JPH04353051A - Air bag device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a high pressure gas released from an air bag body just after expansion from flowing in the vehicle chamber direction and provide an air bag device never giving the shock or unpleasant feeling accompanied by a sudden rise of air pressure to a passenger. CONSTITUTION:Adjacent to a retainer 10 in which an air bag unit 5 is received, an air duct 17 for passing the air obtained from an air conditioning source into a vehicle chamber is closely disposed. The air duct 17 has an opening part 17a communicating with the gas release hole 15 of the retainer 10, and a one-way valve 29 closed by the releasing force of a high pressure gas to cut the passing into the vehicle chamber of the high pressure gas is disposed in the air duct 17.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air bag device disposed inside an instrument panel located on the passenger side of an automobile.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, when the deceleration of a vehicle at the time of a collision exceeds a predetermined value, a detonator is ignited to start an inflator, and the inflator is stored in a folded state inside an instrument panel. 2. Description of the Related Art Airbag devices are known in which an airbag body is inflated and deployed to soften the impact of an occupant on an instrument panel or a front wind panel. The inflator is activated when an input signal from a collision detection sensor installed in the vehicle is equal to or higher than a set value.

[0003] Usually, it is known to manufacture an airbag unit that integrates the above-mentioned inflator and airbag body, and to separately provide the airbag units in front of the driver's seat and in front of the passenger seat. For example, on the driver's seat side, the airbag unit is housed in a center pad in the center of the steering wheel.

As an example of the arrangement on the other passenger seat side, A in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, which is a sectional view taken along line A, an opening 1a is provided at an appropriate position on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and an airbag lid 3 is provided in the opening 1a on the front FR side.
An example is known in which one end portion 3a is connected and the opening 1a is opened/closed by the airbag lid 3, and an airbag unit 5 is disposed below the airbag lid 3 (for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. (See Publication No. 62-198547).

The airbag unit 5 is composed of an inflator 9 that generates high-pressure gas and an airbag body 13.
It is stored inside.

The retainer 10 is composed of a lower retainer 7 supported by a vehicle body side member (not shown), and an upper retainer 11 disposed above the lower retainer 7, and the inflator 9 is mounted on the lower retainer 7. An airbag body 13 is stored in the upper retainer 11 in a folded state. and the upper retainer 11
Gas discharge ports 15, 15 are opened in the side wall of the upper retainer 11, and the protruding piece 11a of the upper retainer 11 is in contact with the lower surface of the front side of the air bag lid 3.

[0007] The airbag lid 3 normally closes the opening 1a of the instrument panel 1, and when the airbag body 13 is inflated, it moves in the direction of arrow C around the connection fulcrum B with the instrument panel 1. It is meant to be released.

Note that 17 shown in FIG. 6 is an air duct arranged inside the instrument panel 1 for circulating air obtained from an air conditioning source installed in the vehicle.
This air duct 17 communicates with a ventilator grille 19 provided on the front surface of the instrument panel 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the temperature-controlled air supplied from the air conditioning source is discharged into the vehicle interior from the ventilator grille 19 via the air duct 17.

According to such a passenger side airbag device, when a vehicle collides, the detonator built in the inflator 9 in the airbag unit 5 is actuated by the input signal from the collision detection sensor, and the airbag body is activated. High-pressure gas is fed into the airbag body 13, and the airbag body 13 rapidly expands and deploys. Due to this expansion force, the airbag lid 3 is released in a rotating state in the direction of arrow C, and at the same time, the airbag body 13 is moved toward the passenger compartment. When deployed, the impact on the upper body of the passenger sitting in the front passenger seat is alleviated.

[0010] During such an operation, the airbag body 13
If the inflation force is stronger than necessary, this inflation force will act as a force that pushes the occupant's upper body back toward the passenger compartment N direction, so that the seams of the fabric material constituting the airbag body 13 will generally An easy-to-break part is provided in the airbag body 1.
A means for releasing the high pressure gas to the outside of the airbag body 13 by breaking the breakable portion immediately after the airbag body 13 is inflated is adopted.

In this manner, the gas released from the airbag body 13 immediately after inflation is released from the gas discharge ports 15, 15 opened in the side wall of the upper retainer 11, thereby making the inflated airbag body 13 flexible. This makes it possible to prevent a secondary collision from occurring to the occupants.

0012

However, in such a conventional airbag device, the high pressure gas released from the airbag body 13 immediately after inflation is discharged through the gas release port 15 opened in the side wall of the upper retainer 11. Since the air also flows into the vehicle interior N direction through the opening 1a of the instrument panel 1, the air pressure in the vehicle interior increases momentarily, causing the occupants to experience shock or discomfort due to the fluctuation in atmospheric pressure. The problem was that there were times when the problem occurred.

Therefore, the present invention solves the problems that conventional airbag devices have, and prevents high-pressure gas released from the airbag body immediately after inflation from flowing into the passenger compartment. It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag device that does not cause shock or discomfort to occupants due to a rise in air pressure, and does not pollute the air inside a vehicle.

