KR20140072284A

KR20140072284A - Airbag apparatus

Info

Publication number: KR20140072284A
Application number: KR1020120137170A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김도관; 정두섭
Original assignee: 아우토리브 디벨롭먼트 아베
Priority date: 2012-11-29
Filing date: 2012-11-29
Publication date: 2014-06-13
Also published as: KR101614487B1; WO2014084551A1

Abstract

An airbag apparatus having an improved airbag housing assembly is provided. The apparatus includes: a housing having one side opened to receive a folded airbag; An inflator provided inside the housing to supply an inflation gas to the airbag; And a cover covering the opening of the housing. The front and rear edges of the housing are formed with a plurality of front and rear hooks, and front and rear edges of the cover are provided with front and rear hook holes, And the front hook hole is configured to be disengaged from the front hook by the inflation force of the airbag.

Description

AIRBAG APPARATUS

The present invention relates to an improved airbag device for an airbag housing assembly for accommodating an inflating airbag inflating and inflating.

Background Art [0002] In general, an airbag device is one of safety devices installed in a vehicle to protect an occupant when an external shock is applied to the vehicle. Such an airbag apparatus is provided in a central portion of the driver's seat side handlebar and an instrument panel on the passenger's seat side to protect the passenger's upper body. Alternatively, an airbag device is installed in the lower portion of the vehicle door or the instrument panel to protect the human body such as the side of the occupant, the knee, or the lower body.

The above-described airbag apparatus includes an airbag housing assembly that receives the airbag in a folded state. The airbag housing assembly generally includes a housing that houses the folded airbag therein and a cover that covers the opening of the housing. A tear line is formed on the cover, and the tear line is ruptured by the inflating force of the airbag, so that the airbag is discharged to the outside of the housing.

However, according to the related art, there is a problem that the airbag deployment time is delayed as the airbag is configured to be discharged to the outside of the housing while rupturing the tear line by the inflating force of the airbag.

Further, according to the related art, there is a difficulty in forming the tear line having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the cover on the inner surface of the cover, and there is a problem that the appearance of the product is deteriorated due to the injection failure.

Further, the tear line of the cover is ruptured by the deploying force of the airbag, and as the airbag is discharged, fragments are generated and scattered.

* Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-205814

* Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-271774

* Patent Document 3: U.S. Patent Publication No. US2011 / 00227318

It is an object of the present invention to provide an airbag device in which the cover of the airbag housing assembly is configured to be partially detached from the housing by an airbag deployment force to improve the airbag deployment speed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an airbag device which improves the appearance of the product by eliminating the tear line on the cover of the assembly of the airbag housing and enhances the injection conditions.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an airbag device that eliminates tear lines on the cover of an airbag housing assembly to prevent the occurrence of debris during deployment of the airbag.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device which improves the assemblability by making the cover of the airbag housing partly separated from the housing by the airbag deployment force.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foldable airbag device comprising: a housing having one side opened to receive a folded airbag; An inflator provided inside the housing to supply inflation gas to the airbag; And a cover covering the opening of the housing, wherein a plurality of front and rear hooks are formed on the front and rear edges of the housing, and front and rear edges of the cover are provided with front and rear hooks Wherein the front hook is separated from the front hook hole by an inflating force of the airbag.

The front and rear spacing walls are provided around the front and rear sides of the opening of the housing so that the front and rear hooks are spaced apart from the front and rear sides of the housing by a predetermined distance, , And a plurality of front and rear slit holes may be provided at predetermined intervals such that the rear catching pieces pass through.

The front hook may include upper and lower inclined surfaces such that a center portion of the front hook protrudes toward the front of the housing, and the front hook hole may include an inner inclined surface increasing in size toward the outside of the cover .

Wherein the rear hook includes a hook inclined surface that is closer to a rear surface of the housing toward the front end of the rear hook, the front end of the rear hook is formed to be orthogonal to the rear surface of the housing and the inner circumferential surface of the rear hook hole is parallel to the front end .

The front and rear retaining pieces may include front and rear insertion inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the inner side and the front side of the front and rear engaging pieces from the outer surface of the front and rear engaging pieces.

The airbag device may be provided on an opening side of a lower instrument panel located below a steering column provided on a driver's seat side of the vehicle.

The airbag device may be provided on a side of the glove box provided on the passenger seat side of the vehicle, the side facing the passenger's knee.

The airbag device may be provided on the upper instrument panel on the passenger's seat side of the vehicle.

According to the airbag apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the upper portion of the cover can be easily separated when the airbag is deployed, so that the airbag is discharged from the housing, so that the initial deployment time of the airbag can be shortened.

