JP5761101B2 - Airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device installed in a steering wheel of a vehicle or the like, and more specifically, an inflator is elastically supported on a back holder by an elastic support portion, so that the inflator functions as a damper mass of a dynamic damper, and is elastically supported. The present invention relates to an airbag device that functions as a spring of a dynamic damper.

  When the vehicle is traveling at a high speed or idling an in-vehicle engine, if the steering wheel is subjected to vertical and horizontal vibrations, the driver's comfortable driving may be impaired. Therefore, a technique for suppressing (vibrating) the vibration of the steering wheel has been developed and proposed. One of them is a technique that uses a dynamic damper including a weight and an elastic member that supports the weight on a metal core of a steering wheel. According to this technique, when vibration having the same frequency as or close to the resonance frequency unique to the dynamic damper is transmitted from the steering wheel to the dynamic damper, the dynamic damper resonates and absorbs vibration energy of the steering wheel. This absorption suppresses (suppresses) the vibration of the steering wheel.

  On the other hand, an air bag device is incorporated in the steering wheel in order to protect the driver in the event of a vehicle collision. The airbag device includes a back holder, a pad cover, an airbag, and an inflator. The back holder is supported by the steering wheel. The pad cover is locked to the back holder from the rear side, and is partitioned into a plurality of regions by tear lines. The airbag is disposed between the back holder and the pad cover. The inflator supplies gas to the airbag to inflate the airbag, break the pad cover at the tear line, and open the region. The airbag inflates backwards through the open part, and catches the driver who tries to tilt forward by the impact of the collision. The airbag restrains the driver's forward tilt and protects the driver from impact.

  Here, since the airbag device occupies most of the internal space of the steering wheel, it is difficult to incorporate the above-described dynamic damper in a recent steering wheel. Therefore, a configuration has been proposed in which the inflator is elastically supported by the elastic support portion with respect to the back holder so that the inflator functions as a damper mass of the dynamic damper and the elastic support portion functions as a spring of the dynamic damper.

  In the airbag device, a force directed backward from the inflating airbag is applied to the pad cover. Therefore, it is necessary to make it difficult to remove the pad cover from the back holder even when such a force is applied.

  For this, for example, the fastening structure described in Non-Patent Document 1 is effective. As shown in FIG. 24, in this fastening structure, locking holes (attachment holes) 152 are formed at a plurality of locations of the back holder 151. At a plurality of locations of the pad cover 153, locking portions (engaging portions) 154 that extend forward (downward in FIG. 24) and are inserted through the locking holes (mounting holes) 152 are provided. Further, an auxiliary plate (prevention member) 155 separate from the back holder 151 is used. At the end of the auxiliary plate (prevention member) 155, it extends rearward (upward in FIG. 24) and presses the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 against the inner wall surface of the locking hole (mounting hole) 152. A pressing piece 156 is formed. Note that the phrase in parentheses following the member name indicates the member name used in Non-Patent Document 1.

  In the airbag device, the pressing piece 156 enters the locking hole (mounting hole) 152 and presses the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 against the inner wall surface of the locking hole (mounting hole) 152. The gap G10 between the wall surface and the pressing piece 156 is small, and the fastening force of the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 with respect to the locking hole (mounting hole) 152 is large. Therefore, even if a force directed backward from the inflating airbag is applied to the pad cover 153, the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 is formed from the gap between the inner wall surface of the locking hole (mounting hole) 152 and the pressing piece 156. Is difficult to come out and the pad cover 153 is difficult to come off the back holder 151.

Japan Society for Invention and Innovation Technical Bulletin No. 2009-506832

  However, when the auxiliary plate (prevention member) 155 is assembled to the back holder 151, the locking portions (engaging portions) 154 of all the pressing pieces 156 extending rearward are the locking holes (mounting holes) 152. It is difficult to abut on the locking portion (engagement portion) 154 so as to be pressed against the inner wall surface. This is because the tip portion (corner portion) 156A of each pressing piece 156 faces rearward. In other words, when the auxiliary plate (prevention member) 155 is assembled, the tip portion (corner portion) 156A of each pressing piece 156 easily interferes with the locking portion (engagement portion) 154 when the auxiliary plate (retention member) 155 is brought close to the back holder 151. . This is because such interference with the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 can occur in all the pressing pieces 156.

  As described above, in the airbag device described in Non-Patent Document 1, although the fastening force of the locking portion (engaging portion) 154 with respect to the locking hole (mounting hole) 152 can be increased, the auxiliary plate (prevention member) ) There is still room for improvement in terms of ease of assembly of 155 to the back holder 151.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to improve both the fastening force of the locking portion with respect to the locking hole and the ease of assembly of the auxiliary plate to the back holder. An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device that can be used.

To achieve the above objective,
An airbag device installed in a steering wheel (12) rotated around a steering shaft (11) extending in the front-rear direction;
The airbag device includes:
A back holder (40) having a locking hole (46) and supported by the steering wheel;
A pad cover (20) provided with a locking portion (33) disposed behind the back holder (40) and inserted through the locking hole (46);
An inflator (80) for inflating an airbag (60) disposed between the back holder (40) and the pad cover (20) with gas to break the pad cover (20);
An auxiliary plate that is an annular plate that is assembled to the back holder (40) from the front side, and is provided with a pressing piece (108) that presses the locking portion (33) against the inner wall surface of the locking hole (46). (90)
The pressing piece (108) is formed continuously from the extending portion (109) extending rearward and the rear end portion of the extending portion (109) and curved so as to bulge rearward (110). And a distal end portion (111) that is continuous with the curved portion (110) and has a distal end facing forward,
The pressing piece (108) is inserted into the locking hole (46), and the distal end portion (111) of the pressing piece (108) is located in or near the locking hole (46). The gist of the invention is that the airbag device is in contact with the stop portion (33).

  According to the above configuration, when the auxiliary plate is assembled to the back holder, the auxiliary plate is brought close to the back holder. The pressing piece (third pressing piece 108) includes a bending portion (third bending portion 110) that curves so as to swell rearward, and a tip portion (third tip portion 111) whose tip is directed forward. Therefore, it is difficult to interfere with the locking portion (third locking portion 33) during assembly. Therefore, compared with the case where the front end portion (corner portion) of the pressing piece faces rearward, there is less interference with the locking portion, and the auxiliary plate 90 can be easily assembled to the back holder 40.

  By the way, in response to an impact such as a collision, when the gas is supplied from the inflator into the airbag, the airbag is inflated. By this inflating airbag, the pad cover is pushed rearward and is broken at the tear line to open the pad cover. At this time, the force applied to the pad cover is transmitted to the third locking portion 33. A large load toward the rear is applied to the locking portion of the third locking portion 33 with respect to the third locking hole 46. Therefore, in order to prevent the third locking portion 33 from coming out of the third locking hole 46, the third locking portion 33 is strongly pressed against the inner wall surface of the third locking hole 46 by the third pressing piece 108. That is, the third locking portion 33 is required to be fastened to the third locking hole 46 with a large fastening force.

  Here, the fastening force of the third locking portion 33 with respect to the third locking hole 46 is such that the distance between the inner wall surface on which the third locking portion 33 is pressed in the third locking hole 46 and the third pressing piece 108 is small. It gets bigger. In this respect, since the third tip portion 111 of the third pressing piece 108 exists in or near the third locking hole 46, the fastening force of the third locking portion 33 with respect to the third locking hole 46 is increased. . Accordingly, the third locking portion 33 does not come out of the third locking hole 46.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary plate is provided with an elastic support portion, and the inflator is elastically supported by the auxiliary plate by the elastic support portion. Is the gist.

  According to the above configuration, since the inflator is elastically supported by the auxiliary plate by the elastic support portion, the inflator is attached to the back holder via the elastic support portion and the auxiliary plate by being assembled to the back holder. Elastically supported. Further, the auxiliary plate is provided with a third pressing piece 108 and is in contact with the third locking portion 33. Therefore, the auxiliary plate functions as a damper member while elastically supporting the inflators, and also serves as two functions for preventing the third locking portion 33 from coming out of the third locking hole 46.

  According to the airbag device of the present invention, it is possible to achieve both the improvement of the fastening force of the locking portion with respect to the locking hole and the improvement of the assembly of the auxiliary plate to the back holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows one Embodiment which actualized this invention, and is a side view which shows schematic structure of the steering wheel by which the airbag apparatus was equipped internally. The front view which shows a part of pad cover in one Embodiment. The rear view which shows the steering wheel by which the airbag apparatus was equipped internally in one Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the steering wheel along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; Sectional drawing which expands and shows the Q section of FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the R section of FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the S section of FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the T section of FIG. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the steering wheel along line 9-9 in FIG. 3. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the U section of FIG. The front view which shows the one part components (back holder, cup retainer, inflator, etc.) of the airbag apparatus in one Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of the steering wheel taken along line 12-12 in FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the V section of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the one part components (support plate, inflator, etc.) of the airbag apparatus in one Embodiment from diagonally forward. The rear view which shows the state before the peripheral part of the opening in an airbag is latched by the cup retainer in one Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the cup retainer from diagonally backward in one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure along line 17-17 in FIG. 15, (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state before an airbag is latched by a cup retainer, (B) is latched. The fragmentary sectional view which shows the state. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment, (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state before the volt | bolt of a cup retainer is penetrated by the bolt insertion hole of a back holder, (B) is a fragmentary cross section which shows the state penetrated. Figure. The rear view showing the state where the bolt of the cup retainer was inserted in the bolt insertion hole of the back holder in one embodiment. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment, (A) is a rear view which shows the cup retainer before a volt | bolt is penetrated by a bolt insertion hole, (B) is a rear view which similarly shows a back holder. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 and showing a state before the support plate is assembled to the back holder. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 9 and showing a state before the support plate is assembled to the back holder. FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2, and is a partial front view showing a modification example in which a tear line for forming three regions is provided on the pad cover. It is a figure which shows a prior art and is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure which fastens a pad cover to a back holder.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an airbag device built in a steering wheel for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a steering shaft (steering shaft) 11 that rotates about the rotation axis L1 is higher in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle so as to be higher toward the driver's seat (rear side, left side in FIG. 1). It is arranged in an inclined state. A steering wheel 12 is attached to the rear end portion of the steering shaft 11 so as to be integrally rotatable. The steering wheel 12 is rotated around the steering shaft 11.

