JP2010195329A - Protector for air-bag and air-bag device using protector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of an increase of cost caused by the need of the reconfiguration of a protector according to respective vehicle types using a conventional technology, and the problem of not fully satisfying the curve arrangement of an air-bag which may be required for vehicle body mounting work when brackets are sparsely disposed and complicating its mounting work when the brackets are densely disposed using the conventional technology of making a bundle with short brackets. <P>SOLUTION: In the protector for the air-bag which is attached to the outside of the air-bag folded into an longitudinally elongated shape, the protectors 1 are spaced with each other in the longitudinal direction of the air-bag 3 and include a plurality of holders 4 for holding the air-bag 3 in their cross directions, deformable joints 5 for connecting the two adjacent holders 4 with each other, and brackets 2 fixed to a vehicle body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device that is attached to a vehicle and protects an occupant.

Airbags are widely used today as a means to absorb and mitigate shocks to passengers in vehicle collisions, and are installed not only in the driver's seat, but also in the passenger seat, body side, and passenger knee. . Airbags are instantly deployed in response to vehicle collisions, etc., and catch an occupant. It is important that the airbag be deployed quickly and smoothly.
A general airbag device receives an occupant and relaxes an impact, an inflator that generates gas for inflating the airbag, an airbag that is folded as a state before activation, and an airbag. It consists of a container portion that supports the inflator in a connected state, a cover that is appropriately made of resin, cloth, or the like according to the application.
Curtain airbags etc. that protect the side of the vehicle body are folded into pillars on the side of the vehicle body before deployment, so that they do not open from the folded state with long bags, tapes, protectors, etc. Retained and stored.
As a prior art, in a side airbag device for storing a folded airbag in the periphery of a vehicle window, a cylindrical holding portion made of elastic resin or rubber for holding the elongated folded airbag, and this An airbag holder that includes a fixing portion that extends from the holding portion and is fixed to the vehicle structural material around the window, and is pushed open by the airbag deployment pressure to the airbag deployment side of the holding portion. A side airbag device in which a slit-shaped opening is formed (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and is attached and fixed to the periphery of the door opening on the vehicle interior side of the body, and the inflation gas is supplied to the airbag and the airbag. A garnish member including an airbag device including an inflator to be supplied, the garnish member having a long shape disposed inside the vehicle, and the garnish A fixing portion that is hinged to the garnish main body and attachable to the body on the back side of the shoe main body, and the inflator and the airbag are temporarily fixed to the fixing portion so as to be attachable to the body. A garnish member (see, for example, Patent Document 2) that incorporates an airbag device in which the airbag can be maintained in a folded state and is provided with a bracket that can be broken when the airbag is inflated. Existing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-203288 (see claims, detailed description of the invention, and FIGS. 1 to 12) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-240409 (refer to the claims section, detailed description section, and FIGS. 1 to 16)

In the prior art, a technique (patent document 1) in which an opening trim for holding a folded state when a curtain airbag is stored and a fixing part to the vehicle body are integrally formed (Patent Document 1), or fixing a curtain airbag to a vehicle body A technique (Patent Document 2) is shown in which a plurality of short brackets provided with a portion are attached and housed in a pillar. However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, an opening trim portion that does not have a bracket structure is formed for each vehicle type. However, there is a problem that it is not excellent in versatility and leads to cost increase. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, in order to be able to open and close the garnish body by the hinge of the fixed portion, for example, by using two brackets like a long garnish body 60 (corresponding to the upper edge of the window), Three brackets are used like a garnish main body 61 (corresponding to the front pillar). If the number of brackets is increased, a folded airbag can be mounted closely along the shape of the vehicle body, but it is easily affected by variations in the ideal hinge line, and a large number of brackets need to be fixed. Therefore, there is a problem that productivity cannot be improved. In the case of applying such a specification with the spacing between the brackets, auxiliary restraining means such as a wrapping cylinder or a binding tape may be required in order to appropriately bundle the airbag between adjacent brackets, resulting in an increase in cost. But it will be. Moreover, depending on the vehicle design, the pillar and roof part may be given a gentle curve, so it is not possible to design and manufacture a garnish body and bracket that can open and close the hinge corresponding to the curved shape using a large number of brackets. very difficult. In other words, it is completely impossible to apply to an airbag that gives a local curved shape and is attached so as to avoid a specific part of the vehicle body.
In addition, the wrapping cylinder and binding tape used to hold the airbag in a folded state use a material that is easily broken in advance so that the airbag can be easily deployed, or have a planned break line such as a slit or perforation. Although it is provided, it is necessary to be careful not to break the planned fracture line during handling in the mounting process to the vehicle body, and there is a problem that workability is lowered.
This invention provides the protector for airbags which solved these problems, and the airbag apparatus using this protector.