According to the airbag apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to configure a portion of the cover to be separated from the housing upon deployment of the airbag to form a tear line on the cover. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the injection operation of the cover, reduce work defects due to the formation of the tier line, and improve the appearance of the cover.

According to the airbag apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the tear line from being ruptured by the inflating force of the airbag when the airbag is deployed and the cover to be opened easily so that fragments due to tear line rupture are generated and scattered.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which an airbag housing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an airbag device for protecting a driver's seat side knee.
2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of a knee-protecting airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view illustrating an airbag housing assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exploded perspective view of an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a view showing a state as viewed along arrow V in Fig.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a state as viewed along the arrow VII of FIG. 3. FIG.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover of the housing assembly of FIG. 3 is opened.
10 is a cross-sectional view showing an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is provided on the instrument panel side of the passenger seat side.
11 is a cross-sectional view showing an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where the glove box on the passenger seat side is provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, It is provided to let you know.

Hereinafter, the terms "upward "," downward ", "front ", and" rearward "and other directional terms are defined relative to the airbag housing with the airbag housing coupled to the bottom of the panel of the instrument. That is, the upward direction U of the vehicle, the downward direction L of the vehicle, the forward direction F of the vehicle, and the rearward direction of the vehicle are defined as R do.

Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which an airbag housing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a driver's seat side knee protecting airbag apparatus, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a knee- Fig.

1 and 2, the airbag apparatus 1 includes a lower portion of the steering column 3 positioned in front of the occupant O so as to protect the knee K of the driver O Respectively.

That is, the airbag device 1 is provided on the side of the opening 5a of the lower instrument panel 5 located at the lower portion of the steering column 3 so as to correspond to the knee K of the occupant O.

The airbag device 1 includes an airbag housing assembly 100 for accommodating an airbag 7, an inflator 9 for supplying gas to the airbag 7 in the event of a vehicle collision, an airbag 7 and an inflator 9 do. The airbag housing assembly 100 includes a housing 110 and a cover 130 that covers the rear opening 111 of the housing 110.

The airbag apparatus 1 is constituted as a single module by integrally assembling the airbag 7, the inflator 9, the housing 110 and the cover 130. The inflator 9 may be housed inside the housing 110 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or alternatively may be coupled to the outside of the housing 110.

The airbag device 1 is supported by a cowl cross bar 12 disposed in the width direction of the vehicle through the coupling device 200. [

The coupling device 200 includes a mounting bracket 210 having one end connected to the cowl cross bar 12 and a mounting block 230 coupled to the inside of the mounting bracket 210, And a shim member 250 that is extruded into the mounting block 230.

The airbag 7 is formed of a wooven cloth sewn in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the occupant (0) side. The airbag 7 is folded and housed in the housing 110. The cover 130 is pushed and opened by the inflating force of the airbag 7 when the airbag 7 is deployed and the airbag 7 is discharged from the housing 110 and developed toward the knee of the occupant through the opened gap. The knee K of the occupant O is expanded in the direction of the ceiling of the vehicle between the low instrument panel 5 and the knee K of the occupant O to protect the knee K of the occupant O.

The cover 130 has a wide rectangular shape when viewed from the occupant O side and is made of resin. The cover 130 is engaged with the housing 110 to cover the opening 111 of the housing 110 and covers the opening 5a of the low instrument panel 5.

A plurality of front and rear hooks 113 and 115 are formed on the front and rear edges of the housing 110. The front and rear edges of the cover 130 are provided with front and rear hook holes 133a And 135a are formed on the front and rear engaging pieces 133 and 135, respectively.

The front hook hole 133a of the cover 130 is configured to be easily disengaged from the front hook 133 by the inflation force of the airbag when the airbag 7 is deployed and the rear hook hole 135a is detached from the rear hook 115 . Thus, the cover 130 is opened downward when the airbag 7 is deployed. The cover 130 is made of flexible resin and easily bends downward when opened.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an airbag housing assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an airbag housing assembly separated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the airbag housing assembly 100 includes a housing 110 that houses the airbag in a folded state, and a cover 130 that covers the opening 111 of the housing 110. As shown in FIG.

A plurality of front hooks 113 and a rear hooks (not shown) are protruded toward the front surface 118 and the rear surface (not visible) of the housing 110 at the front and rear edges of the housing 110. The front and rear hooks 113 and 115 are spaced apart from the front and rear surfaces 118 and 119 of the housing 110 through the front and rear spacing walls 116 and 117 formed substantially upright from the front surface 118 and the rear surface of the housing 110 And are spaced apart. The front and rear hooks 113 and 115 have one end supported by the front and rear spacing walls 116 and 117 and the other end of the front and rear hooks 113 and 115 is free to flow in the forward and backward directions F and R.