  In the present embodiment, when describing each part of the steering wheel 12, the rotation axis L1 of the steering shaft 11 is used as a reference. The direction along the rotational axis L1 is referred to as the “front-rear direction” of the steering wheel 12, and the direction in which the steering wheel 12 stands up is referred to as the “vertical direction” among the directions along the plane orthogonal to the rotational axis L1. Therefore, the front-rear direction and the vertical direction of the steering wheel 12 are slightly inclined with respect to the front-rear direction (horizontal direction) and the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the vehicle.

  Further, in order to specify the position of the steering wheel 12 to be rotated, in this embodiment, “up”, “down” based on the state of the steering wheel 12 when the vehicle is traveling straight, that is, the neutral state. , “Left” and “Right” shall be defined. Therefore, the left-right direction of the steering wheel 12 is the same as the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction).

  The steering wheel 12 includes a rim portion (sometimes referred to as a handle portion or a ring portion) 13, a pad cover 20, a lower cover 14, and a spoke portion (hidden in FIG. 1 and not visible). The pad cover 20 and the lower cover 14 constitute a pad portion.

  The rim portion 13 has a substantially annular shape centered on the steering shaft 11. The pad cover 20 is disposed at the center portion of the rim portion 13. The lower cover 14 is disposed on the front side of the pad cover 20 in the central portion. The spoke part is provided between the rim part 13 and the pad cover 20.

  Each of the above-described components of the steering wheel 12 (the rim portion 13 and the spoke portion) and the space surrounded by the pad cover 20 and the lower cover 14 are formed of iron, aluminum, magnesium, or alloys thereof. A cored bar 15 (see FIG. 12) is disposed. The core 15 forms a skeleton part of the steering wheel 12.

  In addition to the core metal 15, an airbag device is disposed in the pad portion, that is, in a space surrounded by the pad cover 20 and the lower cover 14. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the airbag device airs the gas G from the inflator (gas generator) 80 when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the front due to a frontal collision (front collision) of the vehicle. It is an apparatus for supplying the bag 60 and inflating the airbag 60 in front of the driver to alleviate the impact transmitted to the driver. This airbag device has a vibration damping structure for suppressing (vibrating) the vibration of the steering wheel 12.

  The airbag device includes the above-described pad cover 20, inflator 80, and airbag 60, and also includes a back holder 40, a cup retainer 70, a support plate 90, and a gas plate 115. Among these members, the back holder 40 constitutes a skeleton part of the airbag device, and other constituent members are attached to the back holder 40. In addition, although the pad cover 20 is one of the structural members of the steering wheel 12 (pad part), it also serves as a structural member of an airbag apparatus here. Next, these structural members of the airbag device will be described.

<Back holder 40>
As shown in FIG.12 and FIG.13, the back holder 40 is formed using the metal plate which is a hard material. The back holder 40 has a circular insertion hole 41 at the center. The back holder 40 has a substantially rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front (see FIG. 11). In FIG. 11, the illustration of the airbag 60 is omitted. The back holder 40 mainly includes a base portion 42 that constitutes an outer portion in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 and a step portion 43 that constitutes an inner portion. The stepped portion 43 is located at a position away from the base portion 42 by a certain distance in the front-rear direction. The back holder 40 including the base portion 42 and the stepped portion 43 is formed by drawing the metal plate.

  As shown in FIG. 20B, in the base portion 42, locking holes are formed at a plurality of locations (six locations) around the insertion hole 41. These locking holes include a pair of first locking holes 44 provided below the insertion hole 41, a pair of second locking holes 45 provided above the insertion hole 41, and the insertion hole 41. The third locking hole 46 is provided on each of the left and right sides. Both the first locking holes 44 are constituted by elongated holes extending in the left-right direction with a gap therebetween. Both the second locking holes 45 are constituted by long holes extending in the left-right direction with a gap therebetween. Each third locking hole 46 is constituted by a long hole extending in the vertical direction. Both the first locking holes 44 and the second locking holes 45 face each other up and down across the insertion hole 41, and both the third locking holes 46 face each other left and right across the insertion hole 41. doing.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a contacted portion 47 is provided at a location different from the locking holes 44 to 46 in the base portion 42. The contacted portion 47 is formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis L1.

  As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 20B, in the base portion 42, attachment portions 49 having attachment holes 48 are provided at a plurality of locations (three locations) around the insertion hole 41, respectively, in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. Is formed so as to protrude outward. As shown in FIG. 12, a horn switch mechanism HS for operating a horn device (not shown) provided in the vehicle is attached to the attachment hole 48 for each attachment portion 49. Each horn switch mechanism HS is supported by a metal core 15 of the steering wheel 12. With this support, the airbag device is in a floating state with respect to the core metal 15 and can be moved (displaced) in the front-rear direction by deforming each horn switch mechanism HS.

As shown in FIG. 20B, in the stepped portion 43, bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 are opened at equal angles (90 degrees) at a plurality of locations (four locations) around the insertion hole 41. .
<Pad cover 20>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the pad cover 20 includes a lid portion 22 and an accommodating wall portion 23 that protrudes forward from the lid portion 22 in a substantially square ring shape. The pad cover 20 is made of synthetic resin and is disposed on the rear side of the back holder 40. The lid portion 22 and the accommodation wall portion 23 form an accommodation space 24 between the back holder 40.

  A horizontally elongated substantially elliptical concave portion 25 is provided at a substantially central portion of the rear surface of the lid portion 22. A hard decorative member (not shown) for improving the appearance quality (designability) of the pad cover 20 is attached to the recess 25.

  As shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, the lid portion 22 is provided with a groove from the front side thereof, so that a linear fracture planned portion (hereinafter referred to as “tea line”) having a smaller thickness than other portions of the lid portion 22 is provided. 26 is formed. The tear line 26 extends in the left-right direction at two vertical line portions 26A that extend in the up-down direction and a substantially central portion in the up-down direction at a position away from the decorative portion (concave portion 25) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. And one horizontal line portion 26B connected to both vertical line portions 26A.

  An intermediate portion of the horizontal line portion 26B is provided at a position away from the upper edge portion of the decorative portion (recessed portion 25) by a certain distance in front view. This is because, when a high pressing force is applied from the airbag 60, the lid portion 22 is broken only at the portion where the tear line 26 is provided without causing any chipping or cracking in the decorative portion made of hard resin. .

  The lid 22 is divided into two regions by the tear line 26. The two regions are one first region Z1 substantially below the lid 22 and one second region Z2 substantially above the lid 22. The first region Z1 includes a decorative portion, and the second region Z2 does not include a decorative portion. Therefore, the first region Z1 is larger than the second region Z2.

  Since the tear line 26 has a small thickness, the strength is lower than other portions of the lid portion 22, and the lid portion 22 is broken at the tear line 26 when the airbag 60 is deployed and inflated. In the lid part 22, a hinge part 27 extending in the left-right direction is set at the lower part of the first area Z1, and a hinge part 28 extending in the left-right direction is set at the upper part of the second area Z2. In FIG. 4, these hinge portions 27 and 28 are indicated by points (·).

  As shown in FIG. 3, locking portions are provided at a plurality of locations (six locations) of the accommodation wall portion 23. These locking portions include a pair of first locking portions 31 provided on the lower side portion of the storage wall portion 23, a pair of second locking portions 32 provided on the upper side portion of the storage wall portion 23, and It consists of the 3rd latching | locking part 33 provided in the left-right both sides of the storage wall part 23 one each. Both the first locking portions 31 are located in front of the first region Z1 together with the first locking holes 44. Moreover, both the 2nd latching | locking parts 32 are located ahead of the said 2nd area | region Z2 with the said 2nd latching hole 45. FIG.

  Both the 1st latching | locking parts 31 are extended ahead in the state mutually spaced apart in the left-right direction. The second locking portions 32 extend forward in a state of being separated from each other in the left-right direction. Each 3rd latching | locking part 33 is extended ahead from the approximate center part about the up-down direction of the accommodating wall part 23. As shown in FIG. Both the first locking portions 31 and the second locking portions 32 face each other in the vertical direction, and both the third locking portions 33 face each other in the left and right directions.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the locking portions 31 to 33 protrudes outward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 at the front portion of the main body portion 34 and the main body portion 34. It is comprised by the nail | claw part 35 to do.

  In each of the locking portions 31 to 33, the claw portion 35 is positioned outward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 from the locking holes 44 to 46 on the front side of the base portion 42. Due to the positional relationship between the claw portion 35 and the locking holes 44 to 46, the pad cover 20 is locked to the back holder 40 and the rearward movement is restricted.

  The maximum thickness (thickness where the claw portion 35 bulges most) T1 of each locking portion 31 to 33 is set slightly smaller than the width W1 of each locking hole 44 to 46. This is a necessary condition for inserting the locking portions 31 to 33 into the locking holes 44 to 46.

<Airbag 60>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the airbag 60 is a bag body that is expanded by gas, and is formed of a cloth such as a woven cloth having high strength and flexibility. The airbag 60 has a size that occupies a region between the steering wheel 12 and the driver when inflated.

