KR20230139726A - Passenger seat airbag apparatus for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

It relates to a passenger-side airbag device for a car, which inflates and deploys between the structure inside the vehicle and the occupants in the event of a car collision to restrain and protect the occupants, and which is provided inside the airbag cushion and when the airbag cushion inflates and deploys, the airbag cushion It includes a control unit that controls the inflation volume by variably limiting the deployment shape, wherein the control unit includes a drive module driven according to a control signal from the airbag control unit, one end of which is connected to the drive module, and the other end of which is connected to the rear of the airbag cushion. A configuration is provided that includes a tether member that is connected and controls the inflation volume of the airbag cushion, and a control unit is applied inside the airbag cushion to selectively drive the drive module of the control unit according to the seating condition and physical condition of the occupant, thereby controlling the inflation volume of the airbag cushion. The inflation volume can be variably adjusted.

Description

Passenger seat airbag device of automobile {PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle that protects the occupants by inflating and deploying between the structure of the vehicle and the occupants in the event of a collision.

Airbags are a representative safety device along with car seat belts. Airbags include driver's airbag, passenger's airbag, side airbag, curtain airbag, etc.

The driver's airbag protects the driver in the event of a frontal collision. The driver's airbag is installed inside the steering wheel of a car and inflates momentarily when a certain impact is applied.

The passenger airbag is installed inside the vehicle's instrument panel and instantly inflates in the event of a vehicle collision to protect the passenger on the passenger side.

Crash testing of cars equipped with these safety devices is essential. Car crash tests include frontal crash tests, side crash tests, etc., and there are various crash tests for each country.

Among them, the car frontal crash test places a human body model on the driver's seat and passenger seat, and evaluates injuries to the head, chest, neck, etc. when the test car collides head-on with an obstacle at the required test speed.

Recent safety standards issued by governments around the world call for providing enhanced protection in the event of a side or frontal collision. And there continues to be a need to provide an airbag system that is economical in terms of manufacturing and installation, avoids interference while automobile manufacturers place various features inside the automobile, and can be deployed quickly. In particular, since occupants of a vehicle may be in any of a variety of positions within the vehicle when the airbag deploys, it is desirable to provide an airbag system that provides protection against impact over the widest possible range of occupant positions.

One stability requirement that has recently become clear is the need for enhanced protection in the event of 'small overlap' and 'oblique' collisions.

The small overlap collision is a frontal collision that occurs in a relatively narrow area on the left or right side of the front of the car.

The oblique collision is a front impact in which an impact is applied at an angle to the front, but the impact is applied to a relatively narrow area on the front left or right side of the car.

Such collisions can cause significant deformation of the vehicle structure at the side where the impact occurs. Additionally, such collisions tend to cause the center of gravity of the car to rotate and deviate from the line of movement. In this case, the occupants inside the car can move forward with a vector having forward and lateral components.

Therefore, airbags are required to protect occupants by more quickly and effectively restraining the occupant's head and chest against various crash scenarios.

For example, the present applicant has disclosed the construction of a passenger-side airbag device in numerous publications such as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below, and has applied for and been registered as a patent.

Meanwhile, the passenger airbag device according to the prior art is provided with a tether to control the deployment shape of the airbag cushion.

For example, the tether applied to the passenger airbag device according to the prior art is formed in an approximately '+' shape when viewed from the top.

In this way, the '+' shaped tether limits the width that the airbag cushion expands in the front-to-back direction and the width that it expands in the left and right directions during the process of deploying the airbag cushion.

However, in the passenger airbag device according to the prior art, when the passenger rotates the seat backrest rearward or moves the seat rearward, and the passenger is a woman or child larger than an adult man, there is a gap between the instrument panel and the passenger. Distance increases.

Accordingly, the passenger airbag device according to the prior art was unable to selectively restrain the occupants according to their gender, age, or physique, and there was a risk that safety performance would be deteriorated.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1807660 (announced on December 12, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1781384 (announced on September 25, 2017)

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, and to provide a passenger airbag device for a vehicle that inflates and deploys between the structure inside the vehicle and the occupants when a collision occurs in the vehicle, thereby restraining the occupants.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle that can effectively protect occupants by limiting the deployment shape when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a passenger airbag device for a vehicle that can effectively restrain the occupant by variably limiting the deployment shape of the airbag cushion according to the occupant's physique or seating condition.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the passenger airbag device of a vehicle according to the present invention is provided with an airbag cushion that inflates and deploys between the structure inside the vehicle and the occupants to restrain and protect the occupants when a collision occurs in the vehicle, and an airbag cushion inside the airbag cushion. and a control unit that controls the inflation volume by variably limiting the deployment shape of the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed, wherein the control unit includes a drive module driven according to a control signal from the airbag control unit and one end of the drive module. It is connected to and the other end is connected to the rear part of the airbag cushion and includes a tether member that adjusts the inflation volume of the airbag cushion.

