JP2018162052A - Airbag device for knee protection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag device for knee protection which can prevent a lock hook to be visible easily to prevent deterioration of aesthetic quality in a vehicle cabin at the front side of a driver.SOLUTION: An airbag device for knee protection includes: a case 20 having a peripheral wall part 22 enclosing a protrusion opening 20a for protruding an expanded airbag 10; and an airbag cover 35 which covers the protrusion opening, is connected to the case, and is made of synthetic resin. The airbag cover incudes a connection wall part 50 which extends from a design panel part 36, covers the upper surface side of an upper wall part 23 of a case peripheral wall part, and has lock holes 55. An upper wall part of the case includes lock hooks 28, each of which is inserted into the lock hole to lock the connection wall part. The airbag cover includes a shield part 57 which may hide the lock hook from a visual line SL toward the lock hook. The shield part is integrally formed during molding of the airbag cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a knee protection airbag device that is mounted on the front side of a driver in a vehicle and can protect the knees of a seated driver with an inflated airbag.

  Conventionally, as a knee protection airbag device for a driver, a folded airbag, an inflator that supplies an inflation gas to the airbag, and an airbag and an inflator are stored and held to protrude the airbag. A steering column on the front side of a seated driver, comprising: a case having an opening; and an airbag cover having a door portion that covers the opening for protrusion of the case and is opened by being pushed by an inflating airbag. (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The case has a peripheral wall portion that is disposed with the protruding opening facing rearward and that extends around the protruding opening and extends forward. The airbag cover is made of synthetic resin, covers the opening for projection, has a door portion that can be opened by being pushed by the airbag when inflated, and has an outer edge portion that surrounds the periphery of the door portion, A design panel portion that is exposed and disposed on the vehicle interior side, and extends forward from the front side of the design panel portion, and is disposed so as to cover the upper surface side of the upper wall portion on the upper side of the peripheral wall portion of the case. And a connecting wall portion. The connecting wall portion of the airbag cover includes a locking hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the upper wall portion of the case includes a metal locking hook that protrudes upward so as to be inserted into the locking hole. The airbag cover is connected to the case by the locking hook inserted into the hole locking the connecting wall portion.

JP 2005-206068 A JP 2011-046259 A

  However, in the conventional airbag device for knee protection, if there is a large gap between the column cover of the upper steering column, the metal locking hook can be seen by the driver, and further, the position where it is recessed forward Even if the lock hook is provided, if the gloss of the metal lock hook is visible, the driver may feel uncomfortable and the design in the passenger compartment on the front side of the driver may be reduced. End up. In particular, the steering column is arranged to be movable up and down by a tilt mechanism capable of adjusting the vertical position of the steering wheel operated by the driver, and includes an airbag device and a column cover as an upper arrangement member thereof. In some cases, there is a case where the gap is adjusted so as to leave a large gap. In this case, the locking hook that gives off the gloss can be easily visually recognized from the large gap.

  As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to attach a shielding material such as a black felt having flexibility on the column cover side so as to hide the locking hook that gives off the gloss. The material needs to be attached to a column cover or the like as an upper arrangement member above the airbag device, and cannot be easily dealt with.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a knee protection airbag device that can suppress a design deterioration in a passenger compartment on the front side of a driver easily without visually recognizing a locking hook. For the purpose.

The knee protection airbag device according to the present invention accommodates a driver's knee protection airbag, and is arranged with a protruding opening toward the rear side for protruding the airbag when inflated. And a case having a peripheral wall portion surrounding the periphery of the projecting opening and extending forward,
An airbag cover made of a synthetic resin that covers the projection opening of the case so as to be able to project the airbag when inflated, and is coupled to the case;
Equipped with a configuration to be mounted on the front side of a seated driver,
The airbag cover is
Covering the opening for projection, having a door portion that can be pushed and opened by the airbag when inflated, and having an upper edge portion that extends upward around the periphery of the door portion, A design panel that is exposed and arranged on the inside;
A connecting wall portion that extends forward from the front surface side of the design panel portion and is disposed so as to cover the upper surface side of the upper wall portion on the upper side of the peripheral wall portion of the case;
And comprising
The connecting wall portion of the airbag cover has a locking hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the upper wall portion of the case has a metal locking hook protruding upward so as to be inserted into the locking hole. A knee protection airbag device configured to connect the airbag cover to the case by the locking hook inserted into the locking hole locking the connecting wall portion;
The airbag cover is
A shielding portion capable of concealing the locking hook from a line of sight toward the locking hook locked to the connection wall portion beyond the upper edge of the upper edge in a vehicle-mounted state,
The shielding portion is integrally formed when the airbag cover is molded.

  In the knee protection airbag device according to the present invention, the line of sight of the driver or the like heading to the locking hook locked to the connecting wall portion beyond the upper edge of the vehicle mounted state by the shielding portion of the airbag cover. Therefore, it is possible to hide the locking hook that emits metallic luster, and it is possible to prevent the design from being lowered in the passenger compartment in front of the driver.

  Moreover, since the shielding part is integrally formed at the time of molding the airbag cover, it is not necessary to separately perform an operation of attaching the shielding part, and can be easily arranged.

  Therefore, in the knee protection airbag device according to the present invention, it is possible to easily prevent the design of the vehicle interior on the front side of the driver from being lowered without visually recognizing the locking hook.

  And in the knee protection airbag device according to the present invention, the airbag cover is configured such that the shielding portion extends from the rear edge of the locking hole on the upper surface side of the connecting wall portion to the front surface side of the upper edge portion. It is desirable to project from the area up to the upper end of the upper edge.

  In such a configuration, the shielding portion can be protruded from the area in the vicinity of the locking hook, and the space and molding material for arranging the shielding portion are not wasted.

  Specifically, the shielding portion having the above configuration is directed from the lower position away from the upper end on the front side of the upper edge portion toward the front side substantially parallel to the connecting wall portion provided with the locking hole. Or projecting from the rear position of the locking hole on the upper surface side of the connecting wall portion so as to be directed upward, and disposed on the airbag cover.

  In the case of the configuration as described above, the shielding portion may be arranged so as to be able to individually hide the plurality of locking hooks, but is locked in the plurality of locking holes arranged in the left-right direction. The plurality of locking hooks may be arranged as one extending in a wall shape in the left-right direction so as to be concealed at the same time.

  In the case of the above configuration, if the airbag cover is formed by molding, at least the surface side of the shielding portion, the upper surface side of the connecting wall portion, and the upper edge It is desirable that the shielding part is disposed so that the front side of the part can be molded by the molding surface of one split mold of the molding die.