  In the airbag 60, a gas discharge hole (a vent hole, not shown) is formed at a position that becomes the front upper portion when inflated. The vent hole is for discharging excess gas to the outside of the airbag 60 and adjusting (regulating) the internal pressure of the airbag 60 to a value suitable for protecting the occupant.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the airbag 60 has a bag opening 61 at its front end. A portion of the airbag 60 that forms an annular shape around the opening 61 (hereinafter referred to as “peripheral portion 62”) has a higher strength than other portions of the airbag 60. In the peripheral portion 62, bolt insertion holes 63 are formed at a plurality of locations (four locations) around the opening 61 at equal angles (90 degrees). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the peripheral portion 62 is disposed on the rear side of the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40.

  Although not shown, many portions of the airbag 60 except for the peripheral portion 62 are formed into a compact form by being folded and disposed in the accommodation space 24 between the pad cover 20 and the back holder 40. .

<Cup retainer 70>
As shown in FIG. 16, the cup retainer 70 is formed by pressing a metal plate. The cup retainer 70 includes a bag attachment portion 71, a plurality of arch portions 72, a cover portion 73, and a plurality of bag cover portions 74. The cup retainer 70 is inserted into the airbag 60 through the opening 61.

  The bag attaching portion 71 is a portion forming the main part of the cup retainer 70 and has an annular shape. The bag attachment portion 71 has a substantially rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front. Most of the bag attaching portion 71 has a substantially flat plate shape and is disposed on the rear side of the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60.

  In the bag attachment portion 71, bolts 76 to 79 are inserted and fixed at a plurality of equiangular angles (90 degrees) at a plurality of locations (four locations) in the circumferential direction. As these bolts 76 to 79, bolts having the same diameter are used.

  The bolts 76 to 79 extend forward from the bag mounting portion 71 and are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 and 51 to 54 of the airbag 60 and the back holder 40. By inserting the bolts 76 to 79 into the bolt insertion hole 63 of the airbag 60, the airbag 60 is locked to the cup retainer 70 through the bolts 76 to 79. Further, the cup retainer 70 is locked to the back holder 40 by inserting the bolts 76 to 79 into the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 of the back holder 40. As described above, in the state where the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted through the bolt insertion holes 63 and 51 to 54 of the airbag 60 and the back holder 40, the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 is connected to the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40. The cup retainer 70 is sandwiched between the bag attaching portion 71 and the cup retainer 70.

  The plurality of arch portions 72 extend rearward from a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction at the inner edge portion of the bag mounting portion 71 in a state of being separated from each other. Here, the plurality of places are places away from the bolts 76 to 79 in the circumferential direction, or places that are between the adjacent bolts 76 to 79 when the expression is changed.

  The cover part 73 is located at a position spaced rearward from the bag attaching part 71, and the rear end part of each arch part 72 is connected to the cover part 73. The cover portion 73 is formed with a plurality of gas discharge ports 73A.

  Each bag cover portion 74 is for covering the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60, and extends inward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 from the inner edge portion of the bag attachment portion 71. Each bag covering portion 74 is an inner edge portion of the bag attaching portion 71 and is provided over substantially the entire region between the adjacent arch portions 72. Therefore, each bag covering portion 74 is an inner edge portion of the bag attaching portion 71 and is located at least inward of a fastening portion of the bag attaching portion 71 with respect to the back holder 40 by the bolts 76 to 79 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. Will be doing.

<Inflator 80>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the main part of the inflator 80 is configured by a substantially cylindrical main body 81 centering on the rotation axis L <b> 1 of the steering shaft 11. The main body 81 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than any of the insertion hole 41 of the back holder 40, the space surrounded by the plurality of bag cover portions 74 in the cup retainer 70, and the opening 61 of the airbag 60. The rear part of the main body 81 is inserted into the insertion hole 41, the opening 61, and the like.

  The main body 81 contains a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates gas G for inflating the airbag 60. A plurality of gas ejection holes 82 are provided at substantially equal angles in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 81, and the gas G is ejected outward from each gas ejection hole 82 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. Is done.

  A flange 83 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 81 and on the front side of each gas ejection hole 82 and the front side of the insertion hole 41 of the back holder 40 over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface. ing. As shown in FIG. 7, in the flange 83, attachment pieces 83 </ b> A that extend more radially outward than other portions of the flange 83 are formed at a plurality of locations (four locations) around the body portion 81. A fastening insertion hole (rivet insertion hole) 84 is formed here.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, a connector 85 is assembled to the front portion of the inflator 80, and a harness 87 serving as an input wiring for an operation signal to the inflator 80 is connected to the connector 85. .

  As the inflator 80, a type in which a partition of a high-pressure gas cylinder filled with a high-pressure gas is broken with an explosive or the like and gas is ejected may be used instead of the type using the gas generating agent.

<Support plate 90>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the support plate 90 corresponds to an “auxiliary plate” in the claims, and is formed in an annular shape by a hard material such as metal.

  The support plate 90 includes a support base 92 that constitutes a large portion of the support plate 90 including an outer portion in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 and a substantially annular cover portion 93 that constitutes an inner portion. The cover part 93 covers the front outer peripheral part of the inflator 80 in a separated state. The space surrounded by the cover portion 93 is mainly a place where the harness 87 is routed when the harness 87 of the inflator 80 is pulled forward.

  Most of the support base 92 is disposed on the front side of the base 42 of the back holder 40. The outer shape of the support base 92 is rectangular when viewed from the front. The support base 92 is formed by pressing a metal plate.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, in the support base 92, bolt insertion holes 94 are formed at a plurality of positions (four positions) around the communication hole 91 at equal angles (90 degrees) (FIG. 14). reference). A collar (cylindrical spacer) 95 is disposed behind the support base 92 and on the same axis as each bolt insertion hole 94. Each collar 95 is used as a part of the support plate 90, and is integrated with the support base 92 by being covered together with the support base 92 by an elastic portion 97 described later. The rear portion of the inner peripheral surface of the collar 95 is constituted by a tapered surface 95A that increases in diameter toward the rear side.

  Bolts 76 to 79 that extend from the cup retainer 70 and are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 and 51 to 54 of the airbag 60 and the back holder 40 are connected to the collar 95 and the bolt insertion holes 94 of the support base 92. It is inserted. A nut 96 is fastened to each of the bolts 76 to 79 exposed forward from the support base 92. By these tightening, the cup retainer 70 and the support plate 90 are fastened to the back holder 40. In the state fastened in this way, the plurality of arch portions 72 of the cup retainer 70 are separated from the fastening portion of the bag mounting portion 71 with respect to the back holder 40 by the bolts 76 to 79 in the circumferential direction, that is, adjacent bolts 76. Located between ~ 79. Further, the peripheral portion 62 of the opening 61 in the airbag 60 is sandwiched between the cup retainer 70 and the back holder 40. A part of the elastic portion 97 is an elastic protrusion 100 that protrudes rearward from the inner side of the support base 92 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. The elastic protrusion 100 surrounds the main body 81 of the inflator 80 in a non-contact state. Further, the elastic protrusion 100 is spaced forward from the flange 83 of the inflator 80.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in the support base 92, the portion of the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40 that is in front of the contacted portion 47 is a flat plate that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis L <b> 1 of the steering shaft 11. Is formed. In the state where the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40, the support plate 90 is in direct contact with the contacted portion 47 of the back holder 40 without using the elastic portion 97 (metal touch) at this location. The case is configured to be in surface contact.

  Many portions of the support plate 90 are covered with an elastic portion 97 made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber or elastomer. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the support plate 90 is provided with a seal portion 98 as a part of the elastic portion 97. The seal portion 98 protrudes rearward from the support base 92 and is in contact with the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40 in an elastically deformed state. By this contact, the seal portion 98 seals between the back holder 40 and the support plate 90. In the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, the seal portion 98 is provided in a wide region from a location approaching the inflator 80 to a location approaching the boundary portion with the base portion 42 of the stepped portion 43.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the support plate 90 is provided with a structure for elastically supporting the inflator 80. Specifically, in the support base portion 92, holes 99 are formed at a plurality of locations (four locations) around the communication hole 91 at equal angles (90 degrees). The support base 92 is provided with a cylindrical elastic support portion 101 extending rearward from the inner wall surface of each hole 99 (FIG. 14). Each elastic support portion 101 is connected to the elastic portion 97 at its front end.

  These elastic support portions 101 constitute a dynamic damper together with the inflator 80 described above. In the present embodiment, these elastic support portions 101 function as dynamic damper springs, and the inflator 80 functions as a damper mass.

  Each elastic support portion 101 may be formed separately from the elastic portion 97. In this case, each elastic support portion 101 may be fixed to the support base 92 by, for example, vulcanization adhesion. Further, a reduced diameter portion is provided at the front end portion of each elastic support portion 101, and the reduced diameter portion is fitted into the hole 99 of the support base 92, so that the elastic support portion 101 is locked to the support base 92. Good. In this case, the hole 99 restricts the displacement of the elastic support portion 101 with respect to the support base portion 92.

  Here, by tuning the size, the radial thickness, the length in the front-rear direction, etc. of each elastic support portion 101, the resonance frequency in the vertical direction and the left-right direction of the dynamic damper can be adjusted in the vertical direction of the steering wheel 12. For the vibration in the left-right direction, the target vibration suppression frequency (frequency to be controlled) is set.

  A metal rivet 102 is fixed to the rear end surface of the elastic support portion 101 by vulcanization adhesion or the like. The rear portion of the rivet 102 has a cylindrical shape with an open rear end, and is inserted into a fastening insertion hole (rivet insertion hole) 84 for each attachment piece 83 </ b> A of the flange 83. Through this inserted rivet 102, the flange 83 is locked to the elastic support portion 101.

