KR101970340B1 - Knee airbag for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a knee airbag device for a vehicle, which comprises: an airbag; an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag when a vehicle collides; a housing in which the airbag and the inflator are accommodated; and a bracket for fixing the housing to a support structure installed inside the vehicle. The bracket is made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material having strength higher than that of the housing, and at least one engagement flange is formed on a front surface of the bracket so as to be engaged with the support structure. Therefore, a coupling structure with the support structure of the vehicle is simplified, and when the airbag is expanded by a collision of the vehicle, an accurate shape to protect a passenger is provided to expand the airbag and effectively protect legs and knees of the passenger.

Description

[0001] KNEE AIRBAG FOR VEHICLE [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knee airbag device of an automobile, and more particularly, to a knee airbag device that effectively protects a passenger's knees and lower legs.

The airbag system functions to minimize the injury of the occupant as it is deployed toward the occupant when a collision or a collision accident occurs in the vehicle being driven.

That is, the airbag system is one of commercialized safety devices applied in automobiles in order to protect occupants from human injury caused by an external impact of an automobile. In the past, the airbag system has been used as a middle part of a steering wheel (Instrument Panel) is mainly installed on the upper (passenger) side of the passenger to protect only the upper body.

Recently, an airbag module has been installed in the lower part of the vehicle door or instrument panel to be more effective in protecting the human body such as the side of a passenger, a knee or a lower body.

Accordingly, the types of airbags include a driver's seat airbag for protecting the driver, a passenger air bag for protecting passengers aboard the passenger seat, a side airbag inflated in the door to protect the side portion of the driver and the passenger Side air bags, knee protection air bags for protecting the driver or passengers' knees, i.e., Knee Air Bag.

The knee airbag protects the passengers' knees and lower legs by restraining them.

Such a knee airbag may be mounted in various positions with respect to the instrument panel and / or passenger seat. Thus, in the event of a collision, the airbag can be inflated towards the passenger's knees and lower limbs and the movement of the passenger's knees and / or lower limbs is prevented.

For example, the applicant of the present invention disclosed a knee airbag in many patent documents 1 and 2 and filed a patent application.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1052988 (issued on July 29, 2011) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1010819 (issued on January 25, 2011)

However, when the knee airbag according to the related art including Patent Documents 1 and 2 is installed in the glove box of the passenger seat, the structure for installing the glove box on the passenger seat becomes complicated, There is a problem that the back surface of the glove box, the crossbar member, and other components are damaged or damaged.

Accordingly, the knee airbag according to the prior art can not provide sufficient protection against impacts on the automobile due to the rupture and damage of the supporting structure of plastic or the like, resulting in injury to the occupant, or a sharp break or fragments in the rupture process, There was a problem of applying a secondary shock.

The airbag housing of the knee airbag according to the related art is coupled to the support structure of the vehicle using a connecting member formed at both ends in a state of being made of synthetic resin such as plastic.

As a result, there is a problem that the air bag is not inflated to an accurate shape for protecting the passenger's knees and lower limbs as the air bag housing is deformed or deflected as the connecting member is broken due to an impact upon collision of an automobile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a knee airbag device for an automobile which effectively protects the knees and legs of a passenger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a knee airbag device of a vehicle to which a bracket is applied to prevent breakage of the airbag housing in the event of a collision of an automobile and to support the airbag to inflate in an accurate shape to protect the passenger's knees and lower legs.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a knee airbag device for an automobile which can stably fix a cable and a connector connected to an inflator.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a knee airbag device for an automobile, comprising: an airbag; an inflator for supplying gas to the airbag when the automobile crashes; a housing in which the airbag and the inflator are housed; Wherein the bracket is made of a metal or synthetic resin material having a higher strength than the strength of the housing, and the front surface of the bracket is made of one or more And a coupling flange is formed.