The front and rear spacing walls 116 and 117 are supported at predetermined intervals from the front and rear surfaces 118 and 119 of the housing 110 to provide front and rear slit holes 116a and 117a.

A plurality of front and rear retaining pieces 133 and 135 having front and rear hook holes 133a and 135a to be extruded to the front and rear hooks 113 and 115 are formed on the front and rear edges of the cover 130, respectively. The front and rear locking pieces 133 and 135 are configured to be inserted through the front and rear slit holes 116a and 117a.

The front hook 113 and the front hook hole 133a are configured to be easily detachable by the inflating force of the airbag when the airbag in the housing 110 is inflated in the event of a vehicle collision and the rear hook 115 and the rear hook hole 135a can not be released. Thus, due to the inflating force of the airbag, the cover 130 is supported on the rear side, and the front side is rotated and opened to the front (F) of the housing 110.

A plurality of reinforcing ribs 114 may be formed on the outer surface of the housing 110 to increase the strength of the housing 110.

A housing hole 112 is formed in the side surface of the housing 110 to receive the protrusion 136a of the cover 130 and to receive the protrusion 136a on the side surface of the cover 130 do. The projection 136a is configured to be easily detachable from the housing hole 112 by the deploying force of the airbag 8 built in the housing 110. [

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state as viewed along an arrow V in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI in FIG.

5 and 6, the front hook 113 includes upper and lower inclined surfaces 113b and 113c so that the central portion 113a of the front hook 113 protrudes toward the front surface 118 of the housing 110. [ The front hook hole 133a includes an inner inclined surface 133c so as to increase the size of the hole toward the outside of the cover 130. [

The front hook 113 may be formed of a plastic material capable of being elastically deformed. The front hook 113 can be integrally formed with the housing 110 by injection molding.

Therefore, when the front latching member 133 passes between the front hook 113 and the front face 118 of the housing 110, the front hook 113 is slid forward while pushing forward, When the front hook 113 is inserted into the front hook 133a.

The front locking piece 133 includes a front insertion slanting surface 133f which is inclined from the outer surface of the front locking piece 133 toward the inside and tip of the front locking piece 133. [

The front locking piece 133 is easily inserted into the front slit hole 116a formed in the front space retaining wall 116 of the housing 110 by the front insertion slant surface 133f of the front locking piece 133. [ The front insertion hook slope 133f is slid and moved along the lower inclined surface 113c of the front hook 113 and passes through the central portion 113a of the front hook 113. [ The central portion 113a of the front hook 113 is inserted into the front hook hole 133a and the upper inclined surface 113b of the front hook 113 is brought into contact with the front inner inclined surface 133d of the front hook hole 133a do.

On the other hand, when the airbag is deployed, the cover 130 is pushed downward by the inflating force of the airbag, and the lower inner inclined surface 133c of the front hook hole 133a is inclined toward the upper inclined surface 113b of the front hook 113 ). &Lt; / RTI > As a result, the front hook hole 133a is separated from the front hook 113 and the front of the cover 130 is opened.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along arrow VII of FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the rear hook 115 includes a hook inclined surface 115c that approaches the rear surface 119 of the housing 110 toward the front end 115a.

The front end 115a of the rear hook 115 is formed to be substantially perpendicular to the rear surface 119 of the housing 110 and the inner circumferential surface 135c of the rear hook hole 135a is connected to the front end 115a of the front hook 115 And is formed in parallel.

The rear hook 115 may be formed of a plastic material capable of being elastically deformed. The rear hook 115 may be injection molded integrally with the housing 110. [

Therefore, when the rear catching piece 135 passes through the rear slit hole 117a of the rear space retaining wall 117 and passes between the rear hook 115 and the rear face 119 of the housing 110, the rear hook 115 And the rear hook 135 is inserted into the rear hook hole 135a to be restored to its original state.

The rear engaging piece 135 includes a rear insertion inclined surface 135f which is inclined from the outer surface of the rear engaging piece 135 toward the inside and tip of the rear engaging piece 135. [

Through this configuration, the rear catching piece 135 is easily inserted into the rear slit hole 117a formed in the rear space retaining wall 117 by the rear insertion inclined surface 135f. Thereafter, the rear insertion inclined surface 135f is slid and moved along the hook inclined surface 115c of the rear hook 115. [ Subsequently, when the rear insertion inclined surface 135f passes the rear hook 115 and the outer surface 135g of the rear catching piece 135 comes into contact with the end point 115d of the hook inclined surface 115c, (R).