  In such a configuration, the shield part itself can be formed by the molding surface of one split mold of the molding die as well as the upper surface side of the connecting wall part around the shield part and the front surface side of the upper edge part. Therefore, in the molding die for molding the airbag cover made of synthetic resin, the mold structure for molding the vicinity of the shielding portion can be simply configured by using only one split mold. Thus, an increase in the number of manufacturing steps / cost can be suppressed, and the airbag cover can be manufactured. This contributes to the suppression of the increase in the number of manufacturing steps / cost of the entire airbag device.

And in the airbag device for knee protection according to the present invention, the upper edge portion of the airbag cover is configured by disposing a recess recessed downward from the left and right edge portions at the center in the left-right direction,
The width dimension in the left-right direction in the connecting wall part in which the shielding part is larger than the width dimension in the left-right direction of the recess on the front side of the recess, and the plurality of locking holes are arranged in the left-right direction. It is desirable to make the arrangement smaller.

  In such a configuration, when a recess is provided in the center of the upper edge portion in the left-right direction so as to accommodate the column cover as the upper arrangement member of the airbag device, the position in the left-right direction beyond the recess portion In addition, even if a locking hook is arranged, the locking hook is shielded because it is difficult to see because it is hidden by the portions extending upward on both the left and right sides of the recess at the upper edge. There is no need to provide a part. Therefore, as an airbag cover, it is only necessary to provide a shielding part only at a necessary part, so that the molding material can be reduced, and the influence of the structure of the split mold provided with the shielding part can be divided into other parts. It is not necessary to give it to the mold, and it can contribute to ease of manufacturing.

  In the knee protection airbag device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the airbag cover includes a tongue piece that bends forward and extends at an upper end of the upper edge.

  In such a configuration, the curved surface of the tongue piece portion that bends forward can be arranged at the upper end of the upper edge portion, not the end surface provided with the edge-shaped corner portion, and the appearance of the upper end side of the design panel portion can be improved. Can be good. Furthermore, the shielding part itself can be concealed by the provided tongue piece part, or the shielding part itself can be concealed darkly including the surroundings by the shadow of the provided tongue piece part. It is possible to eliminate a sense of incongruity on the side, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in design in the passenger compartment on the front side of the driver.

In the knee protection airbag device according to the present invention, the shielding portion of the airbag cover includes:
A rear front side portion that protrudes from a rear position of the locking hole and hides the locking hook protruding from the locking hole from behind;
A diagonally rear side portion that projects from both the left and right sides of the locking hole and hides the locking hook protruding from the locking hole from a diagonally rear side,
It may be provided with.

  In such a configuration, the locking hook is not only from the rear front side that covers the back of the locking hook protruding from the locking hole, but also from the line of sight toward the locking hook from the oblique rear direction of the locking hook. Is provided with an obliquely rear side portion so that the locking hook can be made more difficult to visually recognize.

Furthermore, in the airbag device for knee protection according to the present invention, the shielding portion of the airbag cover includes:
A rear front side portion that protrudes from the rear position of the plurality of locking holes juxtaposed in the left-right direction so as to extend in the left-right direction and hides the plurality of locking hooks protruding from the locking holes from behind;
The end-side locking holes protrude from the outer sides in the left-right direction of the end-side locking holes on the left-right end side of the plurality of the locking holes in which the rear front side portion is disposed at the rear position. An oblique rear side portion for concealing the locking hook protruding from the oblique rear side;
It may be provided with.

  In such a configuration, the rear front side portion of the shielding portion can cover the plurality of locking hooks from the line of sight toward the front from the rear with respect to the plurality of locking hooks protruding from the plurality of locking holes, An intermediate part that covers the rear side between adjacent locking holes in the rear front side part of the shielding part, and left and right oblique rear side parts that are arranged on the outer sides in the left-right direction of the end locking holes of the shielding part are diagonal The locking hooks can be covered from the line of sight toward the locking hooks from the rear direction, and a plurality of locking hooks can be made difficult to visually recognize simultaneously by one shielding portion.

  And when the said shielding part is provided with the said back front side part and the said diagonally rear side part, the said shielding part of the said airbag cover is the said diagonally rear side part of the said back front side part. If it is configured to extend forward from both the left and right sides and has a substantially U shape when viewed from above, the rear front side and the diagonally rear side are arranged without gaps. It is possible to make it difficult to visually recognize the stop hook, and it is possible to stably prevent the deterioration of the design in the passenger compartment on the front side of the driver.

It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the mounting state to the vehicle in the airbag apparatus for knee protection of embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view of the mounting state to the vehicle in the airbag apparatus for knee protection of embodiment. It is an expansion cross-sectional view of the mounting state to the vehicle in the airbag apparatus for knee protection of embodiment. It is the schematic perspective view seen from the front side of the airbag apparatus for knee protection of embodiment. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the airbag cover of the embodiment from the front side. It is the schematic front view which looked at the air bag cover of an embodiment from the front side. It is a general | schematic fragmentary longitudinal cross-section explaining the time of shaping | molding of the shielding part of the airbag cover of embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the state of the mold opening of the shaping | molding die shown in FIG. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the airbag cover of the modification of embodiment from the front side. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view of the mounting state to the vehicle in the airbag apparatus for knee protection using the airbag cover of a modification. It is a general | schematic fragmentary longitudinal cross-section explaining the time of shaping | molding of the shielding part of the airbag cover of a modification. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the state of the mold opening of the shaping | molding die shown in FIG. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the airbag apparatus for knee protection of another modification from the front side. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the airbag cover of the airbag apparatus for knee protection shown in FIG. 13 from the front side. FIG. 14 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the knee protection airbag device shown in FIG. 13 mounted on a vehicle. It is the top view and schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which show the shielding part in the airbag cover of the airbag apparatus for knee protection shown in FIG. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the airbag cover in the airbag apparatus for knee protection of the other modification from the front side.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a knee protecting airbag device AB1 according to the embodiment can protect a knee K of a driver D seated. The driver D is disposed below the steering column 5 on the vehicle front side.

  In addition, the upper and lower sides, right and left, and front and rear in this specification correspond to up and down, left and right, and front and rear of the vehicle when the knee protecting airbag device AB1 is mounted on the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the steering column 5 includes a steering shaft (not shown) connected to the steering wheel 4 and a column cover 6 that covers the periphery. The column cover 6 is made of a synthetic resin having a substantially rectangular tube shape or the like, and is disposed along the axial direction of a steering shaft (not shown). In other words, the column cover 6 is disposed so as to incline rearward so that the front side of the vehicle is disposed downward and the rear side of the vehicle is disposed upward. And the lower surface 6a of the site | part which protrudes from the instrument panel (henceforth instrument panel) 7 in the column cover 6 is made into the substantially rectangular shape, and is formed in the vehicle back-and-forth direction curved surface shape. The instrument panel 7 includes an upper panel 7a that surrounds the upper side from the left and right sides of the steering column 5, and a lower panel 7b (see FIG. 3) that surrounds the left and right sides of the knee protection airbag device AB1.