A first invention of the present invention capable of achieving the above object is a protector for an air bag as set forth in claim 1, and is as follows.
In the airbag protector mounted on the outside of the airbag folded in the longitudinal direction, the protectors are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the airbag, and a plurality of holder portions for holding the transverse direction of the airbag are adjacent to each other. It is the structure which has a deformable joint part which connects two holder parts which mutually perform, and a bracket part for fixing to a vehicle body.

A second invention of the present invention that can achieve the above object is a protector for an air bag as set forth in claim 2, and is as follows.
In addition to the first aspect of the present invention, the holder portion has an annular shape in the transverse direction, and has a separation portion that can be opened by airbag deployment.

A third invention of the present invention capable of achieving the above object is an airbag device using an airbag protector as described in claim 3, and is as follows.
The airbag protector according to claim 1 or 2 is mounted.

A fourth invention of the present invention capable of achieving the above object is an airbag device using an airbag protector as described in claim 4, and is as follows.
In addition to the invention described in claim 3, the joint portion of the protector for an airbag is configured to extend along the outer peripheral surface of the airbag and to be positioned between the vehicle body and the airbag.

Since the protector for an airbag according to the present invention and the airbag apparatus using the protector have the configuration as described above, the following effects are achieved.
(1) The airbag protector according to the present invention can be flexibly deformed by providing a notch in the resin portion, and is deformed according to the curved shape (arch or unevenness) of the vehicle body side surface of each vehicle type. It can be attached to the car body.
(2) Since the airbag protector of the present invention can be flexibly deformed on site at the time of installation, it is manufactured in a straight line at the time of manufacture, and is not easily entangled and stored when delivered in a container. Efficiency is also improved. If the bent part of the protector for airbags is set from the beginning according to the vehicle body, it must be stored in a container so that the protectors do not overlap when delivered, and the protectors may get tangled when taking out There is sex. In order to solve this problem, when a partition is put in the container, the problem that the storage efficiency is lowered is solved.
(3) Since the molded airbag protector can be used by cutting it to the appropriate length depending on the vehicle type and the length of the vehicle body, there is no need to create a protector mold for each vehicle type, thus reducing costs. Connected.
(4) Since the holder part provided with the bracket part and the usual holder part of the protector for airbag is connected by the joint part, the holder part that is not attached to the vehicle body by the bracket part is scattered in the vehicle when the airbag is deployed. There is nothing.
(5) When the airbag is deployed, the airbag protector according to the present invention is separated from the airbag deployment by tearing the sewing of the bag or tape that holds the airbag in a folded state. In order to deploy, by providing a large difference in the tensile strength between the fitting part and the general part, it is possible to surely tear from the tearing part and obtain a more stable airbag deployment.
(6) When the fitting portion of the airbag protector is provided on the lower side of the vehicle body, when the airbag is deployed, the airbag does not deploy toward the vehicle body side (window side or occupant side) in the opened holder portion. Thus, it is also possible to serve as a guide for deploying accurately downward in the vehicle body.
(7) Bags and tapes for holding the airbag in a folded state can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced.
(8) Compared to the operation of putting a folded airbag into a bag or the operation of winding a tape, the airbag protector of the present invention only has to be sandwiched and fitted like a clothespin, so that the work efficiency is improved. improves.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows one Example of the protector for airbags of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment state of one Example of the protector for airbags of this invention to a vehicle body in the AA sectional view of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the protector for airbags of this invention to the vehicle body panel. The shape of the fitting part of the holder part in the protector for airbags of this invention is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a BB sectional drawing. The other Example of the shape of the fitting part of the holder part in the protector for airbags of this invention is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is CC sectional view taken on the line. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state of the holder part at the time of airbag deployment of the protector for airbags of this invention. An example of the bracket part of the protector for airbags of this invention is shown, (a) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows what is located in the middle, (b) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows what has deviated to one side. It is the schematic perspective view which shows the other Example of the protector for airbags of this invention, and shows what provided the notch shape in the joint part. The other Example of the protector for airbags of this invention is shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view which shows the airbag provided with the ear | edge, (b) is used for the airbag of this invention in the airbag provided with the ear | edge. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state with which the protector was mounted | worn. The joint part which is the other Example of the protector for airbags of this invention was shown in what provided in the vehicle body side rather than the vehicle body upper side, (a) is a schematic which shows the state which fitted the airbag A perspective view and (b) are schematic perspective views which show the state which opened the holder part.