As described above, the knee airbag device of a vehicle according to the present invention simplifies the structure of engagement with a support structure of an automobile and expands the airbag to an accurate shape that protects the occupant when the airbag inflates due to a collision of an automobile, It is possible to effectively protect the legs and the knees of the wearer.

According to the present invention, a bracket made of a material having a strength higher than that of the housing is applied to prevent damage or breakage of the bracket and the housing when the airbag is inflated, Can be prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent secondary impact and injury of a passenger due to rupture parts or debris of the airbag housing according to the prior art.

According to the present invention, the engagement ribs formed on the upper surface of the housing are coupled to the guide holes of the bracket to prevent the bracket from flowing in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle by the machining tolerance in the process of assembling the housing and the bracket, The workability can be improved by limiting the joining position in the work.

Further, according to the present invention, a guide flange and a fixing flange are provided on the upper surface of the housing to stably fix a cable connected to the inflator and a connector connected to the cable to prevent damage and breakage of the cable and the connector due to external shock or vibration Can be obtained.

According to the present invention, a housing is fixed to a support structure of an automobile by using a bracket, and a cable and a connector connected to the inflator are fixed to the bracket to protect the automobile, thereby improving workability in knee airbag manufacturing And the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view showing a state where a knee airbag device of a vehicle is installed in a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the knee airbag apparatus shown in FIG. 1,
3 is an exploded perspective view showing the knee airbag device shown in Fig. 2 from another angle, Fig.
4 is a view showing a deployed state of the airbag,
5 is an enlarged view of the engaging rib,
6 to 8 illustrate a coupling rib according to another embodiment of the present invention,
9 is a plan view of a housing and a bracket according to another embodiment of the present invention,
10 is a partial enlarged view of a bracket to which a connector is coupled;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a knee airbag device of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where a knee airbag device of an automobile according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed in an automobile, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the knee airbag device shown in FIG. 1, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the knee airbag device from a different angle. Fig.

In the following description, reference character U denotes the upper side of the automobile, reference character L denotes the lower side of the automobile, reference character F denotes the front side of the automobile, and reference character R denotes the rear side of the automobile. Reference symbol O denotes the outside direction of the automobile, and reference symbol I denotes the inside direction of the automobile. Hereinafter, the inner and outer (I, O) directions are referred to as the width direction of the automobile.

The knee airbag device 10 may be mounted at various positions with respect to the seat of the instrument panel and / or the passenger.

In this embodiment, the configuration of a knee airbag device 10 mounted on a cowl cross bar 11 provided at the lower front of the glove box on the passenger's seat side to protect the passenger's knees is described.

The inflated airbag 20 of the knee airbag device 10 expands from the housing 40 mounted on the cowl cross bar 11 toward the rear of the automobile and rotates upward of the automobile to move between the instrument panel and the lap of the passenger As shown in FIG.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the knee airbag apparatus 10 may be installed inside the low instrument panel located under the steering column, or may be mounted under the driver instrument side low instrument panel or inside the steering column It should be noted.

1 to 3, an automobile knee airbag device 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an airbag 20, an inflator 30 that supplies gas to the airbag 20 in the event of a collision of an automobile, A housing 40 in which an airbag 20 and an inflator 30 are accommodated and a bracket 50 for fixing the housing 40 to a support structure provided inside the automobile such as a cowl cross bar 11 .

The cowl crossbar 11 can be installed horizontally along the width direction of the automobile on the front lower portion of the instrument panel.

The knee airbag 20 may be formed of a woven cloth sewn in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the passenger side.

4 is a view showing a deployed state of the airbag.

The airbag 20 is rolled or folded and housed inside the housing 40, as shown in Figs.

4, when the airbag 20 is inflated, the rear end of the lower case 42 of the housing 40 is torn by the inflating force of the airbag 20, so that the lower case 42 rotates about the front end Is released from the housing 40 through the opened gap and developed toward the rear (R) or rear side of the automobile and then expanded upward (U) between the low instrument panel and the passenger's leg to protect the passenger's leg .

