JPS6125575B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a link device used for starting an air bag device or the like.

More specifically, the pressure applied to the presser cover at the opening of the pressurized air container communicating with the air bag is supported by a link mechanism, the support of the link mechanism is released by an impact detection means in the event of a collision, etc., and the pressure applied to the presser cover is released. The present invention relates to a link device suitable for activating an air bag device of a vehicle, etc., which instantly releases the pressure within a minute time, immediately fills the air bag with pressurized air, and ensures the safety of occupants in the event of a collision.

As is already known, the air bag device of a vehicle detects the impact of a car collision, and if the impact exceeds a set value, it activates a gas generator, thereby inflating the air bag stored in the retracted state.
This reduces the impact on the occupants and improves the safety of the vehicle. Such an airbag device is
It consists of an air bag, a gas generator, a starting means, an impact detection means, etc.

Since such airbag devices start high-pressure gas, they are generally of the electric detonator type, which detects the impact electrically and ignites an ignition device using gunpowder, which causes an explosion and starts the gas generator. There are many.

In this way, the activation of conventional airbag devices requires the use of gunpowder to overcome the pressure of high-pressure gas and activate it, which is not desirable from a security standpoint, and is toxic and polluting from production to disposal. In rare cases, ignition may fail due to moisture absorption, making it impossible to test after assembly.
Since explosives are used during the assembly process, there is a risk of explosion, which is not desirable in terms of work safety.

However, airbag devices require the activation and deactivation of high-pressure gas, and this must be done reliably within a very short period of time. In order to do this, it is difficult to obtain a highly reliable starting means, so it is necessary to adopt a gunpowder-type starting means, which suffers from the above-mentioned problems. Various studies have been conducted to improve the above problems, but as long as gunpowder is used, it is difficult to fundamentally solve the above problems.

Therefore, we considered various starting means to replace this, and found that this type of device can be used only once, is inexpensive and can be easily mass-produced, has a simple structure, and has a high level of operation. It requires many conditions that are difficult to solve, such as being reliable and ensuring reliable operation within a very short period of time.

The inventor of the present invention has developed the present invention to effectively and rationally solve the above-mentioned problems caused by the fact that airbag devices are often activated using gunpowder.

The object of the present invention is to support the pressure applied to the presser cover of the opening of the pressure container communicating with the air bag with a link mechanism, support the link mechanism with an impact detection means, and detect the impact. To provide a link device which can release the support of the link mechanism, instantly release the pressure applied to the presser lid, etc. within a minute time, and immediately fill the air bag with pressurized air.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to be able to start the gas generator of an airbag device purely mechanically without using explosives, and to start the gas generator under a large load using a small force such as a high-speed solenoid valve or sensor weight. To provide a link device capable of releasing a container and easily obtaining a highly reliable air bag device for ensuring the safety of occupants in the event of a collision.

Another object of the present invention is to construct a link mechanism using mutually engaging pieces without using the above-mentioned gunpowder, thereby simplifying the structure, improving assembly workability,
To provide an airbag device which is truly useful and safe in place of a gunpowder type, which improves mass productivity, is preferable in terms of pollution and work safety, and provides a link device for obtaining such an airbag device.

Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide at least a piece that supports the pressure of a pressure vessel or the like, a piece that has one end supported by a solid part, and a piece that is interposed between opposite ends of this piece and that has each end on one end side. and a lever-like control piece that is supported in an offset manner and restrains rotation by the pressure support piece at the other end, and the load due to pressure is reduced as much as possible by the engaged chain link mechanism made of the pieces. The above-mentioned To provide a link device that effectively achieves the following.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This will reveal further objects and advantages of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an airbag device in which the present invention is implemented, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the front of a vehicle showing the layout of an embodiment in which the airbag device is installed on the driver's seat side, and Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the front of the vehicle showing the layout of an embodiment in which the airbag device is installed on the driver's seat side. A longitudinal sectional side view of the embodiment provided on the side steering column, FIG. 4 is a half-cut plan view of the handle, and FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of the handle part.
Figure 6 is a diagram similar to Figure 5 when the airbag is deployed;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the same side.

