KR20040051720A - pressure control system of air bag tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A device for controlling the deploying pressure of an air bag tube is provided to protect the body of a passenger by automatically controlling the deploying pressure of an air bag tube, to reduce the production cost, and to improve the marketability of a vehicle. CONSTITUTION: A device for controlling the deploying pressure of an air bag tube comprises a seat position sensor(11) detecting the position of a passenger, a seat beat wearing sensor(12) detecting the passenger wearing a seat belt, a collision speed sensor(13) detecting the collision speed of a vehicle, a single type inflator(50) having a squib(51) and mounted on an air bag housing(21), a pressure controller(70) installed on the air bag housing via many fixing members and controlling the deploying pressure of an air bag tube(22) by selectively connecting the inner and outer spaces of the air bag tube, and an ECU(14) determining the application of power to the squib and controlling the operation of the pressure controller.

Description

Pressure control system of air bag tube

The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the deployment pressure of an airbag tube, and in particular, an airbag in which the deployment pressure of the airbag tube can be automatically adjusted according to the occupant's condition and traveling speed when the airbag tube is deployed due to a collision and collision accident. It relates to a pressure distribution device for the tube.

In general, an airbag device mounted on a vehicle is capable of preventing or reducing as much as possible the occupant's injury by using an airbag tube deployed toward the occupant in the event of a collision and a collision accident. The passenger-side airbag is mounted on the dash panel.

On the other hand, the airbag device is divided into a single type inflator (single type inflator) and a dual type inflator (bar dual type inflator), the single type inflator is the pressure of nitrogen gas injected into the air bag tube The dual type inflator is a high pressure gas, and the pressure of nitrogen gas injected into the airbag tube is selectively injected according to the control of the ECU among the high pressure gas and the low pressure gas according to the occupant's riding state and the vehicle's driving speed. It is called.

Hereinafter, an operation process of an airbag apparatus having a dual type inflator will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

First, as an input means for deploying the airbag tube, as shown in FIG. 1, the seat position detecting sensor 11 for detecting the position of the occupant, the seat belt wearing detecting sensor 12 for detecting the seat belt wearing, and In addition, a collision speed detection sensor 13 for detecting a speed at the time of a collision and a collision accident of a vehicle is used, and each signal detected by the sensors 11, 12, 13 is transmitted to the ECU 14. In addition, the ECU 14 determines whether the dual type inflator 30 mounted in the airbag housing 21 is operated as shown in FIG. 2 or sprays the airbag tube 22 when the inflator 30 is operated. The pressure of the nitrogen gas is determined.

That is, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is in front of the vehicle body and the collision speed is 15 MPH or less based on the signals transmitted from the seat position sensor 11 and the collision speed sensor 13, the seat belt Regardless of whether the wear of the inflator 30 to cut off the power is controlled so that the airbag is not operated.

When the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is in front of the vehicle body and the collision speed is 15 MPH or more, the power is supplied to the first squive 31 of the inflator 30 regardless of whether the seat belt is worn. In this case, the airbag tube 22 is deployed toward the occupant by the low pressure nitrogen gas.

In addition, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is not worn, and the collision speed is 15 MPH to 22 MPH, the power is supplied to the first squib 31 of the inflator 30. In this case, the airbag tube 22 is deployed toward the occupant by the low pressure nitrogen gas.

Then, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is not worn and the collision speed is 22 MPH or more, the first and second squibs 31 and 32 of the inflator 30 are determined. At the same time, the power is energized, so that the pressure in the airbag tube 22 deployed toward the occupant is maintained at a high pressure.

On the other hand, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is worn and the collision speed is 18 MPH or less, the airbag is controlled by shutting off the power of the inflator 30. Done.

When the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is worn, and the collision speed is 18 MPH to 26 MPH, the power is supplied to the first squib 31 of the inflator 30. In this case, the airbag tube 22 is deployed toward the occupant by the low pressure nitrogen gas.

In addition, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is worn and the collision speed is 26 MPH or more, the first and second squibs 31 and 32 of the inflator 30 are determined. At the same time, the power is energized, so that the pressure in the airbag tube 22 deployed toward the occupant is maintained at a high pressure.

Therefore, the airbag apparatus having the dual type inflator 30 as described above is developed by dividing the pressure in the airbag tube 22 deployed according to the riding position of the occupant, the presence or absence of seat belts, and the collision speed into low and high pressures. By making it possible, it is possible to prevent or reduce the physical damage of the occupant as much as possible, according to the trend that the supply rate is gradually increasing in high-end models.