Here, the inflated thickness of both side portions of the airbag 20 is configured to be larger than the inflated thickness of the middle portion of the airbag 20, so that the legs of the passenger can be prevented from escaping from the protection region of the airbag 20,

And the airbag 20 may include, when inflated, a front panel 21 that faces the vehicle body, e.g., an instrument panel, and a rear panel 22, which faces the legs of the passenger.

The inflation thickness of the airbag 20 is defined by a plurality of tether members (not shown) connected between the front panel 21 and the rear panel 22. [

2 and 3, the inflator 30 is installed along the horizontal direction inside the housing 40, and one end of the inflator 30, one end of the cable 31 is connected to the left end as viewed in FIG. 2 And a connector 32 for receiving a detection signal of a detection sensor for detecting a collision of an automobile and a power source for driving the inflator 30 may be connected to the other end of the cable 31.

A hook 33 may be formed on the front surface of the connector 32 to be coupled to the fixing flange 52 of the bracket 50 described below.

The housing 40 may include an upper case 41 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a bottom open and a lower case 42 coupled to a lower surface of the upper case 41.

The upper case 41 has a substantially rectangular cross section when viewed from the side and has first and second engaging portions 43 and 44 coupled to the lower case 42 on the rear and front surfaces of the upper case 41, May be provided.

A pair of mounting flanges 45 mounted to the cowl cross bar 11 may be formed at both ends of the upper end of the upper case 41.

Each of the pair of mounting flanges 45 corresponds to the rear surface of the cowl cross bar 11 and is formed into a plate shape bent in a substantially ┓ shape and a ┏ shape to face outward, A fastening hole for fastening a bolt for coupling the cowl cross bar 11 and the mounting flange 45 may be formed.

The first engaging portion 43 includes a plurality of first engaging tubes 432 each having a bottom surface and a first engaging space 431 formed therein, a first engaging space 431 of each first engaging tube 432 A plurality of first engaging members 433 formed on the rear side of the upper case 41 and coupled to the first engaging holes 462 formed in the first engaging plate 46 of the lower case 42, And a plurality of pairs of first support ribs 434 spaced apart from each other by a distance between the coupling plate portions 46 and formed along the vertical direction.

The first engaging plate portion 46 is guided to the upper end of each of the first engaging members 433 through the first engaging space 431 so that the first engaging plate portion 46 can be easily engaged with the first engaging plate portion 46, A locking jaw may be formed so as to be inclined toward the front upper side so as to be fixed.

The second engaging portion 44 includes a plurality of second engaging portions 442 each having a bottom surface opened and a second engaging space 441 formed therein, a second engaging space 441 of each second engaging portion 442 A plurality of second engaging members 443 formed on the front side of the upper case 41 and coupled to the second engaging holes 472 formed in the second engaging plate 47 of the lower case 42, And a plurality of second support ribs 444 spaced apart from each other by a distance between the coupling plate portions 47 and formed along the vertical direction.

The second engaging plate portion 47 is easily guided to the upper end of each second engaging member 443 through the second engaging space 441 and the second engaging plate portion 47 coupled to a predetermined height A locking jaw may be formed so as to be inclined toward the upper rear side so as to be fixed.

Mounting holes 411 to which the mounting members 421 formed at both ends of the lower case 42 described below are coupled may be formed at both ends of the upper case 41 configured as described above.

In order to prevent the bracket 50 from moving in the width direction and the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle in the state where the bracket 50 is engaged, (412) may be formed.

The engaging ribs 412 may be formed to have a length and a width corresponding to the guide holes 55 formed in the bracket 50.

For example, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an engaging rib.

5, the engaging rib 412 includes a first rib 413 formed along the width direction of the automobile, a second rib 413 formed along the longitudinal direction of the first rib 412, And a pair of third ribs 414 connected to both ends of the ribs 414 and the first ribs 413.

