JP5878827B2 - Inflator diffuser and airbag device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inflator diffuser and an airbag device, and more particularly to an inflator diffuser suitable for an airbag device having a damper that supports an inflator and an airbag device including the inflator diffuser.

  It is common for vehicles such as automobiles to be equipped with an airbag device for inflating and deploying an airbag in the vehicle in the event of an emergency such as a collision or sudden deceleration to absorb the impact generated on the passenger. . For example, a steering for steering a vehicle such as an automobile includes a steering wheel that is assembled to a steering shaft that converts a rotation operation into a steering angle operation, and a pad portion that is disposed substantially at the center of the steering wheel. An airbag module is disposed inside the section.

  Such an airbag apparatus generally includes an airbag that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency, an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, and a retainer that supports the airbag and the inflator. . By the way, when the vehicle is traveling or idling, vibrations are transmitted to the steering wheel through the steering shaft, which may hinder the driver's comfortable driving. Thus, a method for damping the inflator by supporting it with an elastic body such as rubber has already been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The damping structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a damper rubber that supports an inflator, and the damper rubber is formed of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber or elastomer, and is disposed between a flange portion of the inflator and a support member. Yes. Further, the damper rubber has a substantially cylindrical shape and is arranged at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the inflator.

JP 2011-195048 A

  In the vibration damping structure described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the damper rubber is disposed between the inflator and the support member, the flange portion of the inflator is disposed at a position separated from the support member. A constant gap is formed at a location where no is arranged. Further, since the inflator needs to be vibrated together with the damper rubber, the inflator is separated from the support member and the retainer that surround the inflator, and a certain gap is also formed on the outer periphery of the inflator and its flange portion. As a result, there has been a problem that the gas ejected from the orifice of the inflator leaks from the gap described above to the back side of the inflator.

  In particular, when the inflator is vibrating, the inflator is moved to one side, so that the above-described gap is likely to be large, and the amount of leaking gas is also increased. The presence of the gas that does not contribute to the inflation of the airbag reduces the efficiency of the airbag device and causes the size of the inflator to increase.

  The present invention was devised in view of such problems, and even if it has a structure having a gap between the inflator and its support member, it is possible to reduce gas leakage and an inflator diffuser and an airbag device. The purpose is to provide.

According to the present invention, there is provided an inflator diffuser for guiding gas ejected from an orifice of an inflator to an airbag that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency, and the head of the inflator in which the orifice is formed. A cylindrical shape having a first opening having a diameter that can be fitted to the part and a second opening having a diameter larger than the head of the inflator, and the first opening is below the orifice The second opening is disposed at a position higher than the orifice and is fixed between the upper end of the surrounding member disposed on the outer periphery of the head of the inflator. is arranged to have a gap, the first opening has a smaller diameter than the head portion of said inflator, and is press-fitted configured to be capable of a head of the inflator, Inflator diffuser characterized the door is provided.

Also, the tubular shape may be formed by truncated cone surface.

According to the present invention, the airbag includes a airbag that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency, an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, and a retainer that supports the airbag and the inflator. In the airbag apparatus, the airbag includes an inflator diffuser that guides gas ejected from the orifice of the inflator, and the inflator diffuser can be fitted to a head of the inflator in which the orifice is formed. It has a cylindrical shape with a first opening having a diameter and a second opening having a larger diameter than the head of the inflator, and the first opening is fitted to a position below the orifice. Sometimes, the second opening is disposed at a position above the orifice and the head of the inflator Are arranged so as to have a predetermined gap between the upper end portion of the surrounding portion of the arranged the retainer to the outer periphery of said first opening has a smaller diameter than the head portion of the inflator, the inflator An airbag device is provided that is configured to be press-fitted into the head of the bag.

Also, the tubular shape may be formed by truncated cone surface.

  According to the inflator diffuser and the airbag apparatus according to the present invention described above, the gas ejected from the inflator can be guided in a direction that can contribute to the inflation and deployment of the airbag. Even if it has a structure having a gap, gas leakage can be reduced. As a result, the efficiency of the airbag device can be improved, and the inflator can be downsized.

  In particular, the inflator diffuser according to the present invention includes a damper (elastic body) that supports the flange portion of the inflator because the inflator diffuser has a certain gap with the surrounding member disposed on the outer periphery of the inflator. However, the inflator can be held in a vibratable state, and the damping effect of the damper can be maintained.

  Further, by configuring the inflator diffuser according to the present invention into a shape that can be press-fitted into the head of the inflator, the inflator diffuser can be easily fitted to the inflator.

  Further, by forming the inflator diffuser according to the present invention into a cylindrical shape having a truncated cone surface, it is possible to easily form a ring member having an inclined surface, and it is easy to fit into the inflator and to guide the gas. The shape can be easily formed.

It is a component development view showing an airbag device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a part development view showing the structure of the damper shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of the diffuser for inflators shown in FIG. 1, (A) has shown 1st embodiment and (B) has shown the comparative example. It is the A section enlarged view in Drawing 3 (A), (A) shows a 1st embodiment and (B) shows a modification. It is a figure which shows the diffuser for inflators which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, (A) is 2nd embodiment, (B) is 3rd embodiment, (C) has shown 4th embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a part development view showing the airbag apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a part development view showing the structure of the damper shown in FIG. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the inflator diffuser shown in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 3A shows the first embodiment, and FIG. 4A and 4B are enlarged views of a part A in FIG. 3A, in which FIG. 4A shows the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a modification.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is an airbag 1 that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency, and an inflator 2 that supplies gas to the airbag 1. And the retainer 3 that supports the airbag 1 and the inflator 2, the airbag 1 has an inflator diffuser 4 that guides the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2, and the inflator diffuser 4 includes: The cylindrical shape provided with the 1st opening part 41 which has a diameter which can be fitted in the head part 22 of the inflator 2 in which the orifice 21 was formed, and the 2nd opening part 42 which has a larger diameter than the head part 22 of the inflator 2. And when the first opening 41 is fitted to a position below the orifice 21, the second opening 42 is disposed at a position above the orifice 21. And a fixed gap Δg between the retainer 3 and the upper end portion Pr of the retainer 3 disposed on the outer periphery of the head 22 of the inflator 2. .

  The airbag device shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, an airbag device for a driver's seat, and is connected to a steering boss portion (not shown) disposed at a substantially central portion of the steering disposed at the front surface of the driver's seat. The module cover 5 covering the airbag 1 constitutes a steering pad portion. When the gas is supplied to the inside by the operation of the inflator 2, the airbag 1 starts inflating and deploying, and the module cover 5 is cleaved and released into the passenger compartment, and inflated and deployed in front of the passenger seated in the driver's seat. Is done.

  The airbag 1 has an opening (not shown) into which the inflator 2 can be inserted at the bottom, the head 22 of the inflator 2 is inserted into the opening, the bag ring 6 is disposed from the inside, and a bolt 61 Further, the retainer 3 is fixed and supported by a fixing tool such as a nut 62. The airbag 1 shown in FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the folded state of the airbag 1, and may be wrapped in a wrapping sheet that holds the folded shape.

  In addition, the bag ring 6 includes, for example, a flange portion 63 that is fixed to the retainer 3, a dome portion 64 that covers the head 22 of the inflator 2, and a plurality of gases that are ejected from the inflator 2 into the airbag 1. Opening 65. The bag ring 6 has not only a function of fixing the airbag 1 to the retainer 3 but also a function of forming a certain space between the folded airbag 1 and the inflator 2.

  The inflator 2 is a gas generator that generates gas to be supplied to the airbag 1 and has, for example, a substantially disk-shaped outer shape. Specifically, the inflator 2 includes a flange portion 23 fixed to the retainer 3, a head 22 inserted into the airbag 1, a plurality of orifices 21 formed on the outer periphery of the head 22, an air And a bottom portion 24 disposed outside the bag 1. The inflator 2 is connected to an ECU (electronic control unit) (not shown), and is controlled based on measurement values from an acceleration sensor or the like. When the ECU senses or predicts a vehicle collision or sudden deceleration, the inflator 2 is ignited by the ignition current from the ECU, burns the chemical stored in the inflator 2 to generate gas, and the gas is supplied to the airbag 1. Supply.

  The retainer 3 is a member that supports the airbag 1 and the inflator 2, and is configured to be connectable to the module cover 5. Specifically, the retainer 3 includes an enclosure 31 having an opening 3a into which the inflator 2 is inserted, a wall surface 32 formed on the outer periphery of the enclosure 31, a plurality of spring struts 33 disposed on the bottom surface, and Contact support pins 34. The surrounding part 31 is constituted by a substantially flat part connected to the wall surface part 32, for example. Further, the wall portion 32 may be formed with a claw portion 32 a that can be engaged with the opening 51 formed in the module cover 5.

  The tip of the spring support 33 is formed in a bowl shape, and the spring support 33 is locked to a steering boss (not shown) in a state where a spring (not shown) is mounted on the outer periphery thereof. Therefore, the retainer 3, that is, the airbag device is connected to the steering so as to be reciprocated up and down by the spring. Further, a metal horn plate (not shown) is connected to the bottom surface portion of the retainer 3 and the surface portion of the steering boss portion, and a contact point constituting a horn switch is formed on the horn plate. The horn plate connected to the retainer 3 is supported on the back surface of the contact by the contact support pin 34.

  The inflator 2 is connected to the damper 7 via an elastic body 71, and the inflator 2 is indirectly supported by the retainer 3 by fixing the damper 7 to the bottom surface of the retainer 3. For example, by inserting the bolt 61 in the order of the bag ring 6, the airbag 1, the retainer 3, and the damper 7, and tightening the nut 62 at the tip of the bolt 61, these components can be fixed integrally.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the damper 7 includes a bottom plate 72 that supports the elastic body 71 and a casing 73 to which the bottom plate 72 is connected. The elastic body 71 is, for example, a substantially cylindrical part made of rubber, and has a concave portion 71 a that can be locked to the flange portion 23 of the inflator 2 at the tip. The bottom plate 72 has an opening 72a through which the bottom 24 of the inflator 2 is inserted, a support pin 72b inserted into the elastic body 71, and a bolt insertion hole 72c through which the bolt 61 is inserted. The casing 73 has an opening 73a through which the bottom 24 of the inflator 2 is inserted, an elastic body insertion hole 73b through which the elastic body 71 is inserted, and a bolt insertion hole 73c through which the bolt 61 is inserted. On the inner surface of the casing 73, when the inflator 2 vibrates greatly and contacts, a shock absorbing material 73d for absorbing the impact or suppressing the generation of a collision sound may be arranged.

  With this configuration, the inflator 2 is connected to the damper 7 via the elastic body 71. The inflator 2 vibrates between the flange portion 23 of the inflator 2 and the casing 73 and between the bottom portion 24 of the inflator 2 and the casing 73 and the bottom plate 72 so that the inflator 2 can move relative to the damper 7. A certain gap is formed. Note that the illustrated configuration of the damper 7 is merely an example, and is not limited to this configuration.

  The airbag apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the inflator diffuser 4 that guides the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 to the airbag 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the inflator diffuser 4 has, for example, a cylindrical shape formed by a truncated cone surface, and a small-diameter first opening 41 and a large-diameter second opening 42 at both ends. have. The first opening 41 has a smaller diameter than the head 22 of the inflator 2 and is configured to be press-fit into the head 22 of the inflator 2. The inflator diffuser 4 may be formed by annularly deforming and welding a band-shaped metal plate, or may be formed by squeezing.

  The inflator diffuser 4 is press-fitted into the head 22 of the inflator 2 and fixed as shown in FIG. At this time, the first opening 41 is press-fitted to a position below the orifice 21 of the inflator 2, the second opening 42 is arranged at a position above the orifice 21, and the surrounding portion of the inflator diffuser 4 and the retainer 3. A fixed gap is formed between the two. Therefore, the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 is brought into contact with the inclined surface of the inflator diffuser 4 and turned upward to be guided in a direction in which the airbag 1 is inflated and deployed.

  In addition, since the inflator diffuser 4 has a certain gap between the inflator 2 and the surrounding portion 31 disposed on the outer periphery of the inflator 2, the inflator 2 vibrates even when the damper 7 that supports the inflator 2 is provided. It can be held in a possible state, and the damping effect of the damper 7 can be maintained.

  Specifically, the inflator diffuser 4 has a lower end Pa constituting the first opening 41 and an upper end Pb constituting the second opening 42 as shown in FIG. The inflator 2 has a truncated cone surface inclined by an angle θ with respect to the side surface of the head portion 22. Here, if the intersection of the perpendicular line drawn from the upper end Pr of the surrounding portion 31 to the side surface of the head 22 of the inflator 2 and the inflator diffuser 4 is Pd, the distance between the upper end Pr and the intersection Pd is Δg. It is prescribed by. The gap Δg is set to a size that does not hinder the vibration of the inflator 2, and the damping function of the damper 7 is maintained.

  4B, when the wall 31a is formed on the inner edge of the surrounding portion 31, the gap Δg is set with reference to the upper end portion Pr of the wall 31a of the surrounding portion 31. You just have to do it. In order to secure this gap Δg, the angle θ of the inflator diffuser 4 may be changed, the size of the opening 3a formed in the surrounding part 31 may be changed, The size of the head 22 of the inflator 2 may be changed.

  Here, the comparative example shown in FIG. 3B shows a conventional airbag device that does not have the inflator diffuser 4. In this comparative example, the configuration other than the inflator diffuser 4 is the same as that of the airbag apparatus shown in FIG. Therefore, since the inflator 2 in the comparative example is supported by the damper 7 so as to vibrate, the inflator 2 has a certain gap between the retainer 3 and the damper 7. As a result, as shown by the arrows in the figure, after the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 collides with the surrounding portion 31, the gas flow branches up and down, and the gas that flows downward passes through the gap described above. It will leak outside the airbag device. On the other hand, as described above, in the present embodiment, by disposing the inflator diffuser 4, it is possible to suppress the generation of a gas flow branched downward and to reduce gas leakage.

