JP2015157504A - Airbag device for pedestrian and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag device for a pedestrian which has a storage part formed separately from a hood panel, enables easy design change, and may be replaced by itself during repair of a vehicle etc., and to provide a vehicle including the airbag device.SOLUTION: An airbag device 1 for a pedestrian includes: a retainer 2 made of synthetic resin; a folded body of an airbag 3 disposed in the retainer 2; and an inflator 4 for expanding the airbag 3. In the retainer 2, an upper surface is opened and a tear line for forming a flap which is pressed by the expanding airbag to be cleaved and opened to the rear side is provided on at least a rear surface of the retainer.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian airbag apparatus installed in an automobile, and more particularly to a pedestrian airbag apparatus installed on a rear lower surface of a hood panel. Moreover, this invention relates to the motor vehicle provided with this airbag apparatus for pedestrians.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a pedestrian airbag device that prevents a pedestrian, a two-wheeled vehicle, or the like from directly hitting a rigid portion such as a pillar portion of a vehicle body when a car collides with a pedestrian, a two-wheeled vehicle, or the like. In JP-A-2006-44291, a pedestrian airbag device is installed on the rear lower surface of the hood panel, and when the automobile collides with a pedestrian or the like, the airbag is moved along the left and right A pillars of the automobile. A pedestrian airbag device is described that prevents a pedestrian or the like from directly hitting the vicinity of the cowl top or the A-pillar by inflating.

  In Patent Document 1, the hood panel is composed of an aluminum alloy outer panel and an inner panel. A box-shaped storage part is formed by denting the rear part of the inner panel downward, and a folded airbag is arranged in the storage part. In Patent Document 1, most of the inflator is disposed outside the storage unit, and the gas outlet of the inflator is inserted into the storage unit.

  In Patent Document 1, the upper surface of the storage portion is closed by an outer panel of a hood panel. The rear surface of the storage part can be plastically deformed so as to open backward, and when the inflator is activated and the airbag starts to inflate, the rear surface of the storage part is deformed so that it is pushed open by the airbag. The rear surface of the storage part is opened. The airbag is inflated and deployed so as to cover the cowl and the lower part of the A pillar from the rear surface of the opened storage part.

JP 2006-44291 A

  In the pedestrian airbag device of Patent Document 1, the storage portion for storing the airbag is configured by an inner panel of a hood panel. For this reason, when changing the shape, size, etc. of the airbag device, the inner panel manufacturing press mold is also changed, which greatly changes the design of the airbag device. In addition, when repairing a vehicle in which a pedestrian airbag device is activated, it is not possible to replace only the pedestrian airbag device, and the entire hood panel will be replaced, increasing the cost of repairing the vehicle, Repair delivery time will also be longer.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, the storage part is separate from the hood panel, the design can be easily changed, and only the pedestrian airbag device can be replaced when the automobile is repaired. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian airbag device and an automobile equipped with the pedestrian airbag device.

  A pedestrian airbag apparatus according to the present invention is a pedestrian airbag apparatus installed on each of a left part and a right part of a rear lower surface of a hood panel of an automobile, and the deployed airbag has at least a lower part of an A pillar. A covering pedestrian airbag apparatus comprising: a retainer made of synthetic resin; an airbag folded body disposed in the retainer; and an inflator for inflating the airbag; and at least a rear surface of the retainer Is provided with a tear line for forming a flap that is pushed by an inflating airbag to be opened and opened rearward.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the tear line has a top tear line along the upper edge of the rear surface of the retainer and side tear lines along both the left and right sides of the rear surface.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the side tear line extends forward along the left and right sides of the bottom surface of the retainer.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a high-rigidity portion having a rigidity higher than that of the periphery of the retainer is extended in the left-right direction at the bottom or bottom of the rear surface of the retainer, and when the rear surface of the retainer opens, The bottom surface is bent along the highly rigid portion.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the inflator is attached to a retainer, and the retainer is provided with a reinforcing plate for reinforcing a mounting portion of the inflator. In this case, the reinforcing plate may have an overhang along the lower surface of the hood panel, and the overhang may be attached to the hood panel.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a recess that houses the inflator is provided on the bottom surface of the retainer. In this case, the retainer may have a rectangular shape in plan view, and the recess may extend in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the retainer.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the retainer is open and a cover is provided on the upper surface.