  The support plate 90 has a structure for pressing the locking portions 31 to 33 of the pad cover 20 inserted into the locking holes 44 to 46 of the back holder 40 against the inner wall surfaces of the locking holes 44 to 46. Is provided. Next, this structure will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 14, the first pressing piece 103 is bent at two locations on the lower edge portion of the support base 92 so as to extend rearward. More specifically, each of the first pressing pieces 103 is formed continuously from the first flat portion 104 extending rearward along the steering shaft 11 and the rear end portion of the first flat portion 104, and further toward the rear. And a first inclined portion 105 that is inclined so as to be positioned inside the support plate 90 in the radial direction of the shaft 11. In other words, the first inclined portion 105 is inclined so as to move away from the first locking portion 31 toward the rear side. Both the first pressing pieces 103 are located in front of the first region Z1 together with the first locking portions 31 and the first locking holes 44. The bending of each first pressing piece 103 is performed in a state where the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40 and the first flat portion 104 is in the first locking hole 44 or in the vicinity thereof. It is performed so as to abut on 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 14, the second pressing piece 106 is bent at two locations on the upper edge of the support base 92 so as to extend forward. More specifically, each second pressing piece 106 includes a second inclined portion 107 that is inclined so as to be positioned on the outer side of the support plate 90 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 toward the front side. In other words, the second inclined portion 107 is inclined so as to approach the second locking portion 32 toward the front side. Both the second pressing pieces 106 are positioned in front of the second region Z2 together with the second locking portions 32 and the second locking holes 45. The above-described bending of each second pressing piece 106 is performed at the second engagement point where the front end portion (corner portion) is separated from the second locking hole 45 in a state where the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40. It is carried out so as to abut against the stop 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 14, the third pressing piece 108 is bent at the center in the vertical direction at the left and right side edges of the support base 92. More specifically, each of the third pressing pieces 108 has a third inclined portion 109 that is inclined so as to be positioned outside the support plate 90 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 toward the rear side, and a rear end of the third inclined portion 109. A third bending portion 110 that is formed continuously with the portion and curves so as to swell rearward, and a third tip portion 111 that continues to the third bending portion 110 and contacts the third locking portion 33. Yes. In other words, the third inclined portion 109 is inclined so as to approach the third locking portion 33 toward the rear side. The third tip portion 111 (corner portion) of each third pressing piece 108 faces forward. The above-described bending of each third pressing piece 108 is performed in a state where the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40 and the third tip 111 (corner) is in or near the third locking hole 46. 3 is carried out so as to abut on the locking portion 33. Each of the third pressing pieces 108 configured as described above extends rearward as a whole, and is substantially U-shaped or V-shaped. In the said Example, although the 3rd inclination part 109 inclines and extended in the direction which approaches the 3rd latching | locking part 33 toward the back side, it is good also as a structure extended only back. The third inclined portion 109 is defined as an extending portion (third extending portion) as a member extending rearward for convenience.

The support base 92 has the following functions in addition to the above.
(I) A function to catch when the inflator 80 moves excessively forward.
(Ii) A function of restricting the harness 87 arranged in front of the inflator 80 from contacting the inflator 80 and preventing the vibration of the inflator 80 from being inhibited by the contact with the harness 87.

<Gas plate 115>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the gas plate 115 is formed in an annular shape by pressing a metal plate. The gas plate 115 includes an attachment base portion 116 and a pressure receiving portion 117.

  The attachment base 116 has a substantially annular shape, and is disposed on the rear side of the flange 83 of the inflator 80 and on the front side of each gas ejection hole 82. Fastening insertion holes 118 are formed at equiangular angles (90 degrees) at a plurality of locations (four locations) in the circumferential direction of the mounting base 116, and the rear portion of the rivet 102 is inserted therethrough.

  The rear part of the rivet 102 is exposed rearward from the gas plate 115 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The exposed portion of the rivet 102 is crushed and expanded (crimped) as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7, so that the rivet 102 is fixed to the flange 83 and between the rivet 102 and the flange 83. A mounting base 116 of the gas plate 115 is sandwiched. In this way, the inflator 80 is fastened to the plurality of elastic support portions 101 by the rivets 102 together with the gas plate 115. The inflator 80 is elastically supported by the support plate 90 and thus the back holder 40 by these elastic support portions 101.

The hole 99 of the support plate 90 is used as an insertion hole for a jig (not shown) for receiving the rivet 102 from the front when the rivet 102 is crushed.
In this embodiment, the gas plate 115 is fixed to the flange 83 by being fastened to the elastic support portion 101 together with the flange 83, but the fastening portion of the flange 83 to the elastic support portion 101 is adopted. It may be fixed to the flange 83 at a different location.

  The pressure receiving portion 117 of the gas plate 115 is located between each gas ejection hole 82 of the inflator 80 and the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. The pressure receiving portion 117 changes the direction of the gas G ejected from each gas ejection hole 82 radially outward of the main body portion 81 to the rear, and generates a force F toward the front under the pressure of the gas G. belongs to. The pressure receiving portion 117 is formed by bending a part of the gas plate 115 at the inner edge portion of the mounting base portion 116. The pressure receiving portion 117 is inclined at a substantially constant angle so as to be further away from the main body portion 81 of the inflator 80 toward the rear side, and is tapered.

  By the way, in the airbag apparatus having the above-described configuration, the airbag 60 is provided with an exhaust hole (vent hole) as described above. This vent hole should originally be located at the upper front side of the airbag 60 when the airbag 60 is inflated. In order to position the vent hole at this location, the following two conditions must be satisfied.

Condition 1: The airbag 60 is locked to the cup retainer 70 in a predetermined posture (rotation phase).
Condition 2: The cup retainer 70 that satisfies the above condition 1 is fastened to the back holder 40 in a predetermined posture (rotation phase).

  Even if the condition 1 is satisfied, if the cup retainer 70 is fastened to the back holder 40 in an incorrect posture (rotation phase), the vent hole is located at the correct position (front upper portion) when the airbag 60 is inflated. This is because it is not located in ().

  That is, as shown in FIG. 15, in the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60, bolt insertion holes 63 are provided at a plurality of locations around the opening 61 at equal angles, and in the bag mounting portion 71 of the cup retainer 70, a plurality of Bolts 76 to 79 are provided at a plurality of positions at equal angles. Accordingly, the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 different from the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 predetermined in the back holder 40 and used for fastening, that is, the cup retainer 70 is connected to the back holder 40. There is a risk of erroneous assembly to the holder 40. In this case, the airbag 60 locked to the cup retainer 70 is also erroneously assembled to the back holder 40. As a result, when the airbag 60 is inflated, the vent hole may not be positioned at the correct location (front upper portion).

  In order to satisfy the condition 1, in the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60, one confirmation hole 65 is formed at a location away from the specific bolt insertion hole 63 by a certain distance in the circumferential direction. In addition, in the bag attaching portion 71 of the cup retainer 70, holes to be confirmed 86 are formed at locations spaced apart from the three bolts 77 to 79 by a certain distance in the circumferential direction.

  In the holes 86 to be confirmed, the bolts 76 to 79 are bolt insertion holes 63 in a state in which the airbag 60 is in a posture (rotation phase) different from a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70. When one of the check holes 86 is inserted into the check hole 86, the check hole 65 matches (communicates) with the check hole 65. On the other hand, when the air bag 60 is in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70 when the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63, None of the holes to be confirmed 86 matches (communication with) the confirmation hole 65, and the bag mounting portion 71 of the cup retainer 70 is exposed in the confirmation hole 65. Therefore, the state in which the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion hole 63 due to the exposure state of the cup retainer 70 in the confirmation hole 65 is in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70. It is possible to confirm whether or not it has been done.

  In order to satisfy the condition 2, the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 of the back holder 40 are arranged such that when the cup retainer 70 reaches a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40 as shown in FIG. All the bolts 76 to 79 are provided at locations where they can be inserted.

  More specifically, the plurality of bolts 76 to 79 includes a specific bolt 76 and three normal bolts 77 to 79. As shown in FIG. 20A, the distance from the center C of the inflator 80 coinciding with the rotation axis L1 of the steering shaft 11 to the axis of the specific bolt 76 is L2, and the normal bolts 77 to 79 are connected to the center C from the center C. Assuming that the distance to the axis is L3, specific bolts 76 and normal bolts 77 to 79 are provided at locations satisfying the relationship of L2> L3.

  As shown in FIG. 20B, the plurality of bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 include a specific bolt insertion hole 51 and three normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54. The distance from the center C of the inflator 80 to the center of the specific bolt insertion hole 51 is set to be the same as the distance L2, and the distance from the center C to the centers of the respective normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54 is the same as the distance L3. Is set to

  In order to employ such a configuration, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the normal bolts 77 to 79 and the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54 are slightly centered C from the reference position. It is provided at a location biased toward the approaching side. In addition, the specific bolt 76 and the specific bolt insertion hole 51 are provided at a location slightly deviated from the reference position toward the side away from the center C of the inflator 80. The reference position here is the position of these bolts and bolt insertion holes in a general back holder in which all bolts and all bolt insertion holes are provided at equal distances from the center C of the inflator. is there. That is, in this embodiment, the specific bolt 76 and the specific bolt insertion hole 51 are slightly shifted radially outward with respect to the bolt and the bolt insertion hole in the general cup retainer and the back holder, and the normal bolts 77 to 79 and the normal bolt are shifted. The insertion holes 52 to 54 are slightly shifted inward in the radial direction. The normal bolts 77 to 79 and the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54 are provided at the same positions as the bolts and the bolt insertion holes in the general cup retainer and the back holder, and only the specific bolt 76 and the specific bolt insertion hole 51 are provided on the inflator 80. This is to prevent the back holder 40 and thus the airbag apparatus from becoming large by being provided at a location far from the center C.