Here, the guide hole 55 may be formed as a long hole extending in the width direction or the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

The first ribs 413 and the second ribs 414 have a shape of 'ten' as seen from the top and the pair of third ribs 415 have a shape of a cylinder so as to correspond to both ends of the guide hole 55 .

6 to 8 are views illustrating an engaging rib according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 and 7, the guide hole 55 may be formed in an approximately elliptical shape or a circular shape.

The pair of third ribs 415 may be formed into a circular arc shape or a fan-like column shape having curvatures corresponding to the curvatures at both ends of the guide hole 55 at both ends so as to correspond to the shapes of the guide holes 55 have.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide hole 55 may be formed in a substantially rectangular shape.

The pair of third ribs 415 may be formed into a bar shape or a square column shape corresponding to both side walls of the guide hole 55, respectively.

Of course, the guide hole 55 may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a hexagonal shape or an octagonal shape as well as a rectangular shape, and the pair of third ribs 415 may have a polygonal shape corresponding to both side walls of the guide hole 55 To be formed.

5 to 8, and the position and number of the guide ribs 55 are not limited to the above-described configurations shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, and the upper surface of the housing 40 and a variety of the brackets 50 Position, and may be modified to be provided with at least one or more.

The present invention can also be modified to form a guide hole 55 on the upper surface of the housing 40 and to form a coupling rib 412 on the lower surface of the bracket 50.

Further, the present invention is modified so as to additionally provide a protruding rib and a fixing hole to prevent the flow of the bracket, together with the engaging rib and the guide hole on the upper surface and the bracket of the housing, respectively.

For example, FIG. 9 is a plan view of a housing and a bracket according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9, a protruding rib 416 is formed upwardly on the upper surface of the housing 40, and a fixing hole 56 is formed in the bracket 50 at a position corresponding to the protruding rib 416 .

Here, the projecting ribs 416 and the fixing holes 56 may be respectively provided on one side of the coupling ribs 412, but may be provided on both sides of the coupling ribs 412 as shown in FIG.

9, when the first and second protruding ribs 417 and 418 and the first and second fixing holes 561 and 562 are applied, the first protruding rib 417 and the first fixing hole 561 The second protruding ribs 418 and the second fixing holes 562 may be formed in a rectangular shape elongated along the longitudinal direction of the automobile.

Of course, the present invention may be modified to provide three or more protruding ribs 416 and fixing holes 56, and each protruding rib and fixing hole may be formed along the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

As described above, according to the present invention, the engaging ribs and the guide holes are provided at the positions corresponding to the upper surface of the housing and the bracket, respectively, to limit the engaging position between the housing and the bracket, It is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing in the direction.

Further, the present invention may additionally include one or more protruding ribs and fixing holes together with the engaging ribs and the guide holes to more stably prevent the width direction and the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle of the bracket.

2 and 3, the lower case 42 is formed in a shape corresponding to the opened lower surface of the upper case 41, and the lower case 42 is formed vertically upward 1 and the second engagement plate portions 46, 47 may be provided.

The first engaging plate 46 includes a plurality of first engaging plates 461 spaced apart from the rear surface of the lower case 42 by predetermined intervals and the second engaging plate 47 includes a lower case 42, And a plurality of second engagement plates 471 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval.

The first engaging plate 461 is formed in a substantially rectangular or hexagonal plate shape and has a thickness corresponding to the first engaging space 431 so as to be insertable into the first engaging space 431 of the first engaging tube 432, Width.

A first coupling hole 462 may be formed at a central portion of the first coupling plate 461 to engage with a coupling protrusion of the first coupling member 433 in a state of being coupled to the first coupling tube 432.

The second engaging plate 471 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and is formed into a thickness and width corresponding to the second engaging space 441 so as to be insertable into the second engaging space 441 of the second engaging tube 442 .

A second coupling hole 472 may be formed at a central portion of the second coupling plate 471 to engage with the coupling jaw of the second coupling member 443 in a state of being coupled to the second coupling cylindrical portion 442.