  In the automobile of the present invention, such a pedestrian airbag device is installed on the lower surface of the rear portion of the hood panel.

  The pedestrian airbag device may be attached to the hood panel via a damping material.

  In the pedestrian airbag device of the present invention, the retainer is made of a synthetic resin to store the folded airbag, and is separate from the hood panel. Therefore, only the pedestrian airbag device can be replaced. Further, it is not necessary to change the configuration of the hood panel when changing the design of the pedestrian airbag device.

  The retainer is provided with a tear line at least on the rear surface, and when the airbag is inflated, the retainer is cleaved along the tear line and opened rearward to form a flap. This flap has a function of guiding the inflating airbag.

  When the tear line is composed of the top tear line and the side tear line, the flap is smoothly formed when the airbag is inflated. If a high-rigidity portion is provided at the lower part of the rear surface of the retainer or the bottom surface of the retainer, the flap that opens rearward is bent along the high-rigidity portion. Therefore, the flap bending position can be as designed.

  When attaching an inflator to this retainer, the strength of attaching the inflator is increased by providing a reinforcing plate on the retainer. Moreover, the attachment strength of the inflator is increased by attaching the reinforcing plate to the hood panel.

  In the present invention, an inflator disposition recess may be provided in the retainer bottom, and the inflator may be disposed in the recess. If it does in this way, when arrange | positioning an airbag folding body in a retainer, an airbag folding body and an inflator will not interfere. For this reason, it is prevented that a dead space arises in a retainer.

  This recess is preferably provided so as not to interfere with equipment in the engine room of the automobile. For example, when the retainer is rectangular, the recess may be provided in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the retainer.

  In the present invention, when the upper surface of the retainer is open, by providing a cover, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering and the airbag folded body from being scattered during transportation.

  When attaching the airbag apparatus for pedestrians of this invention to the hood panel of a motor vehicle, it is preferable to attach through a damping material. If it does in this way, when a car runs on the bad road etc., when it shakes up and down, the pedestrian airbag device will play the role of a damping damper, and the vibration of the hood panel will be suppressed.

It is a perspective view from the front of the retainer of the airbag device for pedestrians concerning an embodiment. It is a perspective view from the back of the retainer of FIG. It is a top view of the retainer of FIG. It is a front view of the retainer of FIG. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a right view of the retainer of FIG. It is the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (A) The figure is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front-back direction of the hood panel which attached the airbag apparatus for pedestrians concerning embodiment, (b) A figure is a partial enlarged view of (a) figure. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the airbag expanded in Fig.8 (a). It is a top view which shows another example of a retainer. It is the XI-XI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows another example of a retainer. It is a front view of the retainer of FIG. It is the XIV-XIV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows another example of a retainer. It is a top view of the motor vehicle front part provided with the airbag apparatus for pedestrians.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, front and rear and left and right represent front and rear and left and right of an automobile equipped with a pedestrian airbag device.

  FIGS. 1-9 demonstrates the pedestrian airbag apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8A, the pedestrian airbag device 1 includes a retainer 2, a folded body of the airbag 3 installed in the retainer 2, and an inflator 4 for inflating the airbag 3. The reinforcing plate 5 is provided. The pedestrian airbag device 1 is attached to the inner panel 6a by bolts 7 and nuts 8 on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the rear portion of the hood panel 6, respectively. The inner panel 6a is fixed to the outer panel 6b by welding or the like.

  The retainer 2 is made of a synthetic resin, and may be entirely made of a synthetic resin. The retainer 2 is made of a synthetic resin into which a reinforcing material such as a metal plate, a metal wire, a metal mesh, carbon fiber, or glass fiber is inserted. There may be.