First, the outline of the airbag device to which the present invention is applied will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. A is a vehicle;
An electric front sensor B is installed on the body side of the mounting base 2 of the bumper 1 at the front of this, and when sensor B detects an impact exceeding a predetermined value, a high-speed solenoid C is energized and a mechanical valve is opened. Device D
Bag I is attached to the handle H by opening the valve and regulating the inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas in the high pressure gas container F to the required pressure history through the flow control E and passing it through the steering column G. and inflate it. The mechanical valve opening device D is also operated by the mechanical sensor J, and the electrical front sensor B
Compensation is made in the unlikely event of a failure, and when activated, the valve opening device D is opened, thus providing dual detection and activation means. The electric front sensor B, high-speed solenoid C, mechanical valve opening device D, and mechanical sensor J are connected to a fault display device L and a recording device M via a fault diagnosis device K, and this information is sent to the fault diagnosis device. Judgment is made by K, and in case of malfunction or incorrect operation, a warning is given to the occupants via the display device L, and if this warning is ignored and the vehicle continues to be used,
If a collision occurs after the gas pressure has decreased, this is recorded on the recording device M.

Details of the electric front sensor B provided at the front end of the vehicle are as shown in FIG. 8, with the right side in the figure being shown as the front of the vehicle. Reference numeral 3 denotes a housing for this, which is attached to the front of the vehicle via bolts 4 as described above, and a piston-shaped weight 6 is slidably fitted into an internal cylinder 5, and the weight 6 is made of nickel silver or the like. The outer periphery is covered with a coating 6a such as Teflon.
It is insulated and sliding is guaranteed. The weight 6 is pressed against the left end in the drawing by the preset spring 7, and normally comes into contact with seating detection contacts 8a and 8b at the rear end (left end in the drawing) to detect seating. On the other hand, the weight 6 is provided with an axial hole 6b with a female tapered portion 6c in the front, and a guide element 9 is provided in the other front part (right side in the figure), and the base of the guide element 9 is supported by a holder 9a. This is a claw-shaped contact 10 divided radially in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery.
These are connected via a cord 10a to a high speed solenoid C which will be described in detail later, and the seating detection contacts 8a and 8b are connected via a cord 8 to a fault diagnosis device K. Further more cylinder 5
An insulating holder 11 and a filler 12 such as urethane are interposed between the housing 3 and the housing 3. The figure shows when a collision is detected, and the weight 6 in the cylinder 5
advances against the spring 7 and conducts between the contacts 10, which transmits a signal to the solenoid C via the cord 10a and opens the mechanical valve opening device D.

Next, each of the above parts will be explained in detail.

3 to 7 show the surrounding area of the handle.

Reference numeral 13 designates an instrument panel provided in the front part of the vehicle interior, on which a steering column G is installed diagonally forward and downward, and the column body 14 is cylindrical, and in the illustrated example, the movable side 1 is of an energy absorption type.
4a and a fixed side 14b, the front end of the fixed side 14b is supported by a mounting piece 15 of the frame, and a steering shaft 16 is rotatably supported inside by a bearing 17. The column 14 is covered with an upper half 18a and a lower half 18b of a cover 18 of a vertically split type, and the main bodies 19, 19 of two high-pressure gas containers F, F are installed on the column 14, These are covered by the upper half body 18a. and shaft 1
A portion 16a on the handle H side of 6 is formed hollow, and a through hole 16b is provided around this portion to form a space 16c within the column 14 and the shaft upper portion 16a.
It can be communicated with. The shaft upper part 16a is connected to a steering wheel 20 forming a handle H so as to rotate together with the steering wheel 20. The bracket 20a of the wheel 20 is connected to the shaft upper part 16a, and an integral cover 20b is provided downwardly to cover the upper end of the cover 18. A nozzle member 21 that is long in the left-right direction is provided at the upper end of the shaft, and a nozzle member 21 is provided at the upper end of the shaft. The member 21 has a nozzle hole 21a opened on the bracket 20a from the upper end of the shaft, and the inside thereof communicates with a space 16c inside the shaft via a through hole 21b.

A bag holding lid 22 is provided on the center portion of the steering wheel 20, and the lid 22 is provided so as to surround and above the nozzle member 21, and a pad 23 is further provided on top of this. A bag 24 made of rubber or synthetic resin and forming a bag I is interposed between the member 21 and the lid 22, and the periphery of the bag 24 is sandwiched between the inner and outer diameter portions of the lid 22 and the bracket 20a. The pad 23 has a weak part 23a so that the front part can be easily destroyed in the direction of the driver.
The lid 22 is also provided with a fragile portion 22a for the same purpose.

Furthermore, a check valve 2 is installed inside the bracket 20a.
The valve 25 consists of a partition plate 25a having an opening 25b and a seat 25c made of a flexible material such as cloth or film.When the bag is deployed, the seat 25c is opened as shown in the left half of FIG. 25b
When opened, the column 1 is filled with high pressure gas inside the bag body 24.
This sucks the air inside 4 into the interior, and makes up for the lack of high-pressure gas with the sucked air. On the other hand, a check valve 26 for discharging is provided together with the check valve 25, and this 26 includes a valve 26b which is biased by a spring 26a to close an opening 26c.As shown in the left half of FIG. Closed when inhaling to
The load at the time of the occupant's collision with the deployed bag 24 closes the check valve 25 as shown in the right half of FIG. 7, and the pressure inside the bag 24 in this case opens the opening 26c against the spring 26a. , the pressure inside the bag body 24 is released to the outside, and rebound due to a collision of the occupant with the expanded bag body 24 is prevented.