A tear line 463 is formed at a lower end of the first coupling plate 411 so as to be easily torn when the airbag 20 is inflated at a portion connected to the lower case 42, A plurality of slits 464 may be formed to pass through.

A pair of mounting members 421 may be formed at both ends of the lower case 42 so as to be coupled to the mounting holes 411 formed at both ends of the upper case 41.

Each of the mounting members 421 is formed vertically upward, and the upper end of each mounting member 421 can be formed with a protrusion protruding obliquely downward outward.

A mounting member 421 is formed at both ends of the upper case 41 and a mounting hole 411 is formed at both ends of the lower case 42 to form an upper case 41, And the lower case 42 are connected to each other.

1 to 3, the bracket 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape so as to be seated on the upper surface of the housing 40. The bolt is fastened to the front surface of the bracket 50, At least one coupling flange 51 may be formed.

For example, the coupling flanges 51 are provided in a pair, and each coupling flange 51 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate-like shape along the vertical direction upward at the front end of the bracket 50, A fastening hole for fastening the bolt may be formed.

A fixing flange 52 to which a connector 32 connected to the inflator 30 is fixed is formed at the front end of the bracket 50. A guide flange 53 for fixing the cable 31 is fixed to one end of the bracket 50 May be formed.

10 is a partial enlarged view of a bracket to which a connector is coupled;

As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing flange 52 is vertically disposed upward in the front face of the bracket 50, is formed in a substantially plate-like shape bent in one direction, and has a fixing flange 52 A hook hole 521 for hooking a hook 33 formed on the front surface of the connector 32 can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide flange 53 is formed in a plate shape bent in a substantially '┓' shape so as to have an insertion space into which the cable 31 is inserted, and is inserted into the insertion space between the bent upper end and the bracket The cable 31 is inserted.

Here, a protective tube may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cable 31 to prevent the cable 31 from being damaged when the cable 31 is engaged with and engaged with the guide flange 53.

In order to prevent the cable 31 fixed by the guide flange 53 from being detached due to external vibration or impact, the insertion space of the guide flange 53 may be the same as the outer diameter of the protective tube, And is formed to have a height slightly smaller than the outer diameter.

The bracket 50 is formed with at least one fastening hole 54 through which the at least one fastening bolt for connecting the inflator 30 to the upper case 41 and the bracket 50 is inserted through the upper case 41 .

A guide hole 55 may be formed at the center of the bracket 50 to engage with a coupling rib 412 formed on the upper surface of the upper case 41.

As described above, by forming the engaging ribs 412 and the guide holes 55 in the upper case 41 and the bracket 50, the operator can assemble the engaging ribs 412 in the assembling of the knee airbag apparatus 10, The bracket 50 can be accurately positioned at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the housing 40. [

Particularly, the present invention can prevent the bracket from flowing in the width direction and the back-and-forth direction of the automobile by the machining tolerance in the assembling process by coupling the engaging rib to the guide hole, and improve workability of assembling work.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the bracket 50 may be made of a metal material such as iron, which has a strength higher than that of synthetic resin, so as to prevent breakage of the airbag 20 when the airbag 20 is inflated.

Of course, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and the bracket may be modified so as to be made of a synthetic resin material having a strength higher than that of the synthetic resin material used for manufacturing the housing.

Therefore, the present invention can prevent damage and breakage of the bracket and the housing by applying a bracket made of a material having a strength higher than that of the housing when the airbag is inflated, and can prevent shocks to the occupant by buffering shocks applied to the vehicle have.

In addition, the present invention can prevent secondary impact and injury of a passenger due to rupture or debris of the airbag housing according to the prior art.