  The steering column 5 can adjust the vertical position of the steering wheel 4 by a tilt mechanism (not shown) that can be operated by the driver D. By the adjustment, the airbag device AB1 and the column cover 6 as an upper arrangement member thereof can be adjusted. The gap H between the lower surface 6a and the lower surface 6a also changes.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the knee protection airbag device AB <b> 1 stores and holds the folded airbag 10, the inflator 12 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 10, and the airbag 10 and the inflator 12. The case 20 having a protruding opening 20a of the airbag 10 and an airbag cover 35 covering the protruding opening 20a of the case 20 are configured.

  The airbag 10 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that allows the upper end 10a to reach the vicinity of the lower surface 6a of the column cover 6 in the vicinity of the steering wheel 4 when the inflation is completed, and uses the inflator 12 housed inside the lower end 10b. Is retained.

  The inflator 12 includes a columnar main body 13 and a substantially cylindrical retainer 14 that holds and holds the main body 13. The main body 13 includes a connector portion 17 to which a lead wire 18 for inputting an operation signal can be coupled on the left end surface side, and a gas discharge portion that discharges an expansion gas during operation to the right end portion side away from the connector portion 17. 13a is disposed.

  The retainer 14 is provided with a plurality of bolts 15 (two in the embodiment) projecting rearward (see FIG. 4). Each bolt 15 passes through the airbag 10 and the case 20 and receives a nut 16. By being fastened, the airbag 10 and the inflator 12 are attached and fixed to the bottom wall portion 21 of the case 20.

  The case 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape made of metal (made of sheet metal). The case 20 includes, on the rear end side, a projecting opening 20a that is opened in a rectangular shape for projecting the airbag 10 when inflated, and a peripheral wall portion 22 having a substantially rectangular tube shape that extends forward from the periphery of the projecting opening 20a. And a bottom wall portion 21 that covers the front side of the protruding opening 20a at the front end of the peripheral wall portion 22.

  The bottom wall portion 21 is provided with an insertion hole 21a through which the bolt 15 provided on the retainer 14 of the inflator 12 is inserted. In addition, attachment portions 30 are disposed on the left and right sides of the bottom wall portion 21. These attachment portions 30 are for attaching and fixing the airbag device AB1 to a bracket 2 as a vehicle body side member extending from an instrument panel hose (not shown) on the body (vehicle body) 1 side. Each attachment portion 30 is provided with an attachment hole 30a. When the bolt 31 is inserted into the mounting hole 30a and the mounting hole 2a of the bracket 2 and the nut 32 is fastened to the bolt 31, the airbag device AB1 is fastened to the bracket 2 using the mounting portion 30 of the case 20. And it is attached and fixed to the body 1 side.

  The peripheral wall 22 of the case 20 includes an upper wall 23 on the upper side, a lower wall 24 on the lower side, a left wall 25 on the left side, and a right wall 26 on the right side. In the left wall portion 25, an insertion hole 25a is formed in order to insert the vicinity of the connector portion 17 to which the lead wire 18 for inputting an operation signal to the inflator 12 is connected.

  The upper wall portion 23 and the lower wall portion 24 have a plurality of (five in the embodiment) locking hooks 28 having a J-shaped cross section that protrudes by being inverted forward, respectively, along the left-right direction. Arranged. These locking hooks 28 are locked to upper and lower connecting wall portions 50 and 51 described later of the airbag cover 35. Each locking hook 28 includes a protruding piece 28a that extends outward from the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24, and a flange 28b that bends forward at the tip of the protruding piece 28a. Configured. The protruding piece portion 28a is a portion that penetrates the locking hole 55 of the connecting wall portions 50 and 51 of the airbag cover 35, and the flange portion 28b can prevent the locking hook 28 from coming off from the locking hole 55. The outer peripheral surfaces (upper surface and lower surface) 50a, 51a of the connecting wall portions 50, 51 are configured to be in contact with the front edge side peripheral edges 50b, 51b of the locking holes 55 on the side. The intersecting portion 28c of the protruding piece portion 28a and the flange portion 28b includes an arc-shaped (substantially 1/4 arc-shaped) curved surface 28d that bulges outward and rearward (upward and rearward in the upper locking hook 28). Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the airbag cover 35 is made of a synthetic resin such as an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer that can be molded, and is disposed so as to face the front of the knee K of the driver D. The design panel portion 36 has a rectangular plate shape, and a peripheral wall portion 49 that extends forward from the front surface 36 a of the design panel portion 36 into a square tube shape. In addition, the airbag cover 35 of embodiment is manufactured with the shaping | molding die 70 for injection molding as shown in FIG.

  The design panel portion 36 is disposed with the rear surface 36 b side exposed to the vehicle interior side, and includes a door disposition wall portion 37 at a portion surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 49 and an outer edge portion 41 surrounding the door disposition wall portion 37. And is configured.

  The door arrangement wall portion 37 includes door portions 38 and 39 that are pushed by the inflating airbag 10 and open up and down. The upper door part 38 is provided with a hinge part 38a when opened on the upper edge side, and the lower door part 39 is provided with a hinge part 39a when opened on the lower edge side. Around the door portions 38 and 39, a thin-walled portion 40 that is pushed by the inflating airbag 10 and breaks is disposed in an H shape when viewed from the front of the door disposition wall portion 37. ing. The hinge portions 38a and 39a are thin integral hinges. In addition, the thin shape of hinge part 38a, 39a and the fracture | rupture planned part 40 is formed of the recessed part dented back from the front surface 36a side of the design panel part 36. As shown in FIG.

  The outer edge portion 41 around the door arrangement wall portion 37 includes an upper edge portion 42 extending upward from the door arrangement wall portion 37, a lower edge portion 45 extending downward from the door arrangement wall portion 37, and a door arrangement. A left edge portion 43 on the left side of the installation wall portion 37 and a right edge portion 44 on the right side of the door installation wall portion 37 are provided.

  On the upper end 42 a side of the upper edge portion 42, a concave portion 42 d that can be accommodated by inserting the lower surface 6 a side of the column cover 6 in the front-rear direction is disposed in a central portion 42 c in the left-right direction. The upper end 42a is formed with a tongue piece 47 that bends forward (obliquely upward and forward). A plurality of protrusions 41b for positioning the airbag cover 35 are provided on the front side of the extending portions 42e and 42f extending upward on both sides in the left-right direction of the recess 42d. On the front side of the edge 45, a reinforcing rib (not shown) is formed.

