Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
  • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
  • B60R21/26—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow
  • B60R21/268—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow using instantaneous release of stored pressurised gas
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
  • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
  • B60R21/33—Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an air bag triggering device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an air bag triggering device for a vehicle in which a structure for opening a valve device for controlling gas to flow into an air bag is improved.
• a conventional air bag triggering device comprises a housing having a gas container, a valve device for controlling gas from the gas container to flow into an air bag, and a means for opening the valve device when sudden impact is applied to a vehicle, for example, by collision of the vehicles.
• the valve opening means includes a slider or a hammer for opening the valve device, a latch portion for locking the slider or the hammer under a normal operation of the vehicle, a spring for elastically biasing the slider or the hammer toward the valve device, a releasing portion for releasing the locked latch portion under the impact to the vehicle.
• a push rod may be installed between the valve device and the slider or the hammer.
• the releasing portion generally includes an inertial body and a lever or a link mechanism operating according to the inertial movement of the inertial body.
• the inertial body is installed outside the housing, a large space is required for installing the inertial body, and transfer of the initial movement of the inertial body to the lever or the link mechanism is not performed accurately.
• an air bag triggering device comprising: a housing having a gas container; a valve device for controlling gas from the gas container to flow into an air bag; a cylindrical guide portion formed inside the housing above the valve device; a slider slidably positioned inside the cylindrical guide portion, for opening the valve device when sudden impact is applied to a vehicle, the slider having a jaw formed at the upper end portion thereof; a slider spring for elastically biasing the slider; a latch portion installed at the upper portion of the housing, for locking the jaw of the slider to prevent the slider from moving forward; an inertial body installed inside the cylindrical guide portion coaxially with the slider, for moving forward by its inertia under the sudden impact to the vehicle; a releasing lever pivotally installed in the housing, for releasing the locked latch portion of the jaw of the slider according to the inertial movement of the inertial body; and a means for transferring the inertial movement of the inertial body to the releasing lever to pivot it.
• the transferring means includes a ball-containing hole formed across the cylindrical guide portion, the ball-containing hole communicating with the cylindrical guide portion at one end thereof and opening toward the releasing lever at the other end thereof, and a releasing ball contained inside the ball-containing hole for transferring the inertial movement of the inertial body to the releasing lever.
• the inertial body is formed with a coned portion at the lower portion thereof, the coned portion contacting the releasing ball under a normal operation of the vehicle and pushing the releasing ball toward the releasing lever under the impact to the vehicle-
• the air bag triggering device may further comprise a push rod for opening the valve device, the push rod positioned above said valve device.
• the inertial body is positioned between the slider and the push rod.
• the inertial body may be formed with a through hole at the center thereof, and the slider may be formed with a pushing pin which passes through the through hole of the inertial body to push or strike the push rod.
• the air bag triggering device may further comprise a lateral inertial body installed in the housing to move in a lateral direction, for operating the releasing lever when a lateral impact is applied to the vehicle.
• Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an air bag triggering device according to a first embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled air bag triggering device of Fig. 1 ;
• Figs. 3 and 4 show operating states of the air bag triggering device of Fig. 1 , respectively;
• Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 4, showing flowing of gas into an air bag; and Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an air bag triggering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
• an air bag triggering device 1 includes a housing 10 having a gas container 14 for containing compressed nitrogen gas and formed with a valve receiving hole 32, a valve device 40 which is installed within the valve-receiving hole 32 of the housing 10, and an operating portion 50 for opening the valve device 40 when sudden impact is applied o a vehicle, for example, by collision of the vehicle.
• the housing 10 is formed with a cylindrical guide portion 12 which is positioned above the valve device 40 and is opened at the top and the bottom thereof, and a first recess portion 16 around the top of the cylindrical guide portion 12.
• a screw hole 18 is formed at one wall side of the first recess portion 16 and a groove 22 is formed at the other wall side of the first recess portion 16.
• the groove 22 is longitudinally extended downward with the same length as that of the cylindrical guide portion 12.
• the groove 22 is opened outwards (righthand in Fig. 1 ).
• the cylindrical guide portion 12 communicates with the groove 22 through a ball-containing hole 24 which is formed between the respective lower wall portions of the cylindrical guide portion 12 and the groove 22.
• a releasing ball 83 is positioned within the ball-containing hole 24.
• a shaft hole 26 is formed at the upper wall portion of the groove 22.
• a lever shaft 25 is positioned within the shaft hole 26 across the groove 22.
• a gas guide passage 38 is formed at the bottom portion of the housing 10.