By doing so, in the event of a collision, if the impact is greater than the level that would cause damage to the occupants, the high-pressure gas container F is opened and the gas flows through the through hole 16b of the upper part 16a of the shaft 16 in the column 14, space 16
c through the nozzle hole 21a of the nozzle member 21 into the bag body 24, and the bag body 24 is expanded and inflated.
Due to the presence of a and 23a, it is quickly destroyed and expansion and expansion takes place. At the same time, the check valve 25 opens and the air inside the column 14 is introduced into the bag body 24 together with the gas, and when the occupant collides with the bag body 24 after deployment and inflation, the valve 26 operates to relieve the occupant's rebound. prevent.

In addition, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 show the bag storage state, and Fig. 6 shows the bag storage state.
Figure 7 shows the unfolded and inflated state. In FIGS. 5 and 6, 27 indicates a steering lock and ignition switch, 28 indicates a switch for operating headlights, daylight lights, and turn signals, and 29 indicates a wiper switch.

Figures 9 to 11 show the high pressure gas generation vessel F.
A solenoid C is shown for starting the valve opening of the valve opening device D which performs the disclosure. Inside the case 31 of the solenoid body 30 is a bobbin 3 around which a coil 32 is wound.
3 is housed inside the bobbin 33, a core 34 is housed inside the bobbin 33, and the coil 32 is connected to the contact point 10 of the front sensor B described above via a lead wire 35.
A space 3 is provided at the front end of the core 34 via a spacer 36.
A cylinder 37 made of a magnetic material is provided at the tip of the cylinder 37, and a movable disc 38 made of a magnetic material is slidably fitted into the cylinder hole 37a of the cylinder 37, and a rod 38a of the disc 38 is attached to the case 31. The front wall 31a protrudes outward and is associated with a link mechanism of a mechanical valve opening device. And the rod 38 of the movable disk 38
The base a is removed in a conical shape to form a recess 38b,
In order to reduce the weight of the disk 38 and speed up the movement when the core 34 is energized and attracted, the edge-shaped edge of the disk 38 in the rod direction is connected to the core by a magnet 40 via a spacer washer 39 made of a non-magnetic material. 34 and is in the position shown in FIG. 10, and is related to the link mechanism.

When the contact 10 is turned on as detected by the sensor B, the coil 32 is energized and energized, and the disk 38 is attracted to the end surface 34a of the core 34, and the rod 38a moves to the right, releasing the link mechanism and releasing the high-pressure gas. Open the valve of container F. This state is shown in Fig. 11, and in reality, a low-pressure vehicle battery can generate 2 ms in 2 ms.
Make a stroke of about mm. The solenoid main body 30 described above is attached with a bracket 31b.

12 to 14 show the filling control means E for the high pressure gas container F.

The cylinder body 4 forming the container 19 in FIG.
1 has its front end screwed onto the support member 42, and between the bottom of the female thread 42a of the member 42 and the front end of the opening 41a of the cylinder body 41 is an easily ruptured sealing plate 43, and a radial notch on the outside of the sealing plate 43. A guide plate 44 is interposed which opens like a flower petal in a bursting state, thereby closing the opening 41a, and the center portion of the guide plate 44 is connected to the proximal end enlarged diameter portion 45a of the rod 45, one end of which is supported by a link mechanism. are in contact with each other and support the pressure within the main body 41.

The main body 41 has a front end portion 41b including a threaded portion 41c and a small diameter, and the other portions have a large diameter. Decorated. The front part of the member 46 is fitted into the front end small diameter part 41b, and the chamber 4 in the large diameter part 41d of the main body 41 of this member 46 is fitted.
A small primary through hole 46a is provided in the portion facing 1e, and a large secondary through hole 46b is provided behind this, and a piston 47 is slidably fitted within the member 46. The front part of the piston 47 projects conically, and this has a cavity 47a inside and a cavity 47a in the front part and a member 4 in front of the piston 47.
6, that is, a through hole 47b that allows the front and rear chambers 46c and 46d in the member 46 partitioned by the piston 47 to communicate with each other. A spring 48 is compressed between the back surface of the piston 47 and the bottom 46e of the member 46, and the piston 47 is elastically biased forward. The front end stopper part 47 of the piston 47 is fitted to the rear end of the piston 46.
c abut against each other, and the forward movement of the piston 47 is restricted. The slit 49a provided at the rear end of the inner cylinder member 49 and the primary hole 46 at the forward movement restriction position of the piston 47
a, and the high pressure chamber 41e and chamber 46c in the main body 41 are always in communication. The chamber 46c and the chamber 46d communicate with each other through a through hole 47b, and therefore the chambers 41e, 46c, and 46d are maintained at the same pressure.