  The peripheral wall portion 49 includes upper and lower connecting wall portions 50 and 51 and left and right side wall portions 52 and 53. The upper connecting wall portion (upper connecting wall portion) 50 is disposed above the upper wall portion 23 of the case 20 and becomes a portion connected to the upper wall portion 23 by the locking hook 28. A plurality (five) of locking holes 55 into which 28 is inserted are vertically penetrated and arranged in parallel along the left-right direction. The lower connecting wall portion (lower connecting wall portion) 51 is disposed below the lower wall portion 24 of the case 20 and becomes a portion connected to the lower wall portion 24 by the locking hook 28. A plurality (five) of locking holes 55 into which 28 is inserted are vertically penetrated and juxtaposed in the left-right direction. The left side wall part (left side wall part) 52 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the left wall part 25 of the case 20, and the right side wall part (right side wall part) 53 is inserted into the right wall part 26 of the case 20. It is arrange | positioned so that it may be inserted in the inner peripheral side.

  A shielding portion 57 is formed above the upper connecting wall portion 50 of the airbag cover 35 so as to hide each locking hook 28 locked to the upper connecting wall portion 50 from the line of sight SL of the driver D. Has been. The line of sight SL of the driver D is directed to the locking hook 28 that is locked to the upper connecting wall 50 beyond the upper end 42a of the upper edge 42 in the vehicle mounted state of the airbag device AB1. In the case of the form, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gap 4c between the ring portion 4a of the steering wheel 4 gripped by the driver D of the steering wheel 4 and the boss portion 4b at the center of the ring portion 4a, It is assumed that the locking hook 28 is reached through the gap H between the lower surface 6a of the column cover 6 and the upper end 42a of the upper edge portion 42.

  Incidentally, when the locking hook 28 is visually recognized, a part of the arcuate curved surface 28d at the intersecting portion 28c of the protruding piece portion 28a and the flange portion 28b becomes shining and becomes conspicuous. If there is something reflected and shining in the dark area, the driver D will feel uncomfortable, leading to a decrease in the design of the driver D on the front side in the vicinity of the design panel 36 and the column cover 6. End up.

  The shielding portion 57 has an upper connecting wall so that at least the front end 59 extending in the left-right direction can conceal the intersecting portion 28c that easily releases the gloss of the locking hooks 28 (A to D) arranged in the left-right direction. It is arranged in an area from the rear edge 50c of the locking hole 55 on the upper surface 50a side of the part 50 to the upper end 42a of the upper edge part 42 on the front surface 42b side of the upper edge part 42. Further, the shielding portion 57 includes the surface 57e (upper surface 57a, lower surface 57b, front end surface 57c, and side surface 57d) side of the shielding portion 57, the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50, and the front surface of the upper edge portion 42. The outer surface 54 side on the 42b side is disposed so as to be moldable by the molding surface 75a of one split mold 75 of the molding die 70 (see FIG. 7).

  Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the shielding portion 57 is located at a lower position away from the upper end 42a on the front surface 42b side of the upper edge portion 42 (in the embodiment, a base portion 47e on the lower surface 47b side of the tongue piece portion 47 described later). (A slightly lower position), and projecting in a wall shape (band shape) extending in the left-right direction toward the front side in parallel with the upper connecting wall portion 50 provided with the locking hole 55. That is, the shielding portion (shielding wall portion) 57 is formed as a thin plate having a constant plate thickness from the rear end side base portion 58 coupled to the upper edge portion 42 to the front end side distal end 59, and the upper surface 57a. And the lower surface 57b are arranged in parallel with the upper surface 50a of the upper connecting wall portion 50.

  In the case of the embodiment, the upper connecting wall portion 50 is also formed in a flat plate shape having a substantially constant plate thickness.

  In particular, the shielding portion 57 of the embodiment is an upper connecting wall that is larger than the width dimension W2 in the left-right direction of the recess 42d on the front side of the recess 42d, and has a plurality of locking holes 55 juxtaposed in the left-right direction. The width dimension W1 is smaller than the width dimension W0 in the left-right direction of the portion 50.

  In the case of the embodiment, the shielding part 57 is arranged so as to hide the four locking hooks 28 (A, B, C, D) arranged on the front side of the recess 42d (see FIG. 4). It does not have a width dimension to the rear side of the stop hook 28E. This is because the locking hook 28E on the right end side removed from the front side of the recess 42d can be shielded by the extending portion 42f extending upward next to the recess 42d in the upper edge portion 42. The shielding part 57 is not disposed on the rear side of the part.

  Further, on the lower surface 57b side of the shielding portion 57, a plurality of thin ribs 60 extending from the connecting wall portion 50 and disposed in the left-right direction are disposed so as to reinforce the thin plate-like shielding portion 57. ing. Each rib 60 is disposed in a form of a rectangular plate extending in the front-rear direction so that it can be molded together with the shielding portion 57 by a split mold 75 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the mold 70 of the airbag cover 35 can form a cavity 70a in which the airbag cover 35 can be molded when the mold is clamped. In the vicinity of the molding part of the shielding part 57, five split dies 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 are used. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the split mold 71 includes a molding surface (mold surface) 71 a capable of molding the rear surface 36 b of the design panel portion 36 and the upper surface 47 a side of the tongue piece portion 47. Includes a molding surface (not shown) capable of molding a predetermined portion on the front surface 41a side of the outer edge portion 41 away from the shielding portion 57, and the split mold 73 includes a lower surface 50d side of the upper connection wall portion 50 and a door arrangement wall portion 37. The split die 74 is configured to include a molding surface 74a capable of molding the inner peripheral surface side of each locking hole 55 of the upper connecting wall portion 50. Yes. The split mold 75 includes the entire surface 57e (including the upper surface 57a, the lower surface 57b, the front end surface 57c, and the left and right side surfaces 57d) of the shielding portion 57, the front surface 42b of the upper edge portion 42, and the lower surface 47b of the tongue piece portion 47. The front end face 47d and the upper surface 50a of the upper connecting wall 50 are provided with a molding surface 75a that can be molded.

  At the time of molding, as shown in FIG. 7A, the molding material M for the airbag cover 35 is injected and solidified into the cavity 70a of the mold 70 that has been clamped, and then, FIG. As shown in A, the split mold 74 is moved so as to be detached from the formed locking hole 55, and the split mold 73 is moved so as to be detached from the front surface 37 a of the molded door arrangement wall portion 37. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the split mold 75 is moved along the upper connecting wall portion 50 so as to be detached from the periphery of the formed shielding portion 57, and then the remaining split mold 72 and split mold are moved. The molded airbag cover 35 can be obtained by opening the mold so as to be relatively separated from 71 and releasing the mold.