  The retainer 2 has a front face 2a, a rear face 2b, left and right side faces 2c, 2d, and a bottom face 2e. The retainer 2 has a rectangular box shape in plan view with an open top face and flanges outward from the upper edge over the entire circumference. The part 2f is overhanging. The flange portion 2f is provided with an insertion hole 2g for the bolt 7. The front surface 2 a is provided with an insertion hole 2 h for the mounting bolt 9 of the inflator 4. The bottom surface 2e, the front surface 2a, and the side surfaces 2c and 2d are substantially vertical. The bottom surface 2e and the rear surface 2b are curved in an arc shape.

  In the retainer 2, a top tear line 10 and side tear lines 11 and 12 are provided as tear lines. The top tear line 10 extends in the left-right direction at the upper edge of the rear surface 2b. The side tear lines 11 and 12 extend along the left and right edges of the rear surface 2b and the bottom surface 2e, respectively. The rear ends of the side tear lines 11 and 12 are connected to the left end and the right end of the top tear line 10, respectively. The front ends of the side tear lines 11 and 12 extend to the immediate vicinity of the front surface 2a.

  The mounting bolt 9 of the inflator 4 is directly fixed to the inflator 4 or, when the inflator 4 is held by the holding member, fixed to the holding member. In this embodiment, the inflator 4 is cylindrical and is disposed along the retainer front surface 2a. The inflator 4 is installed in the airbag 3, and the bolt 9 is a bolt insertion hole or slit (not shown) provided in the airbag 3, a bolt insertion hole 2 h in the retainer front surface 2 a, and a bolt insertion in the reinforcing plate 5. It is inserted through a hole (not shown). When the nut 14 is fastened to the bolt 9, the inflator 4 is fixed to the retainer 2 and the reinforcing plate 5 is fixed to the retainer 2.

  The reinforcing plate 5 is made of an L-shaped angle member having a vertical piece that overlaps the retainer front surface 2a and a protruding piece that projects forward from the upper edge of the vertical piece. This vertical piece overlaps the front surface of the retainer front surface 2a, and the overhanging piece is disposed facing the lower surface of the inner panel 6a. By providing this reinforcing plate 5, the front surface 2a of the retainer 2 is reinforced. Further, the reinforcing plate 5 is attached to the inner panel 6 a by the bolt 7 and the nut 8, so that the inflator 4 is also directly held by the inner panel 6 a via the reinforcing plate 5. Thereby, the installation strength of the inflator 4 becomes high.

  The airbag 3 is folded and arranged in the retainer 2. The folded body of the airbag 3 may be encapsulated by a shape-retaining cloth (not shown) made of cloth or film. The shape retaining cloth is provided with a cleaving portion such as a perforated slit so that the air bag 3 is cleaved when the airbag 3 is inflated.

  After the folded body of the airbag 3 is accommodated in the retainer 2, a belt-like band (not shown) is attached so as to go around the retainer 2, and the folded body of the airbag 3 is held so as not to be ejected from the retainer 2. May be. The belt-like band is configured to break when the airbag 3 is inflated and the retainer 2 is cleaved along the tear lines 10, 11, and 12.

  After the folded body of the airbag 3 is accommodated in the retainer 2, a cover (not shown) may be provided on the upper surface of the retainer 2 and the upper surface of the retainer 2 may be closed. By providing the cover in this way, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the retainer 2 and the airbag folded body from being scattered during transportation. As the cover, various materials such as paper and cloth can be used in addition to a synthetic resin film or thin plate. The cover may be attached to the retainer with an adhesive or an adhesive, or may be attached to the retainer by means such as hooking or fastening.

  The pedestrian airbag device 1 is disposed on the lower surface of the inner panel 6 a and is fixed to the inner panel 6 a by bolts 7 and nuts 8. In this embodiment, as shown in detail in FIG. 8B, a rubber bush 16 is attached to the bolt insertion hole 2g as a damping material, a collar 17 is attached to the rubber bush 16, and a bolt is attached to the collar 17. 7 is inserted.