In the above, the rod 45 is released by releasing the link mechanism described later, and the sealing plate 43 and the guide plate 44 are opened by the gas pressure inside the main body 41. This state immediately after opening is shown in FIG. 13, where the chamber 46c is connected to the bag body 24 and the pressure is reduced. By the way, the gas pressure drops rapidly due to the above, but on the other hand, in order to develop the bag effectively, it must be kept sufficiently low in the early stages because the bag is small and the flow rate is low, and it must be increased in the later stages. . This is necessary to improve the suction efficiency of the bag, reduce noise, and prevent danger when encountering passengers.

Therefore, in the above, the gas ejected from the chamber 41e to the chamber 46c through the primary hole 46a needs to be turned at right angles to the direction of the sealing plate 43, and the piston 47 whose tapered tip faces the primary hole 46a is moved by the reaction force. It is pushed to the right in the figure. On the other hand, before the sealing plate 43 is opened, the pressure in the chambers 46c and 46d is the same, so the piston 47 is moved by the spring 48 into the inner cylinder member 4.
9 and is in the position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

Immediately after the sealing plate 43 is opened, the pressure in the chamber 46d is equal to the pressure in the chamber 46c, but as the pressure in the chamber 46c decreases, the piston 47 is further pushed to the left by the spring 48, and the inner cylinder member 49 is pushed back. However, due to the presence of the through hole 47b, the pressure inside the chamber 46d is lower than that of the chamber 4.
6c, and the pressure difference between both chambers 46d and 46c gradually decreases. When this pressure difference becomes smaller than the reaction force of the gas ejected from the primary through hole 46a, the piston 47 moves to the right in the figure against the spring 48, and finally retreats as shown in FIG.
6b and supply a large amount of gas to the bag. Therefore, the gas flow rate is relatively small in the initial stage and becomes large in the latter stage, so that the operation of the bag in the latter stage of expansion and expansion can be carried out quickly.

FIG. 15 shows the rear end of the high-pressure gas container 19. A threaded portion 41f is provided at the rear end of the main body 41, an end nut 50 is screwed into this and sealed by electron beam welding, etc., and this 50 is attached to the bracket 51. The movable side 14 of the column 14 is connected to the column 14 with a bolt 51a or the like through the
14b is the fixed side. A gas filling pipe 52 extends from the end nut 50, and after filling, this portion 52 is crushed 52a and sealed by spot welding.
3, which melts in the event of a fire to release the pressure inside the container 19, and in such a case, the pressure is released from the small hole 54a of the cap nut 54 that covers the nut 50.

The above high pressure gas container 19 and the already mentioned solenoid 3
A gas filling starting link mechanism including a mechanical sensor is interposed between the gas charging and the gas filling start link mechanism.

16 to 20 are explanatory diagrams of the basic structure of this. Reference numeral 100 is a load piece, which is pressed with a force W in the direction of the arrow, and corresponds to the rod 45 described above. On the other hand, 101 is a support piece, and the support piece 101 has one end of the engagement part 101a at an acute angle, and the V of the fixed wall 102.
It is engaged and supported by the mold recess 102a. A control piece 103 is interposed between the pieces 100 and 101, and V-shaped recesses 103a and 103b are provided above and below one end of the control piece 103, respectively.
103b is offset. One recess 1
03a is engaged with the sharp engagement portion 100a at the tip of the load piece 100, and the other concave portion 103b is engaged with the acute engagement portion 10 at the other end of the support piece 101.
1b is engaged. The other end 103c of the control piece 103 is supported by a support member 104, and this 104 is connected to a release means including a solenoid and a mechanical sensor, which will be described later.

In the above, the load W of the pieces 100 and 103
One of the engaging portion fulcrums 100a, 103a on which
load action line and the other engagement fulcrum 101b, 103
b is offset by l ₂ , and in the illustrated example, the fulcrums 101a and 101b of the piece 101 are on the same axis, and the line of load action of W and the fulcrum 1
It is parallel to the connections 01a and 101b. Also, the angle of the recess 103a of the piece 103 is
The angle is set to be sufficiently larger than the angle of the engaging portion 100a, and the angle is such that the piece 103 cannot stand on its own. Furthermore, the dimension _l1 of the piece 100 is set to a dimension necessary for strength.

