JPH0769159A - Air bag device for assistant driver's seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an air bag device for assistant driver's seat which can absorb the inpanel impact exceedingly sufficiently. CONSTITUTION:A recessed stripe 38 is formed on the reverse surface of a lid 20. Reinforcing plates 24 and 26 are arranged on both the sides of the recessed stripe 38. Accordingly, the part of the recessed stripe 38 is not reinforced by the reinforcing plates and constitutes a tear line 40. The tear line 40 is positioned between the front edge 12a of a container 12 and the front end of a bracket 34. When an inpanel impact F is applied on an air bag device 10 for assistant driver's seat, the lid 20 and the container 12 are plastically deformed, and a large quantity of impact energy can be absorbed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device for a passenger seat, which is provided on an instrument panel of a vehicle and which deploys the airbag in the event of a vehicle collision to protect an occupant in the passenger seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of passenger airbag device, a folded airbag and an inflator are attached to a container-shaped container, and a lid is attached so as to cover the airbag. When the inflator is activated during a vehicle collision, the airbag begins to deploy,
First, the lid is pushed by the airbag and tears along the tear line, and the lid opens like a door. Following this, the airbag greatly expands toward the interior.

[0003]

In the instrument panel, a characteristic is defined by law that, when an impact is applied, the instrument panel undergoes a concave deformation while absorbing the impact energy so that the impact can be absorbed when the occupant collides with the instrument panel. Has been (impact panel impact regulation). The passenger airbag device also needs to pass this instrument panel impact regulation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device for a passenger seat which can absorb the impact of the instrument panel extremely sufficiently.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An airbag device for a passenger seat according to the present invention is a box-shaped container having an opening at the front, an airbag folded and stored in the container, and the container. An inflator attached to the container, and a lid covering the front surface of the container,
In the passenger airbag device, wherein the lid is provided with a tear line for cleaving the lid when the airbag is deployed, the tear line is arranged laterally outside the open mouth edge portion of the front surface of the container. It is characterized by.

[0006]

When the airbag is deployed, the lid is pushed by the airbag from behind and is split along the tear line. Then, the lid opens toward the vehicle interior like a door.

When a large external force (instrument panel impact) is applied to the passenger seat airbag device from the front side of the lid, the lid and further the container are deformed to absorb the impact energy.

According to the present invention, even when an instrument panel impact is applied to the lid, the lid does not tear in the area inside the opening on the front surface of the container. This is because the tear line is not inside the container. While the shock is being applied,
Since the lid does not open and the lid and the container are plastically deformed, a large amount of impact energy is absorbed.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an airbag apparatus 10 for a passenger seat according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a deformation situation of the instrument panel impact.

An airbag 14 is folded and stored in a container 12 having an open front surface. Airbag 14
The end portion of is fixed to the container 12 with rivets 16. An inflator 18 for deploying the airbag 14 is installed in the container 12.

The front opening of the container 12 is covered with a lid 20. The lid 20 includes a synthetic resin portion 22 and reinforcing members 24 and 26 inserted in the synthetic resin portion 22. A plate-shaped or mesh-shaped reinforcing material is suitable. The material of the reinforcing material is preferably metal or synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the reinforcing material is an aluminum plate.

Leg pieces 28 and 30 are integrally provided with the synthetic resin portion 22 so as to project rearward of the lid. One leg 28 is
It is fixed to one side surface of the container 12 by rivets 32.

A bracket 34 is provided on the side of the container 12, and the other leg 28 is attached to the bracket 34.
It is attached by means of rivets 36.

A recess 38 is provided from the rear surface of the lid 20. The reinforcing plates 24 and 26 are arranged on both sides of the recess 38. That is, the portion of the concave line 38 is not reinforced by the reinforcing plate and constitutes the tear line 40.

The tear line 40 is located between the front edge 12a of the container 12 and the front end of the bracket 34.

In the passenger-side airbag device 10 thus constructed, the inflator 18 is provided in response to a vehicle collision.
Is operated, the airbag 14 presses the lid 20 from the back side, the lid 20 is split along the tear line 40, and the lid is opened as indicated by an arrow A.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, when the instrument panel impact F is applied to the passenger seat airbag apparatus 10, the lid 20 and the container 12 are plastically deformed and a large amount of impact energy is absorbed.

In this case, if the lid 20 is the container 12
If the front edge 12a, 12b of the
0 and the container 12 do not undergo plastic deformation so much, and the amount of air bag absorption is small. However, in this embodiment, the container 1
Since the reinforcing member 24 is provided so as to straddle the two front edges 12a and 12b, the lid 20 does not tear between the front edges 12a and 12b due to the instrument panel impact as shown in FIG.
The lid 20 is plastically deformed by the instrument panel impact, and the container 12 is also largely plastically deformed accordingly.

As the lid 20 and the container 12 are largely plastically deformed as described above, a large amount of impact energy is absorbed.

In the above embodiment, the reinforcing members 24 and 26 are embedded in the synthetic resin portion 22, but in the present invention, like the lid 20a of the passenger airbag apparatus 10A shown in FIG. Reinforcing materials 24a and 26a of synthetic resin 22
The leg pieces 28a and 30a, which are arranged on the back surface of the a and are erected from the reinforcing members 24a and 26a, may be fixed to the container 12 and the bracket 34.

The other structure of FIG. 3 is the same as that of FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a passenger seat airbag device 10B according to another embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the bracket 44 has an L-shaped cross-section having a base piece 44a extending along the side surface of the container 12 and a projecting piece 44b protruding laterally from the container 12. The base piece 44a is fixed to the container 12 by a rivet 46. The lid 20b is superposed on the projecting piece 44b, and the lid is fixed with bolts 48. The bolt 48 is fixed to a reinforcing member (aluminum plate in this embodiment) 26b.

Other configurations in FIG. 4 are the same as those in FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

The passenger airbag device 10 shown in FIG.
Even in B, the amount of energy absorbed by the instrument panel impact applied to the lid is extremely large. When an impact is applied to the vicinity of the overhanging portion 44b of the bracket 44 as indicated by arrow F in FIG. 4, a large amount of impact energy is absorbed by the deformation of the overhanging portion 44b.

Also in the passenger airbag device 10B shown in FIG. 4, a reinforcing material may be arranged on the back surface of the synthetic resin portion as shown in FIG.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the lid 20c
The reinforcing member 24c may be extended to the inside of the leg piece 28c.

[0028]

As described above, according to the airbag apparatus for a passenger seat of the present invention, the lid and the container are sufficiently deformed when the instrument panel impact is applied, so that the energy of the instrument panel impact is absorbed very sufficiently. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a passenger seat airbag device 10 according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed state of the passenger seat airbag apparatus 10 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a passenger seat airbag device 10A according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a passenger seat airbag device 10B according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the main parts of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10A, 10B Passenger airbag device 12 Container 14 Airbag 20, 20a, 20b, 20c Lid 24, 26 Reinforcement member 34, 44 Bracket 38 Recessed line 40 Tear line

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A box-shaped container having an open front surface, an airbag folded and housed in the container, an inflator attached to the container, and a front surface of the container. A passenger airbag device having a lid and a tear line for cleaving the lid when the airbag is deployed, wherein the tear line is located closer to the front opening edge of the container. An airbag device for a passenger seat, which is arranged outside in a lateral direction.