As described above, according to the automobile passenger airbag device according to the present invention, the control unit is applied inside the airbag cushion and the drive module of the control unit is selectively driven according to the seating condition and physical condition of the occupant, thereby increasing the inflation volume of the airbag cushion. The effect of being able to adjust variably is obtained.

That is, according to the present invention, when an adult occupant is seated in a normal position, the airbag cushion can be controlled to a relatively small first inflation volume, thereby effectively restraining the occupant and protecting him/her safely.

According to the present invention, when the occupant moves the seat rearward or rotates the backrest rearward, or is a woman or child with a smaller physique than an adult occupant, the drive module is driven to disconnect the connecting member. , the effect of being able to control the inflation volume of the airbag cushion to increase rearwardly and on both sides is obtained.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, in the case of an abnormal seating condition or a small physique of the occupant, the effect of effectively restraining the occupant and safely protecting the occupant is obtained by controlling the airbag cushion to a relatively large second inflation volume.

1 is a perspective view of a passenger-side airbag device for a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view showing the airbag cushion shown in Figure 1 in an inflated and deployed state;
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the airbag cushion shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a view showing the expansion volume of the airbag cushion shown in Figure 2 in an expanded state;
Figure 5 is a side view of the control unit shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' shown in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB' shown in Figure 4.

Hereinafter, a passenger airbag device for a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a passenger airbag device for a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing the airbag cushion shown in FIG. 1 in an inflated and deployed state, and FIG. 3 is a view showing the airbag cushion shown in FIG. 1. is an expanded view, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the expansion volume of the airbag cushion shown in FIG. 2 in an expanded state.

Figures 2 and 4 (a) and (b) show a side view and a front view of an inflated and deployed airbag cushion, respectively.

Hereinafter, the direction of the vehicle toward the engine room based on the seat is referred to as 'forward (F)', and the opposite direction is referred to as 'rear (R)'. And terms indicating directions such as 'left (L)', 'right (R)', 'upward (U)', and 'downward (D)' indicate each direction based on the front and rear above. It is defined as

As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger airbag device 10 of a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 20 installed in a structure inside the vehicle, and is accommodated in a folded state inside the housing 20, An airbag cushion 30 that inflates and deploys between the structure inside the vehicle and the occupants in the event of a car crash to restrain and protect the occupants, an inflator (not shown) that generates gas and supplies it to the airbag cushion 30 in the event of a car crash, and It is provided inside the airbag cushion 30 and includes an adjuster 40 that adjusts the inflation volume by variably limiting the deployment shape of the airbag cushion 30 when the airbag cushion 30 is inflated and deployed.

The housing 20 is roughly formed in a hexahedral shape with one side open, and can be installed inside a structure inside a vehicle, for example, an instrument panel.

An installation space (not shown) with one side open may be provided in the instrument panel so that the housing 20 can be installed.

Additionally, the open surface of the housing 20 may be the rear or upper surface facing the occupants. Therefore, the airbag cushion 30 accommodated inside the housing 20 may be expanded and deployed backwards or backwards and upwards toward the upper body of the occupant.

A cover (not shown) is coupled to the opening of the instrument panel, and a cut line that is cut when the airbag cushion 30 is inflated and deployed may be formed on the cover.

This cover remains connected to the outer surface of the instrument panel in normal times, and when the airbag cushion 30 is inflated and deployed, the incision line is cut and can function as a door that opens the instrument panel.

The inflator that generates gas when a car crashes may be installed in the lower part of the housing 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag cushion 30 includes a main panel 31 disposed in the center of the airbag cushion 30 and a pair of side panels disposed on both sides of the main panel 31. The edges of (32) can be sewn to form approximately a bag shape.

For example, the main panel 31 extends vertically as seen in FIG. 3, and each side panel 32 may have a cross-section of a substantially circular shape or a polygonal shape, etc.

Here, the rear portion 33 of the main panel 31 facing the occupants is formed approximately in a jar shape with a center width in the left and right directions wider than the widths of the top and bottom, and the front portion 34 facing the front of the vehicle is the rear portion 33. ), the width in the left and right directions may be narrower than that of ).

A supply hole through which gas generated from the inflator is supplied is formed in the front part 33 of the main panel 31, and a connection part 35 connected to the inflator is formed on the front of each side panel 32 to protrude forward. You can. This connection portion 35 may correspond to the location of the supply hole through which gas is supplied from the inflator.