Now, if a large load of W is acting on the load piece 100, then l ₂ is applied to the piece 101.
A moment acts on the piece 103 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure due to the load on the fulcrums 100a and 103a offset from the fulcrums 101b and 103b. This moment is supported by the force W ₁ of the support member 104. As a result, a moment is applied to the fulcrums 101b and 103b of the piece 101 in a clockwise direction in the figure due to offset, with the other fulcrums 101a and 102a.

In such a link mechanism, the moment acting on the support member 104 is determined by the load W and the offset amount _l2 , and the piece 103 is supported by the support member 104 and acts as a lever. Therefore, by making _l2 as small as possible, the fulcrums 101b, 103b between the fulcrums 100a, 103a and the support member fulcrum 104a
The length ratio, that is, the lever ratio increases until the point 104a reaches the maximum, and the load applied to the fulcrum 104a decreases, making it possible to support a large force W with a small force _W1 .

In the above, when force W ₁ is released, piece 1
03 rotates counterclockwise in the figure with the fulcrums 100a and 103a as the fulcrums, and as a result, the piece 101
The whole rotates clockwise around the upper fulcrum 101a. The rotation of the piece 101 is performed at a speed sufficiently higher than the upward movement speed of the piece 100, and the pieces 100 and 103 are separated from each other at an early stage, so that the pieces 103 and 101 do not obstruct the movement of the piece 100 thereafter. The released state is shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the link mechanism is one stage, but as will be described later, if the link mechanism is multi-stage, a more sufficient load ratio can be obtained.In this case, the load ratio is the multiplicative product of the ratios of the individual link mechanisms, but The work will be about twice as many steps.

18 to 20 show a modified embodiment of the above, in which a roller is interposed at the fulcrum to improve the link release speed.

That is, the load piece 110 has a tip engagement portion 110a and one engagement recess 113a at one end of the control piece 113.
and engages with the other engaging recess 113 of the piece 113.
A recess 111c is provided in one of the engaging parts 111b of the support piece 111 facing the recess 113.
A roller 116 is interposed between b and 111c.
Then, the other engaging portion 111a of the piece 111 is engaged with the engaging recess 112a of the wall 112. An engagement recess 113c is provided at the other end of the control piece 113, and an engagement recess 114a at one end of the next stage control piece 114 is exposed to this, and a roller 117 is interposed therebetween. An engaging recess 114b is provided above the engaging recess 114a, and an engaging part 115a at one end of the second support piece 115 is engaged with the engaging recess 114b.
12 other engaging recesses 112b. Then, the other end of the second control piece 114 is connected to the support member 1.
Supported by 18.

In the above, by setting the angle θ between the axis of the roller 116 and the piece 111 and the line of action of the load W on the piece 110 to an appropriate positive value, the piece 1
The lower end of the piece 111 is pressed to the right in the figure, that is, the roller 116 is pressed to the right by a force obtained by multiplying the axial force applied to the piece 11 by sin θ. The above-described offset is provided between the fulcrums 111c and 116 and 113a and 110a, and the other end of the piece 113 is similarly offset and supported by the roller 117 and piece 115 via the second control piece 114. Since there are two stages, the load on the support member 118 that supports the piece 114 is further reduced, so that the supporting force _W1 may be even smaller. Incidentally, since the shock caused by a side collision that does not require an airbag may be greater than the above-mentioned holding force, a claw 113d is provided on the piece 113 to prevent the lower end 111b of the piece 111 from coming off to the left in the figure.

In the above, the piece 114 and the support member 118
When the engagement of the piece 114 is released, the piece 114
The piece 115 is rotated clockwise about the fulcrum 17, and the piece 115 is rotated counterclockwise, and the engagement of the other end of the piece 113 is released. This is shown in FIG. As a result, the other end of piece 113 becomes free, and piece 11
3 rotates counterclockwise using one end as a fulcrum, piece 111 rotates clockwise, and piece 110 is free to move upward. And the above is the roller 116,1
Since the roller 116 is disengaged before the other fulcrums 110a and 113a, the upward movement can be made without waiting for the engagement portion of the roller 116 to disengage, improving the operating speed. .

As described above, the release speed of the link mechanism can be improved by using rollers and utilizing their rolling motion, and it is also possible to have multiple stages as described above.

Next, a mechanical valve opening device, which is a concrete example of the link mechanism of the airbag device having the above-mentioned basic structure, will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 21 and subsequent figures.