  Moreover, one of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the other bolt insertion holes 51 to 54. In the present embodiment, among the three normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54, the one that does not face the specific bolt insertion hole 51 across the center C of the inflator 80 (normal bolt insertion hole 54) is another normal bolt insertion hole. 52, 53 and the specific bolt insertion hole 51. The bolt insertion holes 51 to 53 other than the normal bolt insertion hole 54 are formed to have the same hole diameter.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, each elastic support part 101 is provided in the place spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the inflator 80 with respect to the combination of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79 inserted therethrough. ing. With such a configuration, the combination of the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the elastic support portion 101 located in the vicinity thereof are substantially from the center C of the inflator 80 (rotation axis L1 of the steering shaft 11). Located at the same distance.

Next, the operation of the airbag apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
First, the assembly work of the airbag device will be described.
One of the operations is an operation of locking the airbag 60 to the cup retainer 70. In this operation, the cup retainer 70 is inserted into the folded airbag 60 through the opening 61. At this stage, the position of the vent hole is difficult to understand, and the attitude (rotation phase) of the airbag 60 is difficult to understand. As shown in FIGS. 15, 17 </ b> A, and 17 </ b> B, all of the plurality of bolts 76 to 79 of the cup retainer 70 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 of the airbag 60. The airbag 60 is locked to the cup retainer 70 through bolts 76 to 79 inserted through the bolt insertion holes 63.

  At the time of the insertion, since the airbag 60 is formed of a flexible cloth, the positional relationship of the four bolt insertion holes 63 can be changed by deforming the airbag 60. Therefore, even if the airbag 60 is not in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70, it is possible to insert all the bolts 76 to 79 through all the bolt insertion holes 63. It is.

  Therefore, in order to confirm whether or not the airbag 60 is in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70, a continuity test is performed in the confirmation hole 65. If any one of the holes 86 to be confirmed matches the confirmation hole 65 and the cup retainer 70 is not exposed in the confirmation hole 65, the cup retainer 70 does not conduct. Therefore, the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 in a state where the airbag 60 is in a posture (rotation phase) different from the predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70. It is confirmed that In addition, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 15, when no confirmation hole 86 matches the confirmation hole 65 and the cup retainer 70 is exposed in the confirmation hole 65, the cup retainer 70. Is conducted. By this conduction, it is confirmed that the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 in a state where the airbag 60 is in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70.

  The bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 63 in a state in which conduction is confirmed by the continuity test, that is, in a state where the airbag 60 is in a predetermined posture (rotation phase) with respect to the cup retainer 70. Only those confirmed to have been sent will be sent to the next operation.

  In the next operation, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, an operation of inserting the bolts 76 to 79 of the cup retainer 70 into the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 of the back holder 40 is performed. In this operation, the cup retainer 70 is rotated with respect to the back holder 40 so that the cup retainer 70 has a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40. When the cup retainer 70 reaches a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40 by this rotation operation, the specific bolt 76 faces the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and the normal bolts 77 to 79 face the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54. . The interference amount (lap amount) between the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and the specific bolt 76 is smaller than the allowable value, and the specific bolt 76 can be inserted into the specific bolt insertion hole 51. The amount of interference (lap amount) between the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54 and the normal bolts 77 to 79 is smaller than the allowable value, and the normal bolts 77 to 79 can be inserted into the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54.

  Further, when the cup retainer 70 has a rotational phase different from the specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40 due to the rotational operation, the specific bolt 76 faces the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and the normal bolts 77 to 79 are normal bolts. It does not become a state facing the insertion holes 52 to 54. This is because, for the specific bolt 76 and the specific bolt insertion hole 51, the distance L2 from the center C of the inflator 80 is different from the distance L3 from the center C of the normal bolts 77 to 79 and the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54. This is because it is provided at (far away).

  Unlike the airbag 60 described above, the back holder 40 is formed of a metal that is a hard material. Therefore, the back holder 40 is deformed to change the positional relationship between the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54. It is difficult (substantially impossible). Therefore, with respect to at least one combination of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79, the interference amount (lap amount) of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79 exceeds the allowable value. It becomes difficult (substantially impossible) to insert the specific bolt 76 into the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and to insert the normal bolts 77 to 79 into the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54. As a result, although the cup retainer 70 is not in a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40, the specific bolt 76 is inserted into the specific bolt insertion hole 51, and the normal bolts 77 to 79 are normal bolt insertion holes 52. The phenomenon (erroneous assembly) that is inserted through ~ 54 hardly occurs.

  Then, the cup retainer 70 is brought into a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40 by the above rotation operation of the cup retainer 70, the specific bolt 76 is inserted into the specific bolt insertion hole 51, and the normal bolts 77 to 79 are normal bolt insertion holes. When inserted through 52 to 54, the cup retainer 70 is assembled to the back holder 40 in a correct posture (rotational phase).

  Here, assuming that the hole diameters of all the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 are the same, when the cup retainer 70 has a rotational phase different from a specific rotational phase with respect to the back holder 40, The bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and all the bolts 76 to 79 are not opposed to each other. Regarding at least one combination of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79, the interference amount (lap amount) of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79 exceeds an allowable value, and the bolts 76 to 79 are bolted. It becomes difficult to insert through the insertion holes 51 to 54.

  However, depending on the tolerance of the hole diameters of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the tolerance of the positions of the bolts 76 to 79 in the cup retainer 70, all the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 may be opposed to all the bolts 76 to 79. is there. Regarding all combinations of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79, the interference amount (lap amount) of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79 is smaller than an allowable value. There is a possibility that the bolts 76 to 79 may be inserted into the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54.

  Even in such a case, in this embodiment, one of the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 (normal bolt insertion hole 54) has a smaller diameter than the other (specific bolt insertion hole 51, normal bolt insertion holes 52, 53). Is formed. For this reason, the interference amount (lap amount) between the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the bolts 76 to 79 exceeds an allowable value, and it becomes difficult to insert the bolts 76 to 79 into the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54. As a result, erroneous assembly of the cup retainer 70 to the back holder 40 is further less likely to occur.

  As described above, the specific bolt 76 is inserted into the specific bolt insertion hole 51 and the normal bolts 77 to 79 are inserted into the normal bolt insertion holes 52 to 54, so that the bag mounting portion 71 and the airbag of the cup retainer 70 are inserted. The peripheral portion 62 of the 60 approaches the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40. Then, the peripheral part 62 is sandwiched between the step part 43 and the bag attaching part 71.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 21, an operation of temporarily fixing the pad cover 20 to the back holder 40 is performed. In this operation, the pair of first locking portions 31 are inserted into the corresponding first locking holes 44, and the pair of second locking portions 32 are inserted into the corresponding second locking holes 45, respectively. The locking portion 33 is inserted into the corresponding third locking hole 46. The pad cover 20 is temporarily fixed to the back holder 40 by performing these insertion operations until the claw portion 35 is positioned on the front side of the base portion 42 of the back holder 40.

  Next, the work of assembling the support plate 90 to the back holder 40 is performed. The support plate 90 used for the assembly work is one in which the inflator 80 and the gas plate 115 are elastically supported by the elastic support portion 101. At the time of this assembly, the support plate 90 is brought closer to the back holder 40 from the front side as shown by the lower arrow in FIG. Each first pressing piece 103 is brought into contact with the corresponding first locking portion 31, and the second pressing piece 106 is brought into contact with the second locking portion 32.

  Here, when the direction in which the support plate 90 is brought close to the back holder 40 is referred to as an assembly direction, the distal end portion (corner portion) of each first pressing piece 103 facing rearward that is the same direction as the assembly direction is It is easy to interfere with the corresponding first locking portion 31. On the other hand, the tip end portion (corner portion) of each second pressing piece 106 facing forward, which is the direction opposite to the assembly direction, is unlikely to interfere with the corresponding second locking portion 32. Therefore, compared with the case where the front end portions (corner portions) of all the pressing pieces 103 and 106 face the rear in the same direction as the assembly direction (Non-Patent Document 1 corresponds to this), the support plate 90 is There is little interference with the locking portions 31 and 32 of the pressing pieces 103 and 106 that occurs when the back holder 40 is approached.

  The degree of interference of each first pressing piece 103 with the corresponding first locking portion 31 is determined by the operation of bringing each first pressing piece 103 into contact with the first locking portion 31 to each second pressing piece 106. When it is performed at the same time as the operation of contacting the second locking portion 32 with the second locking portion 32, or when performed later. This is because each second pressing piece 106 is in contact with the second locking portion 32, and the movement allowance (movable range) of each first pressing piece 103 is limited and narrows.

  In this regard, in this embodiment, when the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40, first, the support plate 90 is arranged such that each first pressing piece 103 is closer to the back holder 40 than each second pressing piece 106. The posture is inclined. When the support plate 90 in the inclined posture is brought close to the back holder 40 while maintaining the posture, each first pressing piece 103 is moved to the first pressing piece 106 before the second pressing piece 106 comes into contact with the second locking portion 32. 1 is brought into contact with the locking portion 31. At this time, the degree of interference between the front end portion (corner portion) of each first pressing piece 103 and the first locking portion 31 is small. This is because each second pressing piece 106 is not in contact with the second locking portion 32 and the movement margin (movable range) of each first pressing piece 103 is wide.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in each first pressing piece 103, the first inclined portion 105 is positioned on the inner side of the support plate 90 (upper side in FIG. 5) in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 toward the rear side. It is inclined (so as to move away from the first locking portion 31). In contrast, the first flat portion 104 of each first pressing piece 103 extends rearward. Therefore, each first pressing piece 103 abuts on the first locking portion 31 at the first flat portion 104, not at the tip (corner portion) of the first inclined portion 105. Therefore, the tip end portion (corner portion) of the first inclined portion 105 is unlikely to interfere with the first locking portion 31 in this respect.

  In particular, as described above, when the support plate 90 is in an inclined posture, the tip portion (corner portion) of the first inclined portion 105 is in the first relation as compared with the case where the support plate 90 is not inclined (not in the inclined posture). Move far away from the stop 31. Therefore, interference with the 1st latching | locking part 31 of the front-end | tip part (corner part) of the 1st inclination part 105 is suppressed further.