Additionally, a vent hole 36 may be formed in each side panel 32 to discharge internal gas to the outside after the airbag cushion 30 is inflated and deployed.

This airbag cushion 30 can be accommodated inside the housing 20 in a folded state in various ways, such as a folding method or a rolling method.

The inflator is disposed at the lower part of the housing 20 and may be in communication with a supply hole formed in the front part 34 of the main panel 31 to generate gas and supply it to the airbag cushion 30 when a car crash occurs.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, a pair of extension parts 37 are further provided on both sides of the airbag cushion 30 that protrude toward both sides of the occupant.

Each expansion portion 37 may be expanded from the central portions of both sides of the airbag cushion 30 toward the occupant.

To this end, the main panel 31 and the pair of side panels 32 may each be formed with a pair of protrusions that protrude rearward at positions corresponding to the pair of extensions 37.

Here, the portion where the main panel 31 and the expansion part 37 are connected, that is, the top and bottom of each expansion part 37, is damaged such as tearing of the expansion part 37 when the airbag cushion 30 is inflated and deployed. To prevent this, a reinforcing part 38 may be provided to reinforce the rigidity of the expansion part 37.

The reinforcement portion 37 is formed by cutting the area around the connection portion of the main panel 31 and the expansion portion 37 together when cutting the main panel 31, and then folding it so that it overlaps the main panel 31 and the expansion portion 37. It can be formed by a sewing line sewn in the state.

The expansion volume and direction of the airbag cushion 30 and the pair of expansion parts 37 configured in this way can be controlled by the control part 40.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the airbag cushion 30 is in the normal seating state of an adult occupant or when the occupant is in a position moved forward from the normal position, the first airbag cushion 30 preset by the adjuster 40 It is inflated to an expansion volume.

And the pair of extension parts 37 expand and unfold toward both sides of the front of the passenger. Here, as the passenger is accommodated between the pair of extension parts 37, the pair of extension parts 37 can restrain both sides of the occupant and prevent movement in the left and right directions.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the airbag cushion 30 is adjusted by the adjuster 40 in the case of an abnormal seating condition of an adult occupant or when the occupant is a child such as a woman or a child or infant with a smaller physique than an adult. It is expanded with a second expansion volume set to be larger than the first expansion volume.

And the pair of extension parts 37 are expanded and deployed outward to face both sides of the occupant.

Next, the configuration of the control unit 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the adjusting unit shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the control unit 40 includes a drive module 41 driven according to a control signal, one end of which is connected to the drive module 41, and the other end of which is connected to the rear portion 33 of the airbag cushion 30. ) includes a tether member 42 connected to the.

In addition, the control unit 40 may further include a connection member 43 connecting the drive module 41 and one end of the tether member 42.

The driving module 41 may be driven according to a control signal from an airbag control unit (ACU) (not shown) based on detection signals from various sensors provided in the vehicle.

The sensor may be a sensor for detecting the seated state and physical condition of the occupant.

For example, the sensor includes a tilt sensor that detects the tilt of the backrest, a position sensor that detects the position in which the seat moves in the forward and backward directions, and a weight sensor that detects the weight of the occupant to determine whether it is an adult man, woman, or child. It may be provided with one or more detection sensors.

Of course, the sensor may be provided as a contact or non-contact detection sensor, and may also be provided as one or more cameras that transmit images captured of the occupants to the ACU.

Therefore, the ACU can determine the occupant's seating condition, the occupant's physical condition, etc. based on the detection signals of each sensor and generate a control signal to drive the drive module 41.

The driving module 41 is driven according to a control signal from the ACU in a state where one end of the tether member 42 and the rear end of the connecting member 43 connected to the rear end, as seen in FIG. 5, are connected or wound, thereby forming the connecting member 43. It can be operated to disconnect the rear end or to release the rear end of the connecting member 43.

For example, the drive module 41 may be an ignition device applied to an inflator, a cylinder unit that expands or contracts to wind or unwind the rear end of the connecting member 43, a motor that rotates, or a motor that cuts the rear end of the connecting member 43. It can be provided as an actuator that operates in various ways, such as a cutting unit.

This drive module 41 may be installed in the lower part of the housing 20.

The tether member 42 and the connecting member 43 are installed inside the airbag cushion 30 and function to limit the deployment shape of the airbag cushion 30.

In detail, the tether member 42 can selectively limit the inflation volume in which the airbag cushion 30, which is inflated and deployed by receiving gas from an inflator when a car crash occurs, is inflated rearward and on both sides toward the occupant.