However, the conventional airbag device as described above is the main purpose to determine the pressure in the airbag tube 22 as the low pressure and high pressure in accordance with the occupant's riding state and the collision speed of the vehicle, the dual type of Although the inflator 30 is used, the dual type inflator 30 as described above has an increase in the number of parts due to its complicated internal structure. There was a problem.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, using a single type of inflator, but equipped with a pressure regulator that can adjust the deployment pressure of the airbag tube in the airbag housing, the passenger's riding state and the collision speed of the vehicle By using the pressure regulator to control the pressure in the airbag tube developed according to this, it is possible to achieve the effect of the double type inflator at a relatively low cost, and thus to increase the penetration rate even in small and medium-sized vehicles It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for adjusting the deployment pressure of an airbag tube.

The present invention for achieving the above object, the seat position detection sensor for detecting the position of the occupant, the seat belt wearing detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of seat belt wearing, the collision speed detection sensor for detecting the collision speed of the vehicle And a single type inflator having a squib mounted on the airbag housing, and a plurality of fixing members installed on the airbag housing via a plurality of fixing members to selectively connect the inner and outer spaces of the airbag tube to the deployment pressure of the airbag tube. A pressure regulator for controlling the pressure, and receiving the respective signals detected from the sensors to determine the boarding state and the collision speed of the occupant to determine whether or not the power supply to the squib and to control the operation of the pressure regulator It is characterized by consisting of the ECU.

1 and 2 is a schematic conceptual view for explaining an airbag device equipped with a dual type inflator,

Figure 3 is a schematic conceptual view for explaining the deployment pressure regulating device of the airbag tube according to the present invention,

4 and 5 are a perspective view and a longitudinal cross-sectional view for explaining a pressure regulator constituting the deployment pressure adjusting device of the airbag tube according to the present invention;

Figure 6 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the housing plate and the plate switchgear constituting the pressure regulator according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

11-Seat position sensor 12-Seat belt wearing sensor

13-Collision Speed Sensor 14-ECU

21-Airbag Housing 22-Airbag Tube

50-Inflator 51-Squib

61-Retaining member 70-Pressure regulator

71-Housing plate 71a-Gas discharge passage

72-Motor case 72a-Through hole

73-drive motor 74-motor shaft

75-plate opener 76-cylindrical flange

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 is a schematic conceptual view for explaining the deployment pressure regulating device of the airbag tube according to the present invention, will be described with the same reference numerals to the same parts as the conventional structure.

Device for adjusting the deployment pressure of the airbag tube according to an embodiment of the present invention is a seat position detecting sensor 11 for detecting the position of the occupant as shown in Figures 3 to 5, and the seat belt for detecting the seat belt A single type inflator 50 mounted on the airbag housing 21 having a wear detection sensor 12, a collision speed detection sensor 13 for detecting a collision speed of a vehicle, and a squib 51. And, a pressure regulator for controlling the deployment pressure of the airbag tube 22 by selectively connecting the inner and outer space of the airbag tube 22 while being installed via a plurality of fixing members 61 on the airbag housing 21 ( 70) and receiving the respective signals detected from the sensors (11, 12, 13) to determine the boarding state and the collision speed of the occupant to determine the presence or absence of power supply to the squib (51) and the pressure ECU 14 controlling the operation of regulator 70 It is configured.

Here, the inflator 50 is made of a single type in which only one internal space is formed. As a result, only one squib 51 that is powered by the control of the ECU 14 is also mounted. It becomes the structure that becomes.

On the other hand, the pressure regulator 70 is connected to the inner and outer space of the airbag tube 22 while being mounted on the airbag housing 21 via a plurality of fixing members 61 as shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5 A motor case 72 having a housing plate 71 in which a gas discharge passage 71a is formed, and a plurality of through holes 72a connected to the outside on the outer circumferential surface while being integrally coupled to the bottom surface of the housing plate 71. And a drive motor 73 installed so as to be fixed to the internal space of the motor case 72 and selectively driven under the control of the ECU 14, and through the housing plate 71 to form an airbag tube 22. While coupled to the front end of the motor shaft (74) located within the plate opening and closing unit 75 for adjusting the opening angle of the gas discharge passage (71a) received by the drive motor 73, while wrapping the plate opening and closing 75 Work on housing plate 71 to protect The upper surface is composed of a cylindrical flange (76) to guide the flow of the gas discharged to the inner space of the airbag tube 22 while being coupled to the sieve.

In addition, reference numeral 72a shown in FIG. 5 shows a motor shaft hole 72a coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the motor shaft 74 while the motor shaft 74 is penetrated.

Hereinafter, the operation of the embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

First, when the driving of the vehicle is started and a collision accident occurs during driving, the ECU 14 mounted on the vehicle analyzes the relationship between the riding state of the vehicle and the collision speed to determine whether the inflator 50 is operated.