When the rear hooking piece 135 is continuously moved and the rear hook hole 135a is positioned corresponding to the hook inclined surface 115c, the rear hook 115 is moved forward (F) by the restoring force, . As a result, the front end 115a of the rear hook 115 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 135c of the rear hook hole 135a.

On the other hand, when the airbag is deployed, the cover 130 is pressed downward (L) by the inflating force of the airbag. The front end 115a of the rear hook 115 is caught by the inner circumferential surface 135c of the rear hook hole 135a so that the rear hook 115 is caught by the rear hook hole 135a even if the cover 130 is pressed downward. .

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover of the housing assembly of FIG. 3 is opened.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 9, when the airbag is inflated in a collision, the cover 130 is pushed downward (L). The front hook hole 133a of the front catch 133 formed at the front of the cover 130 is detached from the front hook 113 formed at the front of the housing 110 and is formed at the rear of the cover 130 The rear hook hole 135a of the rear fastening piece 135 is not detached from the rear hook 115 formed at the rear of the housing 110 and maintains the engaged state.

As a result, the cover 130 is opened downward (L), and the airbag is unfolded through the open gap.

Thus, according to the assembly 100 of the airbag housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, the front of the cover 130 is easily opened by the inflating force of the airbag, shortening the initial deployment time of the airbag.

Further, the tear line for discharging the airbag can be eliminated to improve the appearance of the cover by improving the cover injection condition, and the problem of the fragments generated and scattered by the tear line rupture is solved.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is provided on the instrument panel side of the passenger seat side.

Referring to FIG. 10, an airbag apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided on the upper instrument panel 13 on the assistant driver's seat side. And is configured to be deployed toward the upper body of the occupant who is seated on the passenger seat side.

11 is a cross-sectional view showing an airbag apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention installed on a passenger's side glove box.

Referring to Fig. 11, a glove box 15 is provided below the instrument panel 13 on the assistant driver's seat side. The airbag device 1 may be provided on a side of the glove box 15 facing the passenger's knee. Thus, in the event of a collision, the airbag is deployed toward the passenger's knee of the passenger seat side to protect the passenger's knees.

The airbag device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be installed at the center of the steering wheel although not shown.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited thereto but is limited by the following claims. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the following claims.

1: Airbag device 5: Low-instrument panel
7: air bag 9: inflator
12: Cowl crossbar 13: Instrument panel on the passenger side
15: glove box 100: airbag housing assembly
110: housing 113, 115: front and rear hooks
113a: central portion 113b, 113c: upper and lower inclined surfaces
115a: hook inclined surface 115a:
115d: end point 116,117: front and rear spacing walls
116a, 117a: front and rear slit holes 133, 135: front and rear engaging pieces
133a, 135a: front and rear hook holes 133d, 133c: front and rear inner inclined surfaces
133f, 135f: front and rear insertion inclined surfaces 118: front surface of the housing
119: Housing rear

Claims

A housing having one side opened to receive the folded airbag;
An inflator provided inside the housing to supply inflation gas to the airbag; And
And a cover covering the opening of the housing,
A plurality of front and rear hooks are formed on the front and rear edges of the housing,
Front and rear engaging pieces having front and rear hook holes which are engaged with the front and rear hooks are formed on the front and rear edges of the cover,
Wherein the front hook is configured to be separated from the front hook hole by an inflating force of the airbag.

The method according to claim 1,
Front and rear spacing walls are provided around the front and rear of the opening of the housing so that the front and rear hooks are spaced apart from the front and rear surfaces of the housing by a predetermined distance,
Wherein the front and rear gap retaining walls are provided with a plurality of front and rear slit holes at predetermined intervals so that the front and rear retaining members pass through.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the front hook includes upper and lower inclined surfaces so that a central portion of the front hook projects toward a front surface of the housing,
Wherein the front hook hole includes an inner inclined surface that increases in size of the hole toward the outer side of the cover.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the rear hook includes a hook inclined surface that is closer to the rear surface of the housing toward the front end of the rear hook,
The front end of the rear hook is formed to be orthogonal to the rear face of the housing,
And an inner circumferential surface of the rear hook hole is formed parallel to the tip end.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the front and rear fastening pieces include front and rear insertion inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the inside and the front end side of the front and rear fastening pieces from the outer surfaces of the front and rear fastening pieces.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the airbag device is provided on an opening side of a lower instrument panel located below a steering column provided on a driver's seat side of the vehicle.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the airbag device is provided on a side of the glove box provided on the passenger's seat side of the vehicle, the side surface facing the knee of the passenger.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the airbag device is provided on the upper instrument panel on the passenger's seat side of the vehicle.