JPH09277897A - Air-bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To install a door in a case at a low cost simply, in an air-bag device stored an air-bag, wherein an inflator and a difuser are stored in the case and also the opening part is covered with a door. SOLUTION: An extension part 18c extending toward a case 12 opening part from the installation part 18a of a difuser 18 installed on the inside surface of the case 12 is formed and an insertion part 32, in which the door installation part 24 of a door 20 is inserted, is formed between this extension part 18c and the inside surface of the case 12. When the door installation part 24 is inserted in the insertion part 32 by installing an engaging projection 34 on the insertion part 32 and an engaging hole 36 on the door installation part 24 respectively, the engaging projection 34 is engaged with the engaging hole 36 and the drop out of the door installation part 24 is regulated and thereby, the door 20 can be installed in the case 12 by only said insertion.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airbag device which is a device for protecting a passenger in a vehicle or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to protect an occupant in a vehicle in the event of a collision of a vehicle or the like, an airbag device may be provided in an instrument panel or a central portion of a steering wheel.

Such an airbag device generally accommodates an airbag, an inflator which is a gas generator, and a diffuser which regulates the flow of gas emitted by the inflator in a case, and the opening of the case. It is covered with a door, and when a vehicle collides, gas is generated from the inflator and the airbag is inflated (inflation),
This is configured to receive the body of the occupant.
Here, the diffuser is arranged between the inflator and the airbag so as to properly inflate the airbag during inflation, and regulates the flow of gas sent from the inflator to the airbag.

For example, in the conventional airbag device 100 shown in FIG. 5, a case 101 that opens upward is
An inflator 102 is arranged on the bottom of the case, and a diffuser 103 is attached to the inner surface of the case 101 by welding, rivets or bolt nuts so as to cover the inflator 102.
Further, in a state in which the airbag 104 is folded above it, it is attached to the inner side surface of the case 101 by the rivet 106 via the bag retainer 105. The opening of the case 101 is covered by the door 107. The door 107 has a door extending portion 108 extending downward from the lower surface of the door 107 on the outer surface side of the opening edge portion of the case 101, and a fixing member 109 such as a rivet or a bolt nut.
The case 1 is fixed to the opening edge by
01 is attached to the opening.

[0005]

As in the conventional airbag device 100, the door 107 is fixed by the fixing member 109.
In the structure of attaching the fixing member 10 to the case 101,
Therefore, there is a problem that the number of parts is large and the cost is high, and the number of man-hours for attaching the door 107 and the case 101 is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device which can easily and inexpensively attach a door to a case.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air bag device comprising: an inflator which is a gas generator; an air bag which is inflated by gas emitted from the inflator; and an air bag between the inflator and the air bag. An air bag device in which the diffuser for restricting the flow of gas emitted by the inflator is housed in a case, and the opening of the case is covered with a door,
The door has a door attachment portion that extends toward the inside of the case, the diffuser is attached to an inner surface of the case, and an extension portion that extends from the attachment portion toward the opening of the case. An insertion portion into which the door attachment portion is inserted is formed between the extended portion of the diffuser and the inner side surface of the case, and the door attachment portion is provided in the insertion portion and the door attachment portion. An engaging portion is provided which engages in the pulling-out direction when inserted into the inserting portion.

In this airbag device, when the door is attached to the case opening at the time of manufacture, the door attachment portion is inserted into the insertion portion formed between the inner surface of the case and the extended portion of the diffuser. insert. By this insertion, the engagement portions provided on the insertion portion and the door attachment portion engage with each other, and the removal of the door attachment portion from the insertion portion is restricted. In this way, the door can be attached to the case simply by inserting the door attachment portion into the insertion portion provided in the opening of the case, so that the attachment work is simpler and the fixing member compared to the conventional one. Since the number of parts is eliminated, the number of parts is reduced, and thus the cost is low.

An airbag device according to a second aspect is the airbag device according to the first aspect, wherein the engaging portion provided in the insertion portion is provided with a plurality of engaging portions provided in the extending portion of the diffuser or the case. It is a fitting protrusion, and the engaging portion provided on the door mounting portion is a plurality of engaging holes that engage with the engaging protrusions, respectively.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An airbag device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the airbag device 10, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device 10, FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional perspective view of the device 10, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts at the time of manufacturing 10.