That is, when the driving of the vehicle is started and a collision accident occurs during driving, the ECU 14 determines that the collision speed is 15 MPH or less regardless of whether the seat belt is in the front of the vehicle body and whether the seat belt is worn, or If it is determined that the collision speed is 15 MPH or less while the position is at the rear of the vehicle body and the seat belt is not worn, or the seat position is at the rear of the vehicle body and the seat belt is worn, and the collision speed is 18 MPH or less, By determining that the occupant's body is not relatively injured due to a collision accident, the power supply to the squib 51 is cut off so that the inflator 50 is not exploded, thereby preventing unnecessary operation of the airbag device. do.

However, when a condition other than the above conditions is detected from the sensors 11, 12, and 13 and transmitted to the ECU 14, the ECU 14 may cause the occupant's body to be relatively injured due to a collision accident. As a result, it is determined that the state, the power supply to the squive 51 to explode the inflator 50, thereby protecting the occupant's body as much as possible by the airbag tube 22 deployed toward the occupant.

On the other hand, the pressure regulator 70 which is operated under the control of the ECU 14 together with the inflator 50, the opening angle of the gas discharge passage 71a is determined according to the explosion of the inflator 50.

That is, when the inflator 50 does not explode, the ECU 14 is configured so that the plate switch 75 constituting the pressure regulator 70 completely seals the gas discharge passage 71a as shown in FIG. 6A. Is to control the operation of the drive motor 73, when the inflator 50 is exploded, the plate opening and closing 75 constituting the pressure regulator 70 as shown in Figure 6 gas discharge passage (71a) The ECU 14 controls the operation of the driving motor 73 so as to completely seal the gas or partially open the gas discharge passage 71a.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the inflator 50 is exploded, the rotation angle of the plate switchgear 75 in which the ECU 14 constitutes the pressure regulator 70 according to the riding state of the occupant and the collision speed of the vehicle. By controlling the control the deployment pressure of the airbag tube 22 it is possible to prevent the injury of the occupant as much as possible.

That is, when the ECU 14 determines that the seating position is the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is not worn while the inflator 50 is exploded, and the collision speed is 26 MPH or more (high speed driving state), the ECU described above 14 determines that the occupant may be seriously injured due to the crash, and thus, the operation of the driving motor 73 is performed so that the plate switch 75 completely closes the gas discharge passage 71a as shown in FIG. 6A. Control.

As such, when the plate opener 75 completely closes the gas discharge passage 71a under the control of the ECU 14 when a relatively large collision occurs, the nitrogen gas injected into the airbag tube 22 is controlled by the pressure regulator. Discharge to the outside through the 70 is blocked, accordingly, when the occupant's body is in contact with the airbag tube 22, the bearing capacity of the airbag tube 22 is increased so that the occupant's body is in contact with the parts of the vehicle. It is prevented so that the passenger's body can be protected as much as possible.

When the inflator 50 is exploded, the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is not worn and the collision speed is 18 MPH to 26 MPH (medium speed driving state). The ECU 14 determines that the occupant may be seriously injured due to a collision accident, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the gas switch passage 71a is rotated by 60 ° clockwise or counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 6B. ) To control the operation of the drive motor 73 to open about 30%.

As such, when a crash accident that may cause a serious injury to the occupant occurs, when the gas discharge passage 71a is opened by about 30% under the control of the ECU 14, nitrogen gas injected into the airbag tube 22 is opened. Is partially discharged to the outside through the gas discharge passage (71a) formed in the housing plate 71 and the through hole (72a) formed in the motor case 72, thereby reducing the deployment pressure of the airbag tube (22) When the occupant's body is in contact with the airbag tube 22, the repulsive force of the airbag tube 22 is reduced, thereby preventing the secondary injury of the occupant due to the airbag tube 22 in advance.

In addition, when the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is in front of the vehicle body when the inflator 50 is exploded and the collision speed is 18 MPH or less (low speed driving state) regardless of whether the seat belt is worn or not, The ECU 14 determines that the occupant may be injured slightly due to a collision accident, and as shown in FIG. 6C, the gas switch passage 71a is rotated 90 ° clockwise or counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 6C. ) To control the operation of the drive motor 73 to open about 80%.

In this way, when a collision accident in which the occupant may injure a minor degree of injury occurs, when the gas discharge passage 71a is opened by about 80% under the control of the ECU 14, the airbag tube 22 as described above. Since the deployment pressure is reduced and thus the absorption force can be increased as much as possible when the body of the occupant contacts, the secondary injury of the occupant due to the airbag tube 22 can be prevented in advance.

Therefore, in the embodiment according to the present invention, even when the single type inflator 50 is used, when the pressure regulator 70 is mounted on the airbag housing 21, the double type inflator 30 described above with reference to FIG. As well as being able to fully exhibit the effect, the function is able to exhibit more functions than the double-type inflator 30 has the advantage that it can more effectively protect the occupants.