  When assembling the airbag cover 35 formed in this way as the airbag apparatus AB1 and mounting it on a vehicle, first, the airbag 10 is folded with the inflator 12 stored, and after the airbag 10 is folded, the airbag 10 is folded. The airbag 10 is wrapped with a wrapping film (not shown) that can be broken to prevent collapse. In addition, the connector part 17 and the volt | bolt 15 which connect the lead wire 18 of the inflator 12 are made to protrude from the wrapping film. The airbag 10 is housed in the case 20, the vicinity of the connector portion 17 of the inflator 12 is protruded from the insertion hole 25 a, and each bolt 15 is protruded from the insertion hole 21 a to form the protruding bolt 15. If the nut 16 is tightened, the inflator 12 and the airbag 10 can be attached to the case 20. Thereafter, the airbag cover 35 is connected to the case 20. In this connection, each locking hook 28 of the case 20 is inserted into each locking hole 55 of the connecting wall portion 50, 51 of the corresponding airbag cover 35, and locked to the peripheral edges 50b, 51b of the locking hole 55. By doing so, the airbag device AB1 can be assembled by connecting the airbag cover 35 to the case 20.

  After that, if the attachment portions 30, 30 are fixed to the bracket 2 on the body 1 side using the bolts 31 and the nuts 32, the knee protection airbag device AB1 can be mounted on the vehicle.

  Further, when the connector 18a of the lead wire 18 is coupled to the connector portion 17 of the inflator 12, and the upper panel 7a and the lower panel 7b of the instrument panel 7 are assembled to the vehicle, the vehicle of the knee protection airbag device AB1 of the embodiment is provided. Can be completed.

  If an operation signal is input to the inflator 12 after the airbag device AB1 is mounted on the vehicle, the inflation gas is discharged from the gas discharge portion 13a of the main body 13, and the airbag 10 expands and wraps (not shown). While breaking the film and breaking the planned break portion 40, the door portions 38 and 39 of the airbag cover 35 are pushed open, projecting from the projecting opening 20 a of the case 20 toward the rear of the vehicle, and further eliminating the folding. The knee K of the driver D can be protected by largely expanding and expanding upward along the column cover lower surface 6a (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1).

  In the knee protection airbag device AB1 according to the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper portion 42a of the upper edge portion 42 in the vehicle-mounted state is moved upward by the shielding portion 57 of the airbag cover 35. The driver's D line of sight SL toward the locking hook 28 locked to the connecting wall 50 can be blocked, and the locking hook 28 that emits a metallic luster can be hidden. It is possible to prevent a decrease in design properties in the room.

  Further, since the shielding part 57 is integrally formed when the airbag cover 35 is molded, it is not necessary to separately perform an operation of attaching the shielding part 57, and can be easily arranged.

  Therefore, in the knee protection airbag device AB1 according to the embodiment, it is possible to easily prevent the design from being lowered in the passenger compartment in front of the driver D without visually recognizing the locking hook 28.

  Further, in the embodiment, the airbag cover 35 is configured to connect the shielding portion 57 between the rear edge 50c of the locking hole 55 on the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50 and the upper edge portion 42 on the front surface 42b side of the upper edge portion 42. From the area up to the upper end 42a (in the embodiment, from the obliquely rear lower vicinity of the upper end 42a of the upper edge portion 42), it is provided to project.

  For this reason, in the embodiment, the shielding portion 57 can be provided to project from the area in the vicinity of the locking hook 28, and a space and a molding material for disposing the shielding portion 57 are not wasted.

  In the case of the embodiment, the airbag cover 35 is formed by molding so that at least the surface 57e side of the shielding portion 57, the upper surface 50a side of the connecting wall portion 50, and the front surface of the upper edge portion 42 are used. The shield part 57 is disposed so that the 42b side can be molded by the molding surface 75a of one split mold 75 of the mold 70.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, together with the upper surface 50 a side of the connecting wall portion 50 around the shielding portion 57 and the front surface 42 b side of the upper edge portion 42, the shielding portion 57 itself also forms the molding surface 75 a of one split mold 75 of the molding die 70. Since the shielding portion 57 is disposed so as to be molded by the molding die 70 for molding the synthetic resin airbag cover 35, a mold structure for molding the vicinity of the shielding portion 57 is formed as one split mold 75. It is possible to construct the air bag cover 35 by suppressing the increase in manufacturing man-hours and costs, and suppressing the increase in manufacturing man-hours and costs of the entire airbag device AB1. Can contribute.

  In the case of the embodiment, the shielding portion 57 is on the front side substantially parallel to the upper connecting wall portion 50 provided with the locking hole 55 from the lower position away from the upper end 42a on the front surface 42b side of the upper edge portion 42. , And the mold 75 is moved in parallel with the molded upper connecting wall portion 50 so that it can be smoothly detached from the molded shielding portion 57 and the upper connecting wall portion 50. In addition, the entire wall-shaped (band-shaped) shielding part 57 can be easily formed with a single split mold 75 together with the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall part 50 in a wide range. The mold structure to be molded can be simplified.

  Further, in the embodiment, the upper edge portion 42 of the airbag cover 35 is configured by disposing a recessed portion 42d that is recessed downward from the left and right edge portions in the center in the left-right direction, and the shielding portion 57 is formed of the recessed portion 42d. On the front side, the width is made larger than the width dimension W2 in the left-right direction of the recess 42d and smaller than the width dimension W0 in the left-right direction in the upper connecting wall portion 50 in which the plurality of locking holes 55 are arranged in the left-right direction. It is arranged as a dimension W1.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, a concave portion 42d is provided in the center of the upper edge portion 42 in the left-right direction so as to accommodate the column cover 6 as an upper arrangement member of the airbag apparatus AB1, and is disposed on the front side of the concave portion 42d. Not only the locking hooks 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D but also the locking hook 28E is disposed at the position in the left-right direction beyond the recess 42d, the locking hook 28E has an upper edge. Since the portion 42 (in the embodiment, the extended portion) 42f extending upward on the left and right sides of the concave portion 42d is hidden and difficult to visually recognize, the shielding portion 57 does not need to be provided. Therefore, as the airbag cover 35, it is only necessary to provide the shielding part 57 only in a necessary portion, and the molding material can be reduced. The influence of the configuration of the split mold 75 provided with the shielding part 57 is influenced by other moldings. It is not necessary to give to the part split mold 72 and the like, which can contribute to facilitating production.