The airbag device 10 is arranged on an instrument panel in front of a passenger seat of an automobile. An airbag 14, an inflator 16 and a diffuser 18 are housed in a case 12 which opens upward. The opening of the case 12 is covered by the door 20.

The case 12 is a metal box-shaped container which is open upward and has a rectangular horizontal cross section. The case 12 has a curved surface at the bottom and is formed into a substantially U-shaped vertical cross section. A cylindrical inflator 16 is housed in the bottom of the curved case 12, and a charging hole 22 for mounting the inflator 16 is provided in one side wall of the case 12.

The airbag 14 is a bag body made of synthetic fiber woven fabric or the like, opened downward and bulged upward, and is disposed above the inflator 16 in a folded or rolled state. There is.

The inflator 16 is connected to a control unit (not shown), and generates gas in the case 12 under a predetermined condition such as a collision of a vehicle, so that the airbag 14 is moved to the case 1.
It swells outside from the opening of 2.

The diffuser 18 is a metal restricting member for restricting the flow of gas emitted by the inflator 16.
It is arranged between the inflator 16 and the airbag 14, and is attached to the inner surface of the case 12 by welding, rivets, or bolts and nuts.

The door 20 is a synthetic resin lid member that covers the opening of the case 12, and has a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the opening. On the lower surface of the door 18, plate-shaped door mounting portions 24, 24 extending downward are provided on the long side thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the diffuser 18 is
Left and right plate-shaped mounting portions 18a fixedly attached to both inner side surfaces on the long sides of the case 12 in the substantially central portion in the vertical direction,
18a is connected to the lower ends of the left and right mounting portions 18a, 18a to partition the bottom space of the case 12 in which the inflator 16 is arranged from the upper space thereof, and the left and right mounting portions 18a, 18a The case 12 includes left and right extending portions 18c and 18c extending to the upper surface of the opening, and as shown in FIG. 3, they are formed in substantially the same shape along the longitudinal direction of the case 12.

The opening portions of the airbag 14 are attached to the mounting portions 18a, 18a by rivets 30, 30 at the substantially central portion thereof, with bag retainers 28, 28 extending along the longitudinal direction of the case 12. Has been.

The partition 18b has a plate-like shape that is convexly curved so as to face the curved surface of the bottom surface of the case 12, and the central portion thereof is a gas that communicates with the space above the bottom space of the case 12. The air outlet 26 is formed.

The extended portion 18c is the upper end 31 of the mounting portion 18a.
To form a plate shape that is bent inwardly of the case 12 so as to be separated from the side wall of the case 12, and acts as a hinge portion that bends with the upper end 31 as a fulcrum. This extended portion 18c, 1
Insertion gaps 32, 32 into which the door mounting portions 24, 24 of the door 20 are inserted are formed at a predetermined interval between the 8c and the inner surface of the case 12, and the insertion gaps 32, 32 are formed.
Are located on the upper part of the case 12 and open upward.

A plurality of engaging projections 34, 34, ...
Are arranged in parallel along the opening side of the case 12. The engagement protrusion 34 is formed by protruding from the side wall of the case 12 in a rectangular shape, and has a bent shape that inclines inward and downward from the side wall and extends further downward, as shown in FIG. .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the door mounting portion 24,
24 are formed with a plurality of rectangular engaging holes 36, 36 ... Fitting into the plurality of engaging protrusions 34. Then, each engagement protrusion 34 has a corresponding engagement hole 3
6, the lower end of which is brought into contact with the lower surface of the engaging hole 36, whereby the removal of the door mounting portion 24 is restricted.

Reference numeral 38 is a locking step portion which restricts the downward movement of the door 20, and is formed at the outer root portion of the door mounting portions 24, 24. The locking step portions 38, 38 are
The door 12 contacts the upper end of the case 12 to restrict the downward movement of the door 20, and position the case 12 and the door 20.

Reference numeral 40 is a tear that is cleaved by the pressure of gas during inflation and is formed on the lower surface of the door 20. The tear of the tear 40 causes the airbag 14 to bulge out of the case 12.

