JPH0578655U - Airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide an airbag device which can be reduced in weight. [Structure] An airbag 1, an inflator 4 that supplies gas to the airbag 1, a case 13 that holds the airbag 1 and the inflator 4, and covers the folded airbag 1 and the inflator 4 below and laterally. (14.1
8) and are provided. The cases 14 and 18 have a two-layer structure including a metal thin plate layer 15 and 19 on the inner peripheral surface side and a synthetic resin layer 16 and 20 having impact resistance on the outer peripheral surface side.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an airbag device arranged in a passenger seat or the like of an automobile.

[0002]

[Prior art and its problems]

 Conventionally, in an airbag device arranged in a passenger seat of an automobile, an airbag, an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag, an airbag and an inflator are held, and a lower portion of the folded airbag and the inflator are held. And a case that covers the sides (see US Pat. No. 4,846,368).

In the conventional air bag device, when gas is supplied from the inflator, the air bag suddenly inflates and a large impact load is applied to the case. Therefore, from the viewpoint of strength, the case is made of metal. ..

Therefore, in the conventional airbag device, the metal case occupies about 30% of the total weight of the airbag device, which makes the weight heavy.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air bag device that can be made lightweight.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 An airbag device according to the present invention includes an airbag, an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag, the airbag and the inflator, and a lower side and a side of the folded airbag and the inflator. And a case that covers one side, wherein the case has a two-layer structure including a metal thin plate layer on the inner peripheral surface side and a synthetic resin layer having impact resistance on the outer peripheral surface side. It is characterized by being.

[0007]

[Operation and effect of the device]

 In the airbag device according to the present invention, the case has a two-layer structure including a thin metal plate layer on the inner peripheral surface side and a synthetic resin layer having impact resistance on the outer peripheral surface side.

Therefore, when the airbag is inflated rapidly, the metal thin plate layer on the inner peripheral surface side, which is wrapped with the synthetic resin layer on the outer peripheral surface side, copes with heat and gas seals, and impact force The synthetic resin layer on the outer peripheral surface side copes with this, and the airbag can be inflated smoothly.

Since the case is not composed of a single metal material, the weight of the case can be reduced and the weight of the airbag device can be reduced.

[0010]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The airbag apparatus M of the embodiment is arranged on an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as an instrument panel) P in front of a passenger seat, and includes an airbag 1 and an inflator 4 for supplying gas to the airbag 1. And a case 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

A lid 30 is formed on the instrument panel P at a position where the upper end of the case 13 is arranged. The lid portion 30 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and one side of the rectangle is connected to the instrument panel body P0 as a thin hinge portion 31, and the other three sides are separated from the instrument panel body P0. Then, the lid portion 30 rotates around the hinge portion 31 and opens when the airbag device M 1 operates to inflate the airbag 1. Reference numeral 32 denotes a flexible reinforcing material embedded in the hinge portion 31.

The case 13 is composed of two parts, an upper case 14 having a substantially square tube shape and a lower case 18 having a substantially square tube shape with a bottom, and each of them is connected to the lower part or the upper part thereof. Flange portions 17 and 21 having a plurality of through holes 17a and 21a are formed.

Each of the cases 14 and 18 has a two-layer structure including a thin metal plate layer 15 and 19 arranged on the entire inner peripheral surface side and synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 arranged on the entire outer peripheral surface side. Has become.

The metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 are formed of a metal thin plate having a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm and having heat resistance such as iron, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy. If the thickness of the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 exceeds 0.5 mm, it cannot contribute to the weight reduction of the airbag device M. If the thickness is less than 0.1 mm, the airbag 1 swells at a low temperature and the synthetic resin layer. This is because it is difficult for the thin metal plate layers 15 and 19 to secure the sealing property of the case 13 when the 16 and 20 are broken. By the way, the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 of the embodiment are iron plates having a thickness of about 0.3 mm.

The synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 have a thickness of about 2 to 4 mm and have a large impact resistance and a small elongation, for example, PC (polycarbonate), modified PPO, PP (polypropylene), PBT (saturated polyester). ), PET (saturated polyester), or those in which glass fibers are inserted. This is because if the thickness of the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 exceeds 4 mm, it cannot contribute to the weight reduction of the airbag apparatus M, and if the thickness is less than 2 mm, the impact resistance cannot be ensured. By the way, the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 of the embodiment are made of PC having a thickness of about 3 mm.

In the case of the embodiment, the upper case 14 and the lower case 18 are manufactured by previously forming the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 having a shape corresponding to the cases 14 and 18 by press molding, and at the same time, forming the synthetic resin. The layers 16 and 20 are formed by injection molding, and an adhesive is used to bond both layers to manufacture the layers.

In other manufacturing, the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 formed in advance are set in a molding die for the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20, and insert molding is performed to manufacture the cases 14 and 18. good. At this time, an adhesive may be applied to the outer surface of the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 to adhere them to the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20, or as shown in FIGS. Alternatively, the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 may be insert-molded by forming a plurality of peeling prevention holes 26 in the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 on 15 and 19.