  In other words, the shielding part 57 has the locking holes 55 (55A, 55B, 55C, 55D) into which the locking hooks 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D that need to be hidden other than the locking hooks 28E that need not be hidden are inserted. What is necessary is just to arrange | position on the rear side corresponding to hook arrangement | positioning area FA (refer FIG. 6). That is, the shielding part 57 may be provided with a width dimension W2 corresponding to the width dimension W3 of the hook arrangement area FA excluding the locking hole 55E into which the locking hook 28E that does not need to be hidden is inserted.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the airbag cover 35 includes a tongue piece portion 47 that bends forward and extends at the upper end 42 a of the upper edge portion 42.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, the upper end 42a of the upper edge portion 42 can be arranged with the curved surface 47c of the tongue piece portion 47 that bends forward instead of the end surface provided with the edge-shaped corner portion. The appearance on the upper end 36c side can be improved. Furthermore, the shielding portion 57 itself can be concealed by the provided tongue piece portion 47, or the shielding portion 57 itself can be concealed darkly including the surroundings by the shadow of the provided tongue piece portion 47. The uncomfortable feeling on the upper surface side of the bag device AB1 can be eliminated, and the deterioration of the design in the passenger compartment on the front side of the driver D can be suppressed.

  The tongue piece portion 47 can be formed on the lower surface 47b and the front end surface 47d side by a part 75b of the forming surface 75a of the split mold 75 for forming the upper surface 57a side of the shielding portion 57. Thus, it is not necessary to use the split mold for forming 47, and the number of parts and the manufacturing cost of the mold 70 can be prevented from increasing.

  Further, as the shielding portion of the airbag cover, the line of sight SL of the driver D or the like heading to the locking hook 28 locked to the connecting wall portion 50 beyond the upper end 42a of the upper edge portion 42 in the vehicle mounted state. As long as it can be shielded, it may be configured as an airbag cover 35A of the airbag apparatus AB2 shown in FIGS.

  The shielding portion 62 of the airbag cover 35A also has an upper edge portion 42 on the front surface 42b side of the upper edge portion 42 from the rear edge 50c of the locking hole 55 on the upper surface 50a side of the connecting wall portion 50, as will be described later. And the surface 62e (the upper surface 62a, the lower surface 62b, the front end surface 62c, and the left and right side surfaces 62d) of the shielding part 62, and the upper surface 50a side of the connecting wall part 50. The outer surface 54 side with respect to the front surface 42b side of the upper edge portion 42 is disposed so as to be moldable by the molding surface 85a of one split mold 85 of the molding die 80 shown in FIGS.

  In the airbag cover 35 </ b> A, the shielding portion 62 protrudes from the rear position 50 ab of the locking hole 55 on the upper surface 50 a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50 toward the diagonally upper front direction. That is, the shielding portion 62 has the base portion 63 disposed between the locking hole 55 and the upper edge portion 42 on the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50 (in the case of the example, a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction). Thus, at least the tip 64 side extending in the left-right direction can hide the intersecting portion 28c that easily releases the gloss of the respective locking hooks 28 (A to D) arranged side by side from the base portion 63 side to the tip 64 side. It extends in a diagonally upward direction and is disposed in a wall shape (strip shape) along the left-right direction (also referred to as a shielding wall portion 62). Further, the shielding part 62 is formed as a thin plate-like flat plate with a constant thickness from the base part 63 on the rear end side to the front end 64 on the front end side, and the upper face 62a and the lower face 62b are connected to the upper end 42a of the upper edge part 42. The tongue piece portion 47 is arranged in parallel with the lower surface 47b side of the tongue piece portion 47.

  Similarly to the shielding part 57, the shielding part 62 is larger than the lateral width W2 of the concave part 42d on the front side of the concave part 42d, and a plurality of locking holes 55 are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction. The connecting wall portion 50 is arranged so as to be smaller than the width dimension W0 in the left-right direction. That is, the shielding part 62 is also arranged so as to hide the four locking hooks 28 (A, B, C, D) arranged on the front side of the concave part 42d (see FIGS. 4 and 9). The locking hook 28E on the right end side that is disengaged from the front side of the recess 42d extends upward next to the recess 42d in the upper edge portion 42). The extended portion 42f is configured to shield.

  Further, on the lower surface 62b side of the shielding portion 62, a thin rib 66 extending from the connecting wall portion 50 and disposed in the left-right direction is disposed so as to reinforce the thin-plate-shaped shielding portion 62. ing. Each rib 66 is disposed in a triangular plate shape extending in the front-rear direction so as to be moldable together with the shielding portion 62 by a split mold 85 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the mold 80 for molding the airbag cover 35A can form a cavity 80a in which the airbag cover 35A can be molded when the mold is clamped. And five split molds 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are used in the vicinity of the molding part of the shielding part 62. The split mold 81 includes a molding surface (mold surface) 81a capable of molding the rear surface 36b of the design panel portion 36 and the upper surface 47a side of the tongue piece portion 47, and the split mold 82 has an outer edge away from the shielding portion 62. The split mold 83 has a molding surface (not shown) capable of molding a predetermined portion on the front surface 41a side of the portion 41, and the split mold 83 can mold the lower surface 50d side of the upper connecting wall portion 50 and the front surface 37a side portion of the door arrangement wall portion 37. The split mold 84 includes a molding surface 84a that can mold the inner peripheral surface side of each locking hole 55 of the upper connecting wall 50. The split mold 85 is formed so that the entire surface 62e of the shielding part 62, the upper surface 50a of the upper connecting wall part 50, the front surface 42b of the upper edge part 42, and the lower surface 47b of the tongue piece part 47 can be formed. A surface 85a is provided. The molding surface 85 a also includes a portion 85 b for molding the front end surface 47 d of the tongue piece 47.

  At the time of molding, as shown in FIG. 11A, the molding material M for the airbag cover 35A is injected and solidified into the cavity 80a of the mold 80 that has been clamped, and then, FIG. As shown in A, the split mold 84 is moved so as to be detached from the formed locking hole 55, and the split mold 83 is moved so as to be detached from the front surface 37 a of the molded door arrangement wall portion 37. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12B, the split mold 85 is moved along the upper surface 62a of the molded shielding part 62 so as to be detached from the periphery of the molded shielding part 62, and then the remaining split mold 82 is used. If the mold is opened so that the split mold 81 and the split mold 81 are relatively spaced apart from each other, the molded airbag cover 35A can be obtained.

  The airbag cover 35A thus manufactured may be assembled as the airbag device AB2 and mounted on the vehicle, similarly to the airbag cover 35 of the embodiment.

  Even in this air bag cover 35A, the shielding portion 62 blocks the line of sight SL near the intersection 28c of the locking hook 28 from the driver or the like, and the gloss of the locking hook 28 is not visually recognized by the driver or the like. The airbag cover 35A having the shielding part 62 can be molded by the molding die 80, and further provided with the tongue piece part 47, and the shielding part 62 is disposed only on the front side of the recess 42d. Therefore, the same actions and effects as in the embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, in the airbag covers 35 and 35A of the embodiment and the modified example, the case where the shielding portions 57 and 62 are disposed so as to hide the plurality of locking hooks 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D is shown. Further, the shielding portions 57 and 62 may be arranged so as to be divided so as to block the line of sight SL toward the vicinity of the intersecting portion 28 c of the locking hook 28.

