KR20040106133A - Side airbag system which is installed near a side seal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A side airbag system installed around a side sill is provided to protect the lower body of a passenger placed on the seat by mounting the airbag near the side sill of the vehicle body, and to improve freedom of design by installing the side airbag easily without interference with other parts. CONSTITUTION: A side airbag system is composed of an airbag module(20) mounted to a vehicle, a side collision sensor, and an airbag control unit deploying the airbag according to the signal from the side collision sensor. The airbag module is installed around a side sill(31) to protect the lower body of a passenger(40) placed on a seat(41). The airbag module is composed of a cushion(22) folded, a retainer and a mounting bracket in which the cushion is installed, and an inflator deploying the airbag by expanding the cushion.

Description

Side airbag system which is installed near a side seal}

The present invention relates to a side airbag system installed near a vehicle side seal, specifically on a floor or side seal of a vehicle body, to protect the lower body of a vehicle seat occupant.

In general, the airbag system consists of a collision sensor, an airbag module and an airbag control unit. The airbag system is a safety device that protects the driver or the occupant by inflating the airbag with gas in the event of a collision. The airbag system has been mainly developed for the frontal collision of the vehicle, and recently has been developed for the side collision or rollover.

The airbag system operates with collisions, diagnostics, gas, bag inflation, shock absorption and return. When the vehicle collides in the collision process, the magnitude of the impact is sensed by a collision sensor that determines the magnitude of the deceleration. In case of a side impact, a side collision sensor for detecting a side collision by the amount of impact in the side direction is mounted. And, in the above diagnostic process, the airbag control unit analyzes the signal of the collision sensor and outputs a signal to the inflator of the airbag module when it is larger than the set value, and is made within 10 ~ 20ms.

In the gas process, the inflator of the airbag module generates gas by explosion and the generated gas is injected into the airbag cushion, which takes about 5ms. During the inflation of the bag, the cushion of the airbag module is inflated over 30ms.

In the above shock absorbing process, the driver or the crew moves in the direction in which the impact object is located, and the inflated cushion absorbs the shock, thereby reducing the degree of injury. Usually within 40 ~ 60ms after collision. Finally, the driver or the crew returns to the home position by the cushion repulsive force, and gas is slowly discharged from the cushion of the airbag module. It usually takes 120 ~ 135ms.

In a conventional airbag system, an airbag module was deployed between the seat and the door to protect the flank or head of the seat occupant. In addition, curtain airbag systems have been developed to more effectively protect the seat occupant's flanks or head in conjunction with side airbag systems during side impact or vehicle rollover.

However, the conventional side airbag system or curtain airbag system was able to protect the head and chest as a whole, but there was a problem that does not protect the lower part of the seat occupant. The amount of inertial movement of the lower body part of the body during side impact is less than the upper body due to friction with the seat, but there is a problem that serious injury occurs in the lower body of the seat occupant due to damage of the side body or door of the vehicle.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag system in which a side airbag is mounted near a vehicle body side seal to protect the lower body of a seat occupant.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a side airbag system in the design of a vehicle that is easy to mount without interfering with other components and that is easy to design relevant parts of the side airbag system.

1 is a front view of a vehicle equipped with a side airbag system installed near a side seal according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag module used in the present invention.

3 is a detailed view of portion A in FIG.

* Brief description of the major symbols in the drawings *

20 airbag module, 21 cover, 22 cushion, 23 inflator, 24 clamp, 25 connector, 26 washer, 27 retainer, 28 ... mounting bracket, 29 ... nut,

30 ... floor, 31 ... side seal, 32 ... door, 33 ... hinge, 34 ... door cover, 35 ... mounting cover,

40 ... seaters, 41 ... seats.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the present invention provides a side airbag including an airbag module mounted on a vehicle, a side collision sensor, and an airbag control unit for deploying the airbag of the airbag module according to a signal of the side collision sensor. In the system, the airbag module is located on the side of the vehicle seat and installed near the vehicle side seal to protect the lower body of the vehicle seat occupant. Specifically, the airbag module is installed inside and outside the floor or side seal of the vehicle. In addition, regardless of the driver's seat, the front passenger seat, the front seat or the rear seat, the airbag module is installed between the seat and the door or the side vehicle body in preparation for side collision.

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

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the side airbag system according to the present invention deploys the airbag according to the signal of the airbag module 20, the side collision sensor (not shown), and the collision sensor largely mounted on the vehicle And an airbag control unit (not shown). The airbag module 20 is installed near the side seal 31 to protect the lower body of the seat occupant 40. 1 schematically shows the mounting position of the side airbag when the seated person 40 is seated on the driver's seat 41 and the shape of the cushion 22 when deployed. 2 shows an exploded airbag module 20.

The airbag control unit is a kind of ECU mounted on a vehicle, and deploys the airbag according to a signal of the side collision sensor.

The side impact sensor is a sensor for measuring a vehicle collision by, for example, an inertia force of a mass, and is mounted on a side body of a vehicle or a door, and connected to the airbag control unit, by the airbag control unit in a predetermined collision state. Allow the airbag module 20 to be deployed. In some cases, the side collision sensor may be an early collision sensor.

The airbag module 20 may include a cushion 22 which is a largely folded airbag, a retainer 27 and a mounting bracket 28 on which the cushion 22 is mounted, and an inflator that bulges the cushion 22. 23). The cushion 22 is folded and made of a cloth such as nylon, and the opened end is assembled to the mounting bracket 28 through the retainer 27 and the nut 29. The inflator 23 is preferably a device for generating a gas such as nitrogen, is inserted into the retainer 27 in the form of a cylinder, one end of which is fixed to the mounting bracket 28 by a clamp 24, The other end is connected to the airbag control unit (not shown) via an inflator connector 25. The cushion 22, the retainer 27, the mounting bracket 28, and the inflator 23 are embedded in the cover 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag module 20 is mounted in the vicinity of the side seal 31, specifically on the floor 30. Specifically, the mounting cover 35 of the cover is mounted on the floor 30, and when the cushion 22 is expanded at a predetermined side collision, the door cover 34 is rotated about the hinge 33 (Fig. 2). It is opened and closed and the cushion 22 is fully deployed between the seat 41 and the door 32 to protect the lower body of the seated person 40. In addition, the airbag module may be manufactured in various forms and mounted near the side seal 31, and may be mounted inside the side seal 31. In the case where the mounting groove is formed in the lower portion of the floor 30 or the inside of the side seal 31, the airbag module without the door cover 34 is preferably mounted, and the cover trim is positioned at the door cover 34 position. It is installed and the appearance is beautiful. The airbag module 20 may be installed in the passenger seat or the rear seat as well as the driver's seat.

The present invention configured as described above has a side effect of mounting the side airbag near the vehicle body side seal, which protects the lower body of the seat occupant during the side collision of the vehicle.

In addition, the present invention is installed in the vicinity of the side seal with a relatively comfortable mounting space, it is easy to install without interfering with other components in the design of the vehicle has the effect of easy design of the related parts of the side airbag system.

Claims (3)

In a side airbag system including an airbag module mounted on a vehicle, a side collision sensor, and an airbag control unit for deploying the airbag of the airbag module according to a signal of the side collision sensor, And the airbag module is located on the side of the vehicle seat and installed near the vehicle side seal to protect the lower body of the vehicle seat occupant. The side airbag system according to claim 1, wherein the airbag module is installed on a floor near the vehicle side seal. 2. The side airbag system according to claim 1 wherein the airbag module is installed inside the vehicle side seal.