Further, in the type of the embodiment, since the flange portions 17 and 21 of the cases 14 and 18 are coupled to each other, the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 and the synthetic resin formed in advance respectively without using an adhesive agent. The layers 16 and 20 may be configured to be joined to each other by using only the fastening force of the bolt 24 and the nut 25 at the joining portion of the flange portions 17 and 21.

Furthermore, the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 may be formed not only by press forming but also by welding to have a predetermined tubular shape.

Further, the lower case 18 is formed with a mounting hole 22 that is opened in a circular shape and a mounting hole 23 that is opened in a non-circular shape for holding the inflator 4, respectively, on opposite side surfaces.

The airbag 1 is formed in a bag shape having a substantially square tubular opening 1a at the bottom, and a flange 2 is formed on the outer periphery of the opening 1a. A core material 3 is wrapped around the entire circumference of the end portion of the collar portion 2. When the upper case 14 and the lower case 18 are joined together, the flange portion 2 is sandwiched between the flange portions 17 and 21 with the core material 3 protruding outward. As a result, the airbag 1 is held in the case 13. Reference numeral 2a is a through hole which is arranged at a position corresponding to the through holes 17a and 21a and through which the bolt 24 for connecting the flange portions 17 and 21 passes.

The inflator 4 is provided with a screw portion 6 on the tip side and a flange portion 7 on the base side, and is provided with a plurality of gas discharge ports 5 on both side surfaces of a column. .. The base portion of the screw portion 6 has a shape corresponding to the non-circular mounting hole 23 of the case 13. Further, the flange portion 7 has a larger diameter than the circular mounting hole 22 of the case 13.

Next, the assembly of the airbag device M will be described. First, with the flange portion 2 of the airbag 1 arranged between the flange portions 17 and 21, the bolts are inserted into the through holes 17a, 2a and 21a. 24 is inserted, the nut 25 is stopped, the case 13 is assembled, and the case 13 holds the airbag 1.

After that, the inflator 4 is inserted into the case 13 from the mounting hole 22 with the screw portion 6 at the top, the screw portion 6 is projected from the mounting hole 23, the nut 12 is screwed into the screw portion 6, and the flange is When the inflator 4 is attached to the case 13 so that the case 13 is sandwiched between the portion 7 and the nut 12, the airbag device M can be assembled.

At that time, the seal member 8 and the bracket 10 are interposed between the flange portion 7 and the mounting hole 22, and the seal member 9 and the bracket 11 are interposed between the nut 12 and the mounting hole 23. And intervene. The seal members 8 and 9 are made of metal or synthetic resin and seal the periphery of the mounting holes 22 and 23, and the bracket 10.11 is used when the airbag device M is mounted on the vehicle body. Is.

The airbag 1 is folded and stored in the case 13 before the inflator 4 is attached to the case 13, or after the inflator 4 is attached to the case 13.

Then, the case 13 may be arranged below the lid portion 30 of the instrument panel P, and the airbag device M may be attached to the vehicle using the brackets 10 and 11.

In the airbag apparatus M configured as described above, the upper case 14 and the lower case 18 that form the case 13 are both the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 on the inner peripheral surface side and the impact resistance on the outer peripheral surface side. And the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 having

Therefore, when the airbag 1 is inflated rapidly, the metal thin plate layers 15 and 19 on the inner peripheral surface side are covered with the synthetic resin layers 16 and 20 on the outer peripheral surface side against heat and gas seals. Therefore, the synthetic resin layers 16 and 19 on the outer peripheral surface side deal with the impact force, and the airbag 1 can be inflated smoothly.

Since the case 13 is not made of a single metal material, the weight of the case 13 can be reduced, and the weight of the airbag apparatus M can be reduced.

By the way, in the case of the embodiment, the weight of the case can be reduced from 1200 g to 1000 g, and the weight of the airbag apparatus M can be reduced by about 10% as compared with the case of forming the case with an iron plate having a thickness of 1 mm. I was able to do it.

In the embodiment, the case 13 is divided into upper and lower halves, but it goes without saying that the present invention may be applied to an undivided case.

In the embodiment, the lid 30 that opens when the airbag 1 inflates is provided in the instrument panel P. However, it goes without saying that the instrument panel P has an opening and a case is provided in the opening. You may comprise so that the lid material connected to the 13 side may be arrange | positioned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a mode of use of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Airbag, 4 ... Inflator, 13 ... Case, 14 ... Upper case, 15 ... Metal thin plate layer, 16 ... Synthetic resin layer, 18 ... Lower case, 19 ... Metal thin plate layer, 20 ... Synthetic resin layer, M ... Airbag apparatus.

Front page continued (72) Inventor Kazumi Ichimaru 1 Ochiai, Nagahata, Kasuga-cho, Nishi-Kasugai-gun, Aichi Prefecture, Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. In the company

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An airbag, an inflator that supplies gas to the airbag, a case that holds the airbag and the inflator, and covers a lower side and a lateral side of the folded airbag and the inflator. An airbag device comprising: a case, wherein the case has a two-layer structure of a metal thin plate layer on the inner peripheral surface side and a synthetic resin layer having impact resistance on the outer peripheral surface side. Air bag device.