  Moreover, as a structure which a shielding part hides the latching hook 28 separately, you may comprise like the airbag cover 35B of the airbag apparatus AB3 for knee protection shown to FIGS. In this knee protection airbag device AB3, the same members and parts as those of the airbag devices AB1 and AB2 of the embodiment and the modified example are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the airbag devices AB1 and AB2. Omitted.

  In the airbag cover 35 </ b> B, the shielding portion 67 protrudes upward from the vicinity of the rear edge 50 c of the rear position 50 ab of the locking hole 55 on the upper surface 50 a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50, and protrudes from the locking hole 55. The locking hook 28 protrudes upward from the rear front side portion 68 that hides the locking hook 28 from the rear, and the vicinity of the left edge 50e and the right edge 50f on both the left and right sides of the locking hole 55, and protrudes from the locking hole 55. And diagonally rear side portions 69L and 69R for concealing 28 from the diagonally rear side. In the case of the illustrated example, left and right oblique rear side portions 69L and 69R are disposed so as to extend forward from the left and right end portions 68a and 68b of the rear front side portion 68. The oblique rear side portions 69L and 69R and the rear front side portion 68 are connected to each other to form a substantially U shape when viewed from above. Of course, each shielding portion 67 is formed integrally with the upper connecting wall portion 50 and the like when the airbag cover 35 is formed.

  The shielding portion 67 includes a crossing portion 28c on the rear side of the locking hook 28 and the vicinity of the side surface of the locking hook 28 from the rear of the line of sight SL where the locking hook 28 is located or from the rear side shifted in the left-right direction. The height from the upper surface 50a of the upper connecting wall portion 50 is set so as to be shielded from the line of sight SLS 28 that faces diagonally forward.

  In the case of the illustrated example, the concave portion 42d of the central portion 42c of the upper edge portion 42 of the airbag cover 35B has a width dimension W2 smaller than the concave portion 42d of the airbag covers 35 and 35A, and the three engagements Each shielding part 67 is arrange | positioned so that locking hook 28B, 28C, 28D inserted in hole 55B, 55C, 55D may be shielded.

  In this knee protecting airbag device AB3, the shielding portion 67 of the airbag cover 35B covers the rear side of the locking hook 28 protruding from the locking hole 55 and from the line of sight SL toward the front from the rear side. The locking hook 28 is covered from the line of sight SLS from not only the rear front side portion 68 that covers the locking hook 28 but also the driver or the passenger on the passenger's seat from the diagonally rearward direction of the locking hook 28 toward the locking hook 28. The slanting rear side portions 69L and 69R are provided, and the locking hook 28 can be made more difficult to visually recognize.

  In particular, the shielding portion 67 is configured such that the left and right oblique rear side portions 69L and 69R extend forward from the left and right end portions 68a and 68b of the rear front side portion 68, and is substantially U-shaped when viewed from above. The rear front side portion 68 and the diagonally rear side portions 69L and 69R are arranged without gaps, so that the locking hook 28 can be made more difficult to visually recognize, and the driver or the like can be stably provided. It is possible to prevent the designability of the vehicle interior on the front side of the vehicle from being deteriorated.

  Of course, if the locking hook 28 is covered from the line of sight SLS from the driver or the passenger on the passenger seat heading toward the locking hook 28 from the oblique rear direction of the locking hook 28, the oblique rear side portions 69L and 69R are The left and right end portions 68a and 68b of the rear front side portion 68 may be disposed with a gap between them, for example, separated from the end portions 68a and 68b in the left-right direction and behind the end portions 68a and 68b. It may be arranged so as to extend from the position to the left and right edges 50e, 50f of the locking hole 55.

  Further, when the shielding part is configured to include a rear front side part and left and right oblique rear side parts, it may be configured like an airbag cover 35C of the knee protection airbag device AM4 shown in FIG.

  The shielding portion 67C of the airbag cover 35C is configured such that the rear front side portion 68C has a rear position 50ab of a plurality of locking holes 55B, 55C, 55D arranged in parallel in the left-right direction on the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50. A plurality of locking hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D protruding from the locking holes 55B, 55C, and 55D are arranged so as to be hidden from the rear. Also, the left and right oblique rear side portions 69CL and 69CR are located on the upper surface 50a side of the upper connecting wall portion 50, and are within the plurality of locking holes 55B, 55C and 55D in which the rear front side portion 68C is disposed at the rear position 50ab. From the edge 50e, 50f of the outer side in the left-right direction of the end side locking hole 56 (55B, 55D) on the end side in the left-right direction, respectively, protrudes upward and protrudes from the end-side locking hole 56 (55B, 55D). The locking hooks 28B and 28D to be hidden are arranged so as to be hidden obliquely from the rear. Of course, the shielding part 67C is formed integrally with the upper connecting wall part 50 and the like when the airbag cover 35C is formed.

  In the airbag cover 35C, the rear front side portion 68C of the shielding portion 67C is viewed from the line of sight SL toward the front from the rear with respect to the plurality of locking hooks 28B, 28C, 28D protruding from the plurality of locking holes 55B, 55B, 55D. The intermediate hook 68B can cover the locking hooks 28B, 28C, 28D, and covers the rear side between the adjacent locking holes 55 in the rear front side 68C of the shield 67C, and the end of the shield 67C. Left and right diagonally rear side portions 69CL and 69CR disposed on the outer side in the left and right direction of the locking holes 56 (55B and 55D) from the line of sight SLS toward the locking hooks 28B, 28C and 28D from the diagonally rear direction. The stop hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D can be covered, and the plurality of locking hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D are difficult to visually recognize simultaneously by the single shielding portion 67C. Rukoto can.

  Further, also in the airbag cover 35C, the shielding portion 67C is configured such that the left and right oblique rear side portions 69CL and 69CR extend forward from the left and right end portions 68a and 68b of the rear front side portion 68C. Since the rear front side portion 68C and the oblique rear side portions 69CL, 69CR are arranged without gaps, the locking hooks 28B, 28C, 28D can be made more difficult to visually recognize. Thus, it is possible to stably prevent a decrease in designability in the front passenger compartment of the driver or the like.

  Of course, the locking hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D are taken from the line of sight SLS from the driver or passenger on the passenger's seat toward the locking hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D from diagonally rearward directions of the locking hooks 28B, 28C, and 28D. If covered, the diagonally rear side portions 69CL and 69CR may be disposed with a gap with respect to the left and right end portions 68a and 68b of the rear front side portion 68C.

