KR20240067645A - Airbag door and airbag device to which it is applied - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is an airbag door and an airbag device using the same, and presents a technology in which the airbag cushion can be deployed quickly and stably by opening the airbag door on both sides around the separation line of the crash pad as the airbag cushion is deployed.

Description

Airbag door and airbag device to which it is applied}

The present invention relates to an airbag door and an airbag device using the same. More specifically, it relates to a technology that allows the airbag cushion to be deployed quickly and stably by opening the airbag door on both sides around the separation line of the crash pad as the airbag cushion is deployed. .

Generally, at the front of a car, an instrument panel may be placed where a dashboard cluster, an audio device, a display device, an air conditioning control device, a glove box, and a passenger airbag device are installed. A dashboard is provided on the upper side of the instrument panel, and a crash pad made of soft foam is installed in the area where the airbag device is installed to form the upper skin surface of the instrument panel.

The airbag device includes an airbag door that rotates with a hinge, and when the airbag is deployed, the airbag door is opened and the airbag cushion can be deployed.

When an airbag is deployed, one airbag door rotates in one direction and opens. Due to this airbag door structure, the airbag door is damaged when the airbag is deployed, causing flying debris to cause injury to passengers.

In particular, if the hinge connected to the airbag door is damaged due to the action of shear stress caused by the inflated airbag cushion, the deployment of the airbag becomes unstable, which poses a problem of not sufficiently protecting the occupants.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0121960

The present invention was made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. When the airbag is deployed, one airbag door rotates in one direction and opens. Due to this airbag door structure, the airbag door is damaged when the airbag is deployed, causing debris to be collected. We want to solve the problem that Bisan actually causes injuries to passengers.

In particular, when the hinge connected to the airbag door is damaged due to the action of shear stress caused by the inflated airbag cushion, the deployment of the airbag becomes unstable, thereby solving the problem of insufficient protection for the occupants.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention that are not mentioned can be understood by the following description.

One embodiment of the airbag door according to the present invention is divided into a first area part and a second area part, and each of the first area part and the second area part includes a flange part fixed to the inner surface of the crash pad; A door portion whose one end is pushed open as the airbag cushion is deployed; And it may include a hinge part connected to an end of the flange part and the other end of the door part to rotate the door part.

Preferably, the first area portion and the second area portion are disposed on both sides based on the separation line of the crash pad, and as the airbag cushion is deployed, the first area portion is fixedly supported on the first flange portion and The first door portion rotates in one direction through the hinge portion, and as the airbag cushion is deployed, the second area portion is fixedly supported by the second flange portion and the second door portion rotates in the other direction opposite to the one direction through the second hinge portion. By rotating, the first door portion and the second door portion may be opened on both sides based on the separation line of the crash pad.

As an example, the hinge portion includes a hinge root connected to the flange portion and rotating in a first direction while supporting the hinge portion; a door hinge connected to the door unit and rotating in a first direction while supporting the door unit; and a hinge loop that is provided with an intermediate hinge rotating in a second direction between the hinge root and the door hinge, maintains a connection between the flange portion and the door portion, and is tensioned according to deployment of the airbag cushion. there is.

Furthermore, it may further include a guide body connected to the hinge portion and supporting the hinge portion.

As an example, the hinge loop of the hinge portion may have a tensile strength in which the normal length of the hinge loop has a length ratio of 0.8 times or more to the tensile length of the hinge loop.

Here, the tensile length of the hinge loop is set according to [Equation 1] below,

[Equation 1]

Here, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, D is the shortest length between the hinge root portion and the flange support portion at normal times, and H is the separation distance between the hinge root portion and the inner surface of the crash pad, and HT may represent the thickness of the hinge loop, and RT may represent the thickness of the hinge root portion.

As an example, the thickness of the hinge loop may be set so that the load applied to the hinge root portion as the airbag cushion is deployed is 0.6 times or less than the product of the strain of the hinge portion and the thickness of the hinge loop.

Here, the strain rate of the hinge portion is set according to [Equation 2] below,

[Equation 2]

Here, HD is the strain of the hinge portion, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, DL is the normal length of the hinge loop, and HT may represent the thickness of the hinge loop.

Additionally, one embodiment of the airbag device according to the present invention includes the airbag door; a crash pad located on the upper part of the airbag door; an airbag cushion located under the airbag door and inflated and deployed when an event occurs; and an airbag module that recognizes the occurrence of an event and inflates and deploys the airbag cushion.

As an example, the crash pad may be provided with a separation line that is cut apart according to the deployment of the airbag cushion, corresponding to the middle of the first area and the second area of the airbag door.

According to the present invention, as the airbag cushion is deployed, the airbag door opens on both sides around the separation line of the crash pad, so that the airbag cushion can be deployed quickly and stably.

In particular, by optimally setting the tensile strength and thickness of the hinge connected to the airbag door by considering the shear stress caused by the airbag cushion when the airbag is deployed, the airbag can be deployed stably, thereby protecting occupants more safely.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1 and 2 show an example of a vehicle equipped with an airbag device according to the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a cutaway cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an airbag device according to the present invention.
4 to 6 show enlarged views of the hinge portion of the airbag door according to the present invention.
7 to 9 show operation diagrams of the airbag door of the airbag device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or restricted by the embodiments.

In order to explain the present invention, its operational advantages, and the purpose achieved by practicing the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and discussed with reference to them.

First, the terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention, and singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, in the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the presence or addition of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

The present invention relates to a technology that allows the airbag cushion to be deployed quickly and stably by opening the airbag door on both sides around the separation line of the crash pad as the airbag cushion is deployed.

1 and 2 show an example of a vehicle equipped with an airbag device according to the present invention.

The airbag device 100 according to the present invention may be placed on the passenger seat dashboard 30 of a vehicle. Of course, depending on the situation, the airbag device 100 may be placed in various positions corresponding to the driver's seat or the rear seat.

The airbag device 100 may be disposed inside the crash pad 40 located on the dashboard 30 of the passenger seat. For example, the area where the airbag device 100 is placed on the dashboard 30 may be formed as a crash pad 40 differently from other areas on the dashboard 30.

The airbag device 100 can recognize when an impact exceeding a certain level, such as a vehicle collision, occurs, inflate the airbag cushion, and deploy the airbag cushion toward the passenger in the passenger seat.

Preferably, in the airbag device 100, the airbag cushion can be deployed as the airbag door is opened on both sides around the cut separation line provided in the crash pad 40.

Let us look at the airbag device according to the present invention in more detail through examples.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 2 and shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the airbag device according to the present invention.

The airbag device 100 may include an airbag door, an airbag cushion 170, an airbag module 150, etc.

The airbag cushion 170 may expand when an event occurs, push the airbag door open, and deploy forward.

The airbag module 180 can recognize events that occur in the vehicle and control the airbag cushion 170 to be deployed accordingly. For example, the airbag module 180 may inflate the airbag cushion 170 by injecting air into the airbag cushion 170 according to recognition of an impact situation based on an impact detection sensor disposed in the vehicle.

The airbag door may be positioned with a portion of it in contact with the lower part of the crash pad 40.

A separation line 45 may be formed on the crash pad 40 with a portion of the lower surface cut out to support the opening of the airbag door.

Preferably, the airbag door is divided into a first area part 110 and a second area part 130 based on the separation line 45 of the crash pad 40 and disposed on both sides of the separation line 45 of the crash pad 40. It can be.

The airbag door may include a first flange portion 111, a first door portion 115, and a first hinge portion 120 disposed in the first area portion 110. Additionally, the airbag door may include a second flange portion 131, a second door portion 135, and a second hinge portion 140 disposed in the second area portion 130.

The first and second flange parts 111 and 131 may be fixed to the inner surfaces of the crash pads 41b and 43b to support the first and second door parts 115 and 135.

One end of the first and second door parts 115 and 135 may be pushed and opened as the airbag cushion 170 is deployed. The first and second door parts 115 and 135 are connected to the inner surfaces of the crash pads 41a and 43a, and as the airbag cushion 170 expands, the ends are pushed to separate the separation lines 45 of the crash pads 41a and 43a. ) can be separated along the crash pads (41a, 43a).

The first and second hinge parts 120 and 140 are connected to the ends of each flange part 111 and 131 and the ends of each door part 115 and 115, and are connected to the first and second hinge parts 170 according to the deployment of the airbag cushion 170. 2 The door portions 115 and 135 can be rotated to open.

The first and second hinge parts 120 and 140 may be supported by the guide body 150. Furthermore, the guide body 150 can surround the circumference of the airbag cushion 170 and provide a storage space where the airbag cushion 170 is stored.

As the airbag cushion 170 is deployed, the first door 115 may be opened along the rotation trajectory TW1, and the second door 135 may be opened along the rotation trajectory TW2.

The first area portion 110 is supported by the first flange portion 111 and the guide body 150, and the first door portion 115 is opened while rotating in a one-directional rotation trajectory TW1 through the first hinge portion 120. It can be.

In addition, the second area portion 130 is supported by the second flange portion 131 and the guide body 150 and moves the second door portion 135 in one direction and the other direction opposite to the second hinge portion 140. It can be opened while rotating with the rotation trajectory TW2.

In this way, as the airbag cushion 170 is deployed, the first door portion 115 and the second door portion 135 may be opened on both sides based on the separation line 45 of the crash pad.

The hinge portion of the airbag door according to the present invention will be examined in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

Although the first area part 110 and the second area part 130 have somewhat different shapes, their basic configuration and operation are similar to each other, so they will be examined based on the first area part 110.

The crash pad 40 may include a flange mounting area 41b, a door mounting area 41a, and a separation line 45.

The first flange portion 111 may be mounted on the inner surface of the flange portion mounting area 41b of the crash pad. As an example, a mounting protrusion 112 is provided on the upper surface of the first flange portion 111, and a portion of the mounting protrusion 112 is inserted into the inner surface of the flange portion mounting area 41b of the crash pad to form the first flange portion ( 111) and the flange mounting area 41b of the crash pad may be fixed to each other.

The first door part 115 may be mounted on the inner surface of the door part mounting area 41a of the crash pad. As an example, a mounting protrusion 116 is provided on the upper surface of the first door part 115, and a part of the mounting protrusion 116 is inserted into the inner surface of the door part mounting area 41a of the crash pad to form the first door part ( 115) and the door mounting area 41a of the crash pad may be fixed to each other.

In addition, when the first door part 115 is opened, the door part mounting area 41a of the crash pad is positioned inwardly on the lower surface between the door part mounting area 41a of the crash pad and the flange mounting area 41b so that the door part mounting area 41a of the crash pad can rotate together. A recessed groove 41c may be provided.

The first hinge portion 120 may include a hinge loop 121, a door hinge 123, a hinge root 125, and a middle hinge 127.

The hinge loop 121 maintains the connection between the first flange portion 111 and the first door portion 115 and may be tensioned to a certain level according to the deployment of the airbag cushion 170. As an example, the hinge loop 121 may be formed in a round semicircular shape.

A cognitive root 125 may be provided on one side of the hinge loop 121, a door hinge 123 may be provided on the other side, and a stop hinge 127 may be provided at the middle of the hinge loop 121.

The hinge root 125 is connected to the first flange portion 111 and may rotate in the first direction R1 while supporting the first hinge portion 120.

The door hinge 123 is connected to the first door portion 115 and may rotate in the first direction R1 while supporting the first door portion 115.

The middle hinge 127 is rotatable in a second direction R2 on the hinge loop 121 between the hinge root 125 and the door hinge 123.

That is, the first hinge portion 120 includes a plurality of hinges that rotate in multiple stages, the hinge root 125 and the door hinge 123 can rotate in the same first direction R1, and the middle hinge 127 It may rotate in a second direction R2 that is opposite to the rotation direction of the hinge root 125 and the door hinge 123.

FIG. 4 shows a normal state of the first hinge portion, and FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the first hinge portion is fully opened as the airbag cushion is deployed.

The hinge loop 121 may have a certain level of tensile strength. As an example, the hinge loop 121 may have a tensile strength having a length ratio of 0.8 or more times the normal length to the tensile length.

The tensile length of the hinge loop 121 can be set according to [Equation 1] below.

[Equation 1]

Here, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, D is the shortest length between the hinge root portion and the flange support portion at normal times, and H is the separation distance between the hinge root portion and the inner surface of the crash pad, and HT is the thickness of the hinge loop, and RT represents the thickness of the hinge root region.

In addition, when the airbag cushion is deployed, shear stress is generated at the hinge root, which can easily cause the hinge root area to be damaged. Therefore, in the present invention, the thickness of the hinge loop can be set in consideration of the load applied to the hinge root when the airbag cushion is deployed.

As an example, the thickness of the hinge loop may be set so that the load applied to the hinge root portion as the airbag cushion is deployed is less than or equal to 0.6 times the strain of the first hinge portion multiplied by the thickness of the hinge loop.

The strain rate of the first hinge portion can be set according to [Equation 2] below.

[Equation 2]

Here, HD is the strain of the first hinge portion, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, DL is the normal length of the hinge loop, and HT is the thickness of the hinge loop.

As such, in the present invention, the first hinge portion 120 includes a plurality of hinges that rotate in multiple stages, the rotation direction is set for each hinge, and the tensile length is set so that the airbag door can be opened easily and stably when the airbag is deployed. and thickness can be set optimally.

The first hinge portion 120 has been described through this embodiment. Since the second hinge portion 140 also has a similar structure and similar operation to the first hinge portion 120 described above, the second hinge portion 140 The description of the structure and operation will be omitted.

7 to 9 show operation diagrams of the airbag door of the airbag device according to the present invention.

In the present invention, the crash pad is provided with a cut separation line 45, and the first area 110 and the second area 130 of the airbag door are arranged separately on both sides based on the separation line 45 of the crash pad. It can be.

When an event occurs in the vehicle, the airbag module 180 can detect it and inflate the airbag cushion 170a to deploy the airbag.

As the airbag cushion 170b expands, the first area 110 and the second area 130 of the airbag door can be pushed open.

As the airbag cushion 170b expands, the first door 115 and the second door 135 are pushed and the first door 115 rotates along the rotation trajectory TW1 through the first hinge 120. and the second door part 135 can be opened by rotating along the rotation trajectory TW2 through the second hinge part 140.

At this time, the first hinge portion 120 and the second hinge portion 140 may rotate in multiple stages to support the opening of the first door portion 115 and the second door portion 135. The load applied to the hinge root A plurality of hinges provided in the first hinge part 120 and the second hinge part 140 may rotate in a respectively set direction in the first direction or the second direction so that the door can be opened stably while dispersing the . Through the rotation of this multi-stage hinge, the airbag cushion 170c can be inflated with the airbag door fully open.

According to the present invention, as the airbag cushion is deployed, the airbag door opens on both sides around the separation line of the crash pad, so that the airbag cushion can be deployed quickly and stably.

The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible to those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments described in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but are for illustrative purposes, and the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

10: vehicle,
30: Dashboard,
40: crash pad,
100: airbag device,
110: first area portion of the airbag door,
111: first flange portion,
115: first door part,
120: first hinge portion,
130: Second area portion of the airbag door,
131: second flange portion,
135: second door part,
140: second hinge portion,
170: airbag cushion,
180: Airbag module.

Claims (10)

It is divided into a first area part and a second area part, and each of the first area part and the second area part is,
A flange portion fixed to the inner surface of the crash pad;
A door portion whose one end is pushed open as the airbag cushion is deployed; and
An airbag door comprising a hinge portion connected to an end of the flange portion and the other end of the door portion to rotate the door portion. According to claim 1,
The first area portion and the second area portion are disposed on both sides based on the separation line of the crash pad,
As the airbag cushion is deployed, the first area portion is fixedly supported by the first flange portion and the first door portion rotates in one direction through the first hinge portion,
As the airbag cushion is deployed, the second area portion is fixedly supported by the second flange portion and the second door portion rotates in the other direction opposite to one direction through the second hinge portion,
An airbag door, wherein the first door portion and the second door portion are open on both sides based on a separation line of the crash pad. According to claim 1,
The hinge part is,
a hinge root connected to the flange portion and rotating in a first direction while supporting the hinge portion;
a door hinge connected to the door unit and rotating in a first direction while supporting the door unit; and
An intermediate hinge is provided between the hinge root and the door hinge to rotate in a second direction, maintains a connection between the flange portion and the door portion, and includes a hinge loop that is tensioned according to deployment of the airbag cushion. airbag door. According to claim 3,
An airbag door further comprising a guide body connected to the hinge portion and supporting the hinge portion. According to claim 3,
The hinge loop of the hinge portion is,
An airbag door, characterized in that the normal length of the hinge loop has a tensile strength of 0.8 times or more than the tensile length of the hinge loop. According to claim 5,
The tensile length of the hinge loop is set according to [Equation 1] below,
[Equation 1]

Here, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, D is the shortest length between the hinge root portion and the flange support portion at normal times, and H is the separation distance between the hinge root portion and the inner surface of the crash pad, and HT is the thickness of the hinge loop, and RT is the thickness of the hinge root area. According to claim 5,
An airbag door, wherein the thickness of the hinge loop is set so that the load applied to the hinge root area as the airbag cushion is deployed is less than or equal to 0.6 times the product of the strain rate of the hinge portion and the thickness of the hinge loop. According to claim 7,
The strain rate of the hinge portion is,
It is set according to [Equation 2] below,
[Equation 2]

Here, HD is the strain of the hinge portion, EL is the tensile length of the hinge loop, DL is the normal length of the hinge loop, and HT is the thickness of the hinge loop. The airbag door according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
A crash pad located on the upper part of the airbag door;
an airbag cushion located below the airbag door and inflated and deployed when an event occurs; and
An airbag device comprising an airbag module that recognizes the occurrence of an event and inflates and deploys the airbag cushion. According to clause 9,
The crash pad is,
An airbag device, characterized in that a separation line is provided corresponding to the middle of the first area portion and the second area portion of the airbag door to be separated and cut according to the deployment of the airbag cushion.

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