Next, a coupling relationship and an operation method of a knee airbag device of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

An operator places the inflator 30 in the upper case 41 of the housing 40 and attaches the fastening bolt to the upper case 41 and the upper case 41 in a state where the bracket 50 is disposed on the upper surface of the upper case 41 The inflator 30 is coupled to the upper case 41 and the bracket 50 by fastening the nut to the upper end of the fastening bolt after the fastening bolt 54 is inserted into the fastening hole 54 of the bracket 50.

At this time, the engaging ribs 412 formed on the upper surface of the upper case 41 are engaged with the guide holes 55 of the bracket 50.

The operator can assemble the housing 40 and the bracket 50 in a state in which the bracket 50 is accurately positioned at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the housing 40. [

The airbag 20 connected to the inflator 30 is arranged in a rolled or folded state inside the upper case 41. The lower case 42 is disposed below the upper case 41 and the lower case 42 To move the upper case 41 and the lower case 42 together.

The first and second coupling plates 461 and 471 of the first and second coupling plate portions 46 and 47 formed on the rear surface and the front surface of the lower case 42 are respectively formed on the rear surface and the front surface of the upper case 41 And is coupled to the first and second engaging portions 432 and 442 through the respective first and second engaging spaces 431 and 441 formed.

The first and second coupling members 433 and 443 formed on the rear and front sides of the first and second coupling cylinders 432 and 442 are formed in the first and second coupling holes 462 and 472 of the first and second coupling plates 461 and 471, ) Is engaged with the engaging jaw formed on the upper side.

A pair of mounting members 421 formed at both ends of the lower case 42 are coupled to a pair of mounting holes 411 formed at both ends of the upper case 41, respectively.

The first and second coupling cylinders 432 and 442 and the first and second coupling plate portions 46 and 47 formed on the rear and front surfaces of the upper and lower cases 41 and 42 are coupled to each other, The upper case 41 and the lower case 42 can be stably coupled by attaching the mounting member 421 provided at both ends of the upper case 41 to the mounting holes 411 formed at both ends of the upper case 41. [

That is, according to the present invention, the upper and lower cases can be prevented from flowing in the up-down direction and the back-and-forth direction of the automobile by the engagement of the first and second engagement cylindrical portions and the first and second engagement plate portions.

In the present invention, the upper and lower cases are prevented from flowing in the width direction of the vehicle by the combination of the first and second supporting ribs and the first and second connecting plate portions and the mounting holes of the upper and lower cases and the mounting member .

Next, the operator joins the connector 32 connected to the inflator 30 and the cable 31 to the fixing flange 52 formed on the front surface of the upper case 41.

At this time, as the hook 33 formed on the front surface of the connector 32 is coupled to the hooking hole 521 of the fixing flange 52, the connector 32 can be stably coupled to the fixing flange 52 have.

The protective tube coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the cable 32 is inserted and fixed in the insertion space between the guide flange 53 formed at the left end of the upper case 41 and the upper case 41.

In the knee airbag device 10 assembled through the above process, when the detection signal is transmitted from the detection sensor due to the collision of the vehicle, the inflator 30 generates gas and transfers it to the airbag 20.

The lower case 42 of the housing 40 is rotated about the front end portion while tearing the tear line 463 of the first engagement plate portion 46 formed on the rear surface of the airbag 20 in the process of inflating.

Then, the airbag 20 is inflated rearwardly or rearwardly downward and then inflated rearward upward toward the passenger's knee.

At this time, the rear panel 22 of the airbag 20 is expanded to the bottom surface of the inside of the vehicle so as to safely protect the feet of the occupant in addition to the knees and lower legs of the occupant, Can be inflated.

Accordingly, the present invention can stably protect the passenger's knees and legs from being blocked.

Through the above-described process, the present invention simplifies the structure of coupling with a support structure of an automobile and inflates it into an accurate shape that can protect a passenger when the airbag is inflated due to a collision of an automobile, Can be protected.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been described concretely with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the knee airbag device mounted on the cowl cross bar provided at the front lower portion of the passenger's seat side glove box to protect the knees of the passenger on the passenger seat side has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, May be installed inside the lower instrument panel located under the steering column, or may be mounted under the lower instrument panel of the driver's seat or inside the steering column.