[0014]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an opening in an instrument panel at a position facing an occupant, and installs an inflator that generates high-pressure gas and an air inflator in the opening. A retainer housing an airbag unit consisting of a bag body is arranged, and the opening is closed with an airbag lid that is disconnected when the airbag body expands. In a vehicle airbag device having a gas discharge port for discharging high-pressure gas outward from the airbag body, an air duct for distributing air obtained from an air conditioning source into the vehicle interior is closely disposed adjacent to the retainer; , the air duct is provided with an opening that communicates with the gas discharge port of the retainer, and a one-way valve that is closed by the discharge force of the high-pressure gas and blocks the flow of the high-pressure gas into the vehicle interior is disposed in the air duct. It is configured.

[0015]

[Operation] According to this configuration, when the detonator built in the inflator in the airbag unit is activated, the inside of the airbag body is rapidly inflated and deployed by the high pressure gas sent from the inflator, and this expansion force causes the airbag to At the same time as the grid is released, the airbag body is deployed toward the passenger compartment, reducing the impact mainly on the upper body of the passenger sitting in the front passenger seat. Immediately after the airbag body is inflated, the gas released from the airbag body is released into the air duct from the gas discharge port of the retainer, but this gas pressure closes the one-way valve installed in the air duct, causing high pressure. The flow of gas into the passenger compartment is cut off. Therefore, the high pressure gas flows back through the air duct toward the air conditioning source and is discharged outside the vehicle.

[0016] Immediately after the airbag body is inflated, the gas inside the airbag body is released to the outside of the vehicle through the air duct, giving flexibility to the airbag body and causing a secondary collision to the occupant. In addition to preventing any fluctuations in the air pressure inside the vehicle,
This provides the effect that the occupants will not experience shock or discomfort due to changes in air pressure.

[0017]

[Embodiment] A specific embodiment of a vehicle airbag device according to the present invention will be described below based on FIGS. 1 to 4 in the drawings, with the same reference numerals being given to the same components as in the conventional structure. Explain in detail.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is an instrument panel, and an opening 1a is provided at an appropriate position on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and an air bag lid 3 is provided in the opening 1a on the front FR side. One end 3a of
are connected to each other, and the opening 1a is closed by the airbag lid 3 so as to be openable and closable. An airbag unit 5 is disposed below the airbag lid 3.

The airbag unit 5 is composed of an inflator 9 that generates high-pressure gas and an airbag body 13, and the airbag unit 5 is housed in a retainer 10. The airbag lid 3 normally closes the opening 1a of the instrument panel 1, and is released in the direction of arrow C around the connection fulcrum B with the instrument panel 1 by the expansion force of the airbag body 13. It's like this.

The retainer 10 is composed of a lower retainer 7 and an upper retainer 11 disposed above the lower retainer 7, and the inflator 8 is placed on the lower retainer 7.
is installed, and the airbag body 1 is installed inside the upper retainer 11.
3 is stored in a folded state.

A mounting bracket 21 fixed to the lower surface of the lower retainer 7 is connected to a support bracket 25 fixed to a vehicle body member 23 such as a steering member by a connecting member 27 such as a bolt. Further, the protruding piece 11a of the upper retainer 11 is connected to the air bag lid 3.
The upper retainer 1 is in contact with the front lower surface of the upper retainer 1.
Gas discharge ports 15, 15 are opened in the side wall on the N side of the vehicle compartment 1.

Furthermore, as a characteristic feature of this embodiment, an air duct 17 for circulating air obtained from an air conditioning source (not shown) is disposed in close contact with a portion of the air bag unit 5 adjacent to the vehicle compartment N side. ing. This air duct 17 is communicated with a ventilator grille 19 provided on the front surface of the instrument panel 1, and during normal driving, temperature-controlled air flowing through the air duct 17 is discharged from the ventilator grille 19 into the vehicle interior.

[0023] The air duct 17 has an upper retainer 1.
An opening 17a is formed which communicates with the gas discharge ports 15, 15 opened at 1. And this opening 17a
One end portion 2 of a one-way valve 29 made of a flexible member such as rubber is disposed at one end near the ventilator grill 19.
9a is supported and fixed.

The operation of such an airbag device will be explained below. That is, when the detonator built in the inflator 9 in the airbag unit 5 is actuated by the input signal from the collision detection sensor during a vehicle collision, high-pressure gas is sent from the inflator 9 into the airbag body 13, and this air is The bag body 13 is rapidly inflated and deployed, and due to this expansion force, the airbag lid 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow C and released.At the same time, the airbag body 13 is deployed toward the passenger compartment, and the passenger is seated in the passenger seat. The impact exerted mainly on the upper body of the occupant is alleviated.

Immediately after the airbag body 13 is inflated, the easy-to-break portion provided at the seam of the cloth material constituting the airbag body 13 is ruptured, and high-pressure gas is released from the airbag body 13. This gas is discharged from gas discharge ports 15, 15 opened in the side wall of the upper retainer 11 into the air duct 17 via the opening 17a. Then opening 1
Since the one-way valve 29 disposed near the air duct 7a is deformed by the gas pressure into the shape shown by the imaginary line 29' in FIG.
Gas flow in the direction of the ventilator grill 19 is blocked.