When assembling the airbag device 10 having the above structure, first, the airbag 14 is attached to the bag retainer 2.
It is attached to the mounting portions 18a, 18a of the diffuser 18 and the case 12 by means of rivets 30, 30 ... After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the door mounting portions 24, 24 of the door 20 are inserted into the insertion gaps 32, 32, and the door 2
0 is attached to the opening of the case 12.

The operation of mounting the door 20 is shown in FIG.
Will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the door mounting portion 24
Is inserted into the insertion gap 32 from above, the door mounting portion 24
The lower end of the hits the engaging projection 34. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the lower end of the door mounting portion 24 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 34.
Is guided to the inclined surface of the case 12 as shown by an arrow k.
While bending inwardly of the diffuser 18, the extending portion 18c of the diffuser 18 uses the upper end 31 of the mounting portion 18a as a fulcrum
As shown by an arrow j, the case 12 bends inward. As a result, when the door attachment portion 24 reaches further below the insertion gap 32 and the engagement hole 36 reaches the position of the engagement protrusion 34, the engagement protrusion 34 engages as shown in FIG. 4C. The extended portion 18 of the diffuser 18 enters into the fitting hole 36.
The c and the case mounting portion 24 recover from the flexed state. Then, the lower end of the engaging projection 34 contacts the lower surface of the engaging hole 36, and the upper end of the case 12 contacts the lower surface of the locking step 38. As a result, the door 20 is attached and fixed to the opening of the case 12.

According to the above-described airbag apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the door 20 and the case 12 are assembled at the time of assembly.
When the door mounting portions 24, 24 are attached to the openings, the door mounting portions 24, 24 are simply inserted into the insertion gaps 32, 32 provided in the opening portion of the case 12.
Since the door 20 is fixed in the housing 32 and fixed to the case 12, the mounting work is easy. Further, since the door 20 and the case 12 can be fixed to each other without fixing members such as rivets and bolts and nuts, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

The extended portion 18c of the diffuser 18
Is a hinge mechanism that can be bent when the door mounting portion 24 is inserted, so that the door mounting portion 24 can be easily inserted into the insertion gap 32 together with the hinge mechanism of the door mounting portion 24. Therefore, the door 20 can be easily attached by the operator's hand with one touch, and an attachment device such as an impact is unnecessary. Since such one-touch attachment is possible, it is easy to attach to the instrument panel integrated with the airbag door.

In the above embodiment, case 1 is used.
Although a plurality of engaging projections 34 are formed on the side wall of the second side, the plurality of engaging projections 34 may be provided on the extending portions 18c, 18c of the diffuser 18.

[0032]

According to the airbag device of the present invention, at the time of manufacturing the airbag device, the door can be attached to the opening of the case simply by inserting the door attaching portion of the door into the insertion portion provided in the opening of the case. Therefore, the mounting work is simple, and the number of parts is small and the cost is low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an airbag device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag device 10.

3 is an exploded sectional perspective view of the airbag device 10. FIG.

4 (a) to 4 (c) are cross-sectional views of relevant parts showing a state in which the door 20 is attached to the case 12 during manufacturing of the airbag device 10. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional airbag device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Airbag device 12 ... Case 14 ... Airbag 16 ... Inflator 18 ... Diffuser 18a ... Diffuser 18 mounting portion 18c ... Diffuser 18 extension 20 ... Door 24 ... Door mounting portion 32 ... ... Insertion gap 34 ... Engagement protrusion 36 ... Engagement hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An inflator which is a gas generator, an airbag which is inflated by the gas emitted by the inflator, and a diffuser which is arranged between the inflator and the airbag to regulate the flow of gas emitted by the inflator. In an airbag device in which the inside of the case is stored and the opening of the case is covered with a door, the door has a door attachment portion extending toward the inside of the case, and the diffuser is The door attachment portion is attached to the inner side surface and has an extension portion extending from the attachment portion toward the opening of the case, and the door attachment portion is inserted between the extension portion of the diffuser and the inner side surface of the case. An insertion portion is formed, and the insertion portion and the door mounting portion engage with each other when the door mounting portion is inserted into the insertion portion. Airbag and wherein the engaging portion is provided. 2. The engagement portion provided in the insertion portion,
A plurality of engaging projections provided on the extended portion of the diffuser or the case, wherein the engaging portions provided on the door mounting portion engage with the engaging projections. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein: