JPH1191503A - Air bag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an exclusive fitting space for an air bag device for protecting an outside-vehicle person such as a pedestrian from a shock at the time of collision, and facilite the use of common parts between an air-bag-mounted vehicle an air-bag-unmounted vehicle. SOLUTION: An inflator 4, for generating high-pressure gas in accordance with a collision forecasting signal, is to be housed in the inside of a beam member 2, installed in a width direction of the front or rear end parts of a vehicle body, and while a shock absorbing bag 5, supplied high-pressure gas of the inflator 4 to be unfolded outside the vehicle, is to be installed between the beam member 2 and a bumper member 3 provided outside the beam member 2.

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 protecting a non-occupant such as a pedestrian from an impact at the time of a collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for protecting a non-occupant such as a pedestrian from an impact at the time of a collision, an impact absorbing bag stored in a front end portion of a vehicle body is inflated when collision prediction means determines that collision avoidance is impossible. There is known an airbag device configured to be deployed on the front of a vehicle body by using high-pressure gas generated by air (see JP-A-6-72284).

Conventionally, such an airbag device is modularized with the inflator attached to the bag in consideration of the direction of jet of high-pressure gas and the like so that the airbag is quickly deployed in a predetermined direction. That was common.

[0004]

However, if the inflator and the bag are constructed as an integrated module as described above, it is necessary to secure a large mounting space, and the shape of the mounting portion is restricted. Since it becomes difficult to share parts with a non-equipped vehicle, manufacturing costs tend to increase.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, reduces the dedicated mounting space, and facilitates the sharing of parts between non-mounted vehicles. It has been devised for the purpose of providing.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a beam erected in a width direction at a front end or a rear end of a vehicle body so as to substantially receive an external force at the time of a collision. It is attached to a bumper composed of a member and a bumper member that covers the beam member. Specifically, an inflator that generates a high-pressure gas in accordance with a collision prediction signal is housed inside the beam member, and the inflator is The high-pressure gas is supplied and the shock-absorbing bag which expands outside the vehicle is disposed between the beam member and the bumper member.

According to this, since the inflator is housed inside the beam member, the exclusive space can be reduced by the amount of the inflator. Therefore, it becomes easy to share the peripheral parts with the non-mounted vehicle. In addition, as a result of setting the cross-sectional shape of the beam member so as to satisfy various factors such as rigidity required for the beam member, a recess such as an internal cavity or a groove is generally formed. By utilizing it as a storage space for the inflator, it is not necessary to significantly change the structure of the beam member. In addition, since the inflator is supported by the relatively high-rigidity beam member, not only is the mounting rigidity of the inflator secured, but also a large reaction force can be obtained when the bag is deployed. Becomes possible.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a peripheral portion of a front bumper to which an airbag device according to the present invention is applied. The front bumper is a metal cylindrical bumper beam 2 which is installed in the width direction of the vehicle body with respect to a bulkhead 1 at the front of the vehicle body and substantially receives an impact force at the time of a collision.
And a synthetic resin bumper panel 3 that covers the bumper beam 2. A pair of inflators 4 constituting the airbag device according to the present invention are housed on both left and right sides of the bumper beam 2. The airbag 5 constituting the airbag device is stored in a folded state on the front side of the bumper beam 2 from the opening 3a of the bumper panel 3.

The inflator 4 generates a high-pressure gas for deploying and inflating the airbag 5 in response to a collision prediction signal from a collision prediction means (not shown), and includes a straight cylinder having a gas generating agent loaded therein. A torso 7 forming a shape,
A high-pressure gas ejection portion 8 provided at one end of the body portion 7;
And a flange 9 provided at the other end of the body 7.

The bumper beam 2 is formed in a mountain shape in a plan view whose central portion in the width direction protrudes forward substantially corresponding to the shape of the bumper panel 3 bulging forward, and has a bent portion 2a at the central portion in the width direction. Straight part 2 formed on both sides on both sides
The inflator 4 is accommodated in each of b and 2c. A pair of stays 10 fixed to the left and right ends of the bumper beam 2 are fixed to the mounting surface 1a of the bulkhead 1 by screws on the left and right sides.

A pair of brackets 11 and 12 for supporting the inflator 4 are provided inside the right and left straight portions 2b and 2c, respectively, as shown in FIG.
12 and the bumper beam 2 provided on the entire circumference of
The brackets 11 and 12 are firmly fixed to the bumper beam 2 by joining the inner wall surfaces of the brackets to each other by welding or the like.

The brackets 11 and 12 have inflators 4
Center holes 14 and 15 for holding the holes are respectively opened. Relatively small center hole 1 of inner bracket 11
Reference numeral 4 is formed to have a required diameter so that a screw portion 16 provided on the ejection portion 8 at one end of the inflator 4 can be inserted. On the other hand, the relatively large center hole 15 of the outer bracket 12 is formed to have a required diameter so that the body 7 of the inflator 4 can be inserted and the flange 9 at the other end cannot be inserted.

Therefore, when the inflator 4 is inserted into the inside of the bumper beam 2 from the end opening of the bumper beam 2, the flange 9 of the inflator 4 is locked to the outer bracket 12, and in this state, the peripheral wall of the bumper beam 2 The inflator 4 is firmly connected to the brackets 11 and 12 by screwing the nut 18 to the screw portion 16 of the inflator 4 using the working hole 17 formed on the back side.

An outlet 19 for high-pressure gas generated from the inflator 4 is provided on the front side of the peripheral wall of the bumper beam 2, and the opening edge of the outlet 19 has a bumper panel as shown in FIG. An opening of the airbag 5 stored in a folded state between the bumper beam 3 and the bumper beam 2 is joined in a substantially airtight state. Therefore, when the inflator 4 generates high-pressure gas in response to the collision prediction signal, the high-pressure gas is introduced into the inside of the airbag 5 from the ejection port 19, and the airbag 5 is moved to the front side of the bumper panel 3 as shown by an imaginary line. Expand to

In the present invention, the beam member accommodating the inflator is not limited to a shape having a mountain shape in a plan view having a bent portion at the center in the left-right direction like the bumper beam 2 described above.

It is easiest to form the beam member as a whole in a straight line. However, in this case, the rise of the load at the time of collision is delayed, so that the energy absorption efficiency decreases and the beam of the vehicle body outer plate is reduced. The ability to follow the design is reduced. On the other hand, if a beam member having a curved shape corresponding to the outer shape of the bumper member forming a part of the vehicle body outer plate is used, the accommodation of a straight bar-shaped inflator is reduced for convenience in manufacturing. In some cases, it is necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of the beam member, and the space reduction effect is reduced.

Therefore, if at least a part of the beam member is formed substantially straight in the axial direction and the inflator is accommodated in this linear portion, the cross-sectional area of the beam member does not increase. For example, as shown in the bumper beam 2 in the present embodiment, when the inflator is arranged in a straight portion formed on the left and right sides of a beam member having a mountain shape in a plan view having a bent portion at the center in the left-right direction, the beam member Is substantially in line with the bumper member, so that the impact energy absorption of the beam member and the design followability with respect to the bumper member are not significantly reduced. Further, the inflator may be inserted linearly from the end opening of the cylindrical beam member, so that the attachment of the inflator to the beam member does not deteriorate. Therefore, the beam member can be shared with a non-mounted vehicle while securing the attachment of the inflator to the beam member.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the inflator is housed inside the beam member of the bumper, the space occupied by the airbag device can be reduced. Can be easily shared. On the other hand, the beam member is generally formed with a recess such as an internal cavity or a groove. By utilizing this as a space for accommodating the inflator, the structure of the beam member does not need to be significantly changed. Also, the beam member can be shared with a non-equipped vehicle, and a very remarkable effect can be obtained in reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, since the inflator is supported by a relatively rigid beam member,
In addition to securing the rigidity of the inflator, a large reaction force can be obtained when the bag is deployed, so that the shock-absorbing bag can be deployed stably and protects pedestrians and other non-occupants from the impact of a collision. At the same time, a great effect can be obtained in reducing the impact on the vehicle body side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a peripheral portion of a front bumper to which an airbag device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an essential part cross-sectional view showing a state where an inflator is housed in a bumper beam.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a peripheral portion of a front bumper.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bulk head, 1a mounting surface 2 Bumper beam, 2a bending part, 2b, 2c linear part 3 Bumper panel, 3a opening 4 Inflator 5 Airbag 7 Body 8 Jetting part 9 Flange 10 Stay 11 ・ 12 Bracket 13 Mounting piece 14. 15 Center hole 16 Screw 17 Work hole 18 Nut 19 Spout

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An airbag apparatus comprising: an inflator that generates high-pressure gas in response to a collision prediction signal; and an impact absorbing bag that is supplied with the high-pressure gas of the inflator and deploys outside the vehicle, wherein the inflator has a vehicle body. The shock absorbing bag is housed inside a beam member bridged in the width direction at the front end or the rear end of the beam member, between the beam member and a bumper member provided outside the beam member. An airbag device characterized by being installed in an airbag.