Therefore, the high-pressure gas discharged from the gas discharge ports 15, 15 flows backward through the air duct 17 as shown by arrow E, and is discharged to the outside of the vehicle from an air inlet attached to an air conditioning unit (not shown). Therefore, high pressure gas can be prevented from being released into the vehicle interior from the ventilator grille 19.

As described above, by letting the high-pressure gas released from the airbag body 13 out of the vehicle through the air duct 17 immediately after the airbag body 13 is inflated, flexibility is imparted to the airbag body 13 and the occupant feels comfortable. In addition to preventing the next collision, the air pressure inside the vehicle does not change in any way, so there is no shock or discomfort to the occupants due to changes in air pressure, and high-pressure gas does not enter the passenger compartment. By preventing the outflow of air, the air inside the vehicle can be kept clean.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a modified example of the present invention, and since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used.

That is, as in the embodiment described above, the air duct 17 is arranged in close contact with the upper retainer 11 in which the air bag unit 5 is housed, and the air duct 17 is arranged in close contact with the upper retainer 11 in the region corresponding to the gas discharge ports 15, 15 opened in the upper retainer 11. A first one-way valve 31 that opens only from the air duct 17 side to the upper retainer 11 side, and a second one-way valve 33 that opens only from the upper retainer 11 side to the air duct 17 side are provided.

In the illustrated example, the first and second one-way valves 31 and 33 are constructed integrally with the air duct 17, and by providing a cut portion from the opposite direction at a predetermined position of the air duct 17, the upper retainer 11 side Or there are 3 one-way valves that open only on either side of the air duct 17.
1 and 33 are configured. Note that one end 17b of the air duct 17 is connected to a ventilator grille (not shown), and the other end 17c of the air duct 17 is connected to an air conditioning unit (not shown).

According to this configuration, when the airbag device is activated, that is, when the detonator built in the inflator 9 in the airbag unit 5 is activated and high pressure gas is sent into the airbag body 13, the airbag is activated. The main body 13 rapidly inflates and deploys, and the suction force accompanying the inflation of the airbag main body 13 causes the first one-way valve 31 to open toward the upper retainer 11 as shown in the imaginary line, and as shown in the arrow F. Air inside the vehicle compartment is sucked into the upper retainer 11 from a ventilator grill (not shown) via the first one-way valve 31. At this time, the second one-way valve 33 is closed. Therefore, the suction action accompanying such inflation can promote the inflation of the airbag body 13.

Next, immediately after the airbag body 13 is inflated, the easy-to-break part provided at the seam of the cloth material constituting the airbag body 13 is ruptured and gas is released from the airbag body 13. The gas pressure causes the second one-way valve 33 disposed in the air duct 17 to open toward the air duct 17 as shown by the imaginary line, and at the same time, the first one-way valve 31 is closed. Then, the one-way valve 31
, 33 block the flow of gas toward the ventilator grille (not shown), and the high-pressure gas released from the airbag body 13 flows back through the air duct 17 as shown by arrow G to the air conditioning unit (not shown). Since the air is discharged from the attached air inlet to the outside of the vehicle, high-pressure gas is prevented from being discharged into the vehicle interior from the ventilator grille 19 as in the previous embodiment, and the occupants are prevented from experiencing shock due to changes in atmospheric pressure. The effect is that it does not cause discomfort.

[0033]

As described above in detail, the vehicle airbag device according to the present invention provides the following effects.

That is, when the high-pressure gas released from the airbag body immediately after the airbag body is inflated flows into the air duct from the gas discharge port of the retainer, the one-way valve is operated based on the gas pressure to release the high-pressure gas. By blocking the flow toward the passenger compartment, preventing the release of high-pressure gas from the air duct into the passenger compartment, and releasing the high-pressure gas to the outside of the vehicle through the air duct, no fluctuations will occur in the air pressure inside the passenger compartment. This prevents the occupants from experiencing discomfort such as shock caused by fluctuations in air pressure, and because high-pressure gas is not released into the cabin, the air inside the cabin can be kept clean.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an embodiment of a vehicle airbag device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an automobile instrument panel.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of an example of a conventional airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Instrument panel, 1a... Opening, 3... Airbag lid, 5... Airbag unit, 7... Lower retainer, 11... Upper retainer, 9... Inflator, 10
...retainer, 13...airbag body, 15...gas discharge port, 17...air duct, 17a...opening, 29...one-way valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: An opening is provided in an instrument panel at a position facing an occupant, and a retainer housing an airbag unit consisting of an inflator that generates high-pressure gas and an airbag body is disposed within the opening. The opening is closed with an airbag lid that is disconnected when the airbag body is inflated, and the retainer is further provided with a gas discharge port for discharging high-pressure gas from the airbag body to the outside immediately after the airbag body is inflated. In the vehicle airbag device having an open air bag, an air duct for distributing air obtained from an air conditioning source into the vehicle interior is closely arranged adjacent to the retainer, and an opening communicating with the gas discharge port of the retainer is provided in the air duct. 1. A vehicle airbag device, further comprising a one-way valve that is closed by the release force of the high-pressure gas and blocks the flow of the high-pressure gas into the vehicle interior.