  Next, an inflator diffuser 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a view showing an inflator diffuser according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a second embodiment, (B) is a third embodiment, and (C) is a fourth embodiment. Form. 5A to 5C are enlarged views similar to the inflator diffuser 4 shown in FIG.

  The inflator diffuser 4 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5A includes an inclined surface 4a formed between the lower end Pa and the intersection Pd, and a cylinder formed between the intersection Pd and the upper end Pb. And a surface 4b. That is, the inflator diffuser 4 has a cylindrical shape in which the truncated cone surface and the cylindrical surface are connected. Also with this configuration, the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 can be guided in a direction that contributes to the inflation and deployment of the airbag 1, similarly to the inflator diffuser 4 according to the first embodiment.

  The inflator diffuser 4 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5B is formed between the first inclined surface 4c formed between the lower end Pa and the intersection Pd, and between the intersection Pd and the upper end Pb. And a second inclined surface 4d. The second inclined surface 4d is inclined larger than the first inclined surface 4c in the direction away from the inflator 2, and is configured to easily diffuse the gas colliding with the inflator diffuser 4 to the airbag 1 side. That is, the inflator diffuser 4 has a cylindrical shape in which two frustoconical surfaces having different central angles are connected in the vertical direction.

  According to such a configuration, similarly to the inflator diffuser 4 according to the first embodiment, the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 can be efficiently guided in a direction that contributes to the inflation and deployment of the airbag 1. Although the case where the angle of the inclined surface is changed in two steps has been described here, the angle of the inclined surface may be changed in three or more steps, or the angle of the inclined surface may be changed smoothly. May be.

  The inflator diffuser 4 according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 5C is formed by bending the end of the first opening 41 having a substantially truncated cone surface inward. Also with this configuration, the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 can be guided in a direction that contributes to the inflation and deployment of the airbag 1, similarly to the inflator diffuser 4 according to the first embodiment.

  The inflator diffuser 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments described above is suitable for an airbag apparatus having a damper 7 as shown in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to a normal airbag device that does not, and the gas ejected from the orifice 21 of the inflator 2 can be guided in a direction in which the airbag 1 is easily expanded and deployed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the airbag device may be a side airbag device, a curtain airbag device, a knee airbag device, a pedestrian airbag device, etc. in addition to the passenger seat airbag device. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 airbag 2 inflator 3 retainer 3a opening 4 inflator diffuser 4a inclined surface 4b cylindrical surface 4c first inclined surface 4d second inclined surface 5 module cover 6 bag ring 7 damper 21 orifice 22 head 23 flange portion 24 bottom portion 31 Part 31a wall part 32 wall part 32a claw part 33 spring support 34 contact support pin 41 first opening part 42 second opening part 51 opening part 61 bolt 62 nut 63 flange part 64 dome part 65 opening part 71 elastic body 71a concave part 72 bottom plate 72a opening 72b support pin 72c bolt insertion hole 73 casing 73a opening 73b elastic body insertion hole 73c bolt insertion hole 73d cushioning material

Claims (4)

A diffuser for an inflator that guides gas ejected from an orifice of an inflator into an airbag that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency,
A cylindrical shape having a first opening having a diameter that can be fitted to a head of the inflator in which the orifice is formed and a second opening having a diameter larger than the head of the inflator, When the first opening is fitted to a position below the orifice, the second opening is disposed at a position above the orifice, and the enclosure is disposed at the outer periphery of the head of the inflator. Arranged so as to have a certain gap between the upper end of the member ,
The first opening has a smaller diameter than the head of the inflator and is configured to be press-fit into the head of the inflator.
Inflator diffuser characterized by that.   The inflator diffuser according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical shape is formed by a truncated cone surface. In an airbag device having an airbag that is normally folded and inflated and deployed in an emergency, an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, and a retainer that supports the airbag and the inflator,
An inflator diffuser for guiding the gas ejected from the inflator orifice to the airbag;
The inflator diffuser includes a first opening having a diameter capable of being fitted to a head of the inflator in which the orifice is formed, and a second opening having a diameter larger than the head of the inflator. And when the first opening is fitted to a position below the orifice, the second opening is disposed at a position above the orifice, and the head of the inflator is Arranged so as to have a certain gap between the upper end of the surrounding portion of the retainer disposed on the outer periphery ,
The first opening has a smaller diameter than the head of the inflator and is configured to be press-fit into the head of the inflator.
An airbag device characterized by that. The airbag device according to claim 3 , wherein the cylindrical shape is formed by a truncated cone surface.