That is, the tether member 42 can control the inflation volume and direction of the airbag cushion to effectively restrain the occupant in response to the occupant's physical condition, such as age or gender, and the occupant's seated state.

These tether members 42 may be provided in pairs to be connected to both sides of the rear portion of the main panel 31, respectively.

Each tether member 42 is formed approximately in the shape of a plate, and may be connected by sewing along the vertical direction at a predetermined distance on both sides of the rear portion 33 of the main panel 31.

Accordingly, one or more pairs of sewing lines may be formed on each tether member 42 and the rear portion 33 of the main panel 31.

For example, each tether member 42 may be formed to protrude forward in a substantially triangular plate shape to correspond to each expansion portion 37 formed on the rear portion 33 of the main panel 31. However, each tether member 42 may be formed to have a cross-sectional area smaller than that of each expansion portion 37.

Therefore, both rear ends of the connecting members 43, each branched into a pair, can be connected to the front end protruding forward from each tether member 42.

The rear end of the connecting member 43 may be branched on both sides. That is, the connecting member 43 is provided as a strap having a strip shape, and may be provided in a state that is folded once around the central portion.

Therefore, one end of the connecting member 43, as seen in FIG. 5, is connected to the driving module 41, and each rear end of the pair of branched tether members 42 is connected to the front end of each tether member 42. You can.

For example, the front end of the connecting member 43 is connected to the driving module 41, and may be wound or fixed to a rod provided on the driving module 41.

In addition, each rear end of the pair of branched connecting members 43 may be connected to each front end of the tether member 42 by sewing.

Here, a sewing line 44 may be provided at the front end and approximately in the center of the connecting member 43 to reinforce the rigidity of the connecting member 43.

The sewing line 44 can limit the inflation volume of the airbag cushion 30 by adjusting the length of the pair of rear ends branched from the connecting member 43.

That is, as the length of the sewing line 44 extending toward the rear end of the connecting member 43 becomes shorter, the length of the pair of branched rear ends of the connecting member 43 becomes longer. For this reason, as the gap between the pair of tether members 42 increases, the inflation volume of the airbag cushion 30 in the left and right directions increases.

On the other hand, as the length of the sewing line 44 becomes longer, the length of the pair of branched rear ends of the connecting member 43 becomes shorter. Because of this, as the gap between the pair of tether members 42 decreases, the inflation volume of the airbag cushion 30 in the left and right directions decreases.

As such, the present invention can variably control the inflation volume of the airbag cushion by applying the control unit inside the airbag cushion and selectively driving the drive module of the control unit according to the seating condition and physical condition of the occupant.

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

First, the worker places a pair of tether members 42 on the rear portion 33 of the main panel 31 constituting the airbag cushion 30, and sews the pair of tether members 42 and the rear portion 33. connect in a way

Then, the rear ends of the pair of branched connecting members 43 are connected to the front ends of the pair of tether members 42, and the front ends of the connecting members 43 are connected to the driving module 41.

Once the assembly of the control unit 40 is completed through this process, a pair of side panels are placed on both sides of the main panel 31, and the edges of the main panel 31 and the pair of side panels 32 are The airbag cushion 30 is manufactured by sewing along the lines.

The manufactured airbag cushion 30 is accommodated inside the housing 20 in a rolled or folded state in various ways.

At this time, the drive module 41 is installed in the lower part of the housing 20, and the front end of the connecting member 43 connected to the drive module 41 is pulled out of the airbag cushion 30.

Meanwhile, when a car crash occurs, the ACU generates a control signal to drive the inflator.

Then, the inflator is driven according to the control signal from the ACU to generate gas and supply the gas to the airbag cushion 30, and the airbag cushion 30 is drawn out of the housing 20 and expanded.

In addition, the ACU generates a control signal to selectively drive the driving module 41 according to detection signals received from various sensors.

If the adult occupant is in a normal seated state or the occupant is moved forward from the normal position, the ACU may not generate the control signal.

Then, when the control signal from the ACU is not received, the drive module 41 is maintained in an undriven state so as to keep the rear end of the connecting member 43 in a connected or wound state.

Therefore, the airbag cushion 30 is expanded and expanded to a preset first inflation volume, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6.

At this time, the pair of extension parts 37 are expanded and deployed toward both sides of the front of the occupant.

Therefore, as the passenger is accommodated between the pair of extension parts 37, the pair of extension parts 37 restrains both sides of the passenger and prevents movement in the left and right directions.

Meanwhile, the ACU generates a control signal to drive the drive module 41 when the adult passenger is in an abnormal seating state or when the passenger is a woman with a smaller physique than an adult or a child such as a child or infant.