  An airbag protector mounted on the outside of an airbag folded in a longitudinal direction, wherein the protectors are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the airbag and have an annular shape in the transverse direction that encompasses the transverse direction of the airbag. Elongate folding comprising a plurality of holder parts having a separating part that can be opened by bag deployment, a deformable joint part for connecting two adjacent holder parts to each other, and a bracket part for fixing to a vehicle body It is a protector for an air bag that supports the air bag while maintaining folding.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The airbag protector 1 of the present invention is formed of, for example, an olefin-based elastomer resin (for example, Sumiflex TPE (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical)) or the like, and the curtain airbag 3 is maintained in order to maintain the folded shape of the curtain airbag 3. Is wrapped and fixed.
As can be understood from FIG. 1, the airbag protector 1 is integrally provided with a bracket portion 2 for attachment to the vehicle body at a predetermined interval, and the holder portion 4 is integrally provided with a plurality of holder portions 4. It is comprised by connecting with the other joint part 5. FIG.
In other words, the airbag protector 1 of the present invention is not just a cylinder, but a shape having a plurality of notches called joint portions 5, which is shaped like a snake's spine, with each joint portion 5 as a fulcrum. Can be deformed flexibly in all directions, up, down, left and right, deformed according to the complicated shape of the side of the car body, and further molded at the time of manufacture, so cut and attach according to the length of the car body It is something that can be done.
As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag protector 1 is attached to the vehicle body by attaching a vehicle body panel mounting bolt 6 or the like to the bracket portion 2 integrally provided on the upper portion of the predetermined holder portion 4. After being attached to the vehicle body, the bracket portion 2 made of resin is bent, and fits to the shape of the vehicle body panel 9 without rattling (FIG. 3). reference).

Further, the fitting portion 8 of the holder portion 4 in the airbag protector 1 that holds the folded airbag has a simple structure, and if it is a structure that can be surely removed by the impact of gas when the airbag is deployed, for example, FIG. 4. Various types can be adopted as shown in FIG.
The airbag protector 1 of the present embodiment is configured to wrap the airbag, and the fitting portion 8 is provided on the lower side of the vehicle body. Therefore, when the airbag is deployed, the fitting portion 8 opens and the holder portion 4 spreads to the left and right, and can also serve as a guide for accurately deploying the vehicle body downward (see FIG. 6) so that the airbag does not deploy toward the vehicle body side (window side or passenger side). ).

Next, another embodiment of the air bag protector 1 of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 shows an example of the position of the bracket portion 2 provided integrally with the airbag protector 1. FIG. 7A shows the bracket portion 2 provided on the upper portion, and FIG. The bracket portion 2 is provided in a shape, and various types can be adopted according to the shape of the side surface of the vehicle body.
Further, FIG. 8 shows a case where a notch shape 10 is provided in the joint portion 5 of the airbag protector 1 so that it can be more easily deformed in accordance with the side of the vehicle body and can be easily adapted to the vehicle body panel 9. In addition, it can be used as a mark when cutting in accordance with the vehicle body, and the work can be simplified.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show how to use the airbag protector 1 when the curtain airbag 3 is provided with the ear 11, and the curtain airbag 3 and the airbag protector 1. Is positioned through the ear portion 11 of the curtain airbag 3 through the bracket portion 2 so that the positioning can be easily performed.

FIG. 10 shows that the joint portion 5 of the airbag protector 1 is provided not on the vehicle body upper side but on the side surface of the vehicle body, and the bent portion 12 is provided on the holder portion 4.
The joint portion 5 is thin, and when the airbag protector 1 is attached to the vehicle body by welding, it can be installed more integrally in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body, and further against welding spatter scattered during welding. It acts as a protection.

  The present invention can also be used for various airbag devices that control deployment behavior using a strap that can be provided in a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 .... Protector for airbag 2 .... Bracket part 3 .... Curtain airbag 4 .... Holder part 5 .... Joint part 6 .... Mounting bolt 7 .... Mounting hole 8 ... Fitting part 9 ... Car body panel 10 ... Notch shape 11 ... Ear part 12 ... Bending part

Claims (4)

In the airbag protector mounted on the outside of the airbag folded in the longitudinal direction, the protectors are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the airbag, and a plurality of holder portions for holding the transverse direction of the airbag are adjacent to each other. A protector for an airbag, comprising: a deformable joint portion that couples the two holder portions to each other; and a bracket portion that is fixed to the vehicle body. 2. The airbag protector according to claim 1, wherein the holder portion has an annular shape in a transverse direction and has a separation portion that can be opened by airbag deployment. An airbag device using the airbag protector, wherein the airbag protector according to claim 1 or 2 is mounted. 4. The airbag using the airbag protector according to claim 3, wherein the joint portion of the airbag protector extends along the outer peripheral surface of the airbag and is positioned between the vehicle body and the airbag. apparatus.

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