JPH07115624B2 - Air bagging device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Objectives of the Invention (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a steering wheel of a driver, which inflates an airbag rapidly when a collision accident occurs in a vehicle such as an automobile.
The present invention relates to a vehicle airbag device that prevents contact with a windshield or the like.

(2) Prior Art Between the power source and the inflator, an inflator capable of rapidly supplying high-pressure gas to the airbag to rapidly inflate the airbag, a power source capable of supplying power to the inflator to operate the inflator, and It is known in the art that an airbag module equipped with a deceleration detection switch, which is interposed in a connection circuit for connection and which opens during normal times and closes when a deceleration of a vehicle body exceeds a predetermined value, is detachably attached to a steering wheel of a vehicle. Therefore, the connection circuit itself has the advantage that the connection circuit is shortened and its handling is simple.

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since the airbag module is provided with all the parts necessary for the operation of the inflator inside, the deceleration detection is performed by dropping the module when the module is removed from the steering wheel. If the switch is shocked, the inflator may malfunction. In order to prevent such malfunction, for example, when an interlock mechanism that engages with a deceleration sensing switch to invalidate it is used, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-78536, Since the interlock mechanism needs to be specially added to the deceleration sensing switch that requires high precision and has a complicated structure, the overall structure is complicated and costly, and the operating accuracy of the deceleration sensing switch is reduced. I have a problem.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an airbag device having the same advantages as those of the above-described conventional device, and without causing the problem of the conventional device. To do.

B. Configuration of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an inflator capable of rapidly supplying high-pressure gas to the airbag in order to rapidly inflate the airbag, and the inflator. A deceleration sensing switch, which is opened in normal time and is closed when the deceleration of the vehicle body exceeds a predetermined value, is inserted in a connection circuit connecting the power supply and the inflator to operate the In a vehicle airbag device in which the and are centrally disposed on a predetermined portion of the vehicle body, some of the inflator, the power source, and the deceleration detection switch are fixedly mounted on the predetermined portion of the vehicle body, and the rest thereof. One is detachably attached to the predetermined portion, and the connection circuit is configured to be separable between the one portion and the remaining portion.

(2) Action The inflator, the power supply and the deceleration detection switch can be shortened in the connection circuit because the distance between the inflator, the power supply and the deceleration detection switch can be shortened by centrally deploying them in a predetermined portion of the vehicle body, and the handling thereof is also improved. Will be easier.

In addition, the inflator, the power source, and the deceleration detection switch are separated from the remaining part of the vehicle main body by a predetermined portion of the vehicle body, and the connection circuit between the part of the inflator and the remaining part is disconnected. Therefore, the inflator will not malfunction even if the deceleration sensing switch malfunctions.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in which a steering wheel W of an automobile has a central boss plate 1 and an annular wheel rim that serves as a grip. 2 and the two spokes 3 on the left and right that extend radially from the left and right sides of the boss plate 1 at intervals in the circumferential direction so as to integrally connect the wheel 2 and the boss plate 1 of the wheel rim 2. , These spokes 3 and boss plate 1
The boss plate 1 is connected to the rear end of the steering shaft 6 which is rotatably supported by the steering column 5.

The arm-shaped unit case 7 of the airbag unit U is attached to the boss plate 1 as follows. That is, the left and right ends of the boss plate 1 are bent toward the steering column 5, and each bent end 1a has a pair of left and right brackets fixed to the bottom surface of the unit case 7.
A bolt B penetrating the bracket 7a is screwed into the bracket 7a, and the bracket 7a is fixed to the boss plate 1 via the bolt B. The wheel cover 4 is provided with a pair of through holes 4a through which a tool (not shown) for tightening the bolt B is inserted, and an opening 4b surrounding the outer periphery of the unit case 7 with a small gap. It is formed.

The unit case 7 holds an inflator 1 that can rapidly generate high-pressure gas, and a bowl-shaped unit cover 8 is attached to the opening edge of the case 7. Its cover 8
In the space formed between the case 7 and the case 7, the front portion of the airbag A, whose base is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the inflator I and can be inflated by the high-pressure gas, is folded and accommodated.

The boss plate 1 is interposed in a connection circuit C that connects the capacitor 9 as a power source and the ignition device 10 of the inflator I and is opened in normal time, and the vehicle body is decelerated to a certain degree or more. A deceleration sensing switch S which is closed when actuated is held, and the capacitor 9 and the switch S are fixed to the boss plate 1 and connected to a printed circuit board 11 which constitutes a main part of the connection circuit C.
From the printed circuit board 11 to the connection circuit C, the vehicle battery
Connection cord 12 for connecting Ba in parallel with the capacitor 9
In the middle of the cord 12, a known slip ring 13 that allows relative rotation between the steering wheel W and the steering column 5 is interposed. The second
In the figure, Ig is an engine ignition switch, but the switch Ig can be omitted from this circuit.

Further, the socket 14 fixed to the printed circuit board 11 is connected to the ignition device 10 of the inflator I and is connected to the inflator I.
An insertion plug 15 protruding from the bottom surface is adapted to be inserted when the airbag unit U is attached to the steering wheel W, and the ignition device 10 is correctly set in the connection circuit C in the insertion state. (See Figure 2).