Then, the driving module 41 is driven according to the control signal from the ACU and operates to disconnect the rear end of the connecting member 43 or to release the rear end of the connecting member 43.

Accordingly, the expansion volume of the pair of tether members 42 is limited depending on the length of the rear end of the connecting member 43 connected to the front end.

That is, the airbag cushion 30 is inflated with a second inflation volume set larger than the first inflation volume, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7.

Here, the second expansion volume has an increased width extending rearward and on both sides compared to the first expansion volume (L1<L2, W1<W2).

At this time, the pair of extension parts 37 are expanded and deployed outwardly toward both sides of the occupant.

Accordingly, the pair of expansion portions 37 extend outward from the airbag cushion 30 inflated by the second inflation volume to safely protect passengers in abnormal seating conditions or women or children who are smaller than adults. there is.

Through the above-mentioned process, the present invention can variably control the inflation volume of the airbag cushion by applying an adjuster inside the airbag cushion and selectively driving the drive module of the adjuster according to the seating condition and physical condition of the occupant.

That is, the present invention can effectively restrain and safely protect the occupant by controlling the airbag cushion to a relatively small first inflation volume when the adult occupant is seated in a normal position.

In addition, the present invention operates the drive module to disconnect the airbag from the connection member when the occupant moves the seat rearward or rotates the backrest rearward, or is a woman or child with a smaller physique than an adult occupant. The inflation volume of the cushion can be controlled to increase backwards and on both sides.

Accordingly, the present invention can effectively restrain and safely protect the occupant by controlling the airbag cushion to a relatively large second inflation volume in the case of an abnormal seating condition or a small occupant.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described in detail according to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and, of course, can be changed in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

The present invention is a passenger-side airbag device in a car that safely protects the occupants by applying an adjuster inside the main panel and selectively driving the drive module of the adjuster according to the seating condition and physical condition of the occupant to adjust the inflation volume of the airbag cushion. Applies to technology.

10: Passenger seat airbag device in a car
20: housing
30: Airbag cushion
31: main panel 32: side panel
33: rear part 34: front part
35: Connection 36: Vent hole
37: expansion part 38: reinforcement part
40: Control unit
41: driving module 42: tether member
43: connecting member 44: sewing line

Claims (8)

An airbag cushion that inflates and deploys between the structure inside the vehicle and the occupants to restrain and protect the occupants when a car crash occurs.
A control unit provided inside the airbag cushion and controlling the inflation volume by variably limiting the deployment shape of the airbag cushion when the airbag cushion is inflated and deployed,
The control unit includes a driving module driven according to a control signal from the airbag control unit, and
A side airbag device for a vehicle, comprising a tether member that has one end connected to the drive module and the other end connected to a rear portion of the airbag cushion to adjust an inflation volume of the airbag cushion. According to paragraph 1,
The control unit further includes a connection member connecting one end of the drive module and the tether member,
A side airbag device for an automobile, wherein the connecting member is provided in a folded state of a central portion of a strap provided in a belt shape. According to paragraph 2,
The tether members are provided in pairs and are respectively connected to positions spaced apart from each other by a preset distance on the rear portion of the airbag cushion,
A side airbag device for a vehicle, characterized in that the rear end of the connecting member is branched into a pair and respectively connected to the front end of each tether member. According to paragraph 3,
The connecting member is provided with a sewing line that reinforces the rigidity of the connecting member,
The side airbag device for an automobile, wherein the sewing line adjusts the length of a pair of rear ends branched from the connecting member to limit the inflation volume of the airbag cushion. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The airbag cushion is inflated and deployed to a preset first inflation volume when the drive module is not driven,
When the drive module is driven, the second expansion volume is expanded and deployed to be larger than the first expansion volume,
A side airbag device for a vehicle, wherein the second inflation volume increases in volume in the rear and both directions toward the occupants when deployed. According to clause 5,
The airbag cushion includes a pair of expansion portions that inflate and deploy toward both front sides of the occupant,
A side airbag device for a vehicle, wherein the width of the pair of expansion parts in the left and right directions is adjusted according to the inflation volume of the airbag cushion. According to any one of claims 2 to 4,
A housing installed on a structure inside the vehicle and accommodating the airbag cushion therein, and
It further includes an inflator that generates gas based on a control signal from the airbag control unit and supplies it to the airbag cushion when the vehicle crashes,
A side airbag device for an automobile, wherein the drive module is installed on one side of the housing. In clause 7,
A side airbag device for a vehicle, characterized in that the front end of the connecting member is drawn out of the airbag cushion and connected to the driving module.

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