In FIG. 21, reference numeral 60 denotes a housing, and part of this housing is provided with a portion 42 that screws and supports the gas container main body 40. In this embodiment, two containers are arranged in parallel, so the main body is 40A, There are two supporting parts 40B, and two supporting parts 42A and 42B. And there are two parallel rods 45 that are presser lids.
The ends of the rods 45A and 45B protrude above the chamber 61 in the housing 60, and the other ends support the sealing plate 43 and the guide plate 44 as described above, and the openings of the main bodies 40A and 40B are It is blocked against pressure. FIG. 21 shows a normal state in which the valve is in a closed state and in a standby state.

The ends of the rods 45A, 45B are provided with sharp engaging protrusions 45Ab, 45Bb, and constitute the load pieces described above. Engagement protrusions 45Ab, 4 of this rod
5Bb are engaged and supported in V-shaped engagement recesses 62a and 63a formed at one end of each separate piece 62 and 63, respectively. Engagement recesses 62b, 63b are provided at one end of the pieces 62, 63, and engagement recesses 60 provided in the bottom wall 60a of the housing 60 are connected to the engagement recesses 62b, 63b.
Pieces 64 and 65 are interposed between b and 60c. The pieces 64, 65 have the engaging protrusions 64a, 65a at one end inserted into the engaging recesses 62b, 63b of the pieces 62, 63, and the engaging protrusion 6 at the other end.
4b and 65b are engaged and supported in engagement recesses 60b and 60c of the wall, respectively. The fulcrums on the rods 45A, 45B side and the fulcrums on the pieces 64, 65 side are offset. As a result, a counterclockwise moment is applied to the piece 62 and a clockwise moment is applied to the piece 63, so that the superimposed pieces 62, 6
A downward force in the drawing acts on the other ends 62c and 63c of 3. An engagement recess 63d is provided on the lower surface of the end 63c of the lower piece 63, into which the engagement protrusion 66a at one end of the intermediate piece 66 is engaged, and an engagement recess 63d is provided offset to this part. A piece 67 in which engaging protrusions 67a and 67b are provided at both ends of the engaging recess 60d provided in the recess 66b and the wall 60a.
is used to disperse and support the load of this portion of the pieces 62 and 63.

An engaging protrusion 66c at the other end of the piece 66 is engaged and supported by an engaging recess 68a provided at one end of the final piece 68, and an offset engaging recess 68b is provided in this portion of the final piece 68. The longitudinal transmission piece 69 is engaged with an engagement protrusion at one end, and the engagement protrusion at the other end of the piece 69 connects one end to the wall 6.
The protrusion 70a is engaged with the engagement recess 70b of the sensor piece 70, which is engaged with the engagement recess 60d of the sensor piece 0a in an offset manner.

As a result, a counterclockwise rotating force is applied to the piece 66, and this also causes the final piece 68 to be rotated.
The rotation force in the clockwise direction is further applied to the sensor piece 70.
A counterclockwise rotational force acts on each of them through the piece 69. In this way, the container bodies 40A, 40
The load on the rods 45A and 45B due to the high pressure gas in B is combined and supported in multiple stages by the piece group, and the load is sequentially reduced by the offset of the engagement support part of the piece and the lever ratio, and the final piece 6
The clockwise rotational force acting on the lever 8 is reduced in accordance with this lever ratio and becomes small.

The load of the other end 68b of the final piece 68 is supported by a collision detection drive mechanism shown in FIG.

That is, first, the load end 68b of the final piece 68 is supported by the load in the direction of the arrow at one end 71b of the arm 71 that swings about the pin 71a. The other end 71c of the arm 71 is bent to hang down to the side, and the rotational force shown by the arrow in the opposite direction to the arrow of the final piece 68 is supported by a regulating piece 72, and one end 72a of the regulating piece 72 is connected to the solenoid described above. 30 rods 38a restrict rotation in the same direction. On the other hand, the other end of the piece 72 is provided with a protrusion to form an engaging portion 72b, and the engaging portion 72b engages with one end 91a of the L-shaped arm 91 of the mechanical sensor 90. The mechanical sensor 90 is as shown in FIG. 26, and although it is shown diagonally, it is attached to the mechanical valve opening device with the center line N in a horizontal state. The sensor 90 has a spring 9 inside the cylinder 92.
The piston 94 is provided with a preloaded piston 94, which is normally seated in a retracted state, and detects this by connecting contacts 95a and 95b.The outer periphery of the piston 94 is provided with a groove 94a, which is provided with a weight 91d. When the piston 94 collides with the other end 91b of the L-shaped arm 91, the other end 91b of the arm engages with the shoulder of the groove 94a.
The arm 91 is made to swing about the pin 91c as a fulcrum, the one end 91a is disengaged from the regulating piece 72, and the valve opening device is activated. That is, when the electric sensor B of the rod 38a of the solenoid 30 detects a collision, the restriction piece 72 is released at the same time as the mechanical sensor 90, and in the event that the electric sensor B fails, the mechanical sensor sensor 90
The piece 72 is released by the drive of the link mechanism, that is, the gas container is opened, thereby providing a double safety measure.