• the gas guide passage 38 extends from the gas container 14 and communicates with the gas container 14 at the inside thereof (left in Fig. 2), and is formed with a screw hole 38a at the outside thereof.
• a drain screw 35 having a drain port 35a formed at the center thereof is coupled with the screw hole 38a.
• a sheet 37 is positioned at the inside of the drain screw 35 to close the drain port 35a. When pressure of the gas within the gas container 14 exceeds a predetermined reference value by external temperature, the sheet 37 is broken off by expansion of the gas, to thereby drain the gas through the drain port 35a of the drain screw 35 outwards.
• a second recess portion 28 is formed between the cylindrical guide portion 12 and the valve device 40.
• the second recess portion 28 is opened at the outside thereof.
• the valve-receiving hole 32 within which the valve device 40 is installed is formed at the bottom of the second recess portion 28 to communicate with the gas guide passage 38.
• a gas discharge port 36 is formed above ,and in parallel with, the gas guide passage 38.
• a high-pressure hose 33 is coupled with the gas discharge port 36 to transfer the gas through the gas discharge port 36 to an air bag (not shown).
• the gas discharge port 36 communicates with the valve-receiving hole 32, so that the gas flows from the gas container 14 via the valve device 40 toward the gas discharge port 36.
• the valve device 40 includes a valve ball 41 moving between an opening position and a closing position of the valve device 40, and a valve ball container 43 installed across the gas guide passage 38 for containing the valve ball 41.
• the valve ball 41 is positioned at the closing position, i. e., at the top of the valve ball container 43 under a normal operation of the vehicle.
• the valve ball container 43 has a cylindrical shape and is formed with a plurality of gas holes 44 at the wall portion thereof. The gas holes 44 function to flow the gas from the gas guide passage 38 into the gas discharge port 36 when the valve ball 41 is positioned at the opening position, i. e., at the bottom of the valve ball container 43.
• the operating portion 50 includes a push rod 51 which is positioned on the valve ball 41 and slides inside the guide member 45 to push the valve ball 41 to thereby open the valve device 40, a slider 60 installed at the upper portion of the cylindrical guide portion 12, a slider spring 57 for elastically biasing the slider 60 downwards, a latching portion 70 for locking the slider 60 against the elastic force of the slider spring 57 under the normal operation of the vehicle, and a releasing portion 80 for releasing the slider 60 from the latching portion 70 under the sudden impact to the vehicle.
• the push rod 51 has the substantially same diameter as the inner diameter of the guide member 45, and includes a pushing plate 53 contacting the valve ball 41 at the lower surface thereof and a connector 55 for connecting the pushing plate 53 to the body of the push rod 51.
• the slider 60 has a jaw 61 which is formed at the top portion thereof and locked by the latching portion 70 under the normal operation of the vehicle.
• a ball bearing 63 is positioned under the jaw 61 to support the movement of the latching portion 70 relative to the jaw 61 of the slider 60.
• the latching portion 70 includes a latch support 71 installed in the housing 71 , a latch slide 75 which slides on the latch support 71 between a locking position and a releasing position thereof to lock and release the slider 60, and a latch spring 77 for positioning the latch slide 75 at the locking position.
• the latch support 71 has a U-shaped groove 72. Several screw holes 71 a for fixing the latch support 71 to the housing 10 are formed on the tops of both walls of the groove 72.
• the groove 72 is formed with a through hole (not shown) at the center of the bottom thereof through which the upper portion of the slider 60 passes, and bearing slots 74 at both sides of the bottom thereof. Plate bearings 73 are installed in the bearing slots 74 to support the sliding movement of the latch slide 75.
• the latch slide 75 is formed with an elongated hole 76 at the center portion thereof, for receiving the upper portion of the slider 60 when the latch slide 75 slides in the groove 72 of the latch support 71 , and a jaw support 75a for supporting the jaw 61 of the slider 60.
• the slider spring 57 is installed under the latch support 71 and is compressed by the slider 60 under the normal operation of the vehicle.
• An adjusting screw 79 is coupled with the screw hole 18 which is formed at one wall side of the first recess portion 16.
• the latch spring 77 is positioned between the adjusting screw 79 and the latch slide 75 to elastically bias the latch slide 75.
• the adjusting screw 79 functions to adjust a compressing force of the latch spring 77.
• the releasing portion 80 includes an inertial body 81 which moves downwards by its inertia under the impact to the vehicle, the releasing ball 83 positioned within the ball containing hole 24 to move outwards according to the downward inertial movement of the inertial body 81 , and a releasing lever 85 pivotally coupled with the lever shaft 25 at the upper portion thereof.
• the releasing lever 85 is positioned within the groove 22 under the normal operation of the vehicle and moves outwardly at the lower portion thereof by the releasing ball 83 under the impact to the vehicle to release the latch slide 75 from the locking position to the releasing position.
• the releasing lever 85 is formed with a ball-receiving recess 86 for receiving the outwardly moving releasing ball 83.
• the inertial body 81 has a coned portion 81 a formed at the lower portion thereof which contacts the releasing ball 83, so that the coned portion 81a pushes the releasing ball 83 outwardly through the ball containing hole 24 when the inertial body 81 moves downwardly.
• a releasing bolt 87 is coupled to the upper portion of the releasing lever 85 above the lever shaft 25, so that the releasing bolt 87 moves inwardly to push or strike the latch slide 75 when the lower portion of the releasing lever 85 moves outwardly.
• the inertial body 81 contacts the releasing ball 83 at the coned portion 81a of the inertial body 81 , the latch slide 75 is positioned at the locking position by the elastic force of the latch spring 77, and the valve device 40 is closed.
• the air bag triggering device 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
• the inertial body 81 moves downwardly by its inertia to push the releasing ball 83 outwardly through the ball-containing hole 24.
• the releasing ball 83 pushes the lower portion of the releasing lever 85 outwardly, so that the releasing bolt 87 coupled with the upper portion of the releasing lever 85 pushes or strikes the latch slide 75.
• the latch slide 75 slides on the plate bearings 73 (see Fig. 1) towards the latch spring 77 to compress the latch spring 77, so that the latch slide 75 moves from the locking position to the releasing position.
• the jaw support 75a of the latch slide 75 moves away from the jaw 61 of the slider 60, so that the slider 60 can move downwards.
• the ball bearing 63 functions to decrease friction between the jaw 61 of the slider 60 and the support 75a of the latch slide 75.
• the gas flows through the gas holes 44 of the valve ball container 43 and the gas discharge passage 34 toward the gas discharge port 36 and the high-pressure hose 33, to thereby expand the air bag.
• the air bag triggering device 1 includes a housing 10, a valve device 40 and an operating portion 50 for opening the valve device 40 when sudden impact is applied to a vehicle.
• the housing 10 includes a cylinder frame 11 formed with a cylindrical guide portion 12 and a gas cylinder 13 having a gas container
• the operating portion 50 includes a push rod 51 , a slider 60, a slider spring 57, a latch portion 70 and a releasing portion 80.
• the slider 60 is slidably installed inside the cylindrical guide portion
• the slider 60 has a plate-shaped jaw 61 at the upper portion thereof, a pushing pin 67 at the lower portion thereof and a slider flange 65 positioned on the top of the pushing pin 67.
• the lower surface of the jaw 61 is formed inclinedly.
• the latching portion 70 includes a latch support 71 installed in the cylinder frame 11 and having a pair of pins 97 at one side thereof, a pair of latch members 75 pivotally coupled with the pins 97 of the latch support 71 at one end portion thereof, a latch holder 91 for holding the latch members
• a through hole 92 for passing through the jaw 61 of the slider 60 is formed at the center portion of the latch support 71 , and a guide bushing
• Each latch member 75 has a semicircular recess 75b at the center portion thereof, so that the two semicircular recesses 75b of the latch members 75 form a jaw locking hole 94 in communication with the through hole 92 of the latch support 71.
• the jaw-locking hole 94 has a diameter sufficient to prevent the jaw 61 of the slider 60 from passing through the jaw locking hole 94 under a normal operation of the vehicle, and a diameter sufficient to pass the jaw 61 of the slider 60 when the latch members 75 move away from each other under the impact to the vehicle.
• Each latch member 75 is formed with a stepped portion 96a at the other end portion (the left end portion in Fig. 6), so that the stepped portions 96a of the latch members 75 form a slot 96 under the normal operation of the vehicle.
• the latch holder 91 is formed with a receiving groove 98 for receiving the end portions of the latch members 75 at which the stepped portions 96a are formed, and for preventing the rotation of the latch members 75 under the normal operation of the vehicle.
• the releasing slide 93 is slidably installed on the latch members 75.
• An elongated hole 102 is formed at the center portion of the releasing slide 93 to receive the jaw 61 of the slider 60 protruding above the jaw-locking hole 94.
• a protrusion 99 is formed at the lower surface of one end portion of the releasing slide 93. The protrusion 99 moves inside the slot 96 of the latch members 75.
• the releasing portion 80 includes an inertial body 81 , a releasing ball 83, a lateral inertial body 82 and a releasing lever 85.
• the inertial body 81 is positioned inside the cylindrical guide portion 12 of the cylinder frame 11 and moves downwards by its inertia under the impact to the vehicle.
• a through hole 84 is formed at the center of the inertial body 81 , so that the pushing pin 67 of the slider 60 moves downwards through the through hole 84 to push or strike the push rod 51.
• a protrusion 88 is formed at the lower portion of the inertial body 81.
• the protrusion 88 has an inclined portion 88a contacting the releasing ball 83 at the lower surface thereof, so that the releasing ball 83 moves toward, and pushes the releasing lever 85 when the inertial body 81 moves downward under the impact to the vehicle.
• the releasing lever 85 is pivotally coupled, at the upper portion thereof, with a lever shaft 25 which is installed at the upper portion of the cylinder frame 11.
• the lower end portion of the releasing lever 85 is formed with a recess 86 for receiving the releasing ball 83.
• the releasing lever 85 rotates by a pushing force of the releasing ball 83, the upper end of the releasing lever 85 pushes or strikes the releasing slide 93-
• the lateral inertial body 82 is slidably installed inside a receiving frame 89 which is mounted to the gas cylinder 13 by means of a bolt 15.
• the lateral inertial body 82 moves in a lateral direction to push or strike the lower end portion of the releasing lever 85 when a lateral impact is applied to the vehicle.
• the inertial body 81 contacts the releasing ball 83 at the inclined portion 88a of the protrusion 88 thereof, and the latch holder 91 holds the pair of latch members 75 at the holding groove 98 thereof.
• the diameter of the jaw locking hole 94 of the latch members 75 is smaller than that of the jaw 61 of the slider 60, the jaw 61 is prevented from passing through the jaw locking hole 94.
• the valve device 40 is closed.
• the inertial body 81 moves downwardly by its inertia to push the releasing ball 83 toward the releasing lever 85, so that the lower portion of the releasing lever 85 moves outwardly.
• the upper end portion of the releasing lever 85 moves in the reverse direction to push or strike the releasing slide 93.
• the releasing slide 93 moving leftward pushes the latch holder 91 , so that the latch members 75 are released from the latch holder 91 and the jaw 61 of the slider 60 can pass through the jaw locking hole 94 of the latch members 75.
• the elastic force of the slider spring 57 acts on the slider flange 65 of the slider 60 to urge the slider 60 downwards.
• the jaw 61 of the slider 60 is released from the jaw locking hole 94 of the latch members 75 and the slider 60 moves downwards inside the cylindrical guide portion 12.
• the pushing pin 67 passes through the through hole 84 of the inertial body 81 and pushes or strikes the push rod 51 .
• the push rod 51 pushes a valve ball 41 of the valve device 40 downwardly to open the valve device 40. Accordingly, the gas in " the gas container of the gas cylinder 13 flows into an air bag (not shown) through the valve device 40.
• a releasing protrusion (not shown) extending from the lever 85 and contacting the inertial body 81 may be used instead of the releasing ball 83.
• the lateral inertial body 82 is installed at the lower left and inside of the releasing lever 85 in Fig. 6, the lateral inertial body 82 may be installed at the upper right and outside of the releasing lever 85 as necessary. In addition, the position of the inertial body 81 may be revised as necessary.
• a slider 60 having a keen-edged pin and a valve sheet may be used respectively. In this structure, the keen-edged pin of the slider 60 moving downwardly breaks off the valve sheet, so that the gas in the gas container flows into the air bag through the valve device.
• the air bag triggering device of the present invention since the inertial body is disposed coaxially with the slider and the valve device, the installation space for the inertial body can be decreased.
• the inertial movement of the inertial body is transformed into the rotational movement of the releasing lever by the releasing ball, which provides an accurate transformation mechanism.
• the structure in which the pushing pin passes through the inertial body can increase an opening speed of the valve device.
• the lateral inertial body can operate the releasing lever on a lateral impact to the vehicle, and can be installed at any position to thereby enhance the spatial efficiency.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)
• Refuge Islands, Traffic Blockers, Or Guard Fence (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19563947

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (3)

• 1998
  • 1998-12-19 KR KR1019980056433A patent/KR19990037595A/ko active Search and Examination
• 1999
  • 1999-10-27 AU AU63709/99A patent/AU6370999A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-10-27 WO PCT/KR1999/000643 patent/WO2000037288A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (3)

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