The present invention relates to an automotive vehicle which can simplify the structure of connection with a support structure of an automobile and inflate the automobile's knee to an accurate shape that can protect an occupant when inflated by an impact of an automobile, Applies to airbag device technology.

10: Knee airbag device 11: Cowl crossbar
20: knee airbag 21, 22: front and rear panels
30: Inflator 31: Cable
32: Connector 33: Hook
40: housing 41, 42: upper and lower case
411: mounting hole 421: mounting member
412: engaging ribs 413 to 415: first to third ribs
416: protruding ribs 417, 418: first and second protruding ribs
43, 44: first and second engaging parts 431, 441: first and second engaging spaces
432, 442: first and second engagement cylindrical portions 433, 443: first and second engagement members
434, 444: first and second supporting ribs 45: mounting flange
46, 47: first and second coupling plates 461, 471: first and second coupling plates
462, 472: first and second coupling balls 463: tier line
464: Slit 50: Bracket
51: engagement flange 52: retaining flange
521: Hanger ball 53: Guide flange
54: fastening ball 55: guide ball
56: Fixing balls 561,562: First and second fixing balls

Claims (10)

Airbags,
An inflator for supplying gas to the airbag when the vehicle collides,
A housing in which the airbag and the inflator are accommodated;
And a bracket for fixing the housing to a support structure provided inside the automobile,
The bracket is made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material having a strength higher than that of the housing,
Wherein at least one engagement flange is formed on the front surface of the bracket to engage with the support structure,
The housing has an upper case formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a lower surface opened
And a lower case coupled to a lower surface of the upper case,
First and second engaging portions are respectively provided on the rear surface and the front surface of the upper case,
The first and second coupling plates are vertically formed to be coupled to the first and second coupling portions, respectively, on the rear surface and the front surface of the lower case,
A tear line tearing at the inflation of the airbag is formed in the first engagement plate portion,
A pair of mounting flanges coupled to the support structure are provided at both upper ends of the upper case,
A coupling rib protruding from an upper surface of the housing,
Wherein the bracket is formed with a guide hole to which the engaging rib is engaged,
The housing and the bracket are limited to a predetermined engagement position by engagement of the engagement rib and the guide hole,
Wherein the engaging rib has a first rib formed along a width direction of the automobile,
A second rib formed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to be orthogonal to the first rib, and
And a pair of third ribs connected to both ends of the first rib,
And the pair of third ribs are formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of both ends of the guide hole. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The guide hole is formed in a long hole shape,
And the pair of third ribs are each formed in a cylindrical shape. The method according to claim 1,
The guide hole may have a circular or elliptical shape and may have a polygonal shape,
Wherein each of the pair of third ribs is formed as a circular arc or a fan-shaped pillar having a curvature corresponding to a curvature of both ends of the guide hole. The method according to claim 1,
The guide hole is formed in a polygonal shape,
Wherein the pair of third ribs are each formed in a bar shape or a polygonal column shape corresponding to both side walls of the guide hole. The method of claim 1, wherein
At least one protruding rib is formed on the upper surface of the housing,
Wherein at least one fixing hole is formed in the bracket at a position corresponding to the protruding rib,
Wherein the protruding rib and the fixing hole are formed to extend along the width direction or the back-and-forth direction of the automobile. The method according to claim 1,
A guide flange for fixing a cable connected to the inflator is provided at one side of the bracket,
Wherein the guide flange is formed in a plate shape bent at one side so as to provide an insertion space into which the cable is inserted,
And a protective tube is coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the cable. The method according to claim 1,
A fixing flange for fixing the connector connected to the inflator and the cable is vertically formed on the front surface of the bracket,
Wherein the fixing flange is formed with a hook for receiving a hook formed on the connector. delete

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