A part of the load of the combined value of the gas pressures of the container bodies 40A and 40B acts on the sensor piece 70 shown in FIG. 21 via the pieces 66, 68, 69,
A load is applied to the other end 70b of the sensor piece 70 in a counterclockwise direction in the figure, that is, a downward load. This 70b is supported by a bimetal 73 provided below, and an electrode 74 having a contact 75 is provided below the support portion of the bimetal 73. One end of the bimetal 73 is locked to a locking portion 60e of the wall 60a, and the other end is locked to a sensitivity adjustment screw 76. The screw 76 includes a spring 76a, and the end of the sensor piece 70 is locked by a locking piece 76b which is pressed by the spring 76a, and is pressed upward and locked by a lock nut 77.

A portion of the load of the composite value of the gas pressures of the respective container bodies is applied to the bimetal 73 via the end 70b of the sensor piece 70, which presses the spring 76a downward.
5 is turned on, the electrode 74, the contact 75, the bimetal 73, and the housing 60 form a closed circuit and report that the gas pressure is normal. Since the gas pressure inside the container changes in proportion to the absolute temperature, bimetallic 73
The composite spring load of the spring 76a and the spring 76a is set to change in proportion to the absolute temperature. Therefore, under any temperature conditions, if the gas pressure inside the container leaks to a certain level, the contact 75 will turn off.
Activate the alarm device to warn of this. After filling the gas to the detection limit pressure, adjust the screw 76 to the point where the contact 75 turns off, and then tighten the lock nut 7.
Lock at 7 and then fill up to the specified pressure. Furthermore, since gas filling is performed after assembling the link mechanism, the rods 45A,
45B is pressed downward, and the assembled link mechanism is released during gas filling, and a security mechanism is provided during filling to prevent it from collapsing.

Next, the valve opening operation will be explained.

The final piece 68 has container bodies 40A, 4
The gas pressure in 0B acts as a load that is reduced by the lever ratio through the link mechanism of rods 45A, 45B, pieces 62, 63, 66, etc., and this load is applied to the contact between end 68b and end 71b of arm 71. , contact between the regulating piece 72 and the other end 71c of the arm 71, and contact between the regulating piece 72 and the solenoid rod 3
8a, one end 9 of arm 91 of mechanical sensor 90
It is supported as described above by engagement with 1a.
FIG. 21 shows the standby state.

In the above case, if the collision is severe enough to cause damage to the occupants, the electric sensor B
The solenoid 30 is excited and energized, whereby the movable disk 38 is attracted to the core 34 as shown in FIG. 11, and the rod 38a is retracted. As a result, the restriction piece 72 is released, and the arm 71 can rotate in the direction of the load on the end 68b of the final piece 68 using the pin 71a as a fulcrum. This is shown in FIG.

As a result, the final piece 68 becomes free and swings clockwise in the figure, and the intermediate piece 66 engaged therewith is released, allowing it to swing counterclockwise. This is shown in FIG. Further, the pieces 62 and 63 whose wrapped ends are regulated by the intermediate piece 66 are allowed to move downward at the wrapped ends, and their supporting pieces 64 and 65 fall down due to the offset, causing the pieces 62 and 63 to collapse. The rods 45A and 45B descend completely freely, the sealing plate 43 and the guide plate 44 are torn open, and high-pressure gas is supplied to the bag in a controlled manner as described above, causing it to expand and inflate. This state is the second
It is shown in Figure 5.

In the above, the mechanical sensor 90 is
The piston 94 also moves forward as shown in FIG.
As a result, the arm 91 swings counterclockwise in the figure,
The engagement of the restriction piece 72 by the end portion 91a is released. In the event that the electric sensor malfunctions, the rod 38a of the solenoid 30 will not release the restriction piece 72, but the mechanical sensor 90
The piston 94 of moves and this causes the arm 91 to move.
swings as shown in Figure 29 to release the piece 72,
Afterwards, release the link mechanism in the same manner as above. This state is shown in FIG.

The illustrated embodiments have been described in detail so that the present invention can be fully understood. Although this embodiment has been described as an embodiment applied to an airbag device on the driver's seat side, it goes without saying that the above-described modification can also be applied to the passenger seat and rear seats. Furthermore, although this embodiment is applied to an air bag device, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in any other arbitrary device or mechanism.

