JP3760638B2 - Airbag device for passenger seat - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a passenger airbag device for protecting passengers in a passenger seat of an automobile, and more particularly to a passenger airbag device having a mechanism for correcting the posture and position of an inflated airbag.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As is well known, the passenger seat airbag device includes a container having an opening through which the airbag passes when inflated, a passenger seat airbag folded and stored in the container, and the opening of the container. A lid covering the mouth; and an inflator for supplying gas into the airbag to inflate the airbag. When the automobile collides, the inflator is activated, gas is supplied into the airbag, and the airbag is inflated. The airbag pushes open the lid and inflates forward of the passenger in the passenger seat in the vehicle compartment.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The windshield of an automobile has a shape that is curved so as to be away from the front end of the vehicle body toward the vehicle body side and upward. For this reason, an airbag for a passenger seat that has been inflated or inflated may be inclined toward the center of the vehicle body due to the influence of the windshield, or the airbag may be biased toward the center of the vehicle body as a whole.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device for a passenger seat provided with a mechanism for correcting such an inclination or displacement of the airbag (shift toward the center of the vehicle body).
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A passenger seat airbag device according to the present invention includes a container having an opening on the front surface through which an airbag passes when inflated, a passenger seat airbag folded and stored in the container, and the opening of the container. In a passenger seat airbag device having a lid covering a mouth and an inflator for inflating an airbag by supplying gas into the airbag, the airbag is in a direction away from the opening of the container when the airbag is inflated. An extending cylindrical cloth is attached to the container, and an opening surface on the tip side of the cylindrical cloth is inclined with respect to a plane parallel to the front surface of the container.
[0006]
According to such a passenger seat airbag device, since the tip of the cylindrical cloth is inclined, a large amount of gas from the inflator is ejected in the direction in which the tip of the cylindrical cloth is inclined. Attempts to expand to one side stronger than the other. Therefore, by installing this passenger-side airbag device on the instrument panel so that this tilted direction is on the side of the vehicle body, the inflating airbag is tilted toward the vehicle center due to the influence of the windshield. In this way, it is possible to prevent misalignment.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device for a passenger seat according to the embodiment in a deployed state of the airbag, FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the airbag removed, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the state before deployment. FIG.
[0008]
The airbag device for a passenger seat includes a container 10 whose upper surface is an opening, an inflator 12 attached to the container 10, an airbag 14 and a tubular cloth 16 that are folded and accommodated in the container 10. And a frame 18 that attaches the airbag 14 and the cylindrical cloth 16 to the container 10, a lid 20 that covers the container 10, and the like.
[0009]
The container 10 has a container shape that is long in one direction, and the inflator 12 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the container 10. In addition, this airbag apparatus is attached to the instrument panel of the automobile so that the longitudinal direction of the container 10 extends in the vehicle body width direction of the automobile and the upper surface of the lid 20 is flush with the upper surface of the instrument panel. Installed.
[0010]
A plurality of rivet insertion holes are provided in the upper edge portion of the container 10. The frame 18 has a frame shape that is fitted into the upper edge portion of the container 10, and a rivet insertion hole 24 is provided corresponding to the rivet insertion hole 22. A band-shaped metal fitting may be used instead of the frame 18.
[0011]
The cylindrical cloth 16 has a cylindrical shape that circulates around the opening on the upper surface of the container 10, and has an upper end (tip) as an opening 16 a. One side part 16b of this cylindrical cloth is longer than the other side part 16c. When the airbag 14 and the cylindrical cloth 16 are inflated, the opening surface of the opening 16 a of the cylindrical cloth 16 is inclined by an angle θ with respect to a plane parallel to the opening surface of the upper surface of the container 10.
[0012]
Rivet insertion holes corresponding to the rivet insertion holes 22 and 24 are provided along the lower side portions of the tubular cloth 16 and the airbag 14. The airbag 14 and the lower side portion of the tubular cloth 16 are sandwiched between the frame 18 and the upper edge of the container 10, respectively. The airbag 14 and the cylindrical cloth 16 are attached to the container 10 by the rivets 36 driven through the rivet insertion holes.
[0013]
The lid 20 is attached to the container 10 so as to cover the upper surface opening of the container 10 containing the airbag 14 and the cylindrical cloth 16. The lid 20 includes leg pieces 40 and 42 along the longitudinal side surface of the container 10, and these leg pieces 40 and 42 are also attached to the container 10 by the rivets 36. One leg piece 40 can be torn, is torn when the airbag 14 is inflated, and allows the lid 20 to rotate in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The other leg piece 42 serves as a hinge when the lid 20 is opened.
[0014]
Next, the operation of the passenger seat airbag apparatus configured as described above will be described. This passenger seat airbag device is installed on an instrument panel in front of a passenger seat of a left-hand drive vehicle. Accordingly, the right side surface portion 16c of the tubular cloth 16 faces the right side of the vehicle body of the automobile, and the left side surface portion 16b faces the center side of the automobile.
[0015]
When the automobile collides, the inflator 12 is activated, and gas is ejected from the gas outlet 12a of the inflator 12. The airbag 14 is pressed by the jet gas pressure to press the lid 20 from the back side, and the leg piece portion 40 is torn, whereby the lid 20 rotates as shown by an arrow A in FIG. As a result, the tubular cloth 16 and the airbag 14 are pushed out of the container 10, and the tubular cloth 16 is tightly stretched as shown in FIG. And the airbag 14 expand | swells greatly with the gas which ejected from the opening 16a.
[0016]
At this time, since the opening 16a is inclined to the right side, most of the gas from the inflator 12 is ejected toward the right side of the vehicle body, and a smaller amount of gas is ejected from the opening 16a toward the center of the vehicle body.
[0017]
As a result, the airbag 14 is inflated strongly in the right side direction of the vehicle body, and the center side of the vehicle body is inflated weaker than that. Therefore, even if the airbag is tilted toward the center of the vehicle body due to the influence of the windshield or misalignment occurs, the airbag 14 inflates strongly toward the right side of the vehicle body. It will expand without shifting to the side.
[0018]
Note that the direction of gas ejection from the inflator 12 can be adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the opening 16 a of the tubular cloth 16, the length of the tubular cloth 16, and the like.
[0019]
In this embodiment, the upper surface portion of the cylindrical cloth 16 is inclined so that the right side is lowered, but may be inclined so that the left side is lowered depending on the inclination direction of the airbag.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the airbag of the passenger seat airbag device can be inflated without being tilted in front of the passenger on the passenger seat or shifted toward the center of the vehicle body.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a passenger seat airbag device according to an embodiment in a state where an airbag is deployed.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the passenger seat airbag apparatus according to the embodiment with the airbag removed.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the passenger seat airbag device according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Container 12 Inflator 14 Airbag 16 Tubular Cloth 18 Frame 20 Lids 22, 24 Rivet Insertion Hole 36 Rivet

Claims (2)

A container having an opening on the front surface through which the airbag passes when inflated, a passenger seat airbag folded and housed in the container, a lid covering the opening of the container, and the airbag In an airbag device for a passenger seat having an inflator that inflates the airbag by supplying gas therein,
A cylindrical cloth extending in a direction away from the opening of the container in an inflated state of the airbag is attached to the container, and the opening surface on the tip side of the cylindrical cloth is parallel to the front surface of the container. An airbag device for a passenger seat, which is inclined. 2. The passenger seat airbag device according to claim 1, wherein an opening surface on a front end side of the cylindrical cloth is inclined in a longitudinal width direction of an opening on a front surface of the container.

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