  The rubber bush 16 has an upper flange 16a, a lower flange 16b, and a cylindrical portion 16c that connects the upper flange 16a and the lower flange 16b. The upper flange 16a overlaps the upper surface of the flange portion 2f, and the lower flange 16b overlaps the lower surface of the flange portion 2f. As for the collar 17, the cylinder part 17a is inserted in the rubber bush cylinder part 16c, and the flange 17b is in contact with the lower surface of the lower flange 16b. A space corresponding to the thickness of the upper flange 16a is provided between the retainer flange portion 2f and the inner panel 6a. A soft material such as sponge may be interposed in this space. This sponge may cover the entire upper surface of the pedestrian airbag device 1.

  By attaching the pedestrian airbag device 1 to the inner panel 6a via the rubber bush 16, the pedestrian airbag device 1 functions as a damping material (mass damper) of the hood panel 6, and the automobile is moved up and down. The vertical vibration of the hood panel 6 when vibrated is suppressed. Further, vibration of the pedestrian airbag device 1 is also suppressed, and cracking of the solid medicine in the inflator 4 is prevented.

  When an automobile equipped with this pedestrian airbag device 1 collides with a pedestrian, a two-wheeled vehicle, etc., and the inflator 4 performs gas ejection operation, the airbag 3 is inflated, and the retainer 2 is cleaved along the tear lines 10 to 12, As shown in FIG. 9, the flap 2 </ b> F surrounded by the tear lines 10 to 12 opens rearward (in the present embodiment, obliquely downward). Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the airbag 3 is inflated and deployed so as to cover the cowl top 33 and the A pillar 35 of the automobile and the vicinity thereof. The opened flap 2F guides the inflating airbag 3 rearward.

  In FIG. 8, the reinforcing plate 5 is arranged on the outer surface of the retainer 2, but it may be provided so as to go around from the inner surface of the retainer 2 to the upper surface of the flange 2 f. Moreover, you may provide a reinforcement board in both the outer surface of the retainer 2, and an inner surface. The reinforcing plate may be inserted into the retainer.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 9, the side tear lines 11 and 12 extend to the immediate vicinity of the retainer front surface 2a. However, the side tear lines 11 and 12 may be provided only on the retainer rear surface 2b, and the bottom surface 2e. You may provide only in the rear part and the retainer rear surface 2b. 10 and 11 show a retainer 2A provided with tear lines only on the rear portion of the bottom surface 2e and the retainer rear surface 2b. In the retainer 2A, a ridge 20 extending in the left-right direction is provided on the bottom surface 2e. The ridges 20 extend so as to connect the vicinity of the front ends of the side tear lines 11, 12. The ridges 20 reach the retainer side surfaces 2 c and 2 d, and the ridges 20 exist in front of the side tear lines 11 and 12.

  When the airbag of the airbag device for a pedestrian using the retainer 2A is inflated and deployed, the rear portion of the ridge 20 opens outward as shown in FIG. 11, and the flap 2F is formed. The ridge 20 prevents the tearing along the tear lines 11, 12 from being transmitted further forward than the ridge 20, and has a bending position regulating function that bends the front end side of the flap 2 </ b> F along the ridge 20. It constitutes a rigid part.

  10 and 11 are the same as those of the retainer 2, and the same reference numerals denote the same parts as those of the retainer 2.

  In the retainer 2A, the ridges 20 are provided as high-rigidity portions, but a plurality of protrusions may be arranged in the left-right direction at intervals instead of the ridges.

  In the above embodiment, the inflator 4 is installed along the front surface 2a of the retainer 2. However, in the present invention, a recess may be provided on the bottom surface of the retainer, and the inflator may be disposed in the recess. 12 to 14 and FIG. 15 each show an example of such a recessed retainer.

  In the retainer 2B of FIGS. 12 to 14, a recess 21 is provided in the left-right direction along the front surface 2a at the front portion of the retainer bottom surface 2e. An insertion hole 21 a for an inflator mounting bolt is provided on the front side of the recess 21.

