particularly fragile scheduled portion.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle airbag apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In manufacturing the vehicle airbag device 1, the cover 4 is attached to the cover body 3, and the emblem is attached to the emblem attachment position 11 on the cover 4. On the other hand, the airbag 2 having the fixing ring 12 inserted therein is folded and housed inside the housing 6. The cover body 3 covered with the cover 4 is disposed and fixed to the opening 6a so as to cover the opening 6a. Then, the inflator 7 is attached to the housing 6 a from the bottom, and the fixing ring 12 and the housing 6 are fixed by the bolt 13 and the nut 14. The vehicle airbag device 1 assembled in this way is fixed to the steering handle 5.

  The vehicle airbag apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be formed in a very simple structure by using the cover 4 in an innocent state that does not form a portion to be cleaved. Moreover, the production cost can be reduced by using a split leather material that is cheaper than the leather surface a material.

  Further, as shown in the problem, for example, when a horn is operated, sewing is performed in comparison with a case in which a plurality of silver surfaces a are sewn on the tear line 3a of the cover body 3 and the like. It is possible to prevent a finger from being caught on the step. Similarly, excellent design can be maintained because the cover 4 on the tear line 3a of the cover body 3 can be formed without a slit or the like to be a part to be cleaved.

  Further, by attaching the vehicle airbag device 1 covered with the cover 4 made of the split leather material to the steering handle 5 covered with the cover made of the same material, the material is unified, and the overall feel and appearance of the steering handle 5 are obtained. It can have unity.

  In the present embodiment, the tear line 3a is formed in the cover body 3 by cutting it into a substantially Y-shaped perforation along the emblem mounting position 11 below. However, the formation position of the tear line 3 a is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the tear line 3 a may be formed at an appropriate position of the cover body 3 covered with the cover 4. Accordingly, the tear line 3a can be formed at any position of the cover body 3 without being aware of the presence of the cover 4.

  Next, a modification of the vehicle airbag device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The cover 4 formed of a solid split leather material is subjected to surface processing (not shown). The surface processing is performed by coating a resin solvent such as polyurethane.

  The resin solvent is applied to improve the design of the cover 4. As a result, the resistance of the cover 4 is slightly improved, but the fragility enough to be broken by the expansion and deployment of the airbag 2 can be maintained. The resin solvent is not limited to polyurethane but may be other.

  By using the cover 4 formed of a solid split leather material subjected to surface processing, it is possible to maintain a high-grade feeling equivalent to this at a lower cost than using the silver surface a.

  Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle airbag apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, the airbag 2 is a passenger seat airbag that is mounted on the instrument panel 8.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the instrument panel 8. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the instrument panel 8.

  The cover body 3 is provided with a cover 4 that covers the surface thereof. The cover 4 covers the cover panel 3 and the instrument panel body 8a adjacent thereto. Thereby, the cover 4 is formed so that the whole instrument panel 8 may be covered integrally.

  Next, a third embodiment of the vehicle airbag device 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, the airbag 2 is a side airbag installed inside the seat 9.

  FIG. 6 is a side view of the vehicle airbag device 1 mounted on the inner side of the backrest portion 9a of the seat 9. FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the vehicle airbag device 1 installed inside the seat portion 9 b of the seat 9.

  In the case of this embodiment, the cover 4 covers the backrest portion 9a of the seat 9 or the entire seat portion 9b.

  In a luxury car or the like, when the cover 9 made of a leather material is used for the seat 9, the cover 4 made of a split leather material can be used to form a slit or a portion to be cleaved by sewing at a low cost. The backrest 9a and the seat 9b of the seat 9 can be covered, and the design is excellent.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the vehicle airbag device 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  The airbag 2 according to the present embodiment is a knee airbag equipped on the dashboard 10.

  FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the vehicle airbag apparatus 1 mounted on the dashboard.

  A housing 6 is fixed to the dashboard 10 of the passenger seat. The airbag 2 is housed inside the housing 6. The opening 6 a of the housing 6 is covered with the cover main body 3, and one end of the cover main body 3 extends to be fixed to the dashboard 10. The cover body 3 is formed with a slit-like tear line 3 a that is torn along with the inflation and deployment of the airbag 2. A cover 4 is covered on the surface of the cover body 3.

  Even when the area around the dashboard 10 of the passenger seat is unified with a leather material, the feel of the entire dashboard 10 and the visual integrity can be produced by installing the vehicle airbag device 1.

  The vehicle airbag device 1 described above is a preferred example of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented or performed by various methods. In particular, the present invention is not limited to the detailed shape, size, configuration, and the like of the components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise stated in the present specification. In addition, expressions and terms used in the present specification are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a vehicle airbag device according to the present invention. It is a sectional side view of the vehicle airbag apparatus of FIG. It is a figure showing the structure of the skin applied to the cover of the airbag for vehicles concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the airbag apparatus for vehicles concerning this invention. It is a sectional side view of the vehicle airbag apparatus of FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of a vehicle airbag device according to the present invention equipped with a third embodiment of a seat backrest. It is the side view which equipped the seat part of the seat with 3rd Embodiment of the airbag apparatus for vehicles concerning this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows 4th Embodiment of the airbag apparatus for vehicles concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle airbag apparatus 2 Airbag 3 Cover main body 4 Cover 5 Steering handle 8 Instrument panel 9 Seat 10 Dashboard

Claims (6)

A cover body that covers the airbag and is opened as the airbag is inflated and deployed;
A vehicular airbag apparatus comprising: a cover formed of a split leather material that is cleaved by an opening operation of the cover body without forming a portion to be cleaved, and covering a surface of the cover body.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the cover body is formed with a tear line for assisting the opening operation.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the airbag is a driver's seat airbag mounted on a steering handle of a vehicle.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is a passenger seat airbag mounted on an instrument panel.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is a side airbag installed inside a seat.   The vehicle airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is a knee airbag mounted on a dashboard.

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