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. The airbag unit U has a bracket on the bottom surface of the unit case 7 when the airbag unit U is attached to the steering wheel W.
7a is fixed to the bracket 1a of the boss plate 1 via the bolt B, and in this state, the insertion plug 15 of the inflator I is inserted into the socket 14 of the printed board 11 and is correctly set in the connection circuit C. . Further, since the deceleration acting on the vehicle body is below a certain value in a normal driving state of the automobile, the deceleration sensing switch S does not operate and is held in the open state.

When a vehicle has a collision accident under such a condition and a deceleration of a certain value or more acts on the vehicle body, the deceleration detection switch S immediately operates to close the connection circuit C, and the on-vehicle battery Ba or the capacitor Since the ignition device 10 of the inflator I is energized by the ignition device 9, the ignition device 10 ignites the object to be ignited in the inflator I, and the high pressure gas is rapidly supplied from the inflator I into the airbag A. The bag A rapidly inflates and pierces the unit cover 8 and is greatly blocked in front of the driver to prevent the driver from colliding with the steering wheel W, the windshield or the like.

By the way, when removing the inactive airbag unit U from the steering wheel W, after loosening the bolts B and pulling it out through the through hole 4a of the wheel cover 4, the unit case 7 is held in the hand. The steering wheel W is pulled backward along the axis of the steering wheel W. By this pull-out operation, the plug 15 of the inflator I is automatically pulled out from the socket 14, so that the inflator I
The ignition device 10 is disconnected from the connection circuit C, so that the inflator I will not operate even if the deceleration sensing switch S malfunctions.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned embodiment, as the means for disconnecting the steering wheel W side portion and the airbag unit U side portion of the connection circuit C, the connector comprising the plug 15 and the socket 14 is used. In the present invention, a connector 16 composed of male and female couplers as shown in FIG. 3 may be used as the disconnecting means.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.
This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the deceleration detection switch S is provided inside the unit case 7, but the airbag unit U is separated from the steering wheel W and the plug on the unit U side is inserted. Similar to the first embodiment, the inflator I becomes inoperable simply by pulling 15 out of the socket 14 on the steering wheel W side.

Furthermore, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the capacitor 9 is provided inside the unit case 7, Separate the airbag unit U from the steering wheel W and insert the plug 15 on the unit U side into the steering wheel W.
Similar to the previous embodiment, the inflator I becomes inoperable only by pulling out from the socket 14 on the side. Also in the second and third embodiments, the connector 16 composed of a male and female coupler as shown in FIG. 3 can be used as a disconnecting means for the connecting circuit C.

In the above embodiment, the condenser 9 connected in parallel with the vehicle-mounted battery Ba is used in the connection circuit C as a power source capable of supplying electric power to the inflator I. However, in the present invention, it is separated from the vehicle-mounted battery Ba. An independent dedicated battery (not shown) can also be used as the power source.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inflator I, the capacitor 9 as a power source, and the deceleration detection switch S are centrally arranged on the steering wheel W of the automobile. May be concentratedly arranged in a predetermined portion, for example, a portion near the handle column of the instrument panel facing the front seat occupant. Further, the vehicle to which the present invention is applied is not limited to an automobile, and may be a railroad vehicle or an aircraft.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, an inflator capable of rapidly supplying high-pressure gas to the airbag to rapidly inflate it, and a power supply capable of supplying power to the inflator to operate it. And a deceleration detection switch, which is interposed in a connection circuit that connects the power source and the inflator, opens in normal time and closes when the deceleration of the vehicle body exceeds a predetermined value, because it is centrally arranged in a predetermined portion of the vehicle body. The inflator, the power source, and the deceleration detection switch can be brought close to each other to shorten the connection circuit, and the handling thereof can be simplified.

Further, some of the inflator, the power source, and the deceleration sensing switch are fixedly mounted on the predetermined portion of the vehicle body,
Further, the remaining one is removably attached to the predetermined portion, and the connection circuit is configured to be separable between the one portion and the remaining one, so that the remaining one is attached to the vehicle main body. It is impossible to energize the power supply from the power source to the inflator by simply separating the connection circuit from the predetermined portion and also in the middle of the connection circuit, and therefore, even if the deceleration sensing switch malfunctions, there is no possibility that the inflator malfunctions. In addition, the deceleration sensing switch, which requires high precision and has a complicated structure, does not require any special work or modification to prevent malfunction, so the structure is simple and the deceleration sensing switch operates. There is no fear of lowering the accuracy.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a steering wheel portion, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram, and FIG. 3 is a modification of a disconnecting means of a connecting circuit. First to show
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to the drawing, and FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1, and FIG. Further, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram. A ... Airbag, C ... Connection circuit, I ... Inflator, S ... Deceleration detection switch, W ... Steering wheel, 9 ... Capacitor as power supply, 14 ... Socket, 15 ...
… Plug plug, 16… Connector

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An inflator capable of rapidly supplying high-pressure gas to an airbag to rapidly inflate the same, a power supply capable of supplying power to the inflator to operate the inflator, and a connection between the power source and the inflator. A vehicle air bag device in which a deceleration detection switch, which is interposed in a connection circuit and opens during normal times and which closes when the deceleration of the vehicle body exceeds a predetermined value, is centrally arranged in a predetermined portion of the vehicle body. , A part of the power source and the deceleration sensing switch is fixedly mounted on the predetermined part of the vehicle body, and the rest of the switch is detachably attached to the predetermined part, part of which and the rest An air bag device for a vehicle, wherein the connection circuit is configured to be separable in the middle thereof.