  In the retainer 2C of FIG. 15, the recess 22 extends in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the retainer 2C. Thus, by providing the recessed parts 21 and 22 recessed from the bottom face 2e, the capacity | capacitance in a retainer becomes large and a bulky airbag folding body can be accommodated in a retainer. Moreover, the airbag folding body accommodation space other than a recessed part can be made small, and a retainer can also be reduced in size.

  The positions of the recesses 21 and 22 are not limited to those shown in FIGS. The position of the recess is preferably determined so as not to interfere with the equipment in the engine room of the automobile.

  In addition, the other structure of the retainers 2B and 2C of FIGS. 12-15 is the same as that of the retainer 2, and the same code | symbol has shown the same part as the retainer 2. FIG. In these retainers 2B and 2C, the reinforcing plate 5 may be provided. In this case, the reinforcing plate extends to the recesses 21 and 22.

  The pedestrian airbag device of the present invention is installed on the left side and the right side of the rear part of the hood panel 32 of the automobile as shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the front portion of the automobile 31 in which the pedestrian airbag device 1 is installed on the left side and the right side of the hood panel 32, respectively, and shows the deployed state of the airbag 3. Reference numeral 33 denotes a cowl, 34 denotes a windshield, and 35 denotes an A pillar.

The pedestrian airbag device according to each of the above embodiments further has the following advantages.
(1) Since it is attached only to the vicinity of the hinge attached to the hood, it can react linearly to input such as shaking.
(2) By mounting in the space behind the hood, which was originally “space”, the hurdle for mounting is lower than “integrating with any of the surrounding parts”.
(3) Since one module size is small, the degree of freedom of mounting layout is high. In addition, the rear end of the bonnet is not close to the engine, and there are many cars with relatively space.

  The above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the present invention, the bottom surface and the rear surface of the retainer may intersect substantially vertically. In this case, only the rear surface of the retainer may be opened rearward to form a flap.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pedestrian airbag apparatus 2, 2A, 2B, 2C Retainer 2a Front surface 2b Rear surface 2c, 2d Side surface 2e Bottom surface 2F Flap 3, 3 'Airbag 4 Inflator 5 Reinforcement plate 6 Hood panel 6a Inner panel 6b Outer panel 7, 9 Bolt DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Top tear line 11,12 Side tear line 16 Rubber bush 17 Collar 20 Convex strip 21,22 Concavity 31 Automobile 32 Food panel 35 A pillar

Claims (11)

In the pedestrian airbag device installed on the left and right sides of the rear lower surface of the rear portion of the automobile hood panel, the deployed airbag covers at least the lower part of the A pillar,
A retainer made of synthetic resin, an airbag folded body disposed in the retainer, and an inflator for inflating the airbag;
A pedestrian airbag apparatus characterized in that a tear line is formed on at least a rear surface of the retainer to form a flap that is pushed by an inflating airbag to be opened and opened rearward.   2. The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tear line includes a top tear line along an upper edge of a rear surface of the retainer and side tear lines along both left and right sides of the rear surface.   3. The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the side tear line extends forward along the left and right sides of the bottom surface of the retainer.   2. The rear surface or bottom surface of the retainer according to claim 1, wherein a high-rigidity portion having rigidity higher than that of the periphery of the retainer is extended in the left-right direction at a lower portion or a bottom surface of the rear surface of the retainer, and the retainer rear surface opens. A pedestrian airbag device, wherein the airbag device is bent along the high-rigidity portion.   5. The inflator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inflator is attached to the retainer, and the retainer is provided with a reinforcing plate for reinforcing a mounting portion of the inflator. Air bag device for pedestrians.   6. The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing plate has an overhang portion that extends along a lower surface of the hood panel, and the overhang portion is attached to the hood panel.   The pedestrian airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a concave portion that accommodates the inflator is provided on a bottom surface of the retainer.   8. The pedestrian airbag apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the retainer has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the recess extends in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the retainer.   The pedestrian airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an upper surface of the retainer is open and a cover is provided on the upper surface.   An automobile in which the pedestrian airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is installed on a lower surface of a rear portion of a hood panel.   The automobile according to claim 10, wherein the pedestrian airbag device is attached to the hood panel via a damping material.

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