  It should be noted that the airbag cover so that it is difficult to visually recognize the locking hook 28 from the gap H below the column cover 6 as an upper arrangement member disposed above the knee protection airbag devices AB1, AB2, AB3, AB4. When the shielding portions 57, 62, 67, and 67C are formed on the 35, 35A, 35B, and 35C, the column cover 6 as an upper arrangement member is not disposed immediately above the airbag devices AB1, AB2, AB3, and AB4. In both cases, for example, a decorative panel such as the lower panel 7b of the instrument panel 7 is disposed immediately above the knee protection airbag device, and a clearance between the upper end of the decorative panel and the column cover 6 as an upper arrangement member is provided. Even if the configuration is such that the locking hook can be seen, the column cover as the upper arrangement member is applied by the shielding portion provided in the airbag cover by applying the present invention. It can be configured to prevent the visibility of the locking hook from the gap between the lower -6.

6 ... (vehicle body side upper arrangement member) column cover, 10 ... airbag, 12 ... inflator, 20 ... case, 20a ... projecting opening, 22 ... peripheral wall portion, 23 ... upper wall portion, 28 (A, B, C) , D, E) ... locking hook, 35, 35A, 35B, 35C ... airbag cover, 36 ... design panel part, 36a ... front face, 36b ... rear face, 36c ... upper end, 37 ... door installation wall part, 38 ... (Upper) door part, 39 ... (lower) door part, 41 ... outer edge part, 41a ... front face, 42 ... upper edge part, 42a ... upper end (at the upper edge part), 42b ... front face (at the upper edge part), 42d ... concave portion, 47 ... tongue piece, 47a ... upper surface, 47b ... lower surface, 49 ... peripheral wall portion, 50 ... (upper) connecting wall portion, 50a ... (outer surface) upper surface, 50ab ... rear position, 50b ... front edge side periphery, 50c ... trailing edge, 54 ... outer surface, 55 ... locking hole, 57, 62, 67, 6 C ... shielding part, 57a, 62a ... upper surface, 57b, 62b ... lower surface, 57e, 62e ... (surface of shielding part), 68, 68C ... rear front side part, 69L, 69R, 69CL, 69CR ... diagonally rear side part, 70, 80 ... molding die, 75,85 ... split type (of the shielding part), 75a, 85a ... molding surface,
SL, SLS ... line of sight (of the driver, etc.), W0 ... (width of the connecting wall), W1 ... (width of the shield), W2 ... (width of the recess), D ... driver, K ... knee , AB1, AB2, AB3, AB4 ... knee protection airbag devices.

Claims (11)

A airbag for protecting the driver's knees is accommodated, and a projecting opening for projecting the airbag when inflated is disposed rearward, and the front of the projecting opening is surrounded by the front. A case having a peripheral wall portion extending to the side;
An airbag cover made of a synthetic resin that covers the projection opening of the case so as to be able to project the airbag when inflated, and is coupled to the case;
Equipped with a configuration to be mounted on the front side of a seated driver,
The airbag cover is
Covering the opening for projection, having a door portion that can be pushed and opened by the airbag when inflated, and having an upper edge portion that extends upward around the periphery of the door portion, A design panel that is exposed and arranged on the inside;
A connecting wall portion that extends forward from the front surface side of the design panel portion and is disposed so as to cover the upper surface side of the upper wall portion on the upper side of the peripheral wall portion of the case;
And comprising
The connecting wall portion of the airbag cover has a locking hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the upper wall portion of the case has a metal locking hook protruding upward so as to be inserted into the locking hole. A knee protection airbag device configured to connect the airbag cover to the case by the locking hook inserted into the locking hole locking the connecting wall portion;
The airbag cover is
A shielding portion capable of concealing the locking hook from a line of sight toward the locking hook locked to the connection wall portion beyond the upper edge of the upper edge in a vehicle-mounted state,
The knee protection airbag device, wherein the shielding portion is integrally formed when the airbag cover is molded.   The airbag cover protrudes from the area from the rear edge of the locking hole on the upper surface side of the connecting wall portion to the upper end of the upper edge portion on the front surface side of the upper edge portion. The knee protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the knee protection airbag device is disposed.   The shielding portion of the airbag cover protrudes from a lower position away from the upper end on the front side of the upper edge portion toward the front side substantially parallel to the connecting wall portion provided with the locking hole. The knee protection airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the knee protection airbag device is provided.   3. The knee according to claim 2, wherein the shielding portion of the airbag cover protrudes upward from a rear position of the locking hole on the upper surface side of the connecting wall portion. Protective airbag device.   The shielding portion of the airbag cover is arranged to extend in a wall shape in the left-right direction so as to conceal the plurality of locking hooks locked in the plurality of locking holes arranged in parallel in the left-right direction. The knee protection airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the knee protection airbag device is provided. The upper edge portion of the airbag cover is configured by disposing a recess recessed downward from the left and right edge portions at the center in the left-right direction,
The width dimension in the left-right direction in the connecting wall part in which the shielding part is larger than the width dimension in the left-right direction of the recess on the front side of the recess, and the plurality of locking holes are arranged in the left-right direction. The knee protection airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the knee protection airbag device is arranged smaller.   The knee according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the airbag cover includes a tongue piece portion that bends forward and extends at an upper end of the upper edge portion. Protective airbag device. The shielding part of the airbag cover is
As a structure formed by molding,
At least the surface side of the shielding part, the upper surface side of the connecting wall part, and the front side of the upper edge part can be molded by a molding surface of one split mold of the molding die,
The knee protection airbag device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the shielding portion is disposed. The shielding part of the airbag cover is
A rear front side portion that protrudes from a rear position of the locking hole and hides the locking hook protruding from the locking hole from behind;
A diagonally rear side portion that projects from both the left and right sides of the locking hole and hides the locking hook protruding from the locking hole from a diagonally rear side,
The knee protection airbag device according to claim 4, wherein the knee protection airbag device is provided. The shielding part of the airbag cover is
A rear front side portion that protrudes from the rear position of the plurality of locking holes juxtaposed in the left-right direction so as to extend in the left-right direction and hides the plurality of locking hooks protruding from the locking holes from behind;
The end-side locking holes protrude from the outer sides in the left-right direction of the end-side locking holes on the left-right end side of the plurality of the locking holes in which the rear front side portion is disposed at the rear position. An oblique rear side portion for concealing the locking hook protruding from the oblique rear side;
The knee protection airbag device according to claim 4, wherein the knee protection airbag device is provided. The shielding part of the airbag cover is
11. The left and right oblique rear side portions are configured to extend forward from both left and right sides of the rear front side portion, and are substantially U-shaped when viewed from above. Airbag device for knee protection.

Images