In summary, according to the present invention, the pressure applied to the valve member that closes the opening of the pressure container is supported by the link mechanism, and this link mechanism is constructed of simply engaged pieces, and the above-mentioned structure is adopted, so that the pressure is supported. is reliable, and the load applied to the release end due to the lever ratio is extremely small.Therefore, while the valve can be closed reliably, the release force can be small. Therefore, the link mechanism can be reliably released by using a solenoid operated by the vehicle battery or a weight-moving mechanical sensor, and since the link mechanism is as described above, it is quick, smooth, and reliable. It collapses and scatters, and the high-pressure gas valve can be opened purely mechanically without using gunpowder. Therefore, an air bag device that is highly reliable, operates quickly, and is reliable can be manufactured without causing operational danger or pollution, and since the link mechanism is a combination of pieces, it can be assembled easily and at low cost. As described above, it is possible to use a solenoid operated by an electric sensor in combination with a mechanical sensor, ensuring double safety, guaranteeing a high degree of reliability, and making it possible to put a truly useful air bag device into practical use. This is a major contribution.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a systematic explanatory diagram of the system, FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory diagram of the front of the vehicle, FIG. 3 is a vertical side view of the handle portion, and FIG. is a half-cut plan view of the steering ring wheel, FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view of the surrounding area of the steering wheel, FIG. 6 is a similar view to FIG. 5 with the bag inflated and deployed, and FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of an electric sensor; FIG. 9 is an end view of the solenoid; FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the same; Figure 11 is a diagram of only the main parts of the operating state, Figure 12
The figure is a longitudinal side view showing one embodiment of the gas container flow rate control device, FIGS. 13 and 14 are views showing the process of the same operation, FIG. 15 is a longitudinal side view showing gas container terminal processing, and FIG. 16 Figure 17 is a diagram showing the basic structure of the link mechanism, Figure 17 is a diagram showing the release process, Figure 18 is a diagram showing a modified example, Figures 19 and 20 are diagrams showing the release process, and Figure 21 is a diagram showing the release process. Gas activation by a link mechanism, a transverse plan view showing a specific example of a valve opening device, FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a release mechanism, FIGS. 23, 24, and 25 are activation, A diagram showing the progress of the valve opening operation, FIG. 26 is a vertical side view showing an example of a mechanical sensor, FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the solenoid and release mechanism, and FIG. 28 is a diagram showing only the mechanical sensor. Explanatory diagram of working state, No. 29
The figure is a diagram illustrating sensor movement of a mechanical sensor. In addition, D in the drawing is a valve opening device including a link device, F,
40 is a high pressure gas container, B is an electric sensor, J, 9
0 is a mechanical sensor, 38a, 71, 72, 91 is a release mechanism, 62 to 68, 100, 101, 10
3, 110, 111, 113-115 are pieces forming a link mechanism, and 116, 117 are rollers.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At the other end of the control piece, which is regulated so that the fixation of one end is released when a shock of a predetermined level or more is detected by a collision sensor, etc., the other end is substantially perpendicular thereto, and one end is attached to the fixed part. The other end of the support piece that has been engaged and made rotatable is engaged, and one end of the load-side piece on which the gas pressure of the high-pressure gas container acts is placed near the engagement part of the support piece of the control piece and opposite to the support piece. offset to the side, engaging and supporting one end of the control piece so as to exert a moment in the regulating direction;
A link device used for starting an air bag device, etc., in which the load side piece is configured to be able to move only in a direction approximately perpendicular to the control piece. 2. The link device according to claim 1, which is used for starting an airbag device, etc., wherein the engagement support portion of each piece is a concave engagement. 3. The link device according to claim 1, which is used for starting an airbag device, etc., in which a roller is interposed between the engagement support portions of the support piece, the load piece, and the control piece among the support piece and the control piece. 4. In claim 1, the regulating end side of the control piece is supported by a fixed wall via a second support piece, and one end of the next piece is interposed in this support part to support the second support piece. A link device used for starting an air bag device, etc., in which the support piece and the engagement support part are offset, and the pieces of the next stage are combined with the pieces of a further stage, or the pieces are combined in multiple stages so as to be regulated by a regulating means. . 5. In claim 1, the load side piece is provided with at least two pieces, each piece moves in the same direction, each piece is engaged with and supported by one end of each control piece, and each control piece is fixed. A link device used for starting an airbag device, etc., which is supported by a support piece interposed between the sides, and each control piece is regulated by a piece that wraps the other end and is connected to a release means.