  Next, the support plate 90 in the inclined posture is rotated toward the back holder 40 as shown by the upper arrow in FIG. 21 with the contact point of each first pressing piece 103 with the first locking portion 31 as a fulcrum. Moved. With this rotation, the second pressing pieces 106 and the third pressing pieces 108 (see FIG. 9) approach the back holder 40.

  In the process of rotating the support plate 90, each collar 95 fixed to the support plate 90 approaches the bolts 76 to 79 fixed to the cup retainer 70, and the bolts 76 to 79 are inserted into the corresponding collars 95. Is done. At this time, since the rear portion of the inner peripheral surface of the collar 95 is formed by a tapered surface 95A whose diameter increases toward the rear side, the bolts 76 to 79 are formed in the collar 95 as compared with the case where the tapered surface 95A is not formed. Easy to get into.

  Further, in the course of the rotation of the support plate 90, the main body portion 81 of the inflator 80 and the pressure receiving portion 117 of the gas plate 115 are inserted into the insertion hole 41 of the back holder 40, the opening 61 of the airbag 60, and the cup retainer 70. Each inserted. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the left and right third pressing pieces 108 are inserted into the corresponding third locking holes 46.

  At this time, each third pressing piece 108 extends rearward as a whole, but the third tip portion 111 (corner portion) faces the front which is opposite to the assembling direction. Therefore, compared with the case where the front-end | tip part (corner part) of each pressing piece has faced back, it is hard to raise | generate interference with the 3rd latching | locking part 33. FIG. Further, in each third pressing piece 108, the third bending portion 110 is located on the front side in the rotation direction of the support plate 90 with respect to the third tip portion 111 (corner portion), but seems to swell rearward. Is curved. Therefore, the third bending portion 110 is unlikely to interfere with each third locking portion 33 when the support plate 90 rotates.

  Both inserted third pressing pieces 108 elastically contact the third locking portion 33 from the inner side in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 at the third distal end portion 111, and the third locking portion 33 is brought into contact with the third locking portion 33. Press against the inner wall surface of the third locking hole 46.

  When the support plate 90 is further rotated in a state where each first pressing piece 103 is in contact with the corresponding first locking portion 31, the second pressing piece 106 is moved as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. It abuts on the second locking portion 32. At this time, as described above, the distal end portion (corner portion) of the second pressing piece 106 faces forward, and thus it is difficult to interfere with the second locking portion 32. Further, in each second pressing piece 106, the second inclined portion 107 is inclined toward the front side so as to be located outside the support plate 90 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 (approaching the second locking portion 32). ing. In other words, the second inclined portion 107 is inclined so that the distance from the second locking portion 32 increases toward the rear side. Therefore, each second pressing piece 106 comes into contact with the second locking portion 32 at the front end portion instead of the rear end portion of the second inclined portion 107. Therefore, interference with the 2nd latching | locking part 32 of the rear-end part of the 2nd inclination part 107 is also suppressed.

  In this manner, the first pressing piece 103 can easily come into contact with the first locking portion 31 and the second pressing piece 106 can come into contact with the second locking portion 32. Then, the first abutment portion 31 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the first engagement hole 44 by the abutment against the elasticity of the engagement portions 31 to 33, and the second engagement portion. 32 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the second locking hole 45. That is, the first flat portions 104 of the first pressing pieces 103 are elastically contacted with the first locking portions 31 from the inner side in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, thereby the first locking portions 31. Is pressed against the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44. Further, the end of the second inclined portion 107 of each second pressing piece 106 is elastically contacted with each second locking portion 32 from the inner side in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, so that the second engagement is achieved. The stop 32 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the second locking hole 45.

  In addition, substantially the entire third pressing piece 108 enters the third locking hole 46 substantially simultaneously with the contact of each second pressing piece 106 with the second locking part 32, and the third locking part 33 is It is pressed against the inner wall surface of the third locking hole 46.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the seal portion 98 protruding rearward from the support plate 90 contacts the stepped portion 43 of the back holder 40. When the support plate 90 continues to rotate thereafter, at least the rear end of the seal portion 98 is elastically deformed (squeezed) and elastically contacts the stepped portion 43.

  When the support plate 90 formed of the metal plate which is also a hard material is brought into contact with the contacted portion 47 of the base portion 42 formed of the metal plate which is a hard material, the support plate 90 is further rotated. Is regulated, and the support plate 90 is positioned in the direction along the steering shaft 11 (front-rear direction). Since this positioning is performed by contact between metal plates (metal touch), the support plate 90 is performed with higher accuracy than the case where the support plate 90 is brought into contact with the contacted portion 47 in the sealing portion 98 having elasticity.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the contacted portion 47 of the base portion 42 and the portion of the support plate 90 that is in front of the contacted portion 47 are formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis L1 of the steering shaft 11. Therefore, the contacted portion 47 and the support plate 90 are in surface contact with each other over a wide surface, and the positioning of the support plate 90 is performed with higher accuracy.

  In the state of being positioned as described above, each first pressing piece 103 is elastic to the first locking portion 31 in or near the first locking hole 44 in the first flat portion 104 as shown in FIG. The first locking portion 31 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44. Each first pressing piece 103 restricts the first locking portion 31 from bending inward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, and the first locking portion 31 is locked by the claw portion 35. The hole 44 is held in a locked state.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, each second pressing piece 106 elastically contacts the second locking portion 32 at the distal end (corner portion) of the second inclined portion 107, and the second locking portion 32. Is pressed against the inner wall surface of the second locking hole 45. Each of the second pressing pieces 106 restricts the second locking portion 32 from bending inward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, and the claw portion 35 has a second locking hole. The state locked to 45 is held.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, each third pressing piece 108 elastically contacts the third locking portion 33 from the inside in the radial direction at the third distal end portion 111, and causes the third locking portion 33 to 3 Press against the inner wall surface of the locking hole 46. Each of the third pressing pieces 108 restricts the third locking portion 33 from bending inward in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, and the claw portion 35 has a third locking hole. It is held in a state locked to 46.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the bolts 76 to 79 pass through the corresponding collar 95 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54, and the tip portions of the bolts 76 to 79 are exposed from the support plate 90. When the nut 96 is tightened to the exposed portions of these bolts 76 to 79, the support plate 90 is assembled to the back holder 40, and the airbag device is built in the steering wheel 12.

In this airbag device, the inflator 80 is elastically supported by the back holder 40 via the elastic support portion 101 and the support plate 90.
In the airbag apparatus, the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 for fastening the cup retainer 70 and the back holder 40, and the elastic support portion 101 that elastically supports the inflator 80 are in the radial direction of the inflator 80. Affects the dimensions. As the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the elastic support portion 101 are separated from each other in the radial direction, the airbag device tends to increase in the radial direction.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the elastic support portion 101 located in the vicinity thereof are located at locations that are substantially the same distance away from the center of the inflator 80. Such a positional relationship is realized by providing the elastic support portions 101 at locations separated from the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 in the circumferential direction of the inflator 80. Interference between the elastic support portion 101 and the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 is avoided.

  Therefore, the size of the airbag device in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 is such that the bolts 76 to 79 and the bolt insertion holes 51 to 54 and the elastic support portion 101 are located at different distances from the center of the inflator 80. Smaller than.

Next, the operation of the airbag apparatus and the steering wheel 12 in which the airbag apparatus is installed will be described.
In the steering wheel 12 of the present embodiment, when the driver presses the pad cover 20 shown in FIG. 12 forward, the back holder 40 is displaced forward together with other components of the airbag device. By this displacement, the horn switch mechanism HS is closed, and the horn device is activated (sounds).

  In addition, when no impact from the front due to a frontal collision (front collision) is applied to the vehicle, the gas G is not ejected from each gas ejection hole 82 of the inflator 80, and the airbag 60 is maintained in a folded state. The

  When the airbag 60 is not inflated, vibrations in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction may be transmitted to the steering wheel 12 through the steering shaft 11 while the vehicle is traveling at high speed or idling the vehicle-mounted engine. In the airbag device, this vibration is transmitted to the inflator 80 via the back holder 40, each elastic support portion 101, and the like. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the flange 83 of the inflator 80 is separated rearward from the elastic protrusion 100 of the support plate 90, and the gap between the both 83 and 100 allows vibration of the inflator 80. To do.

  In response to the vibration, in the airbag device, the inflator 80 functions as a damper mass of the dynamic damper, and each elastic support portion 101 of the support plate 90 functions as a spring of the dynamic damper.

  For example, when the steering wheel 12 vibrates in a vertical direction at a predetermined frequency, each elastic support portion 101 is elastically deformed at a resonance frequency that is the same as or close to that frequency, and the inflator 80 and the pressure receiving portion 117 provided integrally therewith. Along with (gas plate 115), it vibrates (resonates) in the vertical direction and absorbs vibration energy in the vertical direction of the steering wheel 12. Due to this absorption, vibration in the vertical direction of the steering wheel 12 is suppressed (damped).

  Further, when the steering wheel 12 vibrates in the left-right direction at a predetermined frequency, each elastic support portion 101 is elastically deformed at a resonance frequency that is the same as or close to the frequency, and the left and right are accompanied by the inflator 80 and the pressure receiving portion 117 (gas plate 115). The vibration energy in the left-right direction of the steering wheel 12 is absorbed. Due to this absorption, vibration in the left-right direction of the steering wheel 12 is suppressed (damped).

In this way, in the present embodiment, the steering wheel 12 is suppressed (damped) in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
In the airbag device, as shown in FIG. 9, the arch portion 72 of the cup retainer 70 is located outside the inflator 80 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. In other words, the arch portion 72 of the cup retainer 70 is positioned between the inflator 80 and the airbag 60 in the radial direction. The arch portion 72 restricts the movement of the airbag 60 in the radial direction when the airbag 60 is not inflated, and suppresses interference with the inflator 80 of the airbag 60. Further, the cover portion 73 of the cup retainer 70 is located on the rear side of the inflator 80. The cover portion 73 restricts the forward movement of the airbag 60 when the airbag 60 is not inflated, and suppresses interference with the inflator 80 of the airbag 60. Therefore, the vibration of the inflator 80 is not easily disturbed by the airbag 60.

  By the way, when an impact is applied to the vehicle from the front due to a front collision or the like, the driver tends to lean forward due to inertia. On the other hand, in the airbag device, the inflator 80 is activated in response to the impact, and the gas G is ejected radially outward from each gas ejection hole 82.

  The gas G ejected as described above hits the pressure receiving portion 117 that is inclined so as to be farther away from the main body portion 81 toward the rear side, and the direction of the flow is indicated by an arrow in FIGS. It can be changed from the outside in the radial direction to the rear. The gas G whose direction has been changed is supplied into the airbag 60. With this gas G, the airbag 60 is inflated toward the rear side (driver side) while eliminating (deploying) the folded state. The airbag 60 that is inflated and inflated applies a pressing force toward the rear to the lid portion 22 of the pad cover 20. Until the lid portion 22 is broken at the tear line 26, deployment and inflation of the airbag 60 are restricted.

  Further, the pressure of the gas G from each gas ejection hole 82 is received by the pressure receiving portion 117 inclined as described above, and in the pressure receiving portion 117 as shown by the white arrow in FIGS. A forward force F is generated. With this force F, the inflator 80 moves forward while elastically deforming each elastic support portion 101 immediately after the start of the injection of the gas G from the gas injection hole 82, and comes into contact with the elastic protrusion 100. By this contact, the space between the inflator 80 and the support plate 90 is sealed, and gas leakage from the communication hole 91 is suppressed.

  When the airbag 60 is inflated inside the pad portion (between the pad cover 20 and the lower cover 14), the inflation is limited by the pad portion, so that the internal pressure of the airbag 60 rapidly increases as time passes. A force for moving the gas G forward is applied to the inflator 80. With this force and the force F generated by the pressure receiving portion 117, the inflator 80 comes into strong contact with the elastic protrusion 100. And the internal pressure of the airbag 60 becomes the highest just before the airbag 60 jumps out of a pad part.

  When the pressing force applied to the lid portion 22 of the pad cover 20 is increased by the airbag 60 that is expanded and inflated, the lid portion 22 is broken at the tear line 26. Due to this breakage, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the first region Z1 opens (rotates) downward with the hinge portion 27 at the lower portion as a fulcrum, and the second region Z2 has the hinge portion at the upper portion thereof. 28 is opened upward (rotated) with 28 as a fulcrum.

  At this time, the rearward force applied to the pad cover 20 from the airbag 60 is greater in the first region Z1 than in the second region Z2. This is because the first region Z1 is larger than the second region Z2 (see FIG. 2).

  On the other hand, the force applied from the airbag 60 to the first region Z1 is transmitted to the first locking portion 31 provided in front of the first region Z1. A large load toward the rear is applied to the locking portion of the first locking portion 31 with respect to the first locking hole 44. Therefore, in order to prevent the first locking portion 31 from coming out of the first locking hole 44, the first locking portion 31 is strongly pressed against the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44 by the first pressing piece 103. That is, the first locking portion 31 is required to be fastened to the first locking hole 44 with a large fastening force.

  Moreover, the said force applied to 2nd area | region Z2 from the airbag 60 is transmitted to the 2nd latching | locking part 32 provided in the front of the 2nd area | region Z2. A small load toward the rear is applied to the locking portion of the second locking portion 32 with respect to the second locking hole 45. Therefore, in order to prevent the second locking portion 32 from coming out of the second locking hole 45, the force by which the second locking portion 32 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the second locking hole 45 by the second pressing piece 106. Is not required to be as large as the force with which the first locking portion 31 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44 by the first pressing piece 103. That is, the fastening force of the second locking part 32 with respect to the second locking hole 45 does not have to be as great as the fastening force of the first locking part 31 with respect to the first locking hole 44.

  Here, the fastening force of the locking portions 31 to 33 with respect to the locking holes 44 to 46 by the locking portions 31 to 33 is the inner wall surface on which the locking portions 31 to 33 are pressed in the locking holes 44 to 46 and the pressing piece 103. , 106, 108, the smaller the distance, the larger.

  In this regard, as shown in FIG. 5, in the first pressing piece 103 extending rearward, the gap G <b> 1 between the first flat portion 104 and the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44 is small. Therefore, the fastening force of the first locking portion 31 with respect to the first locking hole 44 is increased, and when the first region Z1 is opened, the locking location between the first locking portion 31 and the first locking hole 44 is increased. It will be commensurate with the load applied to the. Therefore, the first locking portion 31 is prevented from coming out of the first locking hole 44 by an appropriately sized fastening force.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, in the second pressing piece 106 extending forward, the gap G2 between the distal end portion (corner portion) of the second inclined portion 107 and the inner wall surface of the second locking hole 45 is It is larger than the gap G1 between the first pressing piece 103 and the inner wall surface of the first locking hole 44. Therefore, the fastening force of the second locking part 32 with respect to the second locking hole 45 is smaller than the fastening force of the first locking part 31 with respect to the first locking hole 44, but the second region Z2 opens. At this time, the load is applied to the load applied to the locking portion between the second locking portion 32 and the second locking hole 45. Accordingly, the second locking portion 32 is prevented from coming out of the second locking hole 45 by an appropriately sized fastening force.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the third pressing piece 108, a gap G <b> 3 between the third tip portion 111 of the third bending portion 110 and the inner wall surface of the third locking hole 46 is the same as that of the first pressing piece 103. It is as small as the gap G1 between the first locking hole 44 and the inner wall surface. Therefore, the fastening force of the third locking portion 33 with respect to the third locking hole 46 is large. Accordingly, the third locking portion 33 is prevented from coming out of the third locking hole 46 by an appropriately sized fastening force.

  As described above, when the first region Z1 opens downward and the second region Z2 opens upward, an opening 61 is generated between the regions Z1 and Z2. The airbag 60 continues to be expanded and inflated rearward through the opening 61. The driver 60 is received in front of the driver who is about to lean forward by the impact of the front impact, and the driver 60 is received by the deployed and inflated airbag 60. The forward tilt of the driver is restrained and protected from the shock.

  When the airbag 60 whose internal pressure has increased as described above breaks the lid portion 22 and jumps out of the pad cover 20, the expansion restriction by the pad portion is eliminated. Therefore, the airbag 60 is rapidly expanded, and the internal pressure of the airbag 60 is rapidly decreased to a negative pressure (pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure).

  Also at this time, the pressure of the gas G ejected from each gas ejection hole 82 is received by the pressure receiving portion 117, and a forward force F is generated. However, this force F is smaller than the force with which the negative pressure tries to move the inflator 80 backward. Therefore, the inflator 80 is moved rearward by the elastic restoring force of each elastic support portion 101, and the flange 83 is temporarily separated from the elastic protrusion 100 of the support plate 90, and a gap is created between the both 83 and 100.

  However, the gas G ejected from the gas ejection holes 82 continues to hit the pressure receiving portion 117 and can be changed in the rearward direction. By the gas G whose direction has been changed, the air A outside the airbag 60 is drawn into the airbag 60 through the gap. In the gap between the flange 83 and the elastic protrusion 100, an air flow from the outside to the inside of the airbag 60 occurs. Therefore, the gas G in the airbag 60 is prevented from leaking from the communication hole 91 through the gap, although the gap is generated.

  When the gas G is continuously supplied into the airbag 60 and the internal pressure increases, the force for moving the inflator 80 forward increases, and the inflator 80 is elastically protruded 100. Then, it comes into contact with the support plate 90 again, and gas leakage from the communication hole 91 is suppressed.

  Further, a part of the gas G ejected from each gas ejection hole 82 hits the pressure receiving portion 117 before reaching the fixed portion of the airbag 60, and the direction thereof is changed backward. Accordingly, the gas G is less likely to directly touch the fixed portion (peripheral portion 62) of the airbag 60 with respect to the back holder 40.

  Further, since the pressure receiving portion 117 is provided integrally with the flange 83 of the inflator 80, it is close to the outer side in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11 with respect to each gas ejection hole 82 regardless of the position of the inflator 80. The pressure receiving portion 117 is always located at the place to be performed. Therefore, regardless of the position of the inflator 80, the gas G ejected from each gas ejection hole 82 hits the pressure receiving portion 117, and the function of changing the direction of the gas G to the rear or the function of generating the force F toward the front. , Fully demonstrated.

  Further, some of the gas G ejected from the inflator 80 tends to leak out of the airbag device through the space between the support plate 90 and the back holder 40. However, as shown in FIG. 13, a seal portion 98 protruding rearward from the support plate 90 is in elastic contact with the back holder 40, and the leakage of the gas G is restricted by the seal portion 98.

  In the present embodiment, the seal portion 98 is provided in a region from the location approaching the inflator 80 (flange 83) to the location approaching the boundary portion with the base portion 42 of the stepped portion 43 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. The thickness in the radial direction is large. Therefore, the contact surface of the seal portion 98 with respect to the stepped portion 43, that is, the seal surface is wide in the radial direction and exhibits high sealing performance.

  By the way, when the pad cover 20 is pressed rearward by the airbag 60, a force (rearward portion of the locking holes 44 to 46) where the pad cover 20 is locked in the back holder 40 (rearward force). (Tensile force) is applied and the same part is easily deformed. In the back holder 40 including the base portion 42 and the stepped portion 43, a force (tensile force) toward the rear is applied to the base portion 42 to which the pad cover 20 is locked, and the base portion 42 is easily deformed. In contrast, the stepped portion 43 is not easily deformed. One reason is that the stepped portion 43 is separated from the base portion 42 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, and the rearward force (tensile force) is not easily transmitted to the stepped portion 43. Further, the stepped portion 43 is provided at a location different from the base portion 42 in the direction along the steering shaft 11 (behind the base portion 42), and this is also due to the increased rigidity. In the present embodiment, the seal portion 98 is in contact with the stepped portion 43 that is difficult to deform. For this reason, the gas G ejected from the inflator 80 is unlikely to leak from between the support plate 90 and the back holder 40 regardless of the deformation of the base portion 42 accompanying the inflation of the airbag 60.

  Further, when the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 is exposed to the gas G, it is easily affected by the heat of the gas G. In this respect, in the cup retainer 70 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the bag cover portion 74 extends from the inner edge portion of the bag attachment portion 71 to the inside in the radial direction of the steering shaft 11. The peripheral part 62 of the opening 61 in 60 is covered. Accordingly, the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 is less likely to be exposed than in the case where such a bag covering portion 74 is not provided. The peripheral portion 62 is not easily exposed to the high temperature gas G and is not easily affected by the heat of the gas G.

  In particular, in the present embodiment in which the plurality of arch portions 72 of the cup retainer 70 are provided at locations away from the fastening portion of the bag mounting portion 71 to the back holder 40 by the bolts 76 to 79 in the circumferential direction. The cover portion 74 is an inner edge portion of the bag attachment portion 71 and is provided over substantially the entire region between the adjacent arch portions 72. Accordingly, in the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60, a wide region in the circumferential direction is covered by the bag covering portion 74, and the peripheral portion 62 is hardly affected by the heat of the gas G in the wide region.

  Further, as described above, each bag covering portion 74 is provided over substantially the entire region between the adjacent arch portions 72, so that the fastening portion of the bag attaching portion 71 to the back holder 40 by the bolts 76 to 79 in the peripheral portion 62. Is also covered with the bag covering portion 74.

  Therefore, the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 is exposed at the fastening portion as compared with the case where the bag covering portion 74 is provided at the inner edge portion of the bag attaching portion 71 and not corresponding to the fastening portion with the back holder 40. Hard to be exposed to high temperature gas G. As a result, the peripheral portion 62 of the airbag 60 is not easily affected by the heat of the gas G at the fastening portion of the bag mounting portion 71 with the back holder 40, and the airbag 60 is maintained in a state of being attached to the back holder 40. .

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the auxiliary plate is assembled to the back holder, the auxiliary plate is brought close to the back holder. The third pressing piece 108 includes the third bending portion 110 that is curved so as to swell rearward and the third tip portion 111 whose tip is directed forward, so that the third locking portion and Hard to interfere. Therefore, compared with the case where the front end portion (corner portion) of the pressing piece faces rearward, there is less interference with the locking portion, and the auxiliary plate can be easily assembled to the back holder.

  In addition, the third tip 111 of the third pressing piece 108 exists in or near the third locking hole 46. For this reason, the fastening force of the third locking portion with respect to the third locking hole increases as the distance between the inner wall surface on which the third locking portion is pressed in the third locking hole and the third pressing piece decreases. The three locking portions 33 do not come out of the third locking holes 46.

  (2) The pressing pieces 103, 106, 108 are provided on the support plate 90 for elastically supporting the inflator 80 on the back holder 40, and the locking portions 31-33 are pressed against the inner wall surfaces of the locking holes 44-46. (FIGS. 4 and 9).

Therefore, compared with the case where an auxiliary plate is provided separately from the support plate 90, the number of parts of the airbag device can be reduced.
Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.
<About pressure receiving part 117>
The pressure receiving portion 117 may be formed as a part of the flange 83 in the inflator 80.

  The pressure receiving portion 117 may be directly attached to the inflator 80. For example, a concave portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 81 of the inflator 80 and on the front side of each gas ejection hole 82, and the gas plate 115 is engaged (inserted, press-fitted) into the concave portion in the mounting base 116. ), The pressure receiving portion 117 may be attached to the inflator 80.

  In this case, the recess may be constituted by a groove extending in the circumferential direction of the main body 81. The groove portion may be provided over the entire circumference of the main body portion 81. In addition, the recess may be configured by a plurality of holes provided at locations separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the main body 81.

<About the inflator 80>
The main body 81 of the inflator 80 may have a cylindrical shape other than the cylindrical shape.
<About support plate 90>
-Each pressing piece 103,106,108 in the support plate 90 is not restricted to what contact | abuts to each latching | locking parts 31-33 from the inner side about the radial direction of the steering shaft 11, Each latching | locking part from the outer side about the same direction You may contact | abut 31-33.

<Regarding the elastic support portion 101>
-The elastic support part 101 may be provided in the location different from the said embodiment of the support plate 90. FIG. Further, the number of elastic support portions 101 in the support plate 90 may be changed.

The elastic support portion 101 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be another cylindrical shape, for example, a conical cylindrical shape.
<About the auxiliary plate>
In the embodiment, the support plate 90 also serves as the auxiliary plate. However, the auxiliary plate may be provided separately from the support plate 90.

<Pad cover 20>
The present invention can also be applied to the case where the lid portion 22 of the pad cover 20 is partitioned into three or more regions by the tear line 26. FIG. 23 shows an example.

  In this modified example, the tear line 26 has two vertical line portions 26A extending in the vertical direction and a portion extending in the left-right direction and connected to both vertical line portions 26A at a position away from the decorative portion (concave portion 25) in the left-right direction. It consists of one horizontal line portion 26B and one vertical line portion 26C extending downward from an intermediate portion of the horizontal line portion 26B in the left-right direction. The intermediate portion of the horizontal line portion 26B is provided at a location that is spaced a certain distance downward from the lower edge of the decorative portion (concave portion 25).

  The lid portion 22 is divided into three regions by the tear line 26. The three areas are one first area Z1 substantially above the lid 22 and two second areas Z2 substantially below the lid 22. The first region Z1 includes a decorative portion (concave portion 25), and each second region Z2 does not include a decorative portion (concave portion 25). Therefore, the first region Z1 is larger than each second region Z2. Thus, in this modified example, the vertical positional relationship between the first region Z1 and the second region Z2 is opposite to that in the above embodiment.

  A hinge portion 27 extending in the left-right direction is set on the upper portion of the first region Z1 in the lid portion 22. A hinge portion 28L that is inclined so as to increase toward the left side is set in the lower left portion of the second region Z2 on the left side, and a hinge portion 28R that is inclined so as to increase toward the right side in the lower right portion of the second region Z2 on the right side. Is set.

  In this case, at least one of the combination of the locking portion, the locking hole, and the pressing piece located in front of the first region Z1 is configured by the first locking portion, the first locking hole, and the first pressing piece, At least one of the combination of the locking portion, the locking hole, and the pressing piece located in front of each second region Z2 is configured by the second locking portion, the second locking hole, and the second pressing piece. The first pressing piece extends backward, the first locking portion is pressed against the inner wall surface of the first locking hole, the second pressing piece extends forward, and the second locking portion is extended to the second locking hole. Press against the inner wall.

<About locking part>
-The structure of the latching | locking parts 31-33 differs from the said embodiment which consists of the main-body part 34 and the nail | claw part 35 on the condition that it inserts in the latching holes 44-46 and is latched. It may be changed.

<Others>
-At least one of the back holder 40, the cup retainer 70, the support plate 90, and the gas plate 115 may be formed by forming means other than pressing, for example, die casting.

  The present invention is not limited to a vehicle, and can also be applied to an airbag device installed in a steering wheel in another vehicle such as an aircraft or a ship. In this case, the vehicles include not only private vehicles but also various industrial vehicles.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Steering shaft 12 ... Steering wheel 20 ... Pad cover 26 ... Tear line 31 ... 1st latching | locking part (locking part)
32 ... Second locking part (locking part)
33 ... Third locking part (locking part)
40 ... back holder 44 ... first locking hole (locking hole)
45. Second locking hole (locking hole)
46. Third locking hole (locking hole)
60 ... Airbag 80 ... Inflator 90 ... Support plate (auxiliary plate)
101 ... elastic support portion 103 ... first pressing piece (pressing piece)
104 ... 1st flat part 105 ... 1st inclination part 106 ... 2nd pressing piece (pressing piece)
107 ... 2nd inclined part 108 ... 3rd pressing piece (pressing piece)
109 ... 3rd inclination part (3rd extension part)
110 ... third bending portion 111 ... third tip (tip)
G ... Gas

Claims (2)

An airbag device installed in a steering wheel (12) rotated around a steering shaft (11) extending in the front-rear direction;
The airbag device includes:
A back holder (40) having a locking hole (46) and supported by the steering wheel;
A pad cover (20) provided with a locking portion (33) disposed behind the back holder (40) and inserted through the locking hole (46);
An inflator (80) for inflating an airbag (60) disposed between the back holder (40) and the pad cover (20) with gas to break the pad cover (20);
An auxiliary plate that is an annular plate that is assembled to the back holder (40) from the front side, and is provided with a pressing piece (108) that presses the locking portion (33) against the inner wall surface of the locking hole (46). (90)
The pressing piece (108) is formed continuously from the extending portion (109) extending rearward and the rear end portion of the extending portion (109) and curved so as to bulge rearward (110). And a distal end portion (111) that is continuous with the curved portion (110) and has a distal end facing forward,
The pressing piece (108) is inserted into the locking hole (46), and the distal end portion (111) of the pressing piece (108) is located in or near the locking hole (46). An airbag device, wherein the airbag device is in contact with the stop (33).   The auxiliary plate (90) is provided with an elastic support portion (101), and the inflator (80) is elastically supported by the auxiliary plate (90) by the elastic support portion (101). The airbag apparatus as described.

Images