In addition, the pressure regulator 70 of the present invention is simpler in structure than the double type inflator 30 used in the prior art, and can reduce the production cost, thereby increasing the penetration rate of high-end specifications as well as small and medium-sized vehicles It also has the advantage of being able to expand the system, contributing to the luxury of the vehicle.

As described above, according to the present invention, the deployment pressure of the airbag tube is automatically adjusted by the operation of the pressure regulator mounted on the airbag housing, thereby maximally protecting the occupant's body, and the manufacturing cost of the pressure regulator is dual type. It is cheaper than the inflator of the production cost will be reduced, thereby increasing the penetration rate of high-end cars as well as small and medium-sized vehicles, thereby increasing the merchandise of the vehicle.

Claims (7)

A seat position sensor 11 for detecting a passenger's position, a seat belt wearing sensor 12 for detecting whether a seat belt is worn, a collision speed sensor 13 for detecting a collision speed of a vehicle, and A single type inflator 50 mounted on the airbag housing 21 with two squibs 51 and a plurality of fixing members 61 on the airbag housing 21 are installed as an airbag tube ( A pressure regulator 70 for selectively connecting the inner and outer spaces of the 22 to adjust the deployment pressure of the airbag tube 22, and the respective signals detected from the sensors 11, 12 and 13 are received. Determination of the boarding state and the collision speed determines the presence or absence of power supply to the squib (51), and the deployment pressure control device of the airbag tube comprising an ECU (14) for controlling the operation of the pressure regulator (70). According to claim 1, wherein the pressure regulator (70) is mounted on the airbag housing 21 via a plurality of fixing members 61, the gas discharge passage (71a) is connected to the inner and outer space of the airbag tube 22 A motor case 72 having a housing plate 71 formed therein, a plurality of through-holes 72a connected to the outside on the outer circumferential surface thereof integrally coupled to the bottom surface of the housing plate 71, and the motor case 72; Drive motor 73 which is installed to be fixed in the internal space of the control panel and selectively driven under the control of the ECU 14, and the motor shaft 74 which is positioned in the airbag tube 22 through the housing plate 71. The plate opening and closing unit 75 is coupled to the front end and receives the drive motor 73 to adjust the opening angle of the gas discharge passage 71a, and the housing plate 71 to surround and protect the plate opening and closing 75. The upper side is air Deployment of the air bag pressure control device, characterized in that the tube consisting of a cylindrical flange (76) for guiding the flow of gas is opened to the internal space of the tube 22 is discharged. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the ECU 14 determines that the position of the seat is at the front of the vehicle body and that the collision speed is 15 MPH or less regardless of whether the seat belt is worn or the position of the seat is at the rear of the vehicle body. When it is determined that the collision speed is 15 MPH or less while not wearing, or the seat position is the rear side of the vehicle body and the seat belt is worn and the collision speed is determined to be 18 MPH or less, the power applied to the squib 51 is cut off. The inflator 50 is controlled so as not to explode, and the rest of the airbag tube deployment pressure control device, characterized in that for controlling the explosion of the inflator 50 by supplying power to the squib (51). The method of claim 3, wherein when the inflator 50 is not exploded, the ECU 14 controls the operation of the drive motor 73 so that the plate opener 75 completely closes the gas discharge passage 71a. When the inflator 50 explodes, the ECU 14 drives the drive motor 73 so that the plate opener 75 completely closes the gas discharge passage 71a or partially opens the gas discharge passage 71a. The airbag tube deployment pressure regulating device, characterized by controlling the operation of The plate switchgear (5) according to claim 4, wherein when the explosion of the inflator (50) occurs, the ECU (14) determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body, the seat belt is not worn, and the collision speed is 26 MPH or more. The ECU (14) controls the deployment pressure of the airbag tube, characterized in that the ECU (14) controls the operation of the drive motor (73) so that the gas discharge passage (71a) is completely sealed. 5. The plate switchgear according to claim 4, wherein when the explosion of the inflator 50 occurs, the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is at the rear side of the vehicle body, the seat belt is not worn, and the collision speed is 18 MPH to 26 MPH. The ECU 14 controls the operation of the drive motor 73 so that the 75 is rotated 60 ° clockwise or counterclockwise to open the gas discharge passage 71a by 30%. Deployment pressure regulator. 5. The plate switchgear 75 according to claim 4, wherein when the explosion of the inflator 50 occurs, the ECU 14 determines that the seat position is in front of the vehicle body and the collision speed is 18 MPH or less regardless of whether the seat belt is worn. E) is rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise, the deployment pressure of the airbag tube, characterized in that the ECU 14 controls the operation of the drive motor 73 to open the gas